Oakland mayor to face landmark recall election after organizers demand her ouster
Fox News
Oakland Democratic Mayor Sheng Thao will now face a recall on November’s ballot, after community organizers garnered nearly double the requisite number of signatures needed to force the proviso, according to multiple reports.
Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) submitted its petition two weeks ago, and on Wednesday, officials in Alameda County confirmed they had met the threshold of 25,000 voter signatures.
Retired Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who spearheaded the recall, told local media Thao has “blood on her hands” amid rising crime, grand theft auto and instances of people being robbed on the street.
“Businesses were not leaving Oakland at this pace before she came into office,” Harbin-Forte told the local ABC affiliate.
OUST also took issue with what recall supporters called the “dismantling” of the Oakland Police Department under Thao’s watch.
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Fox News Digital was unable to reach Harbin-Forte for further comment, but she was reported to have told the local FOX affiliate KTVU that the recall is a “historic achievement” and provides voters with “a sense of urgency and purpose to recall this dishonest and incompetent mayor.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to Thao’s office but did not receive a response by press time.
One opponent of the recall, Council member Noel Gallo, told KGO it could create more divisions within city government but that he supports the ability for voters to have a right to voice their concerns.
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Recall proponents ultimately collected 40,595 valid signatures on the recall petition.
Signatories recorded in videos posted by OUST complained of homeless encampments and cars being broken into, while one resident called the state of the city the worst since she began living there in 1985.
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Other allegations and criticism from organizers included Thao’s failure to meet a deadline for a grant to combat retail theft – which the mayor later took responsibility for – as well as the firing of Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.
They also criticized Thao’s remark that MLB’s Oakland Athletics “won’t be missed” after it decided to relocate to Las Vegas, where the former Oakland Raiders of the NFL now play.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., for comment.