People on both sides of the mayoral recall race in Oakland made the final push to vote Friday, with Mayor Sheng Thao and recall supporters holding separate events.
On the one hand, people talked about living in constant fear.
“Very scared, you know? We can’t sleep,” Lisa Trinh said during a recall in Little Saigon in Oakland.
On the other hand, residents shared stories of positive change.
“For the first time in 17 years, children came to the door for Halloween. I was very happy,” said Fr. Aidan McAleenan of St. Columba Catholic Church.
Trinh said this week was all tricks and no treats. On Tuesday morning, thieves drove a stolen car into her brother’s businessLucky 7 cigarettes, in Little Saigon.
Burglars destroyed the storefront and looted the business. It was their third major burglary after the pandemic.
“My hand will shake. Very scared, very scared. I can’t sleep well,” said Trinh, a Vietnamese immigrant who speaks limited English.
With the help of a translator, Trinh explained that she and her family felt helpless. She had helped her brother, the store owner, who was sick.
“My brother is currently very ill and needs help. He needs staff. But we cannot afford to hire new people,” says Trinh.
Recall organizers gathered outside Lucky 7 to remind voters that many businesses have closed due to crime.
They said Mayor Thao missed a key deadline last year and lost millions of dollars in state funds to combat shoplifting.
But the mayor said the number of burglaries and robberies has decreased.
Mayor Thao also said she has revived a violence prevention strategy called ceasefire, which has led to a major drop in homicides. Oakland Police reported 71 homicides so far this year compared to 113 murders in the same period last year.
“We didn’t have a single homicide in the month of October,” said OPD Assistant Chief James Beere.
“Father Aidan has not been forced to make as many crosses this year as he usually does. And so that is a very strong sign that we are on the right track,” Thao said outside Saint Columba Catholic Church.
Father Aidan McAleenan erects a cross in front of his church for every murder victim.
“I applaud her in that sense. She actually showed up, which previous mayors never did, at our year-end cross ceremony,” said Fr. McAleenan.
But the mayor’s critics credited the governor and the CHP for the crime reduction.
“Murders aren’t the only crime in Oakland. We have people suffering from other crimes every day. And then people just don’t report crimes like they did,” said recall organizer and retired judge Brenda Harbin-Forte.
Trinh said no amount of data could change how she felt. She and her brother were thinking about quitting for good.
“We don’t make much profit from it. Every time the business is hit, we just don’t know how to stay open,” thought Trinh, an interpreter.
If the mayor is recalled, the council president will become interim mayor. Voters would then choose a new mayor during a special election.
