Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said that the recall against her will be expensive and the city could face instability by potentially having several mayors serve over the next couple of years.
The recall, which will be on the November 5 ballot, along with the recall of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, did not seem to have much support among LGBTQ political and community leaders who attended the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club's annual Pride breakfast Sunday, September 8, at the gay-owned Fluid 510 bar on Broadway. Thao and lesbian at-large City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan spoke at the top of the event and both received sustained applause.
Kaplan, for the first time publicly referencing that this will be her last term on the council, encouraged attendees to give a "big round of applause for our mayor." (Thao was formerly Kaplan's aide before being elected to the City Council and then mayor.)
"It has been my honor to serve as councilmember at-large and Oakland's first-ever lesbian elected official," she said.
Thao did not address the recall during her remarks from the stage but, in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, said it will cost about $10 million.
"There could be huge instability" because of the possibility of the city having multiple mayors over the next few years, she added. Thao took office in January 2023; her term would be up on the 2026 ballot. Instead, she will face voters in a few weeks.
If she is recalled, Thao would leave office as soon as the election is certified. That would leave the council president as interim mayor until a special election is held, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported over the weekend.
After the special election is held, then that winner would serve out the remainder of Thao's term until 2026, when the mayor's race would be on the ballot.
Discussions about recalling Thao started shortly after she took office when she fired then-police chief LaRonne Armstrong following an outside investigation that found he had mishandled two officer misconduct cases, as the Chronicle reported. (Armstrong is now running for the at-large City Council seat.) His supporters, which included the local NAACP chapter, demanded Thao reinstate him, but she refused. Retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte was one of the organizers, as has been reported. She previously served on the city's police commission and, when her term ended, Thao declined to reappoint her. (Harbin-Forte is now running for Oakland city attorney.)
"Brenda Harbin-Forte was a police commissioner and obstructed my ability to get a new chief," Thao said. The mayor eventually hired Floyd Mitchell, the former chief of Lubbock, Texas, in March, more than a year after Armstrong was fired.
"I didn't reappoint her and now she's running the recall," Thao said.
The recall effort formally started in January, and enough valid signatures were submitted in June to trigger the election.
Public safety has been a top issue in Oakland. Thao said crime figures are now moving in the right direction. "Crime is already trending down under my leadership," she said.
But the East Bay Times reported September 9 that crime has "surged" in Oakland since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020. San Francisco and San Jose, meanwhile, have seen their crime figures decrease, the paper reported.
Harbin-Forte did not immediately respond to a message sent through her campaign website. On the site, she states that she has led the recall of Thao.
"We need to change Oakland now!" she states. "Vote for Independence, Integrity and Courage."
The Alameda County Democratic Party, the local arm of the Democratic Party, voted last Thursday to oppose the mayoral recall. In a Monday news release, it noted the vote was "decisive."
"Mayor Sheng Thao has consistently demonstrated her commitment to Oakland's values, including economic justice, housing affordability, and public safety. The Alameda County Democratic Party is proud to stand with Mayor Thao and rejects this attempt to undermine her leadership," stated Alameda County Democratic Party Chair Igor Tregub.
The September 9 release from the party quoted Thao as saying, "The recall will cost taxpayers upwards of $10 million, which is the same cost of having 35 officers on our streets. This recall is costly, risky, and is a transparent attempt, almost exclusively, by one millionaire hedge fund exec who lives in Piedmont to overturn a free and fair election."
Sunday the B.A.R. had asked Thao if she planned to campaign against the recall.
"I'm hyper-focused on doing my job," she said.
Thao talked about recent development in West Oakland with the rehabilitation of Raimondi Park where the Pioneer League Oakland Ballers baseball team plays. And she mentioned the recent deal to sell the city's stake in the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group. (The Oakland A's also reached an agreement to sell their stake to the group.) The $105 million sale of the city's share enabled Oakland to avoid steep budget cuts.
During her remarks at the breakfast, Thao spoke out against those seeking to marginalize groups of people. "We say, 'hell no, that's not right,'" she said.
"This is my village right here," she told the crowd. "We're living in a very curious time right now."
In June, the same week that the recall was certified, Thao's home was raided by the FBI, apparently as part of a corruption investigation. Thao has not been charged and has not commented on the raid since a news conference in which she said she's innocent and has done nothing wrong.
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay -- Donate today!