Oakland police union calls on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign in scathing letter

Oakland’s police union took the unusual step on Tuesday of demanding that embattled Mayor Sheng Thao resign immediately, faulting her for an increase in crime and citing the recall election against her. 

The move from the union’s four-member executive board comes nearly two months after FBI agents raided the mayor’s home. 

A scathing four-page letter from the union to Thao blamed her for rising crime rates in the city, failed programs, and gross mismanagement. It also said the board supported the recall election against her. 

“To protect the safety of Oakland residents and businesses, the Oakland Police Officers Association executive board Monday voted unanimously to seek your resignation,” read the letter, which was signed by Sgt. Huy Nguyen as president and Sgt. Tim Dolan as vice president. 

“Oakland’s hard-working, dedicated, and brave police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. But your policies, and those of the council majority, continue to whittle away at police officers’ ability to protect Oakland from violent crimes, murders, shootings, carjackings, burglaries, robberies, sideshows, and the mayhem that Oakland experiences daily.”

The board also said the June FBI raid at her home was a “turning point.” 

“We believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” the letter said. “However, your credibility has been irreversibly impacted by your decision to go into hiding and not address the public for nearly a week after the raid. When you did provide public comments, none of them rang true.”

Thao is part of a sprawling federal investigation that came to light earlier this summer with the FBI raids on her house. The FBI also raided the homes of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, Andy Duong, and the company’s offices. Oakland contracts with California Waste Solutions for curbside recycling, and the Duongs have connections to Thao and other politicians.

The Oakland chapter of the NAACP also called on Thao to resign, claiming the city “has a cloud hanging over it.” 

Renia Webb, Thao’s former chief of staff and confidante, also urged her to step down. Webb told CBS News that she had concerns about pay-to-play allegations that have dogged Thao for more than a year. Webb has also been interviewed by FBI agents, she said.

A state investigation found evidence that in 2018, Andy Duong laundered political contributions to Thao, who was then running for city council, as well as other candidates through “straw donors,” contributions allegedly made by donors who later were repaid by Duong. The investigation is ongoing.

Thao has said, without providing any evidence, that the raid was connected to the recall effort. She also said “radical right-wing forces” and a “handful of billionaires” from the San Francisco Bay Area and Piedmont, a small city in Alameda County, were “hell-bent” on removing her from office. 

“I’ve only been in office for less than two years,” Thao said. “To have a recall that is funded by one millionaire that lives in Piedmont — that is taking away Oakland’s democracy, and we will not stand for that,” she added, referring to hedge fund executive Philip Dreyfuss, who is helping bankroll the recall. 

Thao has refused to step down. She has neither been arrested nor charged with a crime.

The letter from the police union also slammed Thao for not being more proactive in supporting law enforcement and allaying the fears of residents. 

“Throughout your almost two years in office, violence, crime and fear have spiraled out of control,” the union said. “Teenagers are shot dead on our streets, the elderly are afraid to leave their homes, mass violence and shootings occur in beloved neighborhoods, small businesses are victimized hourly by burglaries and robberies, daily sideshows threaten public safety, our population lives in daily fear, and Oakland is now, on your watch, considered to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world.”

The union also faulted her for slashing the police budget, which has led to fewer officers being able to respond to crimes. 

“Your continued de-funding of police has made it nearly impossible to determine the number of home and business burglaries/robberies because in some instances it takes several days for officers to respond to calls for help,” the letter stated. “Right now, our city stands at 54 homicides (last year 64 souls sadly lost their lives by this time). Sadly, this death figure could change at any minute.” 

“In 2023, the crime rates were through the roof. This year, it’s difficult to tell how bad the situation is because of OPD understaffing. While data for crimes against persons are likely current, property crimes and crimes reported online are approximately four months behind. Citizens are so frustrated by understaffing that they underreport property crimes which also impacts the data and its reliability.” 

The union also blasted Thao for telling the San Francisco Chronicle the city was “turning the corner and the public safety investments we have made are paying off.”

“Residents mock your statements that your ‘violence prevention’ programs are ‘successful,’” the letter stated. “No one believes your ‘prevention’ programs are successful when, sadly, a teenager was shot to death last week and four people were shot at a 400+ person sideshow this weekend. Because of your failures to take action, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent the [California Highway Patrol] to help OPD protect citizens.”

Calls to Thao for comment on the letter, the allegations, and demand for her resignation were not returned.