{"id":2320595,"date":"2024-08-07T14:27:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T18:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-police-union-calls-on-mayor-sheng-thao-to-resign-in-scathing-letter-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T14:32:55","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T18:32:55","slug":"oakland-police-union-calls-on-mayor-sheng-thao-to-resign-in-scathing-letter-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-police-union-calls-on-mayor-sheng-thao-to-resign-in-scathing-letter-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland police union calls on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign in scathing letter &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Foakland-police-union-calls-on-mayor-sheng-thao-to-resign-in-scathing-letter-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2320595&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Oakland Police Officers Association has called for the resignation of Mayor \u2064Sheng Thao\u2064 in a critical four-page letter. The union&#8217;s executive board attributed this demand to rising crime\u2063 rates in the city and the ongoing investigation into Thao following an FBI raid on her home two\u200b months prior. They criticized her \u200cleadership for failing to manage crime \u2062and support police efforts effectively. The letter highlighted a\u200c perceived decline in public \u2064safety, citing issues such as an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-shows-pandemic-saw-rise-in-firearm-injuries-among-kids\/\" title=\"Study Shows Pandemic Saw Rise In Firearm Injuries Among Kids\">increasing homicide rate<\/a> and a lack of police \u2062resources due to budget cuts. Despite the escalating pressures and a recall election against her, Thao\u200c has refused to step down, claiming the investigation is politically motivated. Additionally, some community\u200d figures\u200c and groups, including the\u2064 NAACP,\u2062 have echoed calls for\u200c her resignation amid concerns of a &#8220;cloud&#8221; over the city due to Thao&#8217;s ties to alleged \u200dcorruption cases involving political donations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Oakland police union calls on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign in scathing letter<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1686903\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oakland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Oakland&rsquo;s\">Oakland&rsquo;s<\/a> police union took the unusual step on Tuesday of demanding that embattled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3089688\/fbi-investigation-oakland-mayor-spreads-police-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Mayor Sheng Thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao<\/a> resign immediately, faulting her for an increase in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"crime\">crime<\/a> and citing the recall election against her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The move from the union&rsquo;s four-member executive board comes nearly two months after FBI agents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3053801\/fbi-raids-home-of-oakland-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"raided\">raided<\/a> the mayor&rsquo;s home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a news conference at Laney College in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (AP Photo\/Jeff Chiu )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A scathing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25033522-opoa-letter-urging-resignation?responsive=1&amp;title=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"4-page letter\">four-page letter<\/a> 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To protect the safety of Oakland residents and businesses, the Oakland Police Officers Association executive board Monday voted unanimously to seek your resignation,&rdquo; read the letter, which was signed by&nbsp;Sgt. Huy Nguyen as president and Sgt. Tim Dolan as vice president.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oakland&rsquo;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&rsquo; ability to protect Oakland from violent crimes, murders, shootings, carjackings, burglaries, robberies, sideshows, and the mayhem that Oakland experiences daily.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The board also said the June FBI raid at her home was a &ldquo;turning point.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty,&rdquo; the letter said. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Thao is part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-will-subpoena-hunter-biden-if-the-gop-retakes-control-of-the-house\/\" title=\"House Republicans Will Subpoena Hunter Biden if the GOP Retakes Control of the House\">sprawling federal investigation<\/a> that&nbsp;came to light earlier this summer with the FBI raids on her house. The FBI also raided the homes of&nbsp;California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3055173\/key-players-fbi-raid-oakland-mayors-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Andy Duong\">Andy Duong<\/a>, and the company&rsquo;s offices.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/oakland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oakland<\/a>&nbsp;contracts with California Waste Solutions for curbside recycling, and the Duongs have connections to Thao and other politicians.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FBI agents raid a home on Maiden Lane where Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao allegedly lives in Oakland, California, on Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Jessica Christian\/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3053779\/is-the-bay-area-ok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oakland<\/a>&nbsp;chapter of the NAACP also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sanfrancisco\/news\/sheng-thao-fbi-raid-oakland-mayor-naacp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called&nbsp;<\/a>on Thao&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3055173\/key-players-fbi-raid-oakland-mayors-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to resign<\/a>, claiming the city &ldquo;has a cloud hanging over it.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Renia Webb, Thao&rsquo;s former chief of staff and confidante, also urged her to step down.&nbsp;Webb&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sanfrancisco\/news\/former-chief-of-staff-for-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-alleges-pay-to-play-schemes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> CBS News&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/sheng-thao-straw-donors-oakland-19541338.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"state investigation\">state investigation<\/a> 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 &ldquo;straw donors,&rdquo;&nbsp;contributions allegedly made by donors who later were repaid by Duong. The investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>Thao has said, without providing any evidence, that the raid was connected to the recall effort. She also said &ldquo;radical right-wing forces&rdquo;&nbsp;and a &ldquo;handful of billionaires&rdquo;&nbsp;from the San Francisco Bay Area and Piedmont, a small city in Alameda County, were &ldquo;hell-bent&rdquo; on removing her from office.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve only been in office for less than two years,&rdquo;&nbsp;Thao said. &ldquo;To have a recall that is funded by one millionaire that lives in Piedmont&nbsp;&mdash; that is taking away Oakland&rsquo;s democracy, and we will not stand for that,&rdquo; she added, referring to hedge fund executive Philip Dreyfuss, who is helping bankroll the recall.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dylan Qin, 8, holds a sign as Seneca Scott speaks during a Coalition for Community Engagement&rsquo;s protest outside City Hall in reaction to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao&rsquo;s absence since the FBI raided her home in Oakland, California, on Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Scott Strazzante\/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thao has refused to step down.&nbsp;She has neither been arrested nor charged with a crime.<\/p>\n<p>The letter from the police union also slammed Thao for not being more proactive in supporting law enforcement and allaying the fears of residents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Throughout your almost two years in office, violence, crime and fear have spiraled out of control,&rdquo; the union said. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The union also faulted her for slashing the police budget, which has led to fewer officers being able to respond to crimes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; the letter stated. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In 2023, the crime rates were through the roof. This year, it&rsquo;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.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The union also blasted Thao for telling the <em>San Francisco Chronicle <\/em>the city was &ldquo;turning the corner and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/portland-mayor-calls-for-big-police-budget-increase\/\" title=\"Portland mayor calls for big police budget increase\">public safety investments<\/a> we have made are paying off.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" \"> <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Residents mock your statements that your &lsquo;violence prevention&rsquo; programs are &lsquo;successful,&#8217;&rdquo; the letter stated. &ldquo;No one believes your &lsquo;prevention&rsquo; 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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Calls to Thao for comment on the&nbsp;letter, the allegations, and demand for her resignation&nbsp;were not returned.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1686903\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1686903\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Oakland police union has made a rare demand for Mayor Sheng Thao to resign immediately, criticizing her for rising crime rates and referencing the ongoing recall election against her. This request from the union&#8217;s four-member executive board follows an FBI raid on the mayor&#8217;s home nearly two months prior. In a harsh four-page letter, the union attributed the city&#8217;s escalating crime to Thao&#8217;s ineffective policies and mismanagement, expressing unanimous support for her recall. The letter stated, &#8220;To ensure the safety of Oakland residents and businesses, we have voted unanimously to seek your resignation,&#8221; signed by Sgt. Huy Nguyen as president and Sgt. Tim Dolan as vice president.<\/p>\n<p>The board emphasized that while they believe in presumption of innocence regarding Thao\u2019s involvement in a federal investigation linked to corruption allegations involving political contributions, her credibility has been severely damaged due to her lack of public engagement following the FBI raid. The investigation also involves connections between Thao and California Waste Solutions executives.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, local organizations like the NAACP have called for Thao\u2019s resignation amid concerns about governance issues in Oakland. Former chief of staff Renia Webb echoed these sentiments due to ongoing pay-to-play allegations against Thao.<\/p>\n<p>Thao has claimed that these investigations are politically motivated attempts by wealthy individuals seeking to remove her from office; however, she has not stepped down despite calls for her resignation or any criminal charges being filed against her.<\/p>\n<p>The police union criticized Thao for not adequately supporting law enforcement efforts during a time when violence and fear have escalated in Oakland under her leadership. They pointed out that budget cuts have hindered police response times and contributed to rising crime statistics\u2014citing 54 homicides this year compared with 64 at this time last year\u2014and expressed frustration over delayed reporting on property crimes due to understaffing within the police department.<\/p>\n<p>In response to claims about successful public safety initiatives made by Thao, which were met with skepticism from residents given recent violent incidents, they noted that state intervention was necessary as Governor Gavin Newsom deployed additional resources to assist local law enforcement amidst growing concerns over public safety.<\/p>\n<p>Requests for comments from Mayor Sheng Thao regarding these serious allegations were not answered<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2320596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sheng-thao-mayor-oakland-0624.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[37454,16718,37453,6522,32076],"class_list":["post-2320595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-mayor-sheng-thao","tag-oakland","tag-police-union","tag-resignation","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sheng-thao-mayor-oakland-0624.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2320595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2320596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2320595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2320595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2320595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}