Sheng Thao Corruption Probe: Did the FBI's Informant Lie?
Judge Sets 2026 Trial Date in Bribery Case of Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao
Defense in Oakland Corruption Case Files Motion Targeting Key Informant’s Credibility
East Bay City Council Member Caught Up in Federal Investigation That Targeted Sheng Thao
San Leandro Lawsuit, Documents Shed Light on Company at Center of Oakland FBI Probe
Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race
Barbara Lee Set to Become Oakland Mayor as Loren Taylor Concedes
Oakland’s Big Special Election Day Is Here, and the Race Could Be Close
Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday
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"slug": "fbi-informant-tested-corruption-case-against-oaklands-former-mayor",
"title": "Sheng Thao Corruption Probe: Did the FBI's Informant Lie?",
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"content": "\u003cp>When images of FBI agents carrying boxes out of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> home hit the news and social media in June of 2024, it was the public’s first glimpse of a possible investigation of the then-mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But records now show that agents had been working for over a year on the probe that led to the indictment of Thao, her partner Andre Jones and businessmen David and Andy Duong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And two weeks prior to the raids, they had sat down for the first time with a man who would become a key informant in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The man, referred to in a January 2025 indictment as “Co-conspirator 1,” was allegedly involved in the bribery scheme, but has not been charged. His credibility — and the degree to which federal investigators relied on his claims — has now become one of the central fault lines in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He is widely assumed to be Oakland businessman and former city council candidate, Mario Juarez. Juarez declined KQED’s request for comment on this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the heart of the dispute is a question that could shape what evidence against Oakland’s former mayor a jury ultimately sees: Did federal agents rely too heavily on a deeply controversial informant to secure search warrants of the defendants’ homes, vehicles and businesses — or did they already have enough evidence without him?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022788\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022788\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheng Thao, center, stands next to her attorney, Jeff Tsai, left, as he makes a statement outside of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As defense attorneys push to suppress evidence they say was tainted by incomplete information about Juarez’s credibility, the outcome could determine how much of the government’s case survives to trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors last year charged Thao, Jones and David and Andy Duong with bribery, conspiracy and fraud. They allege Thao agreed to use her power to extend the Duongs’ recycling contract, commit the city to purchase homes from a housing company co-owned by the Duongs and appoint city officials selected by the Duongs and Co-Conspirator 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In exchange, the Duongs financed negative campaign mailers targeting Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election and paid Jones for a no-show job, prosecutors allege.[aside postID=news_12064908 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00001-1020x681.jpg']All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. The case is scheduled to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064908/judge-sets-2026-trial-date-in-bribery-case-of-former-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">go to trial in October\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, defense attorneys began raising questions about Juarez’s past. They described a decadeslong history of fraud, including instances where they say Juarez falsely accused business partners of illegal activity in an effort to escape liability for his own actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez did the same in this case, they allege.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The origin of the present case is yet another [Co-Conspirator 1] fraud scheme gone wrong,” attorneys for Andy Duong wrote in a Dec. 4 filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys are now asking a judge to suppress evidence seized with search warrants they say rested heavily on Juarez’s claims and are calling for a hearing where they can question the FBI agents who wrote them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors, however, say their evidence goes far beyond Juarez’s word. They argue investigators had already built a substantial case before Juarez ever spoke to the FBI — and that at least one judge was explicitly told his statements were not required to establish probable cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides are set to make their arguments on March 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Juarez’s alleged ‘counter-attack history’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Questions around Juarez’s credibility first emerged in October when David Duong filed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">a legal challenge called a Franks motion\u003c/a>, accusing the FBI of not disclosing the full picture of Juarez’s background in a June 2024 search warrant affidavit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Franks motion is a way for a defendant to challenge a search warrant by arguing that a law enforcement officer intentionally or recklessly made false statements or left out important information in an affidavit supporting it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Duong’s attorneys, Juarez was sued approximately 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners. They say those cases reveal a consistent tactic: accusing others of wrongdoing when business relationships collapse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991432\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. postal inspectors check documents at a home tied to David Duong, one of the multiple properties searched by law enforcement that included residences to members of a politically connected family who run the city’s contracted recycling company, California Waste Solutions, in Oakland on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Even a cursory review of those matters and related press reports demonstrates that Co-Conspirator 1 has a history of diverting monies entrusted to him and accusing his business partners of misdeeds to try to discredit them and avoid paying his debts,” they wrote in the Oct. 31 motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one example, the lawyers cite, attorney Sandra Raye Mitchell was working for a couple that owned a commercial real estate property in Oakland’s Fruitvale district in 2010. The clients were attempting to evict Juarez and others from the property and were suing them in federal court. During one of her visits to the property, Mitchell told police, Juarez hit her arm and ripped her jacket, causing buttons to come off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a request for a restraining order, Juarez alleged Mitchell had attacked \u003cem>him.\u003c/em> A woman claimed in a sworn statement that she had witnessed Mitchell hitting herself and ripping off her own clothes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A judge barred Juarez from harassing, striking or threatening Mitchell, but Juarez successfully appealed the decision on the grounds that the judge didn’t offer him or his witnesses an opportunity to speak at the hearing. Mitchell declined to comment on the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorneys point to the episode as an early example of what they call Juarez’s “counter-attack” history — a pattern of alleging misconduct by others in response to accusations and lawsuits lodged against him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In another example, Juarez filed a restraining order against a man who sued him for fraud.[aside postID=news_12061916 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-2-KQED.jpg']Mauro and Hilda Bucio alleged in an August 2011 lawsuit that Juarez, who had been their real estate agent, had failed to repay $220,000 the couple had loaned him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez filed a restraining order against Mauro Bucio the following year, alleging that he followed him at an event and hit him, causing Juarez to fear for his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>James Martinez, an Emeryville-based attorney who represented the Bucios in their claim against Juarez, told KQED the assault didn’t happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My client didn’t do any of that,” he said. “I think it was an anaemic attempt to gain an advantage in our litigation, but he didn’t follow through.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a third example, Juarez in 2024 accused then-Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price of charging him with passing bad checks in retaliation for refusing to donate to her anti-recall campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez alleged that Price had pulled him aside at a gathering and said that, as DA, she could help Juarez, but that he would “need to show love and support to her” in the form of a $25,000 donation to the campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just was ridiculous to me, the allegation,” Price said in an interview with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case against Juarez was eventually dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>He is a very disingenuous, deceitful person who will say anything to avoid responsibility. That’s what he does. He defrauds people all the time,” Price added. “And so one would be wise to make sure that you have evidence to support anything, that you can verify what he says. And I presume that they have done that,” she said, referring to the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Jan. 14 filing, federal prosecutors pointed out that, in fact, they did have evidence to verify what Juarez had told them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The government’s investigation revealed\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors say the FBI began its investigation in early 2023 of the alleged bribery scheme involving Thao and the others — long before agents began speaking with Juarez. They argue that Juarez did not initiate the case, but rather entered an investigation that was already well underway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to federal prosecutors, agents began investigating Juarez after learning he had failed to pay for a negative campaign mailer targeting Thao’s rivals in the lead-up to the 2022 election. Juarez and the Duongs at that point had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes, a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for the homeless and sell them to local governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in a May 2024 911 call, Juarez alleged that a member of the Duong family had ordered a group of 10 men to assault him. Andy Duong later told a district attorney inspector a different story about that incident: that his family had walked away from their investment after Juarez only delivered two homes. Juarez, he said, had shown up at California Waste Solutions and held him and his father for hours, demanding money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991627\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991627\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FBI agents raid the Maiden Lane home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Soon after, Juarez spoke to the FBI pursuant to a proffer agreement, which allows an individual to speak with the government and not have their statements used against them in court proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the spring of 2024, the government had amassed a significant amount of documentary evidence tying each of the Defendants and Co-Conspirator 1 to the conspiracy, including incriminating text messages, Apple notes, calendar entries, financial records showing the corrupt payments, phone records showing significant communication among Defendants at key points relating to the agreements and payments, and other documentary evidence relating to the scheme,” it reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on this evidence alone, they wrote, two separate judges had signed off on four previous warrants for the defendants’ iCloud accounts, email accounts and cell phone location data. The government presented the same evidence when it sought the June 2024 residential search warrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Co-Conspirator 1’s statements were included for merely ‘context and completeness,’ and explicitly informed the magistrate judge that these statements to law enforcement were not necessary to a finding of probable cause,” they wrote.[aside postID=news_12052003 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty.jpg']In a legal filing this week, Thao’s attorneys pushed back on that argument, saying that the documentary chain of evidence establishing Thao’s involvement in the scheme relies on Juarez’s text messages and notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors also pointed out they had warned the magistrate judge in a multipage footnote about information relevant to Juarez’s credibility, and described his possible motivations for cooperating with the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They say the affidavit made clear that Co-Conspirator 1 “appears to be … motivated by revenge against the Duongs and a desire to obtain protection from law enforcement from the Duongs, among any number of other potential personal motivations he may have” and also that Co-Conspirator 1 “appears to be talking ‘with the hope of obtaining some form of leniency in exchange.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Information about Juarez’s past that defendants claim the FBI left out of the affidavit consisted in part of “decades-old unsworn civil complaints,” news articles and other information, they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those complaints and other materials, at most, establish “that Co-Conspirator 1 has been repeatedly \u003cem>accused\u003c/em> of fraud in civil litigation over the years,” they argued. “It is a far cry, however, from the ‘decadeslong pattern of repeatedly being found liable for defrauding business partners,’ that Defendants purport it to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors admit that the FBI agent who wrote the June 14, 2024, affidavit was not aware of every detail of Juarez’s past legal issues when it was filed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, they argue, he was not responsible for doing the additional investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Defendants “cite no precedent for the suggestion that agents must search and disclose all court records related to civil lawsuits related to informants, nor could they,” the filing reads. What’s more, they argue, given the information the government did disclose, not including every detail of Juarez’s civil litigation history, “cannot be considered to be reckless or material” — a key element of meeting the Franks standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The 2024 shooting\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Defendants also accuse the FBI of leaving out key information about a June 9, 2024, shooting that took place in front of Juarez’s Fruitvale home three days after he first spoke with agents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Duong’s attorneys, the June 14 search warrant affidavit had framed the shooting as a possible attempt to murder Juarez, orchestrated by the Duongs because they had learned he was cooperating with the FBI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to prosecutors, FBI agents believed at the time that the shooting could have been a targeted attack by the Duongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11992169\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11992169 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California Waste Solutions worker empties recycling bins in the Rockridge neighborhood on April 22, 2020, in Oakland, California. A campaign finance investigation into the city’s curbside recycling contractor has received renewed attention since the FBI raids. \u003ccite>(Yalonda M. James/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Given that the shooting occurred three days after Co-Conspirator 1 spoke to federal law enforcement, Co-Conspirator 1’s prior allegations that the Duongs had directed an assault on him, as well as suspicious phone tolls leading up to the shooting, the FBI believed that Co-Conspirator 1 may have been part of a targeted attack instigated by the Duongs,” the government’s filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Duong’s attorneys allege Juarez lied to law enforcement about what happened that night in an attempt to incriminate the Duongs and save himself from his own legal troubles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The affidavit omits evidence, collected by the FBI immediately after the shooting, that suggests the shooting was not an assassination attempt but a botched car burglary,” they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the government’s filing, Juarez had initially reported to OPD and the FBI that he confronted two individuals breaking into this vehicle, one of whom shot at him, and he returned fire. Months later, FBI agents ascertained through analysis of Juarez’s interview after the shooting, surveillance footage and Shot Spotter reports that Juarez likely shot first, rather than returning fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they interviewed him again, he changed his story, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Duong talks with attendees after a private screening of The King of Trash on Jan. 10, 2026, at Regal Jack London in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“During that interview, Co-Conspirator 1 stated that he shot first after another individual pointed a firearm at him, and he believed his life was in danger,” the filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez said he couldn’t recall what he initially told OPD about the shooting and that he might have miscommunicated about the sequence of events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During that interview, Co-Conspirator 1 continued to state that he believed the shooting was orchestrated by the Duongs,” the filing states.[aside postID=news_12070619 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/20251022_Bobby-Seale-Way_AA_023_qed.jpg']Despite that, prosecutors argue that even if the FBI agent had known Juarez shot first, it would not have undermined his belief that the shooting was targeted, since it took place three days after the FBI interviewed Juarez and because of Juarez’s allegation that he had been previously assaulted in an attack orchestrated by the family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They argue that Juarez’s inconsistent statements about the shooting and the other details about his “stale civil allegations of fraud” would not have changed the judge’s decision to sign off on the warrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the judge grants the Franks hearing, in order for the evidence to be suppressed, attorneys would need to prove that it’s more likely than not that the information left out was material to a finding of probable cause and that the FBI agent did not include it intentionally or with a reckless disregard for the truth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not sufficient to show that the agent made a simple mistake, Stanford criminal law professor Robert Weisberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not enough to show that the [FBI agent] goofed,” Weisberg said. “It’s not enough to show that he was negligent in doing so. Rather, you have to show that the FBI agent at least strongly suspected that he was not giving information that was clearly relevant to the question of probable cause, and maybe sort of was gambling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the event there is a Franks hearing, both sides could present evidence and witnesses in open court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is why Frank’s hearings can be dramatic,” he said. “It comes pretty close to calling the FBI agent a liar.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Defendants challenge Mario Juarez’s credibility and say the FBI used his statements to secure search warrants. Prosecutors say evidence backs up his claims. ",
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"title": "Sheng Thao Corruption Probe: Did the FBI's Informant Lie? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When images of FBI agents carrying boxes out of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> home hit the news and social media in June of 2024, it was the public’s first glimpse of a possible investigation of the then-mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But records now show that agents had been working for over a year on the probe that led to the indictment of Thao, her partner Andre Jones and businessmen David and Andy Duong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And two weeks prior to the raids, they had sat down for the first time with a man who would become a key informant in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The man, referred to in a January 2025 indictment as “Co-conspirator 1,” was allegedly involved in the bribery scheme, but has not been charged. His credibility — and the degree to which federal investigators relied on his claims — has now become one of the central fault lines in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He is widely assumed to be Oakland businessman and former city council candidate, Mario Juarez. Juarez declined KQED’s request for comment on this story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the heart of the dispute is a question that could shape what evidence against Oakland’s former mayor a jury ultimately sees: Did federal agents rely too heavily on a deeply controversial informant to secure search warrants of the defendants’ homes, vehicles and businesses — or did they already have enough evidence without him?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022788\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022788\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheng Thao, center, stands next to her attorney, Jeff Tsai, left, as he makes a statement outside of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As defense attorneys push to suppress evidence they say was tainted by incomplete information about Juarez’s credibility, the outcome could determine how much of the government’s case survives to trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors last year charged Thao, Jones and David and Andy Duong with bribery, conspiracy and fraud. They allege Thao agreed to use her power to extend the Duongs’ recycling contract, commit the city to purchase homes from a housing company co-owned by the Duongs and appoint city officials selected by the Duongs and Co-Conspirator 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In exchange, the Duongs financed negative campaign mailers targeting Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election and paid Jones for a no-show job, prosecutors allege.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. The case is scheduled to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064908/judge-sets-2026-trial-date-in-bribery-case-of-former-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">go to trial in October\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, defense attorneys began raising questions about Juarez’s past. They described a decadeslong history of fraud, including instances where they say Juarez falsely accused business partners of illegal activity in an effort to escape liability for his own actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez did the same in this case, they allege.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The origin of the present case is yet another [Co-Conspirator 1] fraud scheme gone wrong,” attorneys for Andy Duong wrote in a Dec. 4 filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys are now asking a judge to suppress evidence seized with search warrants they say rested heavily on Juarez’s claims and are calling for a hearing where they can question the FBI agents who wrote them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors, however, say their evidence goes far beyond Juarez’s word. They argue investigators had already built a substantial case before Juarez ever spoke to the FBI — and that at least one judge was explicitly told his statements were not required to establish probable cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides are set to make their arguments on March 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Juarez’s alleged ‘counter-attack history’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Questions around Juarez’s credibility first emerged in October when David Duong filed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">a legal challenge called a Franks motion\u003c/a>, accusing the FBI of not disclosing the full picture of Juarez’s background in a June 2024 search warrant affidavit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Franks motion is a way for a defendant to challenge a search warrant by arguing that a law enforcement officer intentionally or recklessly made false statements or left out important information in an affidavit supporting it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Duong’s attorneys, Juarez was sued approximately 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners. They say those cases reveal a consistent tactic: accusing others of wrongdoing when business relationships collapse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991432\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. postal inspectors check documents at a home tied to David Duong, one of the multiple properties searched by law enforcement that included residences to members of a politically connected family who run the city’s contracted recycling company, California Waste Solutions, in Oakland on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Even a cursory review of those matters and related press reports demonstrates that Co-Conspirator 1 has a history of diverting monies entrusted to him and accusing his business partners of misdeeds to try to discredit them and avoid paying his debts,” they wrote in the Oct. 31 motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one example, the lawyers cite, attorney Sandra Raye Mitchell was working for a couple that owned a commercial real estate property in Oakland’s Fruitvale district in 2010. The clients were attempting to evict Juarez and others from the property and were suing them in federal court. During one of her visits to the property, Mitchell told police, Juarez hit her arm and ripped her jacket, causing buttons to come off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a request for a restraining order, Juarez alleged Mitchell had attacked \u003cem>him.\u003c/em> A woman claimed in a sworn statement that she had witnessed Mitchell hitting herself and ripping off her own clothes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A judge barred Juarez from harassing, striking or threatening Mitchell, but Juarez successfully appealed the decision on the grounds that the judge didn’t offer him or his witnesses an opportunity to speak at the hearing. Mitchell declined to comment on the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorneys point to the episode as an early example of what they call Juarez’s “counter-attack” history — a pattern of alleging misconduct by others in response to accusations and lawsuits lodged against him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In another example, Juarez filed a restraining order against a man who sued him for fraud.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mauro and Hilda Bucio alleged in an August 2011 lawsuit that Juarez, who had been their real estate agent, had failed to repay $220,000 the couple had loaned him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez filed a restraining order against Mauro Bucio the following year, alleging that he followed him at an event and hit him, causing Juarez to fear for his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>James Martinez, an Emeryville-based attorney who represented the Bucios in their claim against Juarez, told KQED the assault didn’t happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My client didn’t do any of that,” he said. “I think it was an anaemic attempt to gain an advantage in our litigation, but he didn’t follow through.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a third example, Juarez in 2024 accused then-Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price of charging him with passing bad checks in retaliation for refusing to donate to her anti-recall campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez alleged that Price had pulled him aside at a gathering and said that, as DA, she could help Juarez, but that he would “need to show love and support to her” in the form of a $25,000 donation to the campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just was ridiculous to me, the allegation,” Price said in an interview with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case against Juarez was eventually dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>He is a very disingenuous, deceitful person who will say anything to avoid responsibility. That’s what he does. He defrauds people all the time,” Price added. “And so one would be wise to make sure that you have evidence to support anything, that you can verify what he says. And I presume that they have done that,” she said, referring to the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Jan. 14 filing, federal prosecutors pointed out that, in fact, they did have evidence to verify what Juarez had told them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The government’s investigation revealed\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors say the FBI began its investigation in early 2023 of the alleged bribery scheme involving Thao and the others — long before agents began speaking with Juarez. They argue that Juarez did not initiate the case, but rather entered an investigation that was already well underway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to federal prosecutors, agents began investigating Juarez after learning he had failed to pay for a negative campaign mailer targeting Thao’s rivals in the lead-up to the 2022 election. Juarez and the Duongs at that point had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes, a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for the homeless and sell them to local governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in a May 2024 911 call, Juarez alleged that a member of the Duong family had ordered a group of 10 men to assault him. Andy Duong later told a district attorney inspector a different story about that incident: that his family had walked away from their investment after Juarez only delivered two homes. Juarez, he said, had shown up at California Waste Solutions and held him and his father for hours, demanding money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991627\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991627\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FBI agents raid the Maiden Lane home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Soon after, Juarez spoke to the FBI pursuant to a proffer agreement, which allows an individual to speak with the government and not have their statements used against them in court proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the spring of 2024, the government had amassed a significant amount of documentary evidence tying each of the Defendants and Co-Conspirator 1 to the conspiracy, including incriminating text messages, Apple notes, calendar entries, financial records showing the corrupt payments, phone records showing significant communication among Defendants at key points relating to the agreements and payments, and other documentary evidence relating to the scheme,” it reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on this evidence alone, they wrote, two separate judges had signed off on four previous warrants for the defendants’ iCloud accounts, email accounts and cell phone location data. The government presented the same evidence when it sought the June 2024 residential search warrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Co-Conspirator 1’s statements were included for merely ‘context and completeness,’ and explicitly informed the magistrate judge that these statements to law enforcement were not necessary to a finding of probable cause,” they wrote.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In a legal filing this week, Thao’s attorneys pushed back on that argument, saying that the documentary chain of evidence establishing Thao’s involvement in the scheme relies on Juarez’s text messages and notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors also pointed out they had warned the magistrate judge in a multipage footnote about information relevant to Juarez’s credibility, and described his possible motivations for cooperating with the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They say the affidavit made clear that Co-Conspirator 1 “appears to be … motivated by revenge against the Duongs and a desire to obtain protection from law enforcement from the Duongs, among any number of other potential personal motivations he may have” and also that Co-Conspirator 1 “appears to be talking ‘with the hope of obtaining some form of leniency in exchange.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Information about Juarez’s past that defendants claim the FBI left out of the affidavit consisted in part of “decades-old unsworn civil complaints,” news articles and other information, they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those complaints and other materials, at most, establish “that Co-Conspirator 1 has been repeatedly \u003cem>accused\u003c/em> of fraud in civil litigation over the years,” they argued. “It is a far cry, however, from the ‘decadeslong pattern of repeatedly being found liable for defrauding business partners,’ that Defendants purport it to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors admit that the FBI agent who wrote the June 14, 2024, affidavit was not aware of every detail of Juarez’s past legal issues when it was filed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, they argue, he was not responsible for doing the additional investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Defendants “cite no precedent for the suggestion that agents must search and disclose all court records related to civil lawsuits related to informants, nor could they,” the filing reads. What’s more, they argue, given the information the government did disclose, not including every detail of Juarez’s civil litigation history, “cannot be considered to be reckless or material” — a key element of meeting the Franks standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The 2024 shooting\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Defendants also accuse the FBI of leaving out key information about a June 9, 2024, shooting that took place in front of Juarez’s Fruitvale home three days after he first spoke with agents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Duong’s attorneys, the June 14 search warrant affidavit had framed the shooting as a possible attempt to murder Juarez, orchestrated by the Duongs because they had learned he was cooperating with the FBI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to prosecutors, FBI agents believed at the time that the shooting could have been a targeted attack by the Duongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11992169\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11992169 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/CalWasteSolutionsWorker01-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California Waste Solutions worker empties recycling bins in the Rockridge neighborhood on April 22, 2020, in Oakland, California. A campaign finance investigation into the city’s curbside recycling contractor has received renewed attention since the FBI raids. \u003ccite>(Yalonda M. James/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Given that the shooting occurred three days after Co-Conspirator 1 spoke to federal law enforcement, Co-Conspirator 1’s prior allegations that the Duongs had directed an assault on him, as well as suspicious phone tolls leading up to the shooting, the FBI believed that Co-Conspirator 1 may have been part of a targeted attack instigated by the Duongs,” the government’s filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Duong’s attorneys allege Juarez lied to law enforcement about what happened that night in an attempt to incriminate the Duongs and save himself from his own legal troubles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The affidavit omits evidence, collected by the FBI immediately after the shooting, that suggests the shooting was not an assassination attempt but a botched car burglary,” they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the government’s filing, Juarez had initially reported to OPD and the FBI that he confronted two individuals breaking into this vehicle, one of whom shot at him, and he returned fire. Months later, FBI agents ascertained through analysis of Juarez’s interview after the shooting, surveillance footage and Shot Spotter reports that Juarez likely shot first, rather than returning fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they interviewed him again, he changed his story, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_003_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Duong talks with attendees after a private screening of The King of Trash on Jan. 10, 2026, at Regal Jack London in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“During that interview, Co-Conspirator 1 stated that he shot first after another individual pointed a firearm at him, and he believed his life was in danger,” the filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Juarez said he couldn’t recall what he initially told OPD about the shooting and that he might have miscommunicated about the sequence of events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During that interview, Co-Conspirator 1 continued to state that he believed the shooting was orchestrated by the Duongs,” the filing states.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Despite that, prosecutors argue that even if the FBI agent had known Juarez shot first, it would not have undermined his belief that the shooting was targeted, since it took place three days after the FBI interviewed Juarez and because of Juarez’s allegation that he had been previously assaulted in an attack orchestrated by the family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They argue that Juarez’s inconsistent statements about the shooting and the other details about his “stale civil allegations of fraud” would not have changed the judge’s decision to sign off on the warrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the judge grants the Franks hearing, in order for the evidence to be suppressed, attorneys would need to prove that it’s more likely than not that the information left out was material to a finding of probable cause and that the FBI agent did not include it intentionally or with a reckless disregard for the truth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not sufficient to show that the agent made a simple mistake, Stanford criminal law professor Robert Weisberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not enough to show that the [FBI agent] goofed,” Weisberg said. “It’s not enough to show that he was negligent in doing so. Rather, you have to show that the FBI agent at least strongly suspected that he was not giving information that was clearly relevant to the question of probable cause, and maybe sort of was gambling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the event there is a Franks hearing, both sides could present evidence and witnesses in open court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is why Frank’s hearings can be dramatic,” he said. “It comes pretty close to calling the FBI agent a liar.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "judge-sets-2026-trial-date-in-bribery-case-of-former-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao",
"title": "Judge Sets 2026 Trial Date in Bribery Case of Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao",
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"headTitle": "Judge Sets 2026 Trial Date in Bribery Case of Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A federal judge has set a tentative start date next year for the corruption trial of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and her three co-defendants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and businessmen David and Andy Duong, were indicted Jan. 9 in what federal prosecutors have described as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Duong, the head of California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s curbside recycling provider, along with his son Andy, ran a company called Evolutionary Homes that aimed to sell converted shipping containers to Bay Area cities as housing for the homeless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. attorneys allege Thao agreed to take action as mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">to commit Oakland\u003c/a> to purchase units from the Duongs’ housing company in exchange for kickbacks and favors for Thao and Jones, including the funding of negative campaign mailers targeting her opponents in the 2022 mayoral race. Thao also allegedly agreed to extend the Duongs’ recycling company contract with the city, and appoint senior city officials hand-picked by the Duongs and an unnamed co-conspirator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The indictment laid out charges including conspiracy, bribery, honest services mail fraud and honest services wire fraud. Andy Duong was charged with an additional count of making false statements to a government agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991627\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991627\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FBI agents raid the Maiden Lane home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside a federal courtroom in downtown Oakland on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers tentatively scheduled the trial for Oct. 19 of next year, with jury selection expected to take place the week prior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parties are expected to return in January to discuss deadlines for producing materials like witness and exhibit lists. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman said federal prosecutors expect presenting their case in chief will take about three weeks, with the complete trial lasting no more than five weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation is ongoing, Priedeman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for defendants in the case said prosecutors had turned over an enormous amount of discovery in the case, including 2.5 terabytes of data and voluminous documents.[aside postID=news_12022612 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1020x680.jpg']Federal prosecutors said they had seized devices, including one phone and one laptop, from San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, who was recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061916/federal-prosecutors-charge-san-leandro-city-councilmember-with-fraud-lying-to-investigators\">charged in a related conspiracy\u003c/a> case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azevedo, whose case appears to be closely related to that of Thao, Jones and the Duongs, allegedly agreed to use his power as an elected official to benefit a company in exchange for his own personal financial gain. Prosecutors have said they are close to resolving Azevedo’s case and do not expect a trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorney, Jeff Tsai, said on Thursday that she plans to file papers to join a motion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">filed by attorneys representing David Duong\u003c/a> in late October that asked Gonzalez Rogers to throw out evidence seized in a June 2024 raid of his home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In their filing, Duong’s lawyers accuse the FBI of failing to disclose all relevant information about a key informant in the case in an affidavit used to secure the warrant to search Duong’s home, cars and business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The informant, attorneys argued, has a history of fraud and dishonesty, the complete details of which, they said, were not included in the affidavit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The informant, who is identified in a Jan. 9 indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1,” is widely believed to be businessman and two-time Oakland City Council candidate, Mario Juarez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A federal judge has set a tentative start date next year for the corruption trial of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and her three co-defendants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and businessmen David and Andy Duong, were indicted Jan. 9 in what federal prosecutors have described as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Duong, the head of California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s curbside recycling provider, along with his son Andy, ran a company called Evolutionary Homes that aimed to sell converted shipping containers to Bay Area cities as housing for the homeless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. attorneys allege Thao agreed to take action as mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">to commit Oakland\u003c/a> to purchase units from the Duongs’ housing company in exchange for kickbacks and favors for Thao and Jones, including the funding of negative campaign mailers targeting her opponents in the 2022 mayoral race. Thao also allegedly agreed to extend the Duongs’ recycling company contract with the city, and appoint senior city officials hand-picked by the Duongs and an unnamed co-conspirator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The indictment laid out charges including conspiracy, bribery, honest services mail fraud and honest services wire fraud. Andy Duong was charged with an additional count of making false statements to a government agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991627\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991627\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FBI agents raid the Maiden Lane home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside a federal courtroom in downtown Oakland on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers tentatively scheduled the trial for Oct. 19 of next year, with jury selection expected to take place the week prior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parties are expected to return in January to discuss deadlines for producing materials like witness and exhibit lists. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman said federal prosecutors expect presenting their case in chief will take about three weeks, with the complete trial lasting no more than five weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation is ongoing, Priedeman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for defendants in the case said prosecutors had turned over an enormous amount of discovery in the case, including 2.5 terabytes of data and voluminous documents.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Federal prosecutors said they had seized devices, including one phone and one laptop, from San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, who was recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061916/federal-prosecutors-charge-san-leandro-city-councilmember-with-fraud-lying-to-investigators\">charged in a related conspiracy\u003c/a> case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azevedo, whose case appears to be closely related to that of Thao, Jones and the Duongs, allegedly agreed to use his power as an elected official to benefit a company in exchange for his own personal financial gain. Prosecutors have said they are close to resolving Azevedo’s case and do not expect a trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorney, Jeff Tsai, said on Thursday that she plans to file papers to join a motion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">filed by attorneys representing David Duong\u003c/a> in late October that asked Gonzalez Rogers to throw out evidence seized in a June 2024 raid of his home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In their filing, Duong’s lawyers accuse the FBI of failing to disclose all relevant information about a key informant in the case in an affidavit used to secure the warrant to search Duong’s home, cars and business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The informant, attorneys argued, has a history of fraud and dishonesty, the complete details of which, they said, were not included in the affidavit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The informant, who is identified in a Jan. 9 indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1,” is widely believed to be businessman and two-time Oakland City Council candidate, Mario Juarez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Attorneys for Oakland businessman David Duong, one of four defendants charged in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">a federal pay-to-play corruption case\u003c/a> involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, are asking a judge to throw out evidence seized in a raid last year, arguing that the FBI relied on an informant with a history of fraud and dishonesty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong was indicted in January on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges, along with Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and Duong’s son, Andy Duong. Federal prosecutors have accused the group of engaging in a corrupt relationship in which Thao allegedly agreed to use her power as mayor to commit the city of Oakland to purchase housing units from the Duongs’ company,\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052003/san-leandro-lawsuit-documents-shed-light-on-company-at-center-of-oakland-fbi-probe\"> Evolutionary Homes\u003c/a>, and provide other favors in exchange for money and negative campaign mailers targeting her opponents in the 2022 mayoral race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a filing late Friday in federal court, David Duong’s attorneys accused the FBI of failing to disclose material information about the informant in an affidavit used to secure a search warrant to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991426/oakland-fbi-raids-also-targeted-this-powerful-family-heres-what-we-know\">raid Duong’s home, cars and business.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The informant, identified in a Jan. 9 indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1,” is widely believed to be businessman and former Oakland City Council candidate Mario Juarez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government failed to disclose that Co-Conspirator 1, the central figure in this supposed scheme, has a decades-long history of fraud and has been repeatedly found liable for fraud in lawsuits,” the filing reads. “The affidavit did not reveal that Co-Conspirator 1 has repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoings in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong’s attorneys are asking a federal judge to hold a hearing where they can question the FBI agent who wrote the nearly 80-page sealed affidavit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government built its case against David Duong almost entirely on allegations from a known fraudster with a grudge against the Duong family,” Duong’s attorneys said in a statement to KQED Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government violated Mr. Duong’s constitutional rights when it failed to disclose its cooperator’s full background and false statements in the warrant applications.”A spokesperson for the FBI’s San Francisco field office did not respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11629977\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11629977\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Duong is founder and CEO of California Waste Solutions and Vietnam Waste Solutions. \u003ccite>(Brian Watt/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Evolutionary Homes is no longer in business, but David Duong remains CEO of California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s curbside recycling provider. His attorneys are also seeking to exclude some evidence obtained from David Duong’s cell phone provider through an earlier warrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Duong’s lawyers, the June 2024 affidavit said that agents came across information about the alleged scheme while investigating Juarez’s suspected defrauding of an Oakland print shop he hired to produce and mail the campaign mailers.\u003cbr>\nThe Alameda District Attorney’s Office last year charged Juarez with passing bad checks in connection to the mailers, but the case was later dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Duong’s lawyers, who viewed the sealed affidavit, it also shows that federal investigators alleged a shooting in front of Juarez’s house last year may have been an attempt by the Duongs to orchestrate Juarez’s murder in retaliation for cooperating with law enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Based on my training and experience, and knowledge of the investigation,” an FBI agent wrote, according to Duong’s filing, “given that the shooter or shooters were waiting at [Co-Conspirator 1] home, and the shooting occurred three days after [Co-Conspirator 1] spoke with FBI agents, I believe that the shooting was targeted and may have been coordinated by the Duong family in an attempt to kill or harm [Co-Conspirator 1] to prevent him from cooperating with the investigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for Duong said that allegation was based on Juarez’s “lies to law enforcement” about what happened the night of the shooting. On the contrary, they allege, evidence shows Juarez initiated the shooting himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Evidence that was available to the agent but was omitted from the affidavit shows the shooting had nothing to do with David Duong and his family,” the filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the shooting, law enforcement provided funds to Juarez for relocation, according to the document.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The affidavit indicates Juarez likely cooperated in the case in the hopes of obtaining leniency, according to Duong’s attorneys, and that he “appears to be motivated by revenge against the Duongs and a desire to obtain protection from law enforcement from the Duongs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the affidavit notes that Juarez has been charged with theft-related crimes, it said there were no convictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The affidavit does not disclose readily available, public information that Co-Conspirator 1 has a decades-long track record of defrauding business partners, like David Duong, including situations where Co-Conspirator 1 accused his creditors of crimes to try to prevent them from being able to recoup debts he owed,” the filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public records show Juarez has been sued about 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners, according to the filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Juarez’s claims are rendered fundamentally unreliable by his history of fraud, lies and attacking his former business partners,” Duongs’ attorneys wrote. “The failure to disclose this history was reckless at best.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Attorneys for Oakland businessman David Duong, one of four defendants charged in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">a federal pay-to-play corruption case\u003c/a> involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, are asking a judge to throw out evidence seized in a raid last year, arguing that the FBI relied on an informant with a history of fraud and dishonesty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong was indicted in January on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges, along with Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and Duong’s son, Andy Duong. Federal prosecutors have accused the group of engaging in a corrupt relationship in which Thao allegedly agreed to use her power as mayor to commit the city of Oakland to purchase housing units from the Duongs’ company,\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052003/san-leandro-lawsuit-documents-shed-light-on-company-at-center-of-oakland-fbi-probe\"> Evolutionary Homes\u003c/a>, and provide other favors in exchange for money and negative campaign mailers targeting her opponents in the 2022 mayoral race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a filing late Friday in federal court, David Duong’s attorneys accused the FBI of failing to disclose material information about the informant in an affidavit used to secure a search warrant to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991426/oakland-fbi-raids-also-targeted-this-powerful-family-heres-what-we-know\">raid Duong’s home, cars and business.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The informant, identified in a Jan. 9 indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1,” is widely believed to be businessman and former Oakland City Council candidate Mario Juarez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government failed to disclose that Co-Conspirator 1, the central figure in this supposed scheme, has a decades-long history of fraud and has been repeatedly found liable for fraud in lawsuits,” the filing reads. “The affidavit did not reveal that Co-Conspirator 1 has repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoings in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong’s attorneys are asking a federal judge to hold a hearing where they can question the FBI agent who wrote the nearly 80-page sealed affidavit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government built its case against David Duong almost entirely on allegations from a known fraudster with a grudge against the Duong family,” Duong’s attorneys said in a statement to KQED Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government violated Mr. Duong’s constitutional rights when it failed to disclose its cooperator’s full background and false statements in the warrant applications.”A spokesperson for the FBI’s San Francisco field office did not respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11629977\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11629977\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/RS27957_IMG_8020-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Duong is founder and CEO of California Waste Solutions and Vietnam Waste Solutions. \u003ccite>(Brian Watt/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Evolutionary Homes is no longer in business, but David Duong remains CEO of California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s curbside recycling provider. His attorneys are also seeking to exclude some evidence obtained from David Duong’s cell phone provider through an earlier warrant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to David Duong’s lawyers, the June 2024 affidavit said that agents came across information about the alleged scheme while investigating Juarez’s suspected defrauding of an Oakland print shop he hired to produce and mail the campaign mailers.\u003cbr>\nThe Alameda District Attorney’s Office last year charged Juarez with passing bad checks in connection to the mailers, but the case was later dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Duong’s lawyers, who viewed the sealed affidavit, it also shows that federal investigators alleged a shooting in front of Juarez’s house last year may have been an attempt by the Duongs to orchestrate Juarez’s murder in retaliation for cooperating with law enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Based on my training and experience, and knowledge of the investigation,” an FBI agent wrote, according to Duong’s filing, “given that the shooter or shooters were waiting at [Co-Conspirator 1] home, and the shooting occurred three days after [Co-Conspirator 1] spoke with FBI agents, I believe that the shooting was targeted and may have been coordinated by the Duong family in an attempt to kill or harm [Co-Conspirator 1] to prevent him from cooperating with the investigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys for Duong said that allegation was based on Juarez’s “lies to law enforcement” about what happened the night of the shooting. On the contrary, they allege, evidence shows Juarez initiated the shooting himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Evidence that was available to the agent but was omitted from the affidavit shows the shooting had nothing to do with David Duong and his family,” the filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the shooting, law enforcement provided funds to Juarez for relocation, according to the document.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The affidavit indicates Juarez likely cooperated in the case in the hopes of obtaining leniency, according to Duong’s attorneys, and that he “appears to be motivated by revenge against the Duongs and a desire to obtain protection from law enforcement from the Duongs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the affidavit notes that Juarez has been charged with theft-related crimes, it said there were no convictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The affidavit does not disclose readily available, public information that Co-Conspirator 1 has a decades-long track record of defrauding business partners, like David Duong, including situations where Co-Conspirator 1 accused his creditors of crimes to try to prevent them from being able to recoup debts he owed,” the filing reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public records show Juarez has been sued about 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners, according to the filing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Juarez’s claims are rendered fundamentally unreliable by his history of fraud, lies and attacking his former business partners,” Duongs’ attorneys wrote. “The failure to disclose this history was reckless at best.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "East Bay City Council Member Caught Up in Federal Investigation That Targeted Sheng Thao",
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"content": "\u003cp>Federal prosecutors have charged \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-leandro\">San Leandro\u003c/a> City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, alleging he agreed to use his power as an elected official to benefit a company in exchange for his own personal financial gain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a document filed in federal court on Tuesday, Azevedo is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of making false statements to a government agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The charges come after months of speculation about the extent of Azevedo’s connection to an ongoing FBI corruption investigation that saw the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">indictment of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, her partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. attorneys allege in the filing that Azevedo and two unnamed individuals conspired to obtain a contract from the city of San Leandro for a housing company in exchange for cash and kickback payments to Azevedo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also accuse Azevedo of creating an LLC in his wife’s name and opening a bank account for the purpose of receiving illegal payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a meeting with reporters Tuesday afternoon, San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez said he had not yet spoken with Azevedo and that, as of now, he is not requesting that the council member step down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If he pleads guilty to a felony, the (San Leandro City) Charter makes clear how we proceed. Namely, he may not be a felon and be a member of the city council,” Gonzalez said. “But if he were to plead to something else that did not rise to the level of felony, then we will cross that bridge when we get there. And of course he might be exonerated by a jury of his peers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzalez declined to comment on whether he had been interviewed by the FBI, saying only that the city of San Leandro cooperates with all investigations. He also referred to the situation as a “private matter” between Azevedo and the U.S. Department of Justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, San Leandro City Council members Fred Simon (District 4), Victor Aguilar (District 3) and Bryan Azevedo (District 2) listen as residents voice concerns during public comment about a federal investigation into Azevedo and recent lawsuits involving city leadership, at a council meeting on Aug. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to the filing, Azevedo attended a 2023 trip to Vietnam sponsored by a business association. Upon returning from the trip, prosecutors allege, Azevedo agreed to use his power as a San Leandro city council member to help obtain a contract for an Oakland-based housing company that aimed to manufacture modular homes made from shipping containers. In exchange, Azevedo would receive a percentage of the sales from units the city purchased, the filing alleges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azevedo has acknowledged his participation in a 2023 Vietnam trip that Thao and other East Bay officials also attended. The trip was sponsored by the Vietnamese American Business Association, led by David Duong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The housing company described in the court filing is not explicitly named.[aside postID=news_12022612 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1020x680.jpg'] A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052003/san-leandro-lawsuit-documents-shed-light-on-company-at-center-of-oakland-fbi-probe\">lawsuit filed by former San Leandro City Manager\u003c/a> Francis Robustelli in June alleges Azevedo and fellow San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar invited her to the Oakland showroom of Evolutionary Homes in 2023. The visit was part of an effort by members of the Duong family, which owned the company, to lobby San Francisco Bay Area politicians to promote the establishment of tiny home developments in the area, Robustelli alleges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli’s lawsuit claims a representative of Evolutionary Homes pitched an emergency homelessness ordinance to San Leandro officials that would allow the city to more quickly purchase homes like the ones the company aimed to sell. It was never enacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the document filed Tuesday, during the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, Azevedo advocated for an emergency shelter ordinance that would benefit the unnamed housing company, advocated for the city to purchase units from the company and took San Leandro city officials to tour the company’s model units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, prosecutors allege, one of the unnamed co-conspirators gave Azevedo $2,000 in cash at a dinner in Alameda in exchange for using his position as an elected official to benefit the housing company. Several days later, he allegedly deposited the money into the recently opened bank account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054537\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054537\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Leandro City Hall, pictured on Aug. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar, reached by phone on Tuesday, declined to comment on the charges against Azevedo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, FBI agents raided Azevedo’s San Leandro home, two days before Thao, Jones, and Andy and David Duong were charged with conspiracy, bribery and fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office notified Azevedo via a target letter that he, too, was the subject of a federal investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document filed Tuesday alleges federal investigators in January asked Azevedo whether he had received cash payments from one of the co-conspirators in November 2023 and that Azevedo responded that he had not. Agents also allegedly asked Azevedo whether the co-conspirator’s family had business interests before the city of San Leandro, and he responded that it did not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These statements AZEVEDO made to the agents were false and AZEVEDO knew they were false,” the document reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Federal prosecutors have charged \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-leandro\">San Leandro\u003c/a> City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, alleging he agreed to use his power as an elected official to benefit a company in exchange for his own personal financial gain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a document filed in federal court on Tuesday, Azevedo is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of making false statements to a government agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The charges come after months of speculation about the extent of Azevedo’s connection to an ongoing FBI corruption investigation that saw the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">indictment of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, her partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. attorneys allege in the filing that Azevedo and two unnamed individuals conspired to obtain a contract from the city of San Leandro for a housing company in exchange for cash and kickback payments to Azevedo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also accuse Azevedo of creating an LLC in his wife’s name and opening a bank account for the purpose of receiving illegal payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a meeting with reporters Tuesday afternoon, San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez said he had not yet spoken with Azevedo and that, as of now, he is not requesting that the council member step down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If he pleads guilty to a felony, the (San Leandro City) Charter makes clear how we proceed. Namely, he may not be a felon and be a member of the city council,” Gonzalez said. “But if he were to plead to something else that did not rise to the level of felony, then we will cross that bridge when we get there. And of course he might be exonerated by a jury of his peers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzalez declined to comment on whether he had been interviewed by the FBI, saying only that the city of San Leandro cooperates with all investigations. He also referred to the situation as a “private matter” between Azevedo and the U.S. Department of Justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, San Leandro City Council members Fred Simon (District 4), Victor Aguilar (District 3) and Bryan Azevedo (District 2) listen as residents voice concerns during public comment about a federal investigation into Azevedo and recent lawsuits involving city leadership, at a council meeting on Aug. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to the filing, Azevedo attended a 2023 trip to Vietnam sponsored by a business association. Upon returning from the trip, prosecutors allege, Azevedo agreed to use his power as a San Leandro city council member to help obtain a contract for an Oakland-based housing company that aimed to manufacture modular homes made from shipping containers. In exchange, Azevedo would receive a percentage of the sales from units the city purchased, the filing alleges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azevedo has acknowledged his participation in a 2023 Vietnam trip that Thao and other East Bay officials also attended. The trip was sponsored by the Vietnamese American Business Association, led by David Duong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The housing company described in the court filing is not explicitly named.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052003/san-leandro-lawsuit-documents-shed-light-on-company-at-center-of-oakland-fbi-probe\">lawsuit filed by former San Leandro City Manager\u003c/a> Francis Robustelli in June alleges Azevedo and fellow San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar invited her to the Oakland showroom of Evolutionary Homes in 2023. The visit was part of an effort by members of the Duong family, which owned the company, to lobby San Francisco Bay Area politicians to promote the establishment of tiny home developments in the area, Robustelli alleges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli’s lawsuit claims a representative of Evolutionary Homes pitched an emergency homelessness ordinance to San Leandro officials that would allow the city to more quickly purchase homes like the ones the company aimed to sell. It was never enacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the document filed Tuesday, during the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, Azevedo advocated for an emergency shelter ordinance that would benefit the unnamed housing company, advocated for the city to purchase units from the company and took San Leandro city officials to tour the company’s model units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, prosecutors allege, one of the unnamed co-conspirators gave Azevedo $2,000 in cash at a dinner in Alameda in exchange for using his position as an elected official to benefit the housing company. Several days later, he allegedly deposited the money into the recently opened bank account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054537\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054537\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250902_SANLEANDROCITYHALL_GH-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Leandro City Hall, pictured on Aug. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar, reached by phone on Tuesday, declined to comment on the charges against Azevedo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, FBI agents raided Azevedo’s San Leandro home, two days before Thao, Jones, and Andy and David Duong were charged with conspiracy, bribery and fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office notified Azevedo via a target letter that he, too, was the subject of a federal investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document filed Tuesday alleges federal investigators in January asked Azevedo whether he had received cash payments from one of the co-conspirators in November 2023 and that Azevedo responded that he had not. Agents also allegedly asked Azevedo whether the co-conspirator’s family had business interests before the city of San Leandro, and he responded that it did not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These statements AZEVEDO made to the agents were false and AZEVEDO knew they were false,” the document reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It was late 2023 when Frances Robustelli found herself in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> waterfront showroom of Evolutionary Homes. The company was converting shipping containers into housing for homeless people and attempting to sell them to local governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli, who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-leandro\">San Leandro\u003c/a>’s city manager at the time, had been invited by two San Leandro city council members, Victor Aguilar and Bryan Azevedo, according to a lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit alleges the visit was part of an effort by members of the Duong family, who owned Evolutionary Homes, to lobby San Francisco Bay Area politicians to promote the establishment of tiny home developments in Bay Area cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli told Aguilar and Azevedo that the city had neither the funding nor the land for a tiny homes project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, the lawsuit claims, pitched an ordinance that would allow the city to more quickly purchase homes like the ones the company aimed to sell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli filed the lawsuit in Alameda County in June, alleging that when she opposed the proposal, Azevedo and Aguilar voiced their unhappiness. Together with another council member, they would harass and intimidate her that year and the following, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city has denied the allegations and, on July 28, filed a motion to have the complaint in the case thrown out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052137\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052137\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown San Leandro on Sept. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Matt Gush/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The City will respond through the appropriate legal channels,” San Leandro Mayor Juan González said in a statement to KQED. “While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, I want to reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability, and the continued service to our community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli declined to comment, citing the advice of her attorney. Aguilar also declined to comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azevedo was seen at the federal building in Oakland Thursday morning, where he said he was meeting with an attorney. But he declined to comment further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the months since former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991242/fbi-agents-raid-home-of-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, her partner, Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong were indicted on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges, questions have circulated around whether the FBI’s corruption probe extends to Azevedo, whose home was raided by federal agents in January.[aside postID=news_12022900 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00001-1020x681.jpg']Those questions only intensified after federal prosecutors notified the council member in May that he is the target of a federal investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the contents of Robustelli’s lawsuit, together with documents released by San Leandro in response to a federal grand jury subpoena, give clues as to what the FBI may have been looking for when they raided Azevedo’s home and shed light on where the ongoing investigation could be headed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Jan. 9 indictment charging Thao and the other three defendants describes an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a housing company that is widely believed to be Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The indictment alleges Thao promised Oakland would purchase housing units from the company, along with other favors, in exchange for payments to Jones and negative mailers targeting her opponents in the 2022 mayoral election. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A week after FBI agents raided Thao’s home in June 2024, Azevedo defended himself from “rumors” tying him to the scandal in a \u003ca href=\"https://0201.nccdn.net/1_2/000/000/0de/bc3/june-27--2024.pdf\">letter to the editor\u003c/a> of the \u003cem>San Leandro Times\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, leaves the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I want to set the record straight. I don’t know anything about this alleged corruption nor do I believe that we should assume that corruption has happened until the facts come out,” Azevedo wrote, adding that he had received and reported a $2,000 campaign contribution from Andy Duong in support of his unsuccessful 2022 mayoral run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors in May notified Azevedo that he was the target of a federal investigation regarding criminal violations of federal laws, including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and false statements in a federal investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you are interested in resolving this matter short of an indictment, please have your attorney contact the undersigned,” U.S. attorneys told Azevedo in a May 12 letter. “If no contact is made with our office prior to May 30, 2025, the matter will proceed in the ordinary course of prosecution.”[aside postID=news_11993390 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GettyImages-2157862759-KQED-1020x680.jpg']To date, Azevedo has not been charged with a crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Robustelli’s lawsuit, in October 2023, while she was out sick with COVID-19, Aguilar moved to place an urgent item on the council’s agenda to discuss the potential of obtaining an emergency homelessness declaration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The draft emergency declaration, the lawsuit alleges, sought to expand the powers of the city manager and staff to bypass the city’s normally required purchasing procedures and more quickly procure tiny homes from the Duongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit alleges Robustelli told Aguilar and other supporters of the declaration that it was neither needed nor financially feasible for the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In her role as City Manager, Ms. Robustelli was well informed of the homelessness issues in San Leandro at the time, and there simply was no state of emergency as to homelessness in San Leandro,” the complaint reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city had also obtained funding through the state’s Project Homekey program to renovate a motel into permanent low-rent housing and establish a navigation center, according to the lawsuit, which would provide housing to the city’s homeless population. Aguilar and Azevedo were presumably aware of the funding, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991432\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. postal inspectors check documents at a home tied to David Duong, one of the multiple properties searched by law enforcement that included residences to members of a politically connected family who run the city’s contracted recycling company, California Waste Solutions, in Oakland on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Ms. Robustelli later learned, in or around 2024, that Councilmembers Azevedo and Aguilar were being pressured by the Evolutionary Homes vendor,” the lawsuit said. “Representatives for Evolutionary Homes not only pitched the proposed ordinance that would accelerate the City’s ability to purchase and install the container homes, but also wrote the proposed ordinance for City officials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Leandro city records released in response to a Jan. 14 federal grand jury subpoena included emails from 2023 between an Evolutionary Homes representative and city staff about an ordinance like the one described in Robustelli’s lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thank you so much for chatting with me today,” Julie Wedge, a consultant working with the company, wrote to deputy city manager Eric Engelbart on Sept. 19. “Attached please find the San Leandro presentation, the Evolutionary Homes flyer, and the draft language for the ordinance based on what passed today in Alameda County and what we hope will pass in Oakland later today as well.”[aside postID=news_12022612 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00005-1020x680.jpg']“Please let me know when we can bring you and any other appropriate staff and Councilmembers to our showroom to see the two model units,” Wedge said. “Looking forward to meeting you in person and please reach out with any questions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attached to the email was a template for an emergency ordinance with fill-in-the-blank spaces for statistics on homelessness. Slides showing the interiors of shipping containers converted into apartments were also included.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an Aug. 11 phone interview, Wedge said her work with Evolutionary Homes, which is no longer in business, was unpaid. She said the company reached out to multiple California cities and counties, in addition to the California National Guard, to see if they would be interested in the homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was nothing illegal or improper about the proposed ordinance, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know why everybody seems to think that trying to do an emergency shelter ordinance was some shady deal or some problem or issue. It’s actually good public policy,” Wedge said. “Everything around the shelter ordinance was a public process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emails show other city employees were hesitant to approve the ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m inclined to hold on passing a local emergency declaration until directed by the County to do so,” Human Services Director Jessica Lobedan responded to Engelbart and San Leandro’s Community Development Director Thomas Liao on Sept. 25. “My understanding of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11961820/alameda-county-declares-state-of-emergency-on-homelessness-what-does-that-mean\">County’s declaration\u003c/a> was that it directs County staff to develop an emergency response plan. Until knowing more, it might be premature to do anything locally,” she wrote. Liao agreed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052150\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052150\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown San Leandro, on Sept. 16, 2022. \u003ccite>(Matt Gush/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In an interview, Liao said he didn’t think the way the ordinance was brought forward by Evolutionary Homes seemed appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t farm out the drafting of ordinances, typically. We would want to have some touch on that as staff,” he said. “We don’t take things wholesale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff ultimately recommended that the city not move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to give you a heads up that some significant changes had to be made to the resolution that you provided to us because the content was not applicable to the City,” Robustelli wrote to Aguilar on Oct. 26. “Staff does not recommend moving forward with this resolution. I did not want you to be surprised about the content of my message for the 11/6 council meeting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On June 17, 2024, the city council voted to take no action on the declaration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli eventually left the job, the lawsuit alleges, citing life-threatening health issues.[aside postID=news_12051947 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/GettyImages-1246387515-1020x680.jpg']In addition to the allegations surrounding Evolutionary Homes, Robustelli’s lawsuit claims Aguilar and San Leandro city council member Fred Simon repeatedly interfered with her duties as city manager and threatened her when she protested or refused to do their bidding. More often than not, they were assisted by Azevedo, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their actions, the lawsuit alleges, were in retaliation for her refusal to condone unethical behavior or support individual demands she viewed as unethical, improper or unlawful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli alleges Simon submitted for reimbursement for mileage to and from his home and city hall and for non-city travel. Despite having medical benefits from his public employer and one other public agency, Simon also made a claim for medical reimbursement with the city for not electing medical coverage, the lawsuit alleges, enabling him to collect health benefits from three separate public entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Simon and Aguilar made increasingly obscure and demanding requests to Robustelli to force her to resign, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanleandro.org/DocumentCenter/View/11474/Former-CM-Complaint-Inv---1172024-Press-Release-?bidId=\">officially censured\u003c/a> council members Simon and Aguilar for interfering with Robustelli’s duties in violation of the city charter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simon did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pauline Cutter, who was San Leandro’s mayor from 2015 to 2022, recalled Robustelli being frequently upset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991244\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991244\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FBI agents are seen at 80 Maiden Lane in Oakland on June 20, 2024, carrying multiple boxes from a residence. After loading the boxes into their vehicles, the agents departed without commenting to reporters, only confirming that they had cleared the scene and no agents remained. \u003ccite>(Annelise Finney/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There was pressure against Fran to do kind of the bidding of the three council members. And a city manager can’t do that. They can’t take sides,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June 2024, FBI agents raided Thao’s home and several other properties associated with the Duongs, including the Oakland offices of the recycling company, California Waste Solutions, which is owned by the Duongs and has contracts with the cities of Oakland and San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his letter to the \u003cem>San Leandro Times\u003c/em> that month, Azevedo denied that he said California Waste Solutions should be awarded a city contract with San Leandro and defended his participation in a 2023 Vietnam trip that Thao and other East Bay officials also attended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wedge said she didn’t know Evolutionary Homes was falling apart until FBI agents showed up on her doorstep the same day as the raids in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They thought that I was going to be a witness,” Wedge said. “They thought I knew. They thought I was in those meetings,” she said, referring to meetings described in the indictment that allegedly took place between Thao, Jones and the Duongs about a pay-to-play scheme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was not in those meetings. I didn’t know any of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around seven months later, agents raided Azevedo’s home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emails from that week, reviewed by KQED, show San Leandro city officials scrambling to nail down whether the city had ever done business with the Duongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Can you please research the following business to see if the City has conducted business with them?” a city spokesperson wrote to the acting finance manager, adding: “Evolutionary Homes, LLC.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A review of payments to the city, business licenses and financial records turned up nothing, according to the emails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/bryan-azevedo-department-justice-targets-san-leandro-city-council-member-sheng-thao-corruption-investigation/16649211/\">interview\u003c/a> that was broadcast in June, Azevedo told ABC 7 that he had counted the days between when the FBI raided Thao’s home and when she was indicted. He said he was waiting to see if he would be arrested, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They shouldn’t have as much stuff on me,” Azevedo said. “Because I didn’t do nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked whether there was an arrangement between him and the Duongs, Azevedo said, “I don’t remember nothing, no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He later added, “I don’t want to comment on that because no, there was no arrangement on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It was late 2023 when Frances Robustelli found herself in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> waterfront showroom of Evolutionary Homes. The company was converting shipping containers into housing for homeless people and attempting to sell them to local governments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli, who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-leandro\">San Leandro\u003c/a>’s city manager at the time, had been invited by two San Leandro city council members, Victor Aguilar and Bryan Azevedo, according to a lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit alleges the visit was part of an effort by members of the Duong family, who owned Evolutionary Homes, to lobby San Francisco Bay Area politicians to promote the establishment of tiny home developments in Bay Area cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli told Aguilar and Azevedo that the city had neither the funding nor the land for a tiny homes project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, the lawsuit claims, pitched an ordinance that would allow the city to more quickly purchase homes like the ones the company aimed to sell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli filed the lawsuit in Alameda County in June, alleging that when she opposed the proposal, Azevedo and Aguilar voiced their unhappiness. Together with another council member, they would harass and intimidate her that year and the following, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city has denied the allegations and, on July 28, filed a motion to have the complaint in the case thrown out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052137\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052137\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/SanLeandroGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown San Leandro on Sept. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Matt Gush/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The City will respond through the appropriate legal channels,” San Leandro Mayor Juan González said in a statement to KQED. “While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, I want to reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability, and the continued service to our community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli declined to comment, citing the advice of her attorney. Aguilar also declined to comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Azevedo was seen at the federal building in Oakland Thursday morning, where he said he was meeting with an attorney. But he declined to comment further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the months since former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991242/fbi-agents-raid-home-of-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, her partner, Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong were indicted on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges, questions have circulated around whether the FBI’s corruption probe extends to Azevedo, whose home was raided by federal agents in January.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Those questions only intensified after federal prosecutors notified the council member in May that he is the target of a federal investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the contents of Robustelli’s lawsuit, together with documents released by San Leandro in response to a federal grand jury subpoena, give clues as to what the FBI may have been looking for when they raided Azevedo’s home and shed light on where the ongoing investigation could be headed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Jan. 9 indictment charging Thao and the other three defendants describes an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a housing company that is widely believed to be Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The indictment alleges Thao promised Oakland would purchase housing units from the company, along with other favors, in exchange for payments to Jones and negative mailers targeting her opponents in the 2022 mayoral election. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A week after FBI agents raided Thao’s home in June 2024, Azevedo defended himself from “rumors” tying him to the scandal in a \u003ca href=\"https://0201.nccdn.net/1_2/000/000/0de/bc3/june-27--2024.pdf\">letter to the editor\u003c/a> of the \u003cem>San Leandro Times\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00009-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, leaves the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I want to set the record straight. I don’t know anything about this alleged corruption nor do I believe that we should assume that corruption has happened until the facts come out,” Azevedo wrote, adding that he had received and reported a $2,000 campaign contribution from Andy Duong in support of his unsuccessful 2022 mayoral run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors in May notified Azevedo that he was the target of a federal investigation regarding criminal violations of federal laws, including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and false statements in a federal investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you are interested in resolving this matter short of an indictment, please have your attorney contact the undersigned,” U.S. attorneys told Azevedo in a May 12 letter. “If no contact is made with our office prior to May 30, 2025, the matter will proceed in the ordinary course of prosecution.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To date, Azevedo has not been charged with a crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Robustelli’s lawsuit, in October 2023, while she was out sick with COVID-19, Aguilar moved to place an urgent item on the council’s agenda to discuss the potential of obtaining an emergency homelessness declaration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The draft emergency declaration, the lawsuit alleges, sought to expand the powers of the city manager and staff to bypass the city’s normally required purchasing procedures and more quickly procure tiny homes from the Duongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit alleges Robustelli told Aguilar and other supporters of the declaration that it was neither needed nor financially feasible for the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In her role as City Manager, Ms. Robustelli was well informed of the homelessness issues in San Leandro at the time, and there simply was no state of emergency as to homelessness in San Leandro,” the complaint reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city had also obtained funding through the state’s Project Homekey program to renovate a motel into permanent low-rent housing and establish a navigation center, according to the lawsuit, which would provide housing to the city’s homeless population. Aguilar and Azevedo were presumably aware of the funding, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991432\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/GETTYIMAGES-2158502017-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. postal inspectors check documents at a home tied to David Duong, one of the multiple properties searched by law enforcement that included residences to members of a politically connected family who run the city’s contracted recycling company, California Waste Solutions, in Oakland on June 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Ms. Robustelli later learned, in or around 2024, that Councilmembers Azevedo and Aguilar were being pressured by the Evolutionary Homes vendor,” the lawsuit said. “Representatives for Evolutionary Homes not only pitched the proposed ordinance that would accelerate the City’s ability to purchase and install the container homes, but also wrote the proposed ordinance for City officials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Leandro city records released in response to a Jan. 14 federal grand jury subpoena included emails from 2023 between an Evolutionary Homes representative and city staff about an ordinance like the one described in Robustelli’s lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thank you so much for chatting with me today,” Julie Wedge, a consultant working with the company, wrote to deputy city manager Eric Engelbart on Sept. 19. “Attached please find the San Leandro presentation, the Evolutionary Homes flyer, and the draft language for the ordinance based on what passed today in Alameda County and what we hope will pass in Oakland later today as well.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Please let me know when we can bring you and any other appropriate staff and Councilmembers to our showroom to see the two model units,” Wedge said. “Looking forward to meeting you in person and please reach out with any questions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attached to the email was a template for an emergency ordinance with fill-in-the-blank spaces for statistics on homelessness. Slides showing the interiors of shipping containers converted into apartments were also included.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an Aug. 11 phone interview, Wedge said her work with Evolutionary Homes, which is no longer in business, was unpaid. She said the company reached out to multiple California cities and counties, in addition to the California National Guard, to see if they would be interested in the homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was nothing illegal or improper about the proposed ordinance, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know why everybody seems to think that trying to do an emergency shelter ordinance was some shady deal or some problem or issue. It’s actually good public policy,” Wedge said. “Everything around the shelter ordinance was a public process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emails show other city employees were hesitant to approve the ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m inclined to hold on passing a local emergency declaration until directed by the County to do so,” Human Services Director Jessica Lobedan responded to Engelbart and San Leandro’s Community Development Director Thomas Liao on Sept. 25. “My understanding of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11961820/alameda-county-declares-state-of-emergency-on-homelessness-what-does-that-mean\">County’s declaration\u003c/a> was that it directs County staff to develop an emergency response plan. Until knowing more, it might be premature to do anything locally,” she wrote. Liao agreed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052150\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052150\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/DowntownSanLeandroGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown San Leandro, on Sept. 16, 2022. \u003ccite>(Matt Gush/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In an interview, Liao said he didn’t think the way the ordinance was brought forward by Evolutionary Homes seemed appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t farm out the drafting of ordinances, typically. We would want to have some touch on that as staff,” he said. “We don’t take things wholesale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff ultimately recommended that the city not move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to give you a heads up that some significant changes had to be made to the resolution that you provided to us because the content was not applicable to the City,” Robustelli wrote to Aguilar on Oct. 26. “Staff does not recommend moving forward with this resolution. I did not want you to be surprised about the content of my message for the 11/6 council meeting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On June 17, 2024, the city council voted to take no action on the declaration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli eventually left the job, the lawsuit alleges, citing life-threatening health issues.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In addition to the allegations surrounding Evolutionary Homes, Robustelli’s lawsuit claims Aguilar and San Leandro city council member Fred Simon repeatedly interfered with her duties as city manager and threatened her when she protested or refused to do their bidding. More often than not, they were assisted by Azevedo, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their actions, the lawsuit alleges, were in retaliation for her refusal to condone unethical behavior or support individual demands she viewed as unethical, improper or unlawful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robustelli alleges Simon submitted for reimbursement for mileage to and from his home and city hall and for non-city travel. Despite having medical benefits from his public employer and one other public agency, Simon also made a claim for medical reimbursement with the city for not electing medical coverage, the lawsuit alleges, enabling him to collect health benefits from three separate public entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Simon and Aguilar made increasingly obscure and demanding requests to Robustelli to force her to resign, the lawsuit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanleandro.org/DocumentCenter/View/11474/Former-CM-Complaint-Inv---1172024-Press-Release-?bidId=\">officially censured\u003c/a> council members Simon and Aguilar for interfering with Robustelli’s duties in violation of the city charter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simon did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pauline Cutter, who was San Leandro’s mayor from 2015 to 2022, recalled Robustelli being frequently upset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11991244\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11991244\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/OaklandMayorRaid01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FBI agents are seen at 80 Maiden Lane in Oakland on June 20, 2024, carrying multiple boxes from a residence. After loading the boxes into their vehicles, the agents departed without commenting to reporters, only confirming that they had cleared the scene and no agents remained. \u003ccite>(Annelise Finney/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There was pressure against Fran to do kind of the bidding of the three council members. And a city manager can’t do that. They can’t take sides,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June 2024, FBI agents raided Thao’s home and several other properties associated with the Duongs, including the Oakland offices of the recycling company, California Waste Solutions, which is owned by the Duongs and has contracts with the cities of Oakland and San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his letter to the \u003cem>San Leandro Times\u003c/em> that month, Azevedo denied that he said California Waste Solutions should be awarded a city contract with San Leandro and defended his participation in a 2023 Vietnam trip that Thao and other East Bay officials also attended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wedge said she didn’t know Evolutionary Homes was falling apart until FBI agents showed up on her doorstep the same day as the raids in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They thought that I was going to be a witness,” Wedge said. “They thought I knew. They thought I was in those meetings,” she said, referring to meetings described in the indictment that allegedly took place between Thao, Jones and the Duongs about a pay-to-play scheme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was not in those meetings. I didn’t know any of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around seven months later, agents raided Azevedo’s home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emails from that week, reviewed by KQED, show San Leandro city officials scrambling to nail down whether the city had ever done business with the Duongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Can you please research the following business to see if the City has conducted business with them?” a city spokesperson wrote to the acting finance manager, adding: “Evolutionary Homes, LLC.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A review of payments to the city, business licenses and financial records turned up nothing, according to the emails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/bryan-azevedo-department-justice-targets-san-leandro-city-council-member-sheng-thao-corruption-investigation/16649211/\">interview\u003c/a> that was broadcast in June, Azevedo told ABC 7 that he had counted the days between when the FBI raided Thao’s home and when she was indicted. He said he was waiting to see if he would be arrested, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They shouldn’t have as much stuff on me,” Azevedo said. “Because I didn’t do nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked whether there was an arrangement between him and the Duongs, Azevedo said, “I don’t remember nothing, no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He later added, “I don’t want to comment on that because no, there was no arrangement on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "oakland-settles-suit-alleging-staggering-government-dysfunction-in-2022-mayors-race",
"title": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> will pay more than $200,000 and implement a series of election reforms to settle a lawsuit alleging that former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and several other candidates missed the filing deadline to be eligible to run in the 2022 mayoral election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to approve the settlement, more than two years after the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association filed its lawsuit accusing the city of a litany of election-related blunders, violations and coverups stemming from the Oakland City Clerk’s office inadvertently giving mayoral candidates the wrong deadline to submit their candidacy applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon realizing the mistake, on the afternoon of the actual deadline, the office “frantically” called Thao and other candidates who had yet to submit their paperwork, instructing them to come to City Hall to file before the 5 p.m. cutoff, the suit alleges, leaving candidates “scrambling to gather signatures and organize their paperwork at the last minute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the four candidates — Thao, Monesha Carter, Seneca Scott and Allyssa Victory — who showed up to the clerk’s office on the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2022, only Scott turned in his paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline, the suit alleges, arguing that Thao and the two others should have been disqualified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that the clerk’s office had to manually operate its malfunctioning timestamp machine and incorrectly timestamped all of the paperwork to make it appear that it had been filed prior to 5 p.m., “when in fact, it had not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An overall lack of election integrity, lack of public accountability, and staggering government dysfunction are at the heart of this lawsuit,” the suit states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao went on to win the election by just 677 votes, narrowly defeating then-Councilmember Loren Taylor. Just two years later, voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014429/what-mayor-sheng-thaos-recall-means-for-oakland\">removed her from office\u003c/a> in an unprecedented recall. She now faces federal bribery charges after a grand jury in January \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted her\u003c/a> — as well as her romantic partner and the father-son team overseeing the city’s recycling contractor — on several charges related to an alleged corruption scandal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Attorney Marleen Sacks, who led the suit for the tax foundation, initially demanded that the city redo the mayoral election, alleging that it had also flubbed the ranked choice voting process by only allowing voters to rank five candidates, despite having 10 names on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opposing campaigns for and against the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rally at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sacks also claimed city officials didn’t respond to her California Public Records Act requests in a timely manner, and accused them of violating state law by deleting surveillance footage that she said would have shown candidates entering and leaving City Hall on the day of the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alameda County Taxpayers Association, no stranger to legal challenges against Oakland and Alameda County, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/recent-legal-highlights-spring-2024/\">filed suit against the city\u003c/a> in 2022, challenging the validity of Measure Y, a parcel tax to help fund the city’s zoo, which voters approved that November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate suit, Sacks and the group sued the city over alleged illegal public contracting and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The city settled in February, paying the group roughly $250,000 to cover legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, the City Council on Tuesday, during the same meeting, also approved a resolution to recognize “Municipal Clerks Week,” praising employees at Oakland City Clerk’s office.[aside postID=news_12038739 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00119.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council initially authorized the settlement during a closed-door session last month, in which it agreed to pay nearly $208,000 to reimburse attorney’s fees, “without admitting fault or wrongdoing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement, however, is silent on whether Thao or any other particular candidate should have been listed on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the settlement, city leaders agreed to a spate of election reforms, including no longer accepting late paperwork from candidates seeking office, providing accurate information about filing deadlines, retaining camera footage at the City Clerk’s office for at least a year and “making best efforts” to ensure timestamp machines at the clerk’s office are functioning accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city also agreed “under certain circumstances” to request that the county registrar offer more than five ranked-choice options for city elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a satisfactory result. But there are still fundamental issues of accountability and transparency that continue to exist [in Oakland],” Sacks said after the vote. “It shouldn’t require a lawsuit for the city to investigate what led to these problems. But it did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The lawsuit alleged that former Mayor Sheng Thao and others were ineligible to run because of a botched filing deadline. The City Council agreed to pay over $200,000 and roll out changes. \r\n",
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"title": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> will pay more than $200,000 and implement a series of election reforms to settle a lawsuit alleging that former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and several other candidates missed the filing deadline to be eligible to run in the 2022 mayoral election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to approve the settlement, more than two years after the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association filed its lawsuit accusing the city of a litany of election-related blunders, violations and coverups stemming from the Oakland City Clerk’s office inadvertently giving mayoral candidates the wrong deadline to submit their candidacy applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon realizing the mistake, on the afternoon of the actual deadline, the office “frantically” called Thao and other candidates who had yet to submit their paperwork, instructing them to come to City Hall to file before the 5 p.m. cutoff, the suit alleges, leaving candidates “scrambling to gather signatures and organize their paperwork at the last minute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the four candidates — Thao, Monesha Carter, Seneca Scott and Allyssa Victory — who showed up to the clerk’s office on the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2022, only Scott turned in his paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline, the suit alleges, arguing that Thao and the two others should have been disqualified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that the clerk’s office had to manually operate its malfunctioning timestamp machine and incorrectly timestamped all of the paperwork to make it appear that it had been filed prior to 5 p.m., “when in fact, it had not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An overall lack of election integrity, lack of public accountability, and staggering government dysfunction are at the heart of this lawsuit,” the suit states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao went on to win the election by just 677 votes, narrowly defeating then-Councilmember Loren Taylor. Just two years later, voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014429/what-mayor-sheng-thaos-recall-means-for-oakland\">removed her from office\u003c/a> in an unprecedented recall. She now faces federal bribery charges after a grand jury in January \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted her\u003c/a> — as well as her romantic partner and the father-son team overseeing the city’s recycling contractor — on several charges related to an alleged corruption scandal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Attorney Marleen Sacks, who led the suit for the tax foundation, initially demanded that the city redo the mayoral election, alleging that it had also flubbed the ranked choice voting process by only allowing voters to rank five candidates, despite having 10 names on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opposing campaigns for and against the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rally at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sacks also claimed city officials didn’t respond to her California Public Records Act requests in a timely manner, and accused them of violating state law by deleting surveillance footage that she said would have shown candidates entering and leaving City Hall on the day of the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alameda County Taxpayers Association, no stranger to legal challenges against Oakland and Alameda County, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/recent-legal-highlights-spring-2024/\">filed suit against the city\u003c/a> in 2022, challenging the validity of Measure Y, a parcel tax to help fund the city’s zoo, which voters approved that November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate suit, Sacks and the group sued the city over alleged illegal public contracting and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The city settled in February, paying the group roughly $250,000 to cover legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, the City Council on Tuesday, during the same meeting, also approved a resolution to recognize “Municipal Clerks Week,” praising employees at Oakland City Clerk’s office.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council initially authorized the settlement during a closed-door session last month, in which it agreed to pay nearly $208,000 to reimburse attorney’s fees, “without admitting fault or wrongdoing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement, however, is silent on whether Thao or any other particular candidate should have been listed on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the settlement, city leaders agreed to a spate of election reforms, including no longer accepting late paperwork from candidates seeking office, providing accurate information about filing deadlines, retaining camera footage at the City Clerk’s office for at least a year and “making best efforts” to ensure timestamp machines at the clerk’s office are functioning accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city also agreed “under certain circumstances” to request that the county registrar offer more than five ranked-choice options for city elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a satisfactory result. But there are still fundamental issues of accountability and transparency that continue to exist [in Oakland],” Sacks said after the vote. “It shouldn’t require a lawsuit for the city to investigate what led to these problems. But it did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Barbara Lee Set to Become Oakland Mayor as Loren Taylor Concedes ",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Updated at 4 p.m. Saturday\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The special election for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> mayor saw a dramatic swing on Friday, as new results released by Alameda County election officials propelled former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> into an insurmountable lead over former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>, who conceded Saturday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, who served in Congress for almost three decades, will be Oakland’s next mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making a brief appearance at an Easter carnival at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center on the city’s east side, Lee thanked Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins for his leadership, saying the transition would be “a moment of hope,” and praised what she called a high turnout for a special election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that’s what I call democracy working. That’s the voice of the people,” said Lee, who was joined by Jenkins, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett from Texas. “We have to bring people here who understand the beauty and opportunities in Oakland and who will work with us to help us move this beautiful city forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036865\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036865\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee, Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and supporters at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in Oakland on Saturday, April 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his concession statement, Loren Taylor congratulated Lee and emphasized the need for unity going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This morning I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor wrote. “I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic results-driven leadership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins said at the Easter event Saturday that he was “thrilled to have Barbara Lee come in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems like voters have decided that Congresswoman Barbara Lee will be the mayor elect,” said Jenkins. “I believe she’s going to be a unifier. She’s going to be the person that gets us our desperately needed charter changes that we need in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Rowena Brown said Saturday that Lee was a “unifying factor” and that it was a “big victory” for Oakland. Councilmember Ken Houston said, “The flat land spoke, and we going to keep speaking. We going to keep voting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oakland said we going to make for a \u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">real \u003c/i>good Friday, and we are going to send a message that we are going to rise up in this time of darkness,” said U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) on Saturday. “So as you go into Easter Sunday, just remember that you have a lot to celebrate because you got a real one that’s going to be running this city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s update of 45,851 votes leaves only around 300 ballots which the registrar has flagged for issues with voter signatures. Those ballots can still be resolved and counted up to two days before the registrar certifies the election. And ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be counted if they are received by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office by April 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new results reflect ballots mailed or dropped off on or before Election Day and leave turnout at nearly 38%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the race tightened and suggested an upset was possible, Barbara Lee’s name recognition and popularity were simply too much to overcome,” said Justin Berton, an Oakland media strategist and former director of communications for Mayor Libby Schaaf. “It’s still a city divided electorally — and quite literally on a map — but now she’s won the opportunity to govern and galvanize residents, and unify Oakland as promised.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor and Lee topped the field of 10 candidates running to complete the term of former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was recalled in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12031370 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the city’s ranked choice voting system, voters were able to rank up to five candidates for mayor. In the instant runoff, candidates receiving the fewest votes are eliminated, and voters who ranked those candidates first have their vote moved to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters has until May 15 to certify the results. In 2022, Taylor led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day before Thao emerged as the winner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Against Lee, Taylor struggled to gain traction in neighborhoods below Interstate 580. Most of the precincts where Taylor is leading are in the Oakland hills, from Montclair to Chabot Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other races on the ballot appear easier to decipher. Measure A, a 0.5% increase in Oakland’s sales tax, appears headed to victory with 65% of the vote. Charlene Wang holds a wide lead in a special election for the District 2 seat on the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Brian Krans contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Former East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee will be the next mayor of Oakland after former City Councilmember Loren Taylor conceded the race on Saturday.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Updated at 4 p.m. Saturday\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The special election for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> mayor saw a dramatic swing on Friday, as new results released by Alameda County election officials propelled former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> into an insurmountable lead over former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>, who conceded Saturday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, who served in Congress for almost three decades, will be Oakland’s next mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making a brief appearance at an Easter carnival at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center on the city’s east side, Lee thanked Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins for his leadership, saying the transition would be “a moment of hope,” and praised what she called a high turnout for a special election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that’s what I call democracy working. That’s the voice of the people,” said Lee, who was joined by Jenkins, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett from Texas. “We have to bring people here who understand the beauty and opportunities in Oakland and who will work with us to help us move this beautiful city forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036865\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036865\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee, Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and supporters at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in Oakland on Saturday, April 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his concession statement, Loren Taylor congratulated Lee and emphasized the need for unity going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This morning I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor wrote. “I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic results-driven leadership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins said at the Easter event Saturday that he was “thrilled to have Barbara Lee come in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems like voters have decided that Congresswoman Barbara Lee will be the mayor elect,” said Jenkins. “I believe she’s going to be a unifier. She’s going to be the person that gets us our desperately needed charter changes that we need in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Rowena Brown said Saturday that Lee was a “unifying factor” and that it was a “big victory” for Oakland. Councilmember Ken Houston said, “The flat land spoke, and we going to keep speaking. We going to keep voting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oakland said we going to make for a \u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">real \u003c/i>good Friday, and we are going to send a message that we are going to rise up in this time of darkness,” said U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) on Saturday. “So as you go into Easter Sunday, just remember that you have a lot to celebrate because you got a real one that’s going to be running this city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s update of 45,851 votes leaves only around 300 ballots which the registrar has flagged for issues with voter signatures. Those ballots can still be resolved and counted up to two days before the registrar certifies the election. And ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be counted if they are received by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office by April 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new results reflect ballots mailed or dropped off on or before Election Day and leave turnout at nearly 38%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the race tightened and suggested an upset was possible, Barbara Lee’s name recognition and popularity were simply too much to overcome,” said Justin Berton, an Oakland media strategist and former director of communications for Mayor Libby Schaaf. “It’s still a city divided electorally — and quite literally on a map — but now she’s won the opportunity to govern and galvanize residents, and unify Oakland as promised.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor and Lee topped the field of 10 candidates running to complete the term of former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was recalled in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the city’s ranked choice voting system, voters were able to rank up to five candidates for mayor. In the instant runoff, candidates receiving the fewest votes are eliminated, and voters who ranked those candidates first have their vote moved to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters has until May 15 to certify the results. In 2022, Taylor led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day before Thao emerged as the winner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Against Lee, Taylor struggled to gain traction in neighborhoods below Interstate 580. Most of the precincts where Taylor is leading are in the Oakland hills, from Montclair to Chabot Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other races on the ballot appear easier to decipher. Measure A, a 0.5% increase in Oakland’s sales tax, appears headed to victory with 65% of the vote. Charlene Wang holds a wide lead in a special election for the District 2 seat on the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Brian Krans contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:25 p.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032042/oakland-special-election-candidate-guide-and-how-to-vote\">Special election\u003c/a> day voting is underway in Oakland, and people waiting to cast their votes on 14th Street were split on the mayoral race, which appears to be tighter than expected between the two front-runners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s Barbara Lee versus Loren Taylor, basically, and I’m kind of conflicted on both of them,” Laurence Miotto said, echoing the sentiment of many Oaklanders outside the library polling place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s ranking Lee first, he said, but doesn’t mind Taylor. Miotto’s barometer for mayor: “He’s not insane or anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is reeling from the recall of two high-profile progressive leaders in November — former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was indicted on bribery and fraud charges earlier this year, and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Oakland voters will decide if they are still willing to back left-wing voices like Lee, who spent decades in Congress, or go the way of San Francisco and San José and elect a more centrist Democrat in Taylor, a former City Council member.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035864\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidates Barbara Lee, Loren Taylor and Renia Webb attend a public forum hosted by Greenbelt Alliance, Housing Action Coalition, and East Bay for Everyone in downtown Oakland, California, on Feb. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the leaders of the effort to recall Thao, Seneca Scott, was outside the polling place with Jason Byrnes, a fellow recall supporter and vocal Thao critic on social media platform X. They both said they voted for Taylor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t let Barbara Lee, with her grifting history, take control of Oakland right now,” Byrnes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Housing activist Nicole Deane was excited to vote for Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She believes housing is a human right,” Deane told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But others going to the polls were less sure.[aside postID=news_12032042 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/14772659073_f7e7f00d0a_k_qed-1020x765.jpg']“I won’t tell you who I’m going to vote [for] because I don’t know myself,” said Carmelita LaRoche, who has been in Oakland for 55 years. Tony Ford told KQED he’d tried to make the best decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The front-running candidates took to the streets over the weekend to make the final case for their candidacy and get people to the polls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had hundreds of people out canvassing and knocking, myself included,” Lee said. “This is a push for every vote to be cast. We’re hoping that people don’t forget and that they haven’t lost hope in our electoral system because your vote is your voice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All registered voters in Oakland were sent mail-in ballots, which can be dropped off at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">one of 16 drop boxes\u003c/a> throughout the city or mailed postage-free. Mailed ballots will be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents can also cast their votes in person at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">1 of 9 voting centers\u003c/a> in the city or at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to registrar’s office spokesperson Tim Dupuis, 21% of ballots were returned by the end of Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were knocking on doors in neighborhoods, not leaving any stone unturned,” Taylor said. “It’s on track to be a very low turnout as most special elections are, and that’s unfortunate given that democracy is stronger when we have more people participating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s at stake?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The battleground election comes after what’s been a contentious few months for city leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland residents last year ousted Thao from the mayor’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">in a recall election\u003c/a> that shed light on allegations of corruption unearthed by a federal investigation that eventually \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">led to Thao’s indictment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recall also underscored Oaklanders’ frustrations with what some residents said was the city’s inadequate response to high crime rates and a catastrophic budget deficit, issues that Oakland’s next mayor will need to address immediately upon entering office.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The front-runners’ proposals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lee previously told KQED that she would alleviate the city’s financial troubles by securing outside investments through public and private partnerships, leveraging state and federal resources and auditing city spending to look for possible reductions ahead of the next fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also pledged to address public safety concerns by increasing the number of Oakland police officers as well as funding for community organizations that provide mental health services and youth engagement programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee, center, addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My experience in leadership and my fighting for people here in Oakland is an example of how I want to work as mayor to deliver core services, to help steady the ship, to help adjust our budget challenges and to bring different points of view together,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor proposed similar plans for addressing Oakland’s problems. His ideas for reducing the city’s deficit include securing concessions from large companies operating in the city, facilitating outside partnerships and funding streams and assessing the revenue potential of Oakland’s vacant buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034443\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034443\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayoral Candidate Loren Taylor at KQED headquarters in San Francisco on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With regard to public safety, Taylor previously said he would increase the city’s police force by hundreds of officers and fund violence-prevention programs that show proven results. He said he would also work to improve 911 response times and would reopen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029499/oakland-halts-plan-close-4-fire-stations-amid-budget-crisis\">Oakland’s closed fire stations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have an urgency at the moment now that we have seen how bad things can get,” Taylor said. “Voters are hungry for a change. Voters are ready for something different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s on the ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seven other candidates are also in the running, and whoever is chosen will serve as mayor until the next election in 2026. Voters will also decide on a replacement in District 2 for former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016605/oakland-special-election-mess-after-mayoral-recall-heres-why\">elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors\u003c/a>, and on Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral race will be determined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">ranked choice\u003c/a>. Voters can select up to five candidates and rank them by preference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a single candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright. If no candidate secures a majority, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who selected them as their first choice will have their votes allocated to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process will continue until a majority is reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">Sara Hossaini\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:25 p.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032042/oakland-special-election-candidate-guide-and-how-to-vote\">Special election\u003c/a> day voting is underway in Oakland, and people waiting to cast their votes on 14th Street were split on the mayoral race, which appears to be tighter than expected between the two front-runners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s Barbara Lee versus Loren Taylor, basically, and I’m kind of conflicted on both of them,” Laurence Miotto said, echoing the sentiment of many Oaklanders outside the library polling place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s ranking Lee first, he said, but doesn’t mind Taylor. Miotto’s barometer for mayor: “He’s not insane or anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is reeling from the recall of two high-profile progressive leaders in November — former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was indicted on bribery and fraud charges earlier this year, and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Oakland voters will decide if they are still willing to back left-wing voices like Lee, who spent decades in Congress, or go the way of San Francisco and San José and elect a more centrist Democrat in Taylor, a former City Council member.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035864\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidates Barbara Lee, Loren Taylor and Renia Webb attend a public forum hosted by Greenbelt Alliance, Housing Action Coalition, and East Bay for Everyone in downtown Oakland, California, on Feb. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the leaders of the effort to recall Thao, Seneca Scott, was outside the polling place with Jason Byrnes, a fellow recall supporter and vocal Thao critic on social media platform X. They both said they voted for Taylor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t let Barbara Lee, with her grifting history, take control of Oakland right now,” Byrnes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Housing activist Nicole Deane was excited to vote for Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She believes housing is a human right,” Deane told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But others going to the polls were less sure.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I won’t tell you who I’m going to vote [for] because I don’t know myself,” said Carmelita LaRoche, who has been in Oakland for 55 years. Tony Ford told KQED he’d tried to make the best decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The front-running candidates took to the streets over the weekend to make the final case for their candidacy and get people to the polls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had hundreds of people out canvassing and knocking, myself included,” Lee said. “This is a push for every vote to be cast. We’re hoping that people don’t forget and that they haven’t lost hope in our electoral system because your vote is your voice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All registered voters in Oakland were sent mail-in ballots, which can be dropped off at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">one of 16 drop boxes\u003c/a> throughout the city or mailed postage-free. Mailed ballots will be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents can also cast their votes in person at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">1 of 9 voting centers\u003c/a> in the city or at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to registrar’s office spokesperson Tim Dupuis, 21% of ballots were returned by the end of Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were knocking on doors in neighborhoods, not leaving any stone unturned,” Taylor said. “It’s on track to be a very low turnout as most special elections are, and that’s unfortunate given that democracy is stronger when we have more people participating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s at stake?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The battleground election comes after what’s been a contentious few months for city leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland residents last year ousted Thao from the mayor’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">in a recall election\u003c/a> that shed light on allegations of corruption unearthed by a federal investigation that eventually \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">led to Thao’s indictment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recall also underscored Oaklanders’ frustrations with what some residents said was the city’s inadequate response to high crime rates and a catastrophic budget deficit, issues that Oakland’s next mayor will need to address immediately upon entering office.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The front-runners’ proposals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lee previously told KQED that she would alleviate the city’s financial troubles by securing outside investments through public and private partnerships, leveraging state and federal resources and auditing city spending to look for possible reductions ahead of the next fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also pledged to address public safety concerns by increasing the number of Oakland police officers as well as funding for community organizations that provide mental health services and youth engagement programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee, center, addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My experience in leadership and my fighting for people here in Oakland is an example of how I want to work as mayor to deliver core services, to help steady the ship, to help adjust our budget challenges and to bring different points of view together,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor proposed similar plans for addressing Oakland’s problems. His ideas for reducing the city’s deficit include securing concessions from large companies operating in the city, facilitating outside partnerships and funding streams and assessing the revenue potential of Oakland’s vacant buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034443\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034443\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayoral Candidate Loren Taylor at KQED headquarters in San Francisco on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With regard to public safety, Taylor previously said he would increase the city’s police force by hundreds of officers and fund violence-prevention programs that show proven results. He said he would also work to improve 911 response times and would reopen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029499/oakland-halts-plan-close-4-fire-stations-amid-budget-crisis\">Oakland’s closed fire stations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have an urgency at the moment now that we have seen how bad things can get,” Taylor said. “Voters are hungry for a change. Voters are ready for something different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s on the ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seven other candidates are also in the running, and whoever is chosen will serve as mayor until the next election in 2026. Voters will also decide on a replacement in District 2 for former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016605/oakland-special-election-mess-after-mayoral-recall-heres-why\">elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors\u003c/a>, and on Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral race will be determined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">ranked choice\u003c/a>. Voters can select up to five candidates and rank them by preference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a single candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright. If no candidate secures a majority, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who selected them as their first choice will have their votes allocated to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process will continue until a majority is reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">Sara Hossaini\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Voting is underway in Oakland between now and Tuesday as voters choose a new mayor and city council member. They are also voting on whether to approve Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How did we get here? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last year, Oakland voters recalled their mayor, Sheng Thao. Nine people are now running to finish the remainder of her term. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins has been serving as interim mayor in the meantime, but is not running to stay in the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s District 2 City Council seat is also up for grabs after former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hoping to use revenue generated by the sales tax increase to help eliminate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">a budget deficit that Oakland is facing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee (center) addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How to vote? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every registered voter in Oakland will receive a ballot by mail, and ballots have already started going out. To return your ballot, just drop it in a 24-hour drop box or mail it in postage-free. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">See a list of drop box locations here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you prefer to vote in person, you can cast your ballot at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">one of nine vote centers\u003c/a> in the city. Five vote centers will open on April 5 and another four will open on April 12. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/vca/?electionid=257\">Click here for a list of vote centers and their hours\u003c/a>. You can also vote at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office at any point. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral and city council races will be ranked choice. That means that voters will have the option of voting for five candidates and ranking them by preference. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">Here’s how ranked choice voting works\u003c/a>: If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the race outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first-choice will have their votes allocated to their second-choice candidate. A new tally is then conducted. If, after that, there still isn’t a candidate who has received more than half of the votes, the next candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated and the process repeats until a winner is identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031707\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A public forum for all nine mayoral candidates is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Who are the candidates running to be Oakland’s next mayor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These are candidates that KQED has found are actively campaigning. That means they’re doing things like appearing at forums and other events, enlisting the help of volunteers and speaking directly with voters through door-knocking or phone banking.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://barbaralee4oakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Barbara Lee\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former Congresswoman, Former State Legislator \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, IAFF Local 55 (Oakland Firefighters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.electmindy.com/\">\u003cstrong>Mindy Pechenuk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Researcher, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, retired California State Senator Mike Morrell, Alameda County Republican Central Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Mindy Pechenuk at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.suzrobinsonoaklandmayor.com/\">\u003cstrong>Suz Robinson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Vice President, Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Bay Area Council\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031709\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Suz Robinson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Eric_Simpson_(California)\">\u003cstrong>Eric Simpson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Machine Operator, Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Socialist Workers Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031713\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Eric Simpson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://standupoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Elizabeth Swaney\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Comedian, Barista and Former Olympian\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031717\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031717\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Elizabeth Swaney (right) addresses the audience at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://lorenforoakland.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1um-BhDtARIsABjU5x6pqvx4wsQXCMzGsYQlWNiCrjroTTiJGnJVaNuncg-TJWviraGi-aIaArbGEALw_wcB\">\u003cstrong>Loren Taylor\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Council Member, Business Consultant\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031705\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031705\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.webbforoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Renia Webb\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Staffer, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Linda Hothem, Owner of Pacific American Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Renia Webb at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Positions on key issues\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland is facing significant financial challenges. As mayor, what specific actions would you take to close the city’s current $87 million shortfall and eliminate the $265 million deficit projected over the next two years? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says she would bring in more outside investment to Oakland through a new office of public and private partnerships. She says she would leverage state and federal resources and points to her track record of securing millions for Oakland while in Congress. Lee also says she would streamline permitting, support small businesses and pursue grants. She has previously said her priorities would include collecting city revenue from things like fines and parking tickets. She has also said she would conduct a forensic audit of Oakland’s finances to detect waste, fraud and abuse. Lee has said cutting city jobs would be a last resort.[aside postID=news_12031370 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00061-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says interest payments on the city’s debts can be canceled or renegotiated. She says she wants to bring manufacturing, industry and productivity back to Oakland. Pechenuk has previously said that, as mayor, she would work with President Donald Trump and would also bring in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean out Oakland’s budget and finances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says that she would launch a new comprehensive business plan within her first six months in office. She says she would appoint a Chief of Economic Development and Housing to help attract businesses, tourism and conventions. She would direct the city to explore repurposing vacant office buildings into affordable housing. She says she would introduce business tax incentives like reducing the gross receipts tax for employers who bring employees back in person. For multifamily housing projects, she would push for extending entitlements and permits to ensure that developers don’t face delays and reducing impact fees and transfer taxes for multifamily developments to encourage growth in housing production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says the Oakland budget, like everything else in society, is determined by what is in the interests of the ruling class, which Simpson defines as capitalists, developers and bondholders. The sales tax measure on Tuesday’s ballot is one more example of this, Simpson says, and if passed, would fall hardest on workers. “The bosses’ attacks on working people — on our wages and working conditions, the high prices, unemployment and the decay in the cities — are rooted in the crisis of the capitalist system,” Simpson says. He says the force that can end these attacks and open a new future for humanity is the working class, which Simpson says needs to break from the capitalist parties and move toward taking political power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would expand career training and entrepreneurship programs with company sponsorships, trade schools and universities. She says she would launch “Oakland Project Stargate” to transform unused land into a high-tech innovation hub, with the goal of attracting startups and high-paying jobs, and would offer tax incentives to film and creative industries. Swaney says she would auction city naming rights for major landmarks, such as “Apple City Hall.” She says she would modernize parking and tourism fees to generate new revenue, renegotiate city contracts and attract investors through public-private partnerships.[aside postID=news_12027749 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he would bring in a neutral third-party to audit Oakland’s books and require concessions from large companies doing business with the city, service providers and unions. He says he would also pursue outside funding opportunities and public-private partnerships and work with professional advisors to restructure and refinance the city’s debt. Taylor says he would activate revenue potential of vacant buildings and under-utilized parcels, have regular community town hall meetings and provide public performance updates on how the city is performing against its goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s budget crisis requires discipline, accountability and strong oversight. She says she would work with the city auditor and finance department to make tough budget decisions, merge departments to conserve resources and improve efficiency of spending. Webb says she would also attract business and property development to build tax revenues, cut expenditures that aren’t serving Oakland and apply for grants and aid at all levels of government to support transportation, public health, social services and other city needs. Webb has previously said that hundreds of millions of dollars are being mismanaged in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland residents are concerned about public safety. But police, fire and other public safety programs and resources cost money. If elected, what specific actions would you take to improve public safety in Oakland without adding to the city’s financial troubles? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says public safety would be her top priority as mayor. She says her priorities would be maintaining police patrols and programs like Ceasefire, deploying special police teams trained to investigate gun crimes and arrest dangerous fugitives, increasing the number of police officers and funding to support neighborhood-based mental health crisis teams and anti-gang and anti-drug youth prevention programs. Lee says she would also prioritize the expansion of after-school and summer programs to provide safe and structured environments for Oakland’s youth. Lee says she also wants to address over 3,000 fire hydrants in the city that are not routinely inspected.[aside postID=news_12027509 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02238-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says Oakland’s city ordinances are preventing police from doing their duties. She also advocates for ending federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department, which Pechenuk says is wasting time and money by keeping the police from doing their job of guaranteeing the safety of law-abiding citizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says Oakland has never had enough police officers. She says the city needs to address the culture within the Oakland Police Department by re-evaluating the many layers of OPD’s management, reassessing the Oakland Police Commission’s appointment process and conducting a review of the organization. Robinson says the police department’s pursuit policy should be revised and that the current political environment is stalling progress on public safety decisions. Robinson points out that Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention is spending 95% of its time on the Ceasefire program, which she notes has gaps in addressing juvenile crime and crime unrelated to gangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says crime and antisocial behavior reflect the dog-eat-dog capitalist system and brutal “me-first morals” of those at the top that are pushed back when union and social struggles rise. “When workers begin to build movements based on solidarity, we see the truth — that we are the force that can solve society’s problems, not victims or passive recipients of charity. We are the solution,” Simpson says. Simpson says unions need to fight for a federally funded public works program to put millions to work building schools, housing and child care centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s hiring process for police officers is slow, expensive and discourages quality candidates. She says she would cut inefficiencies, reduce hiring times and attract top talent to create a police force that reflects Oakland. She says she would also expand community-based policing to build trust and put officers where they’re needed most. Swaney says she would reopen closed fire stations and reduce 911 response times by reallocating resources, deploy mental health crisis teams for nonviolent emergencies, and enter tech partnerships for modern crime prevention tools like predictive policing and surveillance. Swaney says she would fully fund after school programs, job training and violence prevention initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor \u003c/strong>says he would increase Oakland’s police force to 800 officers and invest in a retail and property crime unit. Taylor says he would continue to fund violence prevention programs like Ceasefire, Youth Alive and the OK Program while reallocating funding from programs that fail to deliver on their promised value. He says he would exit the 20-year \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/oakland-police-negotiated-settlement-agreement-nsa-reports\">Negotiated Settlement Agreement\u003c/a>. Taylor says the city must speed up 911 response times and increase the number of dispatchers. He also says he would reopen all of Oakland’s closed fire stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work with Oakland’s police department, fire department and district attorney’s office to get tougher on crime in a responsible and humane manner. She would increase the city’s police force and reduce excessive overtime, keep fire stations open, and increase the city’s Neighborhood Community Policing and Neighborhood Watch programs. She says she would also continue to build upon proven violence interruption programs like Ceasefire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031710\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the public attend the forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you in favor of amending Oakland’s city charter to move the city from a hybrid form of government to a strong mayor or council-manager form of government? Why or why not? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says that in Oakland’s current hybrid form of government, lines of accountability to the public are not clear, and this needs to change. She says she supports a public review of Oakland’s city charter led by a commission that would include representation from the League of Women Voters of Oakland, ethics experts and other government leaders and stakeholders. Lee says other areas pertaining to ethics should also be examined, including banning gifts to elected officials from those seeking to do business with the city. Any updates recommended would be subject to voter approval, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says she favors a strong mayor system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says a strong mayor model creates much-needed accountability between the mayor and the city council by granting the mayor line-item veto power on the budget and legislative veto authority. Robinson says that Oakland struggles with leadership and accountability. Without clear lines of responsibility, she says, the city will continue to flounder. “The public expects the mayor to be accountable for the city’s performance, which is why it is crucial to have a strong leader at the helm, driving results.” While the council-manager system may work for smaller cities, it’s not the right fit for a city like Oakland, Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says this question obscures the real source of the crisis and the solution. “At every level of the bloated government bureaucracies, we see the interests of workers being subordinated to that of the capitalist exploiters. When the working class organizes in our interests, we win concessions on the road to taking power.” Simpson says the only way to end the crisis is to organize and take power away from the capitalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney \u003c/strong>says that as an “Olympian for Oakland,” she believes in a government that is efficient and built for the success of its residents. She says she is open to exploring changes that make Oakland’s leadership more effective and accountable. “Creating a structure that delivers results, is streamlined, and ensures Oaklanders get responsive leadership is essential,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he is the most qualified person to lead the city regardless of the government structure in place, but he is in favor of a strong mayor system, where the mayor has executive authority over city operations and direct accountability to voters, because it would allow the city to achieve its goals. “As a council member, I saw how difficult it was for the city to align on a unified vision for Oakland,” Taylor says. Taylor says a council-manager form of government could slow down the city’s responsiveness to residents. Finally, Taylor says he supports a strong public ethics department and city auditor as a check on the actions of the mayor and all elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb:\u003c/strong> The candidate did not respond to the question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031718\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031718\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral and District 2 candidate materials lay on a table at the public forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As mayor, what would you do to address residents’ concerns about homelessness, illegal dumping and neighborhood blight?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says her preferred approach is to connect homeless individuals with housing, addiction treatment and mental health services. As mayor, Lee says she would accelerate housing production for all income levels and fight for Oakland’s fair share of funding from Measure W, an Alameda County sales tax approved by voters in 2020 intended for homelessness programs. When it comes to illegal dumping, Lee says she would build on the city’s existing efforts, including proactive, rapid cleanup of known dumping hotspots, expanding outreach efforts and expanding the use of technology and data. She says she would also create a Mayor’s Citywide Neighborhood District Leadership Committee to guide her office to address economic, cultural, safety and other quality-of-life issues important to each corner of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says many of these problems begin with the failure to eradicate what she describes as Oakland’s enormous illegal drug program. Pechenuk says her priority is to save the lives and minds of Oakland’s residents by destroying the city’s illegal drug trade through cooperation between law enforcement at the local, county, state and federal level, similar to San Francisco’s DMACC (Drug Market Agency Coordination Center) program. “We can do much better in Oakland to wipe out drugs and crime than we have been doing under the present regime,” Pechenuk says.[aside postID=news_12029645 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250304-OAKLANDHIGHSTREETENCAMPMENT-19-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says she would be committed to getting every homeless person off the streets. She supports the creation of a campus-style model, similar to Haven for Hope in San Antonio, that would provide both safe shelter and centralized services. Robinson supports having all service providers coordinated in one location with shelter and transitional housing. To address illegal dumping, Robinson would enforce stricter penalties, collect over $1 million in unpaid citations, and beef up the rewards program that uses tips and video evidence. “We’ll also boost public education and make it clear they are not dumping on the government, they are destroying our earth,” Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson\u003c/strong> says that working people are concerned about and impacted by drug addiction and other social scourges, noting that many people are one paycheck away from homelessness and have to work two jobs or more to pay the rent, which undermines public health and leaves little time for family. He says the Socialist Workers Party is part of building a working-class movement that will grow to millions, take power in the U.S. and stand in solidarity with working people in other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would address homelessness by expanding transitional housing with mental health and addiction support. To cut down on illegal dumping, she would rely on tech surveillance and enforce penalties. She says her approach to blight would include tax incentives for businesses and nonprofits that provide housing and neighborhood cleanup and partnering with businesses and nonprofits to fund cleanups and revitalization without burdening taxpayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s multigenerational housing and homelessness crisis deserves a multifaceted solution that includes more housing, renter protections and mental health and addiction programs. He says he would close unsafe encampments and provide unhoused residents with shelter and services. Taylor says he would ensure Oakland’s Homeless Encampment Policy is implemented, striking a balance between protecting residents and respecting their civil liberties. He would renegotiate the city’s garbage and recycling contracts, support grants and incentives to rehabilitate blighted properties and partner with nonprofits and developers to convert abandoned buildings into housing. He says Oakland needs to install surveillance cameras in dumping hot spots, increase free bulk pickups and community drop off, require businesses to pay for trash pickup, and ensure prosecution of illegal dumpers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work responsibly with developers to build more affordable and market-rate housing, access emergency funding streams via county, state and federal resources and attract large businesses with initiatives to fill vacant buildings and properties. Webb says she would clean up Oakland’s streets, complete the city’s pavement plans and fix the plethora of potholes across the city’s neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Nine candidates are vying to be mayor of Oakland, after the previous mayor was recalled and as the city faces a major budget deficit.",
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"title": "Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Voting is underway in Oakland between now and Tuesday as voters choose a new mayor and city council member. They are also voting on whether to approve Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How did we get here? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last year, Oakland voters recalled their mayor, Sheng Thao. Nine people are now running to finish the remainder of her term. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins has been serving as interim mayor in the meantime, but is not running to stay in the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s District 2 City Council seat is also up for grabs after former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hoping to use revenue generated by the sales tax increase to help eliminate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">a budget deficit that Oakland is facing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee (center) addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How to vote? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every registered voter in Oakland will receive a ballot by mail, and ballots have already started going out. To return your ballot, just drop it in a 24-hour drop box or mail it in postage-free. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">See a list of drop box locations here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you prefer to vote in person, you can cast your ballot at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">one of nine vote centers\u003c/a> in the city. Five vote centers will open on April 5 and another four will open on April 12. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/vca/?electionid=257\">Click here for a list of vote centers and their hours\u003c/a>. You can also vote at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office at any point. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral and city council races will be ranked choice. That means that voters will have the option of voting for five candidates and ranking them by preference. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">Here’s how ranked choice voting works\u003c/a>: If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the race outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first-choice will have their votes allocated to their second-choice candidate. A new tally is then conducted. If, after that, there still isn’t a candidate who has received more than half of the votes, the next candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated and the process repeats until a winner is identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031707\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A public forum for all nine mayoral candidates is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Who are the candidates running to be Oakland’s next mayor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These are candidates that KQED has found are actively campaigning. That means they’re doing things like appearing at forums and other events, enlisting the help of volunteers and speaking directly with voters through door-knocking or phone banking.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://barbaralee4oakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Barbara Lee\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former Congresswoman, Former State Legislator \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, IAFF Local 55 (Oakland Firefighters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.electmindy.com/\">\u003cstrong>Mindy Pechenuk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Researcher, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, retired California State Senator Mike Morrell, Alameda County Republican Central Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Mindy Pechenuk at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.suzrobinsonoaklandmayor.com/\">\u003cstrong>Suz Robinson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Vice President, Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Bay Area Council\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031709\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Suz Robinson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Eric_Simpson_(California)\">\u003cstrong>Eric Simpson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Machine Operator, Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Socialist Workers Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031713\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Eric Simpson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://standupoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Elizabeth Swaney\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Comedian, Barista and Former Olympian\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031717\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031717\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Elizabeth Swaney (right) addresses the audience at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://lorenforoakland.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1um-BhDtARIsABjU5x6pqvx4wsQXCMzGsYQlWNiCrjroTTiJGnJVaNuncg-TJWviraGi-aIaArbGEALw_wcB\">\u003cstrong>Loren Taylor\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Council Member, Business Consultant\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031705\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031705\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.webbforoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Renia Webb\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Staffer, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Linda Hothem, Owner of Pacific American Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Renia Webb at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Positions on key issues\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland is facing significant financial challenges. As mayor, what specific actions would you take to close the city’s current $87 million shortfall and eliminate the $265 million deficit projected over the next two years? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says she would bring in more outside investment to Oakland through a new office of public and private partnerships. She says she would leverage state and federal resources and points to her track record of securing millions for Oakland while in Congress. Lee also says she would streamline permitting, support small businesses and pursue grants. She has previously said her priorities would include collecting city revenue from things like fines and parking tickets. She has also said she would conduct a forensic audit of Oakland’s finances to detect waste, fraud and abuse. Lee has said cutting city jobs would be a last resort.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says interest payments on the city’s debts can be canceled or renegotiated. She says she wants to bring manufacturing, industry and productivity back to Oakland. Pechenuk has previously said that, as mayor, she would work with President Donald Trump and would also bring in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean out Oakland’s budget and finances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says that she would launch a new comprehensive business plan within her first six months in office. She says she would appoint a Chief of Economic Development and Housing to help attract businesses, tourism and conventions. She would direct the city to explore repurposing vacant office buildings into affordable housing. She says she would introduce business tax incentives like reducing the gross receipts tax for employers who bring employees back in person. For multifamily housing projects, she would push for extending entitlements and permits to ensure that developers don’t face delays and reducing impact fees and transfer taxes for multifamily developments to encourage growth in housing production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says the Oakland budget, like everything else in society, is determined by what is in the interests of the ruling class, which Simpson defines as capitalists, developers and bondholders. The sales tax measure on Tuesday’s ballot is one more example of this, Simpson says, and if passed, would fall hardest on workers. “The bosses’ attacks on working people — on our wages and working conditions, the high prices, unemployment and the decay in the cities — are rooted in the crisis of the capitalist system,” Simpson says. He says the force that can end these attacks and open a new future for humanity is the working class, which Simpson says needs to break from the capitalist parties and move toward taking political power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would expand career training and entrepreneurship programs with company sponsorships, trade schools and universities. She says she would launch “Oakland Project Stargate” to transform unused land into a high-tech innovation hub, with the goal of attracting startups and high-paying jobs, and would offer tax incentives to film and creative industries. Swaney says she would auction city naming rights for major landmarks, such as “Apple City Hall.” She says she would modernize parking and tourism fees to generate new revenue, renegotiate city contracts and attract investors through public-private partnerships.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he would bring in a neutral third-party to audit Oakland’s books and require concessions from large companies doing business with the city, service providers and unions. He says he would also pursue outside funding opportunities and public-private partnerships and work with professional advisors to restructure and refinance the city’s debt. Taylor says he would activate revenue potential of vacant buildings and under-utilized parcels, have regular community town hall meetings and provide public performance updates on how the city is performing against its goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s budget crisis requires discipline, accountability and strong oversight. She says she would work with the city auditor and finance department to make tough budget decisions, merge departments to conserve resources and improve efficiency of spending. Webb says she would also attract business and property development to build tax revenues, cut expenditures that aren’t serving Oakland and apply for grants and aid at all levels of government to support transportation, public health, social services and other city needs. Webb has previously said that hundreds of millions of dollars are being mismanaged in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland residents are concerned about public safety. But police, fire and other public safety programs and resources cost money. If elected, what specific actions would you take to improve public safety in Oakland without adding to the city’s financial troubles? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says public safety would be her top priority as mayor. She says her priorities would be maintaining police patrols and programs like Ceasefire, deploying special police teams trained to investigate gun crimes and arrest dangerous fugitives, increasing the number of police officers and funding to support neighborhood-based mental health crisis teams and anti-gang and anti-drug youth prevention programs. Lee says she would also prioritize the expansion of after-school and summer programs to provide safe and structured environments for Oakland’s youth. Lee says she also wants to address over 3,000 fire hydrants in the city that are not routinely inspected.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says Oakland’s city ordinances are preventing police from doing their duties. She also advocates for ending federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department, which Pechenuk says is wasting time and money by keeping the police from doing their job of guaranteeing the safety of law-abiding citizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says Oakland has never had enough police officers. She says the city needs to address the culture within the Oakland Police Department by re-evaluating the many layers of OPD’s management, reassessing the Oakland Police Commission’s appointment process and conducting a review of the organization. Robinson says the police department’s pursuit policy should be revised and that the current political environment is stalling progress on public safety decisions. Robinson points out that Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention is spending 95% of its time on the Ceasefire program, which she notes has gaps in addressing juvenile crime and crime unrelated to gangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says crime and antisocial behavior reflect the dog-eat-dog capitalist system and brutal “me-first morals” of those at the top that are pushed back when union and social struggles rise. “When workers begin to build movements based on solidarity, we see the truth — that we are the force that can solve society’s problems, not victims or passive recipients of charity. We are the solution,” Simpson says. Simpson says unions need to fight for a federally funded public works program to put millions to work building schools, housing and child care centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s hiring process for police officers is slow, expensive and discourages quality candidates. She says she would cut inefficiencies, reduce hiring times and attract top talent to create a police force that reflects Oakland. She says she would also expand community-based policing to build trust and put officers where they’re needed most. Swaney says she would reopen closed fire stations and reduce 911 response times by reallocating resources, deploy mental health crisis teams for nonviolent emergencies, and enter tech partnerships for modern crime prevention tools like predictive policing and surveillance. Swaney says she would fully fund after school programs, job training and violence prevention initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor \u003c/strong>says he would increase Oakland’s police force to 800 officers and invest in a retail and property crime unit. Taylor says he would continue to fund violence prevention programs like Ceasefire, Youth Alive and the OK Program while reallocating funding from programs that fail to deliver on their promised value. He says he would exit the 20-year \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/oakland-police-negotiated-settlement-agreement-nsa-reports\">Negotiated Settlement Agreement\u003c/a>. Taylor says the city must speed up 911 response times and increase the number of dispatchers. He also says he would reopen all of Oakland’s closed fire stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work with Oakland’s police department, fire department and district attorney’s office to get tougher on crime in a responsible and humane manner. She would increase the city’s police force and reduce excessive overtime, keep fire stations open, and increase the city’s Neighborhood Community Policing and Neighborhood Watch programs. She says she would also continue to build upon proven violence interruption programs like Ceasefire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031710\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the public attend the forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you in favor of amending Oakland’s city charter to move the city from a hybrid form of government to a strong mayor or council-manager form of government? Why or why not? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says that in Oakland’s current hybrid form of government, lines of accountability to the public are not clear, and this needs to change. She says she supports a public review of Oakland’s city charter led by a commission that would include representation from the League of Women Voters of Oakland, ethics experts and other government leaders and stakeholders. Lee says other areas pertaining to ethics should also be examined, including banning gifts to elected officials from those seeking to do business with the city. Any updates recommended would be subject to voter approval, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says she favors a strong mayor system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says a strong mayor model creates much-needed accountability between the mayor and the city council by granting the mayor line-item veto power on the budget and legislative veto authority. Robinson says that Oakland struggles with leadership and accountability. Without clear lines of responsibility, she says, the city will continue to flounder. “The public expects the mayor to be accountable for the city’s performance, which is why it is crucial to have a strong leader at the helm, driving results.” While the council-manager system may work for smaller cities, it’s not the right fit for a city like Oakland, Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says this question obscures the real source of the crisis and the solution. “At every level of the bloated government bureaucracies, we see the interests of workers being subordinated to that of the capitalist exploiters. When the working class organizes in our interests, we win concessions on the road to taking power.” Simpson says the only way to end the crisis is to organize and take power away from the capitalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney \u003c/strong>says that as an “Olympian for Oakland,” she believes in a government that is efficient and built for the success of its residents. She says she is open to exploring changes that make Oakland’s leadership more effective and accountable. “Creating a structure that delivers results, is streamlined, and ensures Oaklanders get responsive leadership is essential,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he is the most qualified person to lead the city regardless of the government structure in place, but he is in favor of a strong mayor system, where the mayor has executive authority over city operations and direct accountability to voters, because it would allow the city to achieve its goals. “As a council member, I saw how difficult it was for the city to align on a unified vision for Oakland,” Taylor says. Taylor says a council-manager form of government could slow down the city’s responsiveness to residents. Finally, Taylor says he supports a strong public ethics department and city auditor as a check on the actions of the mayor and all elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb:\u003c/strong> The candidate did not respond to the question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031718\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031718\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral and District 2 candidate materials lay on a table at the public forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As mayor, what would you do to address residents’ concerns about homelessness, illegal dumping and neighborhood blight?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says her preferred approach is to connect homeless individuals with housing, addiction treatment and mental health services. As mayor, Lee says she would accelerate housing production for all income levels and fight for Oakland’s fair share of funding from Measure W, an Alameda County sales tax approved by voters in 2020 intended for homelessness programs. When it comes to illegal dumping, Lee says she would build on the city’s existing efforts, including proactive, rapid cleanup of known dumping hotspots, expanding outreach efforts and expanding the use of technology and data. She says she would also create a Mayor’s Citywide Neighborhood District Leadership Committee to guide her office to address economic, cultural, safety and other quality-of-life issues important to each corner of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says many of these problems begin with the failure to eradicate what she describes as Oakland’s enormous illegal drug program. Pechenuk says her priority is to save the lives and minds of Oakland’s residents by destroying the city’s illegal drug trade through cooperation between law enforcement at the local, county, state and federal level, similar to San Francisco’s DMACC (Drug Market Agency Coordination Center) program. “We can do much better in Oakland to wipe out drugs and crime than we have been doing under the present regime,” Pechenuk says.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says she would be committed to getting every homeless person off the streets. She supports the creation of a campus-style model, similar to Haven for Hope in San Antonio, that would provide both safe shelter and centralized services. Robinson supports having all service providers coordinated in one location with shelter and transitional housing. To address illegal dumping, Robinson would enforce stricter penalties, collect over $1 million in unpaid citations, and beef up the rewards program that uses tips and video evidence. “We’ll also boost public education and make it clear they are not dumping on the government, they are destroying our earth,” Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson\u003c/strong> says that working people are concerned about and impacted by drug addiction and other social scourges, noting that many people are one paycheck away from homelessness and have to work two jobs or more to pay the rent, which undermines public health and leaves little time for family. He says the Socialist Workers Party is part of building a working-class movement that will grow to millions, take power in the U.S. and stand in solidarity with working people in other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would address homelessness by expanding transitional housing with mental health and addiction support. To cut down on illegal dumping, she would rely on tech surveillance and enforce penalties. She says her approach to blight would include tax incentives for businesses and nonprofits that provide housing and neighborhood cleanup and partnering with businesses and nonprofits to fund cleanups and revitalization without burdening taxpayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s multigenerational housing and homelessness crisis deserves a multifaceted solution that includes more housing, renter protections and mental health and addiction programs. He says he would close unsafe encampments and provide unhoused residents with shelter and services. Taylor says he would ensure Oakland’s Homeless Encampment Policy is implemented, striking a balance between protecting residents and respecting their civil liberties. He would renegotiate the city’s garbage and recycling contracts, support grants and incentives to rehabilitate blighted properties and partner with nonprofits and developers to convert abandoned buildings into housing. He says Oakland needs to install surveillance cameras in dumping hot spots, increase free bulk pickups and community drop off, require businesses to pay for trash pickup, and ensure prosecution of illegal dumpers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work responsibly with developers to build more affordable and market-rate housing, access emergency funding streams via county, state and federal resources and attract large businesses with initiatives to fill vacant buildings and properties. Webb says she would clean up Oakland’s streets, complete the city’s pavement plans and fix the plethora of potholes across the city’s neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"radiolab": {
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"reveal": {
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"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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"snap-judgment": {
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"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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