Oakland mayor faces crime problem

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, a Democrat, has been facing a recall effort that earlier this month gained nearly twice the number of required signatures to call an election. The recall effort’s organizers cited Thao’s inability to keep the public safe, the high-profile closure of businesses due to crime , losing the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas, and the firing of the city’s police chief . Then last Thursday, the FBI raided her house for unannounced reasons. According to ABC7 , sources say the investigation is about political corruption involving the mayor and her supporters. Oakland deserves a better mayor.

The FBI not only searched Thao’s home. Federal officers searched the local office of Cal Waste Solutions and the homes of its CEO and his son. The Duong family, the owners of Cal Waste Solutions, have been under investigation by the Oakland Public Ethics Commission since 2019. Specifically, the investigation has targeted an alleged scheme in which the company laundered campaign donations through straw donors. Thao allegedly received some of these donations and also traveled with the Duongs.

While neither Thao nor the Duongs have been charged with any crimes, this recent federal investigation is not helping her already damaged public reputation. During the 2022 Oakland mayoral race, one of Thao’s city council office staffers alleged that she was fired after refusing to illegally work for her campaign.

Thao then fired Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong shortly after taking office. The Oakland Police Department has been under federal oversight for 20 years. In January 2023, the federal monitor stated that Armstrong’s weak leadership failed to change the department’s culture for the better. After his firing, a retired judge acting as an independent arbitrator found Armstrong’s firing to be unjustified. Armstrong is suing the city and claims that he had been fired for criticizing the federal monitor.

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Many voters see the controversial firing of Armstrong as part of Thao’s broader inability or unwillingness to tackle Oakland’s crime problem. Thao, as a councilwoman, had voted to defund the police department and shift funding to social services. While she nominally took a more pro-police stance during her mayoral campaign, crime skyrocketed in 2023. Roughly one in 30 residents had their cars stolen in that year. Meanwhile, businesses such as In-N-Out and Denny’s left the city, citing the crime rate. Kaiser Permanente told its employees at its downtown office to not leave the building for lunch. Eventually, Gov. Newsom (D-CA) had to step in and send 120 California Highway Patrol officers to help suppress the crime wave.

While violent crime in Oakland is now down from its high in 2023, it is still significant and affecting citizen’s lives. The recall effort against Thao has largely focused on crime concerns and has been dramatically successful. The inability of liberals such as Thao to address the realities of crime and its causes is leading to the pro-police backlash that is being seen in cities across the country. One hopes this means Oakland will get the mayor it deserves.