Sheng Thao (RPA: Seeb Thoj, Pahawh: 𖬀𖬶𖬤𖬵 𖬒𖬲𖬟𖬰; born July 18, 1985) is an American politician who is the 51st and current mayor of Oakland, California. She is the first Hmong American mayor of a major city in the United States.[1][2] She was elected as mayor of Oakland in November 2022 and started her term in January 2023. On November 5, 2024, Thao was recalled.[3][4] She is the first mayor in Oakland’s history to be recalled.

  • Sheng Thao
    𖬀𖬶𖬤𖬵 𖬒𖬲𖬟𖬰
Thao smiling
51st Mayor of Oakland
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byLibby Schaaf
President pro tempore of the Oakland City Council
In office
January 4, 2021 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byDan Kalb
Succeeded byDan Kalb
Member of the Oakland City Council
from 4th district
In office
January 2019 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byAnnie Campbell Washington
Succeeded byJanani Ramachandran
Personal details
Born (1985-07-18) July 18, 1985 (age 39)
Stockton, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
EducationMerritt College (AA)
University of California, Berkeley (BA)

During her tenure as mayor, Thao pledged to focus on crime, homelessness, and affordable housing. Thao's administration has faced a series of challenges, including public safety, business departures and budget deficits. In June 2024, the FBI raided Thao's home, which she shares with her partner Andre Jones, as part of an ongoing investigation.[5] On August 6, 2024, Oakland's police union called on Thao to resign.[6]

Early life and education

edit

Thao was born on July 18, 1985[7] and raised in Stockton, California.[1][8] Her parents were refugees from Laos who escaped from the Hmong genocide and eventually immigrated to the United States.[1] Thao was the seventh of ten children and grew up in poverty, spending some of her childhood in public housing.[9]

At age 17, Thao moved out of her home and began working at a Walgreens store in Richmond.[10] After moving to Oakland in her 20s, she became a victim of domestic violence while in an abusive relationship.[11][12] Thao left the relationship when she was six months pregnant, and then lived in her car and couch-surfed before and after her son was born.[11][9][1] When her son was ten months old, Thao began attending Merritt College in Oakland while raising her son as a single mother and working as a research assistant.[10][8]

After she completed an associate's degree in legal studies at Merritt College, Thao transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a bachelor's degree in legal studies and a minor in city planning.[12][13][10] While at UC Berkeley, Thao helped create the Bear Pantry, a program which provided food to hungry students.[13]

Early career

edit

Following her graduation from UC Berkeley in 2012, Thao worked for At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan as a paid intern.[10][12] Thao later worked for Kaplan at the Oakland City Council, becoming her chief of staff in 2017.[10][1]

Oakland City Council

edit

Thao decided to run for office in 2018, when the election for the district 4 City Council seat was an open race, lacking an incumbent. Thao ran on the priorities of tackling Oakland's housing crisis, improving public safety with better response systems and community policing, and building public infrastructure such as libraries and parks.[14] Thao defeated six other candidates and won with 54% of the vote.[15]

 
Portrait of Thao during her tenure on the Oakland City Council

Thao began her term as a member of the Oakland City Council in January 2019.[16] Thao served in the Oakland City Council's 4th district seat, representing the neighborhoods of Montclair, Laurel, Melrose, Redwood Heights, and the Dimond District.[17] She was the first Hmong woman to be elected as a member of a city council in the state of California and the first Hmong person elected to the Oakland City Council.[2][18] On the city council, Thao served as president pro tempore.[12]

During her tenure on the city council, Thao led efforts to expand the number of police academies from four to five, and co-authored ordinances approved by the council to address housing insecurity by expanding access for code-compliant RVs and mobile homes in the city.[19][20]

Mayor of Oakland

edit

Thao took office on January 9, 2023.[21] As mayor-elect, her proposals included the development of 30,000 units of new housing over eight years, rent control and other protections for tenants, improving safety and sanitation for homeless residents, hiring more police officers, and increasing spending for education and violence prevention programs.[1][22][23]

Campaign

edit

On November 10, 2021, Thao announced her candidacy for Oakland mayor and the endorsements of council president Nikki Fortunato Bas, vice mayor Rebecca Kaplan, and Attorney General Rob Bonta.[24][25] Her campaign also received support from labor unions, the Alameda County Democratic Party, and Ro Khanna, the U.S. representative for the 17th congressional district of California.[1][26][27] Loren Taylor, one of her opponents, was endorsed by Libby Schaaf, the incumbent mayor of Oakland, as well as London Breed and Sam Liccardo, the mayors of nearby San Francisco and San Jose.[28] By the end of the campaign, Thao and Taylor were considered to be the two front-runners.[29]

Thao, relating her own experiences, including childhood poverty, domestic violence, and renting, campaigned for increasing the funding of the Department of Violence Prevention in Oakland to improve access to affordable housing and reduce homelessness.[30][31]

In June 2022, a former staffer filed an informal verbal complaint with the Public Ethics Commission that alleged Thao had Oakland City Council staff work on her campaign in a possible violation of state election laws. The staffer claims to have been fired after refusing to work on Thao's campaign.[32][33] Thao denied the allegations and the ethics commission opened an investigation in June 2022.[32] After the matter was reported by a political blogger that supported one of Thao's competitors in October 2022, the allegations gained media attention.[33][32]

On November 18, 2022, Thao won the election by 677 votes through a ranked-choice (instant-runoff) voting system.[1] On November 22, 2022, the margin of victory increased to 682 votes, and her opponent Councilmember Loren Taylor conceded.[34][30] A recount was formally requested and received support from the city's chapter of the NAACP, but the required funding was not raised for the costs.[35] Thao stated she supported the recount.[36]

Public safety

edit

After a law firm hired during the previous year by the City of Oakland produced an investigative report which was officially published on January 18, 2023, alleging misconduct in the Oakland police department, Thao placed Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong on administrative leave on January 19.[37][38] During a press conference on January 21, Thao said "it's important that we look at taking the corrective action that is needed to make sure that we stay on track to make sure that we get out of the federal oversight," referring to the oversight the police department had been subject to for the past twenty years.[37] Thao fired Armstrong on February 15, 2023,[38] and indicated she had lost confidence in his ability to reform the police department.[39] Armstrong filed a wrongful terminational lawsuit against the city of Oakland and Thao.[40] In March 2024, Thao appointed Floyd Mitchell as the new police chief.[41]

Thao's administration faced criticism from community leaders after missing a deadline to apply for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention (ORTP) Grant Program.[42] The grant awards cities millions of dollars to fight retail crime through allocating funds "to hire more officers, create task forces and develop investigative units."[43] An audit released in May 2024 conducted by the acting City Auditor of Oakland found that, "there was poor communication, within departments and between departments, there was no project management and no one really took charge."[44] The City of Oakland prepared, but "did not successfully submit an application for the ORTP (Organized Retail Theft Prevention) grant."[44]

In September 2023, Thao announced $2.5 million in more funding for the 911 response system.[45][46] In her State of the City address on October 17, 2023, Thao discussed crime and public safety, including efforts to improve the 911 system, obtain new California Highway Patrol officers, and hire a person responsible for applying to grants.[47]

The Oakland Police Department statistics for 2024 show "33 percent fewer violent crimes overall this year compared to last year." Robberies rose 11% and residential robberies rose 118%.[48]

In July 2024, Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, urged Oakland to allow more police pursuits. Currently, Oakland only allows police pursuits when a suspect is armed with a gun or involved in a forcible violent crime,[49] a policy that has been in place since 2014.[50] Gavin Newsom has described this policy as an “outlier.”[49][51][52][53][54]

Business closures

edit

Several businesses have closed in Oakland due to safety concerns. In-N-Out, Denny's, Starbucks, Black Bear Diner, and Subway have cited safety concerns for their employees and customers as the reasons for the closures.[55] Other businesses, Raising Canes and Taco Bell, have shut down dining rooms to reduce the risk of crime.[56] Kaiser Permanente, Clorox, and Blue Shield have increased security and warned employees about crime in the area.[55] In a statement to KTVU, Thao claimed to prioritize public safety and said "that she added police presence and employed technology 'to deter and respond to criminal behavior.'"[57] Thao's office provided statistics that show a decline in some areas of crime in the Hegenberger Road corridor where In-N-Out was located.[57]

Oakland Athletics negotiations

edit

For several months, Thao's administration continued negotiations with the owners of the Oakland Athletics for the team to stay in Oakland, which had begun during the administration of Thao's predecessor, Libby Schaaf.[58][59] In April 2023, the team president announced an agreement to buy land for a stadium in Las Vegas.[58][59] On April 20, Thao indicated she was open to continuing negotiations despite the announcement by the team.[59] In July 2023, Thao and other Oakland officials met with MLB Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred and Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem to discuss the proposal for the A's to stay in Oakland.[60] John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, rejected the City of Oakland’s "offer for a five-year, $97 million lease extension on the Coliseum" and a revised, "final three-year, $60 million lease," ultimately relocating the team to Las Vegas.[61]

Thao announced on May 22, 2024 that the City of Oakland would sell its share of the Coliseum (the former home of the Oakland A's) to the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) for $105 million.[62] The money from the sale was expected to "help fill shortfalls in the city's budget" and city officials said the sale would pave "the way for a proposed sports and entertainment destination site, thousands of new affordable housing units, and community benefits for historically neglected East Oakland."[62] The deal has thus far not been completed.

Budget

edit

In May 2023, Thao proposed a two-year $4.2 billion budget with city department mergers and hiring freezes proposed to help account for a $360 million budget deficit.[63][64] A $4.2 billion budget was passed by the city council in June 2023 to address the deficit with some department mergers, hiring freezes to prevent layoffs, and spending cuts.[65][66]

In 2024, Oakland faced a $117 million deficit. Thao and Oakland's city council approved budget changes that "will avoid drastic cuts but also rely on the still-pending sale of the city’s most valuable real estate property."[67] The pending sale of the Coliseum is "estimated to bring in $105 million." Financial analysts warned city officials against relying on sales of assets to "remedy short-term budget shortfalls."[67]

Recall

edit

A group called Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) organized to recall her from office and submitted a petition on June 5, 2024. On June 18, 2024, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters received around 40,000 petition signatures. A random sample projected that roughly 26% of the petitions, or somewhere around 10,753 signatures, were not “valid signatures of qualified registered voters” in the city.[68] Alameda County’s elections office estimated that the whole batch would exceed 110% of the necessary threshold, or enough to trigger a recall election outright without a full manual count of signatures.[68] The recall was be the first mayor recall election in Oakland's history.[3]

A small group of protestors rallied outside of Oakland City Hall calling for Mayor Thao to address a Juneteenth celebration mass shooting at Lake Merritt that wounded 15 people and the FBI raid at her home.[69][70] The group supported the recall election and demanded Thao's resignation.[70] The election was scheduled to coincide with the presidential election.

She was successfully recalled on November 5, 2024.[4]

Investigations

edit

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with agents from the Internal Revenue Service and United States Postal Inspection Service, raided Thao's home on June 20, 2024.[5] Three other residences and properties belonging to the owners of Cal Waste Solutions, the Duong family, were also raided on the same day.[71] Following the raid, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP called on Sheng Thao to resign.[72] On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office ordered the city of Oakland to hand over documents and records. Among the requested records in the subpoena are "communications related to Andre Jones and all calendar entries or records of the existence of planned or scheduled meeting with Thao or Jones from June 2022 to the present."[73] On July 10, 2024, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued a new subpoena that "appear to be after police reports related to the Duong family, the owners of the city’s recycling contractor".[74]

Personal life

edit

As of 2024, Sheng Thao was living with her partner, Andre Jones, and their two children in a 4-bedroom home on Maiden Lane in Oakland's Lincoln Highlands neighborhood.[75][76][77] She met Jones, at the time Kaplan's chief of staff, during her internship with Oakland city Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.[78]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Singh, Maanvi (November 24, 2022). "From homeless to city hall: the Hmong American mayor making history in Oakland". The Guardian. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Chan, Louis (November 10, 2021). "Sheng Thao vies to be the 1st Hmong Am woman to lead a big city". AsAmNews. Asian American Media Inc. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Mayer, Phil (June 18, 2024). "Thao recall receives enough signatures to appear on November ballot". KRON4. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Alameda Co. DA Pamela Price recalled by East Bay voters". ABC News. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Hernandez, Salvador; Vives, Ruben (June 22, 2024). "FBI raid of Oakland mayor rocks city, fuels questions over family's political influence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Swan, Rachel; Ravani, Sarah (August 6, 2024). "Oakland's police union calls on Mayor Thao to resign". sfchronicle.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Rosenthal, Ken (July 12, 2023). "'Keep the Oakland A's in Oakland' — Q&A with mayor Sheng Thao on fighting for the team". The Athletic. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Qin, Amy (December 28, 2022). "Oakland's Next Mayor Highlights Political Rise of Hmong Americans". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Lee, Amber (November 10, 2021). "Oakland City Councilmember Sheng Thao Announces Candidacy For Mayor". KTVU. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Sheng Thao Breaks Through". The City of Oakland. March 15, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Ravani, Sarah (November 10, 2021). "Second Oakland City Council member jumps into mayor's race". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d Baker, Alex (November 3, 2022). "Oakland mayoral candidate: Sheng Thao". KRON4. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "District 4 Councilmember Sheng Thao". City of Oakland. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Tuesday November 6, 2018 — California General Election". Voter's Edge. November 6, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "Sheng Thao". Ballotpedia. November 6, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  16. ^ Veklerov, Kimberly (January 8, 2019). "New Oakland City Council takes charge". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  17. ^ "City of Oakland, CA - Council District Locator". Map Oakland. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Sheng Thao of Oakland first elected Hmong American city councilwoman in California". KTVU. January 7, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2022 – via YouTube.com.
  19. ^ Sciacca, Annie (November 11, 2021). "Another Oakland council member launches bid for mayor's race". East Bay Times. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Ravani, Sarah (September 8, 2021). "One Oakland council member voted against adding more police academies. She's now backing them". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  21. ^ Jones, Velena (January 9, 2023). "Sheng Thao Sworn in as New Oakland Mayor". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  22. ^ Lin, Da (January 8, 2023). "In revealing interview, Oakland's new mayor discusses her top priorities - CBS San Francisco". CBS News Bay Area. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Fernandes, Deepa; Locke, Ashley (December 15, 2022). "Hmong culture inspires the values of the next mayor of Oakland, California". WBUR-FM. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  24. ^ Laird, Cynthia (November 10, 2021). "Oakland councilwoman Thao jumps into mayor's race". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  25. ^ Lee, Amber (November 10, 2021). "Oakland city councilmember Sheng Thao announces candidacy for mayor". KTVU Fox 2. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  26. ^ Mukherjee, Shimok (November 19, 2022). "Sheng Thao is Oakland's next mayor, latest tally shows". East Bay Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  27. ^ Ravani, Sarah (November 22, 2022). "Sheng Thao is Oakland's next mayor". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  28. ^ Rasmus, Allie (November 9, 2022). "2 frontrunners emerge in Oakland mayoral race". KTVU. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  29. ^ Lin, Da (November 19, 2022). "Sheng Thao leads Loren Taylor in latest vote count for Oakland mayor". CBS News. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  30. ^ a b Breslau, Karen (November 22, 2022). "Oakland Elects First Hmong-American Mayor of a Major US City". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  31. ^ "Oakland mayor's race: an interview with candidate Sheng Thao". The Oaklandside. October 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c Ravani, Sarah (October 29, 2022). "Former staffer files ethics complaint against Oakland City Council member running for mayor". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  33. ^ a b BondGraham, Darwin (November 3, 2022). "City's investigation of alleged misconduct by Sheng Thao started in June—not October". The Oaklandside. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  34. ^ Taylor Jr., Otis R.; Green, Matthew (November 22, 2022). "'Let's Get to Work': Sheng Thao Outlines Plans as Oakland's Next Mayor, After Loren Taylor Concedes". KQED. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  35. ^ Mukherjee, Shomik (December 17, 2022). "No recount: Chaotic race to be Oakland's next mayor is officially over". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  36. ^ Marzorati, Guy (December 17, 2022). "Oakland Mayoral Recount 'Forfeited' After Supporters Fall Short of Covering Cost". KQED. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  37. ^ a b Lin, Da (January 21, 2023). "Oakland mayor says police chief's leave is not punitive". CBS News Bay Area. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao defends firing police chief; Armstrong files appeal". CBS News Bay Area. February 23, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  39. ^ Halpert, Madeline (February 16, 2023). "Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong fired over response to misconduct". BBC News. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  40. ^ "Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong files wrongful termination lawsuit against city, mayor". ABC7 San Francisco. February 7, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  41. ^ Johnson, Sydney; Green, Matthew (March 22, 2024). "Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Appoints Floyd Mitchell as New Police Chief | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  42. ^ Howland, Lena; Brinkley, Leslie (September 18, 2023). "Oakland community leaders frustrated after city misses out on millions to fight retail crime". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  43. ^ Suratos, Pete; Jones, Velena (September 15, 2023). "Oakland loses out on grant funds to combat crime after missing application deadline". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  44. ^ a b Howland, Lena (May 1, 2024). "Audit: Absent leadership, poor communication led to Oakland missing out on $15 million grant". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  45. ^ Nguyen, Candice; Carroll, Jeremy (September 11, 2023). "Oakland mayor announces $2.5M investment into city's 911 system". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  46. ^ Johnson, Sydney (September 20, 2023). "Oakland Passes Broad Public Safety Resolution Amid Rising Crime Concerns". KQED. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  47. ^ Mukherjee, Shomik (October 18, 2023). "'The buck stops with me': Oakland mayor acknowledges struggles, crime problem in State of the City address". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  48. ^ Larson, Amy; Terisa, Estacio (May 2, 2024). "Here's what latest data says about Oakland's crime rates". Kron4. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  49. ^ a b "Calif. governor calls on Oakland to allow more police pursuits, stop suspects from 'fleeing with impunity'". Police1. July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  50. ^ "Here's why Gov. Newsom is urging Oakland to update strict police pursuit policy". ABC7 San Francisco. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  51. ^ Baker, Alex (June 26, 2024). "Newsom urges Oakland to let police pursue more criminals". KRON4. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  52. ^ Seldon, Aja (July 26, 2024). "Newsom presses Oakland to change strict policy on police chases". KTVU Fox 2. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  53. ^ "California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants more police pursuits in Oakland". The Washington Times. July 28, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  54. ^ Hernandez, Jodi (July 27, 2024). "Gov. Newsom urges Oakland to change strict policy on police pursuits". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  55. ^ a b staff • •, NBC Bay Area (February 1, 2024). "Oakland crime concerns: List of businesses and companies leaving or taking action". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  56. ^ "Taco Bell closes most Oakland dining rooms due to safety concerns: report". ABC7 San Francisco. March 12, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  57. ^ a b "After In-N-Out announces closure, Oakland mayor says more needs to be done to combat crime". KTVU Fox 2. January 23, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  58. ^ a b Janes, Chelsea (April 20, 2023). "A's buy land in Las Vegas as they plan a move out of Oakland". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  59. ^ a b c Swan, Rachel; Ravani, Sarah (April 20, 2023). "'Not good partners': Oakland officials shocked by A's decision to pursue ballpark in Las Vegas". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  60. ^ Pratt, Casey (July 12, 2023). "Oakland mayor takes big swing to keep A's, meets with MLB commissioner in Seattle". KGO-TV.
  61. ^ Horta, Joey (April 4, 2024). "Oakland A's pack their bags for Sacramento after Coliseum negotiations fail". KTVU Fox 2. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  62. ^ a b "Oakland to sell its Coliseum share amid A's exit". ESPN.com. May 23, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  63. ^ Sumida, Nami; Ravani, Sarah (May 2, 2023). "Charts show how Oakland mayor plans to spend $2 billion budget". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  64. ^ Mukherjee, Shomik (May 2, 2023). "Oakland mayor: New budget proposal will save city from drastic cuts amid record shortfall". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  65. ^ Mukherjee, Shomik (June 27, 2023). "No layoffs, but cuts to violence prevention in Oakland's new $4.2 billion budget". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  66. ^ Wolfe, Eli (June 27, 2023). "In one of its first big fights, Oakland's City Council narrowly balances $4.2 billion budget". The Oaklandside. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  67. ^ a b "Facing drastic cuts, Oakland approves budget that bets on Coliseum sale". The Mercury News. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  68. ^ a b Shomik Mukherjee (June 20, 2024). "Recall effort against Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has enough signatures for election". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  69. ^ "Oaklanders demand Mayor Sheng Thao to publicly appear after raid, mass shooting". KTVU. June 23, 2024.
  70. ^ a b "Activists rally, urge Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao to resign following FBI raid". The Mercury News. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  71. ^ Hernandez, Salvador; Vives, Ruben (June 22, 2024). "FBI raid of Oakland mayor rocks city, fuels questions over family's political influence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  72. ^ Mayer, Phil (June 21, 2024). "Oakland NAACP calls for Mayor Sheng Thao to resign after FBI raid". KRON4. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  73. ^ "Oakland FBI raids: City ordered to hand over records in subpoena naming Mayor Sheng Thao's partner". The Mercury News. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  74. ^ Wolfe, Eli; BondGraham, Darwin (July 13, 2024). "FBI demands more records from Oakland, including police reports related to Duong family". The Oaklandside. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  75. ^ Swan, Rachel; Angst, Maggie; Flores, Jessica; Neilson, Susan; Barned-Smith, John (June 23, 2024). "FBI raids home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao". Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  76. ^ "FBI raids home of Oakland's first-term mayor Sheng Thao". The Guardian. June 20, 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  77. ^ Castañeda, Carlos (June 23, 2024). "Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's home raided by FBI agents; feds target other locations - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  78. ^ Lin, Da (June 23, 2024). "Former chief of staff for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao alleges pay-to-play schemes - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
edit
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Oakland
2023–present
Incumbent