Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, a Democrat, has been facing a recall effort that earlier this month gained nearly twice the number of required signatures to call an election. The recall effort’s organizers cited Thao’s inability to keep the public safe, the high-profile closure of businesses due to crime, losing the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas, and the firing of the city’s police chief. Then last Thursday, the FBI raided her house for unannounced reasons. According to ABC7, sources say the investigation is about political corruption involving the mayor and her supporters. Oakland deserves a better mayor.
The FBI not only searched Thao’s home. Federal officers searched the local office of Cal Waste Solutions and the homes of its CEO and his son. The Duong family, the owners of Cal Waste Solutions, have been under investigation by the Oakland Public Ethics Commission since 2019. Specifically, the investigation has targeted an alleged scheme in which the company laundered campaign donations through straw donors. Thao allegedly received some of these donations and also traveled with the Duongs.
