Progressive California county appears to recall two Soros-backed politicians amid devastating crime surge
Voters in Alameda County, California, appear to have chosen to remove two George Soros-backed politicians from office amid a devastating crime surge that has prompted many businesses to flee the area.
Ahead of the November election, separate recall efforts were launched against Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (D) and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price (D).
'The phony "progressive" movement is officially dead.'
Recall campaign leaders, who blamed Thao and Price for the county's recent crime surge, gathered enough local signatures to force an election to keep or remove the politicians.
With 100% of the 108 precincts tallied, nearly 32,000 residents, 65.19%, voted to oust Thao.
With full results from all 570 precincts, more than 134,000 locals, 64.79%, voted to remove Price.
The recall efforts to replace Price, Save Alameda for Everyone and Supporters of Recall Pamela Price, spent approximately $2.6 million on their campaigns. According to KGO-TV, they were backed by several police officers' unions, PG&E, and hedge fund executive Philip Dreyfuss.
In addition to a recall effort launched by Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao, Thao faced calls to resign from the Oakland Police Officer's Association. In August, the union urged Thao to step down to allow residents to vote for a new mayor in the November election.
Union president Huy Nguyen stated, "Today we are asking Mayor Sheng Thao to recall as mayor immediately for a lot of the failures in this city, going from crime, the budget crisis, the distraction of the FBI raid that prevents our ability to function as a city."
Thao is currently wrapped up in an FBI investigation; however, no charges have been filed against her.
She refused the union's calls to step down and accused it of "playing politics."
While the final outcomes have not been officially announced as of Wednesday afternoon, if the results hold, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will appoint a DA in Price's place to finish out her term, and the Oakland City Council will step in for Thao.
In the summer of 2023, even the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Oakland branch acknowledged that the area's crime "doom-loop" resulted from "progressive policies and failed leadership."
Businesses that have fled the area under Thao's and Price's leadership include Denny's, In-N-Out, Black Bear Diner, Subway, and Starbucks, to name a few. Clorox Company, Blue Shield of California, and Kaiser Permanente were forced to increase their security due to the area's uptick in criminal activity.
Seneca Scott, the founder of Neighbors Together Oakland and a recall spokesperson, stated, “The phony ‘progressive’ movement is officially dead. May it rest in pieces.”
Neither Thao's nor Price's campaigns responded to KGO's requests for comment.
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Yet another Oakland street takeover with thugs firing guns caught on video; residents complain cops are nowhere to be found
Just about a month ago, five people were shot during an Oakland street takeover. The lawless gatherings also are known as "sideshows," during which motorists block off intersections and drive in circles, peeling out and burning rubber as large crowds look on and record video.
Well, early Saturday morning, Oakland suffered yet another street takeover, this one an hour long that included participants shooting guns into the air — all caught on video. Shellshocked residents complained that police were nowhere to be found, KTVU-TV reported.
'We know that we don’t have enough police officers. ... We can’t afford it.'
You can view a video report here that includes what appears to be cellphone clips showing individuals firing shots into the air during the sideshow.
Residents told KTVU they're afraid stray gunfire may hurt someone — or worse.
"I just heard gunshots, like gunshots coming from all directions, people trying to hide. They just fire up in the air, and you don’t know where it’s going to land," a neighbor who asked for anonymity told the station.
Indeed, the resident was one of several neighbors who told KTVU that such sideshows outside their homes near 98th Avenue and Empire Boulevard have become commonplace.
"Like a whole hour. No police. I didn’t hear no sirens at all. ... Some people were on top of that house's roof. There were fireworks included. There were blue lasers, green lasers," a neighbor revealed to the station.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Police Chief Floyd Mitchell have appeared at recent town halls pledging to do more to combat sideshows, KTVU said. Possible solutions include the use of new technology, such as drones and cameras, and the help of the California Highway Patrol, the station said.
"We know that we don’t have enough police officers," the mayor said one recent town hall, according to KTVU. "We can’t afford it, but that doesn’t mean that we use that as an excuse or reason not to be sure that people feel safe."
Mitchell noted that police are "working hard to try to curb this activity. We have a sideshow detail that goes out every Friday and Saturday," the station said.
Mitchell also said redesigned intersections could help, too, but KTVU reported that residents near Saturday's sideshow said they're still waiting to see city leaders keep their promises on this matter.
"I’ve been here my whole life, and it has changed, it has changed so much, and it’s frustrating because it seems like they don’t care," a neighbor told the station.
KTVU said it reached out to police and the mayor's office for comment on the fears and frustrations about area crime that residents have expressed — but the station said it didn't hear back from either in time for its report.
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Bay Area leftist candidate who advocates for homeless apparently has campaign money stolen by brazen homeless woman
The campaign for a left-leaning candidate running for city council in Oakland, California, got off to a bad start after a homeless woman apparently stole a bag full of donations during a campaign kickoff rally over the weekend.
On Sunday, Charlene Wang, 33, hosted an event at a local park to launch her campaign for the open seat on the Oakland City Council. As the event wrapped up, a women described as homeless and "clearly mentally disturbed" by the California Globe suddenly began swiping several bags and purses, reports claimed.
'Tirelessly fighting for disadvantaged communities by launching new social programs at all levels of government for homelessness, education, healthcare, and environmental justice.'
Wang was able to wrestle most of the purses, including her own and her mother's, back. However, the homeless woman apparently kept hold and wouldn't let go of the bag containing a host of donation checks collected at the rally.
According to video, Wang and her team attempted to reason with the woman in hopes of convincing her to give the bag back — to no avail.
"I very much tried to have a de-escalatory conversation with her to convince her to hand over the bag," Wang said, according to KGO. "Offer her a warm meal at the grocery store, even give her money in exchange for the bag, but that did not work out."
Wang also attempted to solicit the help of those involved with the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland Program, which offers "community response ... for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls" in the city. Unfortunately, the ostensible social workers weren't available during the weekend, KGO indicated.
Finally, fearing that the situation was escalating out of control, Wang resorted to contacting law enforcement. Unfortunately, police weren't available to respond either.
"They said there were 250 calls ahead of us, and they said they would actually come by to take a report afterwards," Wang told KGO.
After allegedly throwing food and, in the words of the California Globe, "flashing her whatevers," the suspected thief reportedly wandered away, donation bag still in hand.
Wang estimated that the bag contained about $1,000 worth of checks. According to the California Globe, Wang has asked donors to stop payment on those checks.
Despite the apparent theft, Wang harbors no ill will against the suspect. "I am not angry at her or anything like that," she insisted.
"I can only imagine the trauma she is going through having to live on the streets."
Wang, who is running on a platform of reducing crime and helping the homeless, was left frustrated and confused by the silence from Oakland police. As of Wednesday, they still had not come to investigate the issue, Wang claimed.
"I think this is yet another example of first responder service. I was left to fend for myself in an essence," she said.
The New York Post reached out to the police department for comment.
Wang's campaign website brags about her work on campaigns for former President Barack Obama and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as her previous work to help the homeless in Massachusetts. The website further notes that Wang identifies as LBGTQ+ and claims that she has dedicated her life "to tirelessly fighting for disadvantaged communities by launching new social programs at all levels of government for homelessness, education, healthcare, and environmental justice."
Even with those leftist bona fides, Wang is still surprised by the association between leftists and anti-cop sentiment. "I’m frustrated by the idea that progressives are automatically anti-police, that we don’t care about public safety," she said, per the California Globe.
"That is the state of the first responders in Oakland, and that’s why I’m running."
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Police union demands Democratic California mayor resign amid federal probe, upcoming recall vote
The Oakland Police Officer's Association called for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (D) to resign immediately on Tuesday amid an ongoing federal investigation and an upcoming recall vote, Fox News Digital reported.
The union's president, Huy Nguyen, stated during a recent news conference that Thao's office had depleted resources from law enforcement and failed to address the city's ongoing crime crisis.
'The process drags out longer.'
"Today we are asking Mayor Sheng Thao to recall as mayor immediately for a lot of the failures in this city, going from crime, the budget crisis, the distraction of the FBI raid that prevents our ability to function as a city," Nguyen stated, according to KTVU. "Every day, our citizens feel the tragedies. That they cannot exit their own home or walk to the streets of Oakland, calling 911 and not getting the services they need."
According to Nguyen, because of understaffing issues and limited police resources, the department has been unable to respond to every emergency call or it runs the risk of longer response times.
Following the police union's demands, Thao released a video statement on social media attempting to defend her track record.
"It's really unfortunate that the OPOA is obviously playing politics," Thao stated. "Right now, during this very sensitive time, we need to come together. We see that what we are working on, in regards to the comprehensive approach for public safety, is working."
Thao, pulling Oakland Police Department data, contended that the crime rate for many offenses is down, including homicide, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
"Public safety is my number one priority," Thao continued. "Under my administration, we've had the most officers on the street than we've ever had in the last three and a half years."
The police union pushed back on Thao's claims, noting that not enough has been done to provide law enforcement with the required resources.
Tim Dolan, vice president of the Oakland POA, stated, "This is a time to invest more in the city, hire more police officers, retain the police officers and fix the crime issue. And going forward, that's what we'd like to see from the next mayor."
Thao will face a recall election in November after residents gathered more than enough verified signatures to force the vote. However, the police union believes the mayor should not wait that long.
"If she resigns by this week, the election will take place in November, versus waiting through the recall. Then it will happen in April and the process drags out longer when we need to work into the new budget immediately," Nguyen explained.
Thao is also currently wrapped up in an FBI investigation. While no charges have been filed against her, Thao's home was raided by federal agents last month.
The mayor has maintained that the probe is "not about" her. However, the investigation recently expanded, with the FBI requesting phone directory records from the Oakland Police Department. The federal investigators also requested documents showing all federal funding sources since 2021.
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Bullet reportedly pierces wall of Oakland home, hits father of 2 in head while he's asleep, exits through his eye
A bullet reportedly pierced the wall of an Oakland home last week, hit a father of two young daughters in the head while he was asleep, and exited through his eye.
Citing a GoFundMe page from the family of victim Run Hua Kuang, KTVU-TV reported that he was taking a nap Thursday afternoon after finishing his shift as a delivery truck driver when a bullet penetrated a headboard, went through his head, and came out his left eye.
'This shocking incident has left the entire family traumatized and in deep distress.'
Kuang was on life support in an intensive care united after a seven-hour surgery, the station said.
KTVU said the 33-year-old victim and his family live in a housing project, and he was the sole breadwinner for his wife of seven years and his two young daughters, ages 7 and just 3 months.
The East Bay Times said Oakland Housing Authority police are investigating what prompted the shooting in the 2200 block of East 19th Street, and no arrests were announced, and no suspect information has been released.
"This shocking incident has left the entire family traumatized and in deep distress. This tragedy has created a severe financial burden for our family," the fundraiser read, the station said.
Kuang's sister put together the GoFundMe page and said he's also the person in his household who speaks English, and he takes care of family responsibilities and communications.
The fundraiser says he immigrated to the U.S. from Taishan, China, in 2005 "searching for the American Dream for his family."
The campaign has raised nearly $111,000 of a $200,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.
Those with information about the shooting can call OHA police at 510-535-3100 or its tip line at 510-535-3155, the Times said, adding that an OHA communications representative said the agency has been in contact with the family and “is providing support and services.”
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'Massive corruption' probe into Dem California mayor expands to police department amid recall effort
An ongoing FBI investigation into Democratic Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has recently expanded to the local police department, according to multiple local reports. Meanwhile, Thao is simultaneously facing an upcoming recall election later this year.
While no charges have been filed at this time, federal agents raided Thao's home last month, seizing her phone and computer. The FBI also took electronic devices belonging to Andre Jones, Thao's partner, who has worked in politics for decades, according to Oaklandside.
'This is significant.'
During a press conference, Thao previously claimed that the ongoing federal investigation was "not about" her.
As part of the probe, the FBI also raided three other properties linked to the politically influential Duong family, known for owning California Waste Solutions, a recycling company.
It is unclear what potential crimes the FBI is investigating; however, reports have speculated that the probe may be regarding a campaign contribution laundering scheme.
Federal investigators have since demanded phone directory records from the Oakland Police Department, Oaklandside reported. The city must also produce documents showing all federal funding sources since 2021.
The FBI's subpoena requested "all Oakland Police Department reports made by or involving any member of the Duong family" since April 2024.
Professor Greg Woods, with the Department of Justice Studies at San Jose State University, told KABC-TV, "This is significant because we appear to be entertaining a massive corruption investigation that is currently under way by the grand jury, at the instruction of the Department of Justice."
He noted that the FBI's requests for records from the police department do not necessarily indicate that it is being investigated for wrongdoing but rather that federal agents may be trying to uncover instances in which victims have filed complaints and to piece together a timeline.
"They would call the Oakland Police Department to report such an encounter, such as potential victimization," Woods added. "To, in fact, charge somebody with a crime and place them into custody. And then to continue this judicial process to hold individuals accountable."
Thao has maintained that she has done nothing wrong.
Neither the FBI nor the Oakland Police Department responded to KABC's request for comment.
Oakland residents, fed up with the area's crime and homelessness crisis due to progressive policies imposed by local leaders, have successfully secured enough signatures to force a recall election for Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price (D), Blaze News previously reported.
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