Bay Area

Pressure Rises as More People Call on Mayor Sheng Thao to Resign from Office

The Oakland Police Officers Association is the newest set of upset residents calling on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign from office because of her alleged mismanagement of the city. Thao is already facing a recall election that will take place this November. Opponents have said on numerous occasions that they would rather she resign than have to go through the process of an election.

Published

2 years ago

August 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor-Elect Sheng Thao. Photo courtesy of Sheng Thao.

Mayor Sheng Thao

By Magaly Muñoz

The Oakland Police Officers Association is the newest set of upset residents calling on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign from office because of her alleged mismanagement of the city.

Thao is already facing a recall election that will take place this November. Opponents have said on numerous occasions that they would rather she resign than have to go through the process of an election.

OPOA’s executive team sent Thao a lengthy letter Monday citing all the failures she’s had under her administration, with lack of police staffing being the No. 1 problem.

“Every day you are in office, Oakland is less safe. Your administration has turned Oakland into an international embarrassment,” the letter reads.

Because of budget cuts, the Oakland Police Department only has enough funding for 678 sworn officers, down from 803 officers a few years ago.

OPOA said the Oakland Coliseum sale that is intended to save Oakland from its budget crisis is not a guarantee and they fear what will happen if the funds do not come through as promised by city officials and developers.

The letter said City Councilmembers Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Rebecca Kaplan, Carroll Fife and Dan Kalb are equally to blame for passing a budget that relied heavily on funds that may not be seen.

According to OPOA Vice President Timothy Dolan, nine people were shot over a 30-hour time period last weekend. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to manage the number of 911 calls they receive and who they can send out to respond to crimes.

Dolan said the department was up to 250 calls when he started his shift over the weekend.

OPOA is calling for Thao to resign by Aug. 9, the last day potential candidates can file paperwork to run for mayor.

OPOA President Huy Nguyen said her resignation could “save millions” that could then be invested into hiring more police officers. He said there needs to be at least 1,000 officers on staff in order to fully function.

According to a memo by the City Clerk’s office, the recall election for Thao, which is being consolidated with the November general election, will cost the city up to $1.2 million.

Dolan said there are 105 officers a day over three shifts patrolling the city, meaning only 35 officers are on the streets at any given moment. Three hundred officers on patrol a day is the minimum in order to answer more calls and reports, OPOA staff said.

Nguyen said he’s heard directly from residents that they fear leaving their homes or work because they do not want to be the next victims of crimes. He added that members of the association are also expressing worry over the lack of staffing and the work that is quickly building up.

Nguyen also criticized the police crime data that Thao uses to show that crime has drastically gone down since last year. He said property crimes and crimes that are reported online are backlogged almost four months, so the data is not accurate to the total picture Thao is trying to paint.

But OPOA are not the only ones turning up the heat on forcing Thao out of office.

A recent survey of Oakland voters shows that 73% of Oakland voters say the city is on the wrong track, 66% disapprove of the mayor’s job performance, and 65% disapprove of the job performance of the City Council.

Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams used this data in a recent press release to “call upon voters of Oakland to come together and elect leaders who will focus on ending the rampant crime that is devouring our city.”

Adams has been vocal about wanting Thao out of office, blaming her for a lack of a permanent police chief for a year and the rise in crime.

“It is time to clean house. We must rid Oakland of elected officials who enable criminality by voting to defund or reduce funding for public safety!” Adams said.

Recall group Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao doubled down on their calls for the mayor’s resignation following OPOA’s announcement.

“Every day that Mayor Thao remains in office, Oakland’s safety diminishes,” Brenda Harbin-Forte, leader of Oakland United, said.

Thao released a video statement Tuesday saying OPOA is “obviously playing politics” and that she has done a lot of work in public safety since her start last January.

She told the press that she has no plans to resign.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.