Recall Effort Against Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Collects Enough Signatures For November Ballot

The movement to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, led by the Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) group, announced on Sunday that they have collected 30,000 signatures to place a recall vote against Thao on the November ballot, 5,000 more than needed.

The recall effort officially began on January 7th when recall organizers submitted 250 signatures to serve as an intent to recall notice. Led by former Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, OUST organizers have said that Thao needs to be recalled because of her efforts while Mayor leading to a rise in crime as well as eroding public safety. Since being elected as Mayor in the closest Mayoral election in city history in 2022, violent crimes have skyrocketed. In 2023,  burglaries shot up by 23%, with vehicle thefts jumping up by 45% and robberies up 38%. The murder rate also remained high, staying above 100 in a single year for yet another year in a row.

With many believing that Thao has not been addressing crime and public safety concerns, residents began calling for her recall. The notice of intent specifically noted  how the Oakland Police Department (OPD) has been hammered by Thao’s actions, that Thao has failed to declare a state of emergency in the city despite promising to do so and that Armstrong’s firing helped create a public safety crisis that has led to “the city’s reputation as one of the most dangerous in America”, with no replacement for Armstrong being picked yet. Other issues have included Thao’s failure to keep the Oakland Athletics in Oakland.

Mayor Sheng Thao has failed the people of Oakland. She needs to resign immediately. The violent crime rate in Oakland is almost four times the national median. This is an epic failure. 😡 #ResignShengThao #RecallShengThao pic.twitter.com/nQsszZjeQg

— Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) (@RecallShengThao) May 22, 2024

After the notice of intent went out in January, organizers began collecting signatures the next month. For a recall to appear on the November ballot, 25,000 signatures need to be collected by July. Organizers and signature collectors from previous recalls also noted that a significant number of extra signatures would be needed, as many would likely be voided during the verification process because of double signatures, invalid information, and other issues.

On Sunday, OUST announced that over 30,000 signatures have already been collected, theoretically enough to put the recall on the ballot. However, knowing that many would likely be invalidated, they said that they would like to get at least 10,000 more by July to be on the safe side. Despite that, organizers cheered the milestone, and said that the recall would be happening.

“She is toast, we say, Thao is toast,” said Harbin-Forte. “This recall is happening, it is going to be on the November ballot and voters in Oakland will be able to let the mayor know, that we are not pleased with her leadership.”

Alameda County pollster Elena Sierra told the Globe on Monday that “Oakland voters have been really upset. Crime is bad. She got rid of a police chief who had been doing what he could. She lost the A’s. The city is falling apart. Oh, and she is still seen by many as not really winning the election back in 2022 from many supporters of Loren Taylor. It’s not even June and they already have enough signatures. Thao has to be nervous, especially considering that San Francisco had some successful recalls only a few years ago.”

Final signatures are due to the Registrar of Voters in July.