I think I speak for most, if not all, of the Coalition’s members in stating emphatically that we support the Recall of Sheng Thao, and will do everything, with our limited resources, to help Seneca Scott and his colleagues get the job done.
Had the timing been up to me (which it obviously wasn’t), I might have waited a bit longer, coming at the same time we’re trying to recall Pamela Price. The longer the Thao recall is prolonged, the more time this hapless mayor has to stick her foot in her mouth and commit more embarrassing blunders. But the Recall Thao forces decided to launch now, so we respect that.
Why recall Thao? The organizers’ Letter of Intent to Recall states the following:
“You created a public safety crisis by systematically dismantling the Oakland Police Department, leading to the city's reputation as one of the most dangerous in America. Your unjust termination of Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong resulted in a surge of serious and violent crimes, delayed OPD’s exit from 20 years of federal oversight, and extended the time Oakland must continue paying a federal monitor $1 million each year. You admittedly missed a deadline to apply for a grant to combat retail theft. You failed to implement Oakland's Encampment Management Policy, leading to open-air drug markets and chop shops, making Oakland a national leader in stolen cars. You have made numerous misleading and untrue statements to the public. You failed to keep your promise to appoint a new police chief or declare a state of emergency. In short, you lack the competency, credibility, judgment and ability to lead what was once a great American city. Lives have been lost, property destroyed, businesses have shut down, and fear and collective trauma are daily occurrences for Oaklanders. We, the concerned citizens, therefore demand your recall for the sake of our city's future.”
Thao’s supporters respond that she has had only a year to tackle Oakland’s massive problems, but that excuse is lame. A year is a long time in the death spiral of a city. Crime continues to soar, while across the Bay, a more serious Mayor, London Breed, is actually making progress in tackling crime and encampments. We know who and what Sheng Thao is. The most common critique of her, which I share, is that she’s in over her head. You can tell from her bumbling public statements, her incoherence, the deer-in-the-headlights blank look in her eyes. Everything is worse in Oakland since she took over.
Recalling Thao, however, is a steeper hill to climb than recalling Price. For one thing, Price is wildly unpopular in the suburban communities of South and Eastern Alameda County; Price’s supporters have dwindled to a dead-end motley crew of wokes in the Oakland and Berkeley flatlands. If the Price recall election occurred today, it would easily win by at least 60% in favor. Thao, on the other hand, has the luck to preside over a city, not a county, in which there are many uneducated and rather dim-witted voters who consider themselves “progressive.” The problem with these people is that they’ve been so indoctrinated by fake news put out by Oakland’s woke propagandists that they cannot connect the dots and realize how much Thao is responsible for getting us into this mess in the first place. It’s not just the damage she’s done since taking office, it was her years on city council of attacking and insulting OPD and siding with the likes of Nikki Bas and Carroll Fife, whom we can thank God never got elected Mayor.
Steve Heimoff