The effort to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is now in the hands of voters, less than two years since she took office.
Thao’s term was plagued by highly publicized incidents of street crime and shoplifting, the controversial firing of the former Oakland police chief, the loss of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team, a looming budget deficit and a political scandal surrounding an FBI raid on her home.
The push for a recall began in January after it was announced in September 2023 that the mayor’s administration had done so mishandled a state crime grant application, costing the city $15 million in lost funding.
The revelation came shortly after the firing of Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong in February 2023 following a critical report on the department’s leadership and its failure to properly investigate and discipline a sergeant accused of misconduct.
Thao was also criticized for the thirteen months it took to find a new police chief. By then, Governor Gavin Newsom had already done so California Highway Patrol officers deployed to combat a crime wave and a growing list of companies had decided to leave the city about fear for public safety.
Opponents of the recall say statistics show crime has fallen since Thao took office and her government should be given time to fully develop its policies and solve problems that have been decades in the making.
If the recall is successful, City Council Speaker Nikki Fortunato Bas will become acting mayor until a special election is held in April — unless Fortunato Bas wins her race for a seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
In that case, the remaining council members would choose an interim mayor.
