Auckland — When Shen Tao was sworn in as Auckland’s mayor in January 2023, a series of feel-good articles followed, including a portrait of the mayor beaming in front of the city’s sun-drenched landmarks.

Auckland’s new mayor The New York Times pointed outsuddenly the most prominent Hmong legislator in the country was elected. of washington post We spoke to Tao about her journey from being a homeless young mother to the city’s chief executive. According to the Guardian, her election was: represents a progressive victory Tech billionaires in the region were keen to drag politicians to the right.

But oh, how much the political atmosphere has changed. Mr. Tao, who faces a recall election on Tuesday, is largely funded by a wealthy hedge fund manager who lives in Piedmont, a small city outside Oakland. Despite retaining the support of some of Oakland’s most powerful elected officials, including Rep. Barbara Lee and state Sen. Nancy Skinner, many political commentators believe she will lose her seat. I’m predicting it.

Voters across Oakland and Alameda County will also weigh in on the District’s recall. Atty. Pamela Price, the first black woman to hold the position, is less than two years into her six-year term.

Recall supporters have cited a number of complaints about Mr. Thao, including financial mismanagement and even failure to keep the Oakland A’s baseball team in the city.

Alameda County District Atty. Pamela Price speaks at a demonstration over the murder of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland in 2023.

(Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Thato said She said she was “working tirelessly for Auckland’s future” and “tackle rising crime, homelessness and budget issues head-on.”

The recall effort against Price, a former civil rights attorney, began within months of her taking office. She campaigned on a promise to reform the justice system, end the “over-criminalization” of young people and hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct.

Critics claim she mismanaged the office. Price countered that the recall is fundamentally undemocratic and an attempt to subvert the will of voters. Venus Gist, a spokeswoman for her campaign, said the recall is not just a local issue. “This is part of a broader national agenda,” she said, adding that she is also targeting progressive district attorneys in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Still, the central issue in both Bay Area recalls is the perception among many voters that violence and property crime are out of control. Statistics showing that violent crime is on the decline have done little to assuage that sentiment.

“Lives are lost, property is destroyed, businesses are closed, and fear and collective trauma are commonplace for Oaklanders,” Thao’s recall supporters said. declared on the website.

Meanwhile, the campaign to recall Mr. Price is running on the message of “bringing safety back to Alameda County.”

A large warning sign in front of an In-N-Out restaurant in Oakland. The fast food chain closed its stores due to safety concerns.

(Paul Clodagh/For the Times)

The attempted recall of a progressive politician here in California’s deepest blue heartland comes as voters across the state appear poised to crack down on crime. A poll conducted last month by the University of California, Berkeley and the LA Times found that a solid majority of voters across the state supported Proposition 36, which would impose harsher penalties for crimes involving repeat theft and the deadly drug fentanyl. It turned out that it was. The plan, opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is projected to cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year or more in increased prison spending, but voters don’t seem to care.

Oakland has the highest concentration of crime concerns across the state. Just a few years ago, the city was hailed as the next chic and hip, its tree-lined streets lined with new boutiques and buzzing restaurants, and rents were sky-high. Anti-gentrification backlash. These days, parts of the city of 450,000 people feel like ground zero in a dystopian version of California. The number of people without housing is rapidly increasing. Restaurants are closed and car break-ins are so common that people complain that thieves sometimes steal worthless items like old rags.

In February, the governor announced he would send 120 CHP officers to Oakland to combat retail theft. “What is happening in our beautiful city and surrounding areas is alarming and unacceptable,” Newsom said.

Many people, including Mayor Tao’s spokesperson, said that while the situation had improved, it was not enough for some local residents.

“I was having lunch at Lake Merritt not too long ago, and someone was walking in broad daylight and breaking into cars,” said Eric Jay, a veteran Democratic political consultant based in San Francisco. ” he recalled.

A resident told an Oakland police officer he was sprayed by Mace on the city’s International Boulevard.

(Paul Clodagh/For the Times)

In fact, on a recent sunny afternoon, Oakland voters strolling along the trails around the sparkling blue waters of Lake Merritt expressed how many times they’ve raised crime as a pressing issue, whether they support Thao’s recall or not. Also featured.

Setenai Bozkurt, 51, who was walking with her friend Billy, a well-behaved goldendoodle, said she planned to vote “no” on the recall. However, he says that this is because he is worried that the people, who are facing financial difficulties due to the chaos and the resulting special election, will be sacrificed. The city can’t afford to lose money. She added that she witnessed a number of carjackings during last winter and spring.

His walking partner, Belinda, who only gave her first name, said she was a “yes” vote. “I don’t like what’s happening in this city,” she said. “Businesses are closing. Crime. People are afraid to go out.”

A few blocks away, Ali Mohammed, 22, a student at the University of California, Berkeley, who grew up in Oakland and still lives there, said he too plans to support the recall.

“I don’t know if you’ve been walking here,” he said, pointing to a quiet street between downtown and Lake Merritt. Many of the shops there seemed closed or empty of customers on what should have been a busy weekday afternoon. “But do you see what I see?”

Thao’s camp points out — correctly — that the mayor took office during a post-pandemic crime wave and that crime rates are trending down, in part due to programs he has implemented.

Just a few years ago, Oakland was hailed as the next chic, hipster city, with its tree-lined streets lined with new boutiques and lively restaurants. These days, parts of the city of 450,000 people feel like ground zero in a dystopian version of California.

(Jane Tiska/Getty Images)

“whole [recall] The campaign is built on false ideas that no longer work,” said William Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the anti-recall campaign.

“Things are looking up in Oakland,” he added, noting that “agents of chaos” including the mayor’s political opponents and hedge fund executives are pushing their own agenda against the city.

On Wednesday, Thao’s campaign released an “open letter” to executive director Philip Dreyfus, accusing him of “trying to take over the city government.” of The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Based on campaign finance reports, it was found that Mr. Dreyfus spent more than $1 million on local elections, including the recall of Mr. Tao and District Attorney Price.

Dreyfus lives in the Piedmont, a small wealthy enclave surrounded by trees and mansions, surrounded by the city of Oakland. In his letter, Tao accused him of trying to destabilize the city and “hijack democracy.” Not because he cares about public safety, but because he wants the city and its port to be more open to coal projects being promoted by hedge funds. Farallon capital.

Dreyfuss did not respond to requests for comment and has not spoken to other local media. But Seneca Scott, a spokeswoman for the recall campaign, denied that Dreyfuss was supporting the mayor’s recall as a back door to advance his business interests.

“Why does he care?” Scott said. “He has five children. He has a wife. He has a family. He doesn’t want to move.”

Other issues looming over the race include the FBI raid on Tao’s home in June, just as recall supporters submitted enough signatures to put the recall bill on the ballot. It will be done. The homes of employees of waste companies that have contracts with the city of Oakland and have provided campaign contributions to Tao and other elected officials were also searched on the same day.

Oakland Mayor Shen Tao waves at 2023 press conference to announce 2025 NBA All-Star Game to be held at San Francisco’s Chase Center

(Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)

Tao said he was told he was not a target. A few days after the attack, she tearfully gave a speech: I didn’t do anything wrong. I can confidently say that this investigation is not about me. ”

She also questioned the FBI’s tactics, saying, “If I had been rich, if I had gone to an elite private school, if I had grown up with money, none of this would have happened.” Ta.

Political experts said that while law enforcement raids do not appear to be a major factor in the recall, the sight of the FBI raiding the mayor’s mansion will in no way help assuage voters’ concerns about crime and disorder.

“Years and decades of frustration are finally boiling over,” said Jim Ross, an Oakland-based political consultant who is not affiliated with either side.

He added that the two recalls represent a new trend in California politics that could soon come to other parts of the state. Just as the Bay Area was an early pioneer on same-sex marriage, raising the minimum wage and restricting smoking, voters should now expect a recall funded by wealthy people with a strong stake in local politics.

In recent years, a group of wealthy San Francisco residents have I poured money They called for the city’s progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three school board members to be recalled. This phenomenon has already been discovered elsewhere. In 2022, in rural Shasta County in Northern California, wealthy former residents furious with county officials helped fund the recall of one of the county supervisors.

“We now live in a world where one rich person can fund a recall,” Ross said. “There are billionaires who are willing to spend huge sums of money to determine city policy.”