Sheng urges unity as new Oakland mayor
Oakland Mayor-elect Sheng Thao promised civic unity in her first public address since a closely fought election during which she beat her runner-up by fewer than 700 votes.
Thao promised to bring the City Council, mayor’s office and other groups together to tackle Oakland’s most vexing issues — from housing and homelessness to public safety.
Thao said, “We have to come and work together to solve our problems together. This is all of us. We love Oakland.”
Thao made her comments outside of Oakland City Hall on Wednesday — flanked by her council staff, Council Members Carroll Fife and Dan Kalb and former Mayor Jean Quan and others. She did not take questions from reporters.
Her election comes as Oakland grapples with a rise in homelessness and public safety concerns. The Oakland Chamber of Commerce released a poll last month showing that 64% of respondents felt the city was headed in the wrong direction, and 97% said gun violence and homelessness are the top issues that must be addressed.
The new mayor said when she takes office in January, she foresees “doubling down” on violence prevention programs and addressing the root causes of violence by providing more jobs and filling city government and Police Department vacancies. Thao did not elaborate on how she plans to achieve her goals.
Thao also promised to “redouble efforts” to get guns off the streets. She said she would work with state Attorney General Rob Bonta, who endorsed her campaign, as well as with newly elected District Attorney Pamela Price, the police chief and other groups to make Oakland safer.
The new mayor said she would also “reopen” City Hall and work to make Oakland more responsive to its residents.
“We are all hurting,” she said of the current state of the city. “This is what our residents and our businesses deserve.”
Thao, the daughter of refugees, overcame poverty and homelessness to become Oakland’s first mayor of Hmong background.
A self-described progressive, she often said on the campaign trail that the city was in dire need of new leadership to tackle its most vexing issues. She criticized her main rival, the more moderate Loren Taylor, who was endorsed by current Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, saying he represented the establishment and that voting for him would mean choosing more of the same.
Schaaf, who served for eight years, was termed out.
A day after her election, Thao said in a statement that “with new leadership, with new, determined, relentless leadership, we are going to create the change this city needs.”
Now, as the city’s next leader, Thao’s progressive policies, along with a progressive-majority City Council, could catapult Oakland in a different direction. On Wednesday, Thao said she would work aggressively to protect renters, implement anti-displacement measures and build more affordable housing.
She also said she would support small businesses and work to attract more retail and tourism to Oakland.
Thao was elected the city’s next mayor on Monday after beating Taylor by a razor-thin 682 votes following two weeks of ballot counting. She secured 50.3% of 113,636 votes cast and Taylor had 49.7%, according to the final tally from the Alameda County registrar of voters.
“I’m here to tell you that I will deliver on making sure Oakland comes first all the time,” Thao said. “I’m excited to get to work to build this new Oakland.”