Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Recalled, and So Is DA Pamela Price, as the Chronicle Is Calling Both Races
With the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao leading by a massive percentage, and in the absence of anyone else making the call, the SF Chronicle is calling the race for the recall proponents.
Friday's ballot-count update did not improve the picture for Thao, with yes votes in the recall holding 64% and no votes trailing with just 36%. It's not clear how many ballots may be left to count, or how many were counted since Tuesday night, when the recall led 65% to 35%.
It would seem to be a not-recoverable deficit, though Thao has not conceded the race. She tweeted a thanks on Thursday to Governor Gavin Newsom about the extention of CHP's help in fighting crime in Oakland through the end of year, but Thao has otherwise been silent on social media since Election Day.
The Chronicle only says, "Thao's campaign spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment."
Thao, a progressive, took office less than two years ago, having defeated fellow city councilmember Loren Taylor by just 700 votes in a ranked-choice tally.
Calls for her ouster began over a year ago, as crime continued to plague the city , and as Thao battled with the Police Commission over the hiring of a new chief of police. Thao had essentially fired a longtime veteran of the OPD , LeRonne Armstrong, in February 2023 over his alleged mishandling of internal affairs cases — something he continued to deny, and which multiple members of the police commission appeared to reject.
The recall campaign was launched in January 2024. A new police chief out of Lubbock, Texas, Floyd Mitchell, was finally hired in March .
The final nail in Thao's political coffin as mayor, though, was likely the ongoing FBI investigation, possibly into "straw donors" to hers and other previous campaigns, that led to a still unexplained raid on her home in June. Thao has maintained her innocence and said that she is not the subject of the investigation, but the feds have remained strangely mum for five months, issuing no indictments and no updates in the case.
A parallel recall campaign on the ballot, to oust Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, also held steady in Friday's vote count update at 65% yes, 34% no. The Chronicle is also calling that race finished .
Much like former progressive San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, Price faced pushback on her criminal justice reform stances from the start, especially in some high-profile murder cases.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Royl Roberts is expected to take over the Alameda County DA's chair until the county's board of supervisors appoints Price's successor.
Former county Deputy District Attorney Amilcar "Butch" Ford, currently working in the SF DA's office, has expressed interest in the job, per the Chronicle.
