OAKLAND — When Sheng Thao was sworn in as mayor of Oakland in January 2023, a series of feel-good stories followed, often featuring glowing portraits of the mayor in front of sun-drenched urban landmarks.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao will be recalled in the November 5 ballot

(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

Oakland’s new mayor The New York Times drew attentionsuddenly he became the nation’s most prominent Hmong elected official. Washington Post We interviewed Thao about her journey from homeless young mother to city chief executive. Guardian, his election represents a progressive victory in a region where tech billionaires are intent on pushing politicians to the right.

But oh how the political mood has changed. On Tuesday, Thao faces a recall election financed largely by a wealthy hedge fund manager who lives in the small Piedmont city just outside Oakland. Many political observers expect him to lose his seat, despite having the support of some of Oakland’s most powerful elected officials, including Rep. Barbara Lee and State Sen. Nancy Skinner.

Voters in Oakland and Alameda County will also weigh in on recalling Dist. Lawyer. Pamela Price is the first Black woman to hold the job, less than two years into her six-year term.

The complaints that recall supporters level against Thao are numerous and include allegations of poor financial management and even an inability to keep the Oakland A’s baseball team in town.

Alameda County District Attorney. Pamela Price speaks during a demonstration about the murder of Tire Nichols, who was killed by Memphis police at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland in 2023.

(Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)

Thao he said He said he was “working tirelessly for Oakland’s future” and “tackling rising crime, homelessness, and budget challenges head on.”

The recall against Price, a former civil rights attorney, was launched several months after he took office. He had campaigned on a platform that included promises to reform the justice system, stop “over-criminalizing” young people and hold law enforcement accountable for abuses.

Critics claimed he mismanaged his office. Price disagreed, saying the recall was fundamentally undemocratic and represented an attempt to overthrow the will of the voters. Campaign spokeswoman Venus Gist said the recall is more than a local issue. “This is part of a broader national agenda,” he said, which also targets progressive district attorneys in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Still, the central problem with both Bay Area recalls is many voters’ perception that violent and property crime is out of control. Statistics showing that violent crime is on a downward trend have done little to calm this sentiment.

“Lives have been lost, property has been destroyed, businesses have closed, and fear and collective trauma are daily occurrences for Oaklanders,” Thao’s recall supporters wrote. announced on its website.

Meanwhile, the campaign to recall Price is campaigning on the message of “Restore Safety to Alameda County.”

A large warning sign outside an In-N-Out restaurant in Oakland. The fast food chain closed the store due to safety concerns.

(Paul Kuroda / For the Times)

The attempted recalls of progressive politicians in California’s deepest blue heartland come as voters across the state appear ready to crack down on crime. UC Berkeley/LA Times poll carried out last month It found that a majority of voters statewide support Proposition 36, which would impose tougher penalties for repeat theft and crimes involving the deadly drug fentanyl. The initiative, which Governor Gavin Newsom opposes, is estimated to cost the state more than hundreds of millions of dollars a year due to increased prison spending; But voters don’t care.

Oakland has become a statewide focal point for fears about crime. Just a few years ago, the city was heralded as the next stylish and modern thing; its tree-lined streets were filled with new boutiques, lively restaurants, and rents so high they were. anti-gentrification backlash. These days, much of the city of 450,000 feels like ground zero for a dystopian version of California. The number of homeless people increased rapidly. Restaurants are closing, and car theft is so common that people complain that thieves sometimes steal worthless items like old rags.

Governor in February announced He was sending 120 CHP officers to Oakland to combat retail theft that many say has become brazen. “What is happening in and around this beautiful city is alarming and unacceptable,” Newsom said.

Many people, including Mayor Thao’s spokesman, said things were improving, but not enough for some locals.

“I was having lunch at Lake Merritt not long ago,” recalled San Francisco-based veteran Democratic political consultant Eric Jaye, “and someone was walking up and down, getting into cars, in broad daylight at noon.”

A resident tells an Oakland police officer that he was sprayed by Mace on the city’s International Boulevard.

(Paul Kuroda / For the Times)

Indeed, Oakland voters strolling the road around the sparkling blue waters of Lake Merritt on a recent sunny afternoon repeatedly raised crime as a pressing issue, whether or not they supported Thao’s recall.

Setenay Bozkurt, 51, who walked with her friend and very good-natured golden doodle Billie, said she planned to vote “No” in the event of a recall – but said she feared the disruption and resulting special election would cost cash-strapped people. money the city can’t afford to lose. He added that he witnessed numerous car thefts last winter and spring.

Her walking companion, Belinda, who gave only her first name, said she voted “Yes.” “I don’t like what’s going on in the city,” he said. “Businesses are closing. Crime. People are afraid to go out.”

A few blocks away, Ali Momhammed, 22, a UC Berkeley student who grew up in Oakland and still lives there, also said she plans to support the recall.

“I don’t know if you’ve been wandering around here,” he said, pointing to the quiet streets between downtown and Lake Merritt, where many businesses are closed or appear devoid of customers on what should be a busy weekday afternoon. “But do you see what I see?”

The Thao campaign points out—correctly—that the mayor took office in the midst of a post-pandemic crime wave and that crime rates are falling; Thao’s campaign has been fueled in part by programs the mayor has put in place, he said.

Just a few years ago, Oakland was heralded as the next hip and cool thing, with tree-lined streets filled with new boutiques and bustling restaurants. These days, much of the city of 450,000 feels like ground zero for a dystopian version of California.

(Jane Tyska/Getty Images)

“The entire (recall) campaign was built on a misconception that no longer works,” said William Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the anti-recall campaign.

“Things are looking up in Oakland,” he added, noting that “agents of chaos” including the mayor’s political opponents and a hedge fund manager are imposing their own agenda for the city.

On Wednesday, the Thao campaign published an “open letter” to Mayor Philip Dreyfuss, accusing him of “trying to buy our city government.” The San Francisco Chronicle reported, Citing campaign finance reports, Dreyfus spent more than $1 million on local races, including recalling Thao and Price, the district attorney.

Dreyfuss lives in Piedmont, a small, wealthy enclave of trees and mansions surrounded by the city of Oakland. In his letter, Thao accused him of destabilizing the city and trying to “hijack our democracy” not because he cares about public safety but because he wants the city and its port to be more open to coal projects backed by his hedge fund. Farallon Capital city.

Dreyfuss did not respond to a request for comment and did not speak to other local media. But Seneca Scott, a spokesman for the recall campaign, denied that Dreyfuss supported a mayoral recall as a backdoor to further his business interests.

“Why do you care?” Scott said. “He has five children. He has a wife. He has a family. He doesn’t want to move.”

Other issues emerging in the race include an FBI investigation that included a raid on Thao’s home in June, just as recall supporters had turned in enough signatures to put the recall measure on the ballot. That same day, the home of a waste company official who had a contract with the city of Oakland and had made campaign contributions to Thao and other elected officials was raided.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao waves at a 2023 press conference and announces that the 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco

(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

Thao said he was told he was not a target. he gave a tearful speech A few days after the raid he said: “I want to be very clear. I didn’t do anything wrong. “I can easily say that this investigation is not about me.”

He also questioned the FBI’s tactics, saying: “If I were rich, went to elite private schools, or was a moneyed person, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Political experts said pressure on law enforcement did not appear to be a major factor in the recall; But he said the spectacle of the FBI breaking into the mayor’s home certainly didn’t help assuage voters’ concerns about crime and chaos.

“Years, decades of frustration is finally starting to boil over,” said Jim Ross, an Oakland-based political consultant who doesn’t work for either party.

He added that a pair of recalls represent a new trend in California politics that could soon come to the rest of the state. Just as the Bay Area was premature in taking the lead on same-sex marriage, higher minimum wages, and smoking regulations, voters should now expect recalls funded by wealthy individuals with deep interests in local politics.

In recent years, a group of wealthy San Francisco residents shed money to recall the city’s progressive district attorney, Chesa Boudin, and three school board members. This phenomenon has already been seen elsewhere. In rural Shasta County in Northern California in 2022, a wealthy former resident is angry at county officials. relief fund recall of one of the district chiefs.

“We now live in a world where a rich man can fund a recall,” Ross said. “You have billionaires willing to spend large amounts of money to dictate policies in cities.”