Oakland mayor and progressive district attorney lose office amid complaints about crime
The recent dual defeat serves as a clear indication of the shift in voters' preferences towards strict crime-fighting measures.
TroibNews 
OAKLAND, California — Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price are both stepping down after losing recall elections, highlighting voter frustration over local crime issues.
Thao conceded the race late Friday as votes were still being counted, revealing a loss by approximately 64 percent to 36 percent. This followed Price’s defeat in her own recall vote, where the results were about 65 percent to 35 percent against her. Both Thao and Price are the first officials from their respective offices to be recalled.
“I am deeply proud of the progress we created together and I am committed to ensuring we stay on track by supporting a smooth transition,” Thao stated.
As the Oakland mayor, Thao faced significant criticism regarding the city's public safety and financial challenges, alongside numerous negative headlines, including an FBI raid on her residence in June. Price encountered a sharp decline in voter support favoring tough-on-crime policies after her election just two years ago on a progressive platform.
The outcomes of the recalls underscore the influence of crime rates on this year’s California ballot and the rapid shifts in voter sentiment. California voters passed Proposition 36 to increase penalties for specific offenses, while both San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón lost their reelection bids amid similar public safety concerns.
Brenda Grisham, a leader in the campaign to recall Price, remarked that residents conveyed a clear message through their votes in Oakland and Alameda County. “[Voters] want to be safe,” Grisham stated. “They want to feel safe. They want to get up and feel like they matter. Right now, that’s not what's happening. The officials that are in office feel like they're running the show, and the citizens have nothing to say about it.”
Approximately two-thirds of voters in Alameda County also supported Proposition 36, which reclassifies certain misdemeanor drug and theft offenses as felonies. Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland police union, asserted that voters recognized that the “progressive leftist policies” of Price and Thao “directly harmed and impacted residents, neighborhoods, working and middle class families and small businesses.”
“This mandate demonstrates residents value public safety over failed anti-police and anti-public safety policies,” Nguyen said. “It sends a national message that the public strongly supports the police and safety.”
Top Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, distanced themselves from Thao and Price ahead of the election. Before the results were announced, Newsom declared an extension of an “enforcement surge” of California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland due to concerns over “leadership transitions.”
“California will continue to support East Bay local law enforcement in their efforts to address crime and lawlessness in the region,” Newsom remarked. “During these leadership transitions, Oakland families should feel secure knowing that the state will help maintain public safety and help keep their communities secure.”
Newsom also renewed a directive for attorneys from the California National Guard to assist in prosecuting certain drug offenses in Alameda County, following a dispute with Price over the summer regarding help she initially declined.
Thao and Price both attempted to combat the recall efforts by highlighting falling crime rates. In her concession statement, Thao emphasized accomplishments such as clearing encampments, improving technology infrastructure, and paving a significant number of miles in Oakland.
“It isn’t about me,” Thao expressed. “It has never been. It has always been about Oakland.”
Price made a last-minute appeal to voters on Tuesday before polling closed, stating that she had fulfilled her promises despite facing “relentless opposition and over-the-top scrutiny and criticism of every decision,” adding that the “media thirst for a recall was obvious.”
“I have not wavered in my commitment to racial justice, gender justice, youth rehabilitation, holding rogue police and prosecutors accountable, and ending both gun violence and mass incarceration,” Price asserted in a statement.
Price’s predecessor, Nancy O’Malley, who served three terms as Alameda County’s chief prosecutor, expressed her hopes for a replacement who is “somebody who's honest, who isn't going to be throwing out false accusations and blaming everybody else for whatever is not working.”
“True leaders, if something's not working, they get in and they fix it,” O’Malley stated. “They don't throw this mud on anybody that they could think of and blame everybody else. So I hope that the board will select a person of integrity who understands the job, who is honest and ethical.”
Thao attributed the recall efforts to “wealthy outsiders and opportunists.” The campaigns were significantly funded by investment manager Philip Dreyfuss, who contributed over $1 million and resides in Piedmont, a small city adjacent to Oakland.
The results leave a power vacuum: Oakland will need to conduct a special election to replace Thao within 120 days, while the Alameda Board of Supervisors will appoint a temporary replacement for Price until the 2026 election. Thao mentioned that she would likely vacate her office in December, pending the recall's certification by the city council.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Thao conceded the race late Friday as votes were still being counted, revealing a loss by approximately 64 percent to 36 percent. This followed Price’s defeat in her own recall vote, where the results were about 65 percent to 35 percent against her. Both Thao and Price are the first officials from their respective offices to be recalled.
“I am deeply proud of the progress we created together and I am committed to ensuring we stay on track by supporting a smooth transition,” Thao stated.
As the Oakland mayor, Thao faced significant criticism regarding the city's public safety and financial challenges, alongside numerous negative headlines, including an FBI raid on her residence in June. Price encountered a sharp decline in voter support favoring tough-on-crime policies after her election just two years ago on a progressive platform.
The outcomes of the recalls underscore the influence of crime rates on this year’s California ballot and the rapid shifts in voter sentiment. California voters passed Proposition 36 to increase penalties for specific offenses, while both San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón lost their reelection bids amid similar public safety concerns.
Brenda Grisham, a leader in the campaign to recall Price, remarked that residents conveyed a clear message through their votes in Oakland and Alameda County. “[Voters] want to be safe,” Grisham stated. “They want to feel safe. They want to get up and feel like they matter. Right now, that’s not what's happening. The officials that are in office feel like they're running the show, and the citizens have nothing to say about it.”
Approximately two-thirds of voters in Alameda County also supported Proposition 36, which reclassifies certain misdemeanor drug and theft offenses as felonies. Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland police union, asserted that voters recognized that the “progressive leftist policies” of Price and Thao “directly harmed and impacted residents, neighborhoods, working and middle class families and small businesses.”
“This mandate demonstrates residents value public safety over failed anti-police and anti-public safety policies,” Nguyen said. “It sends a national message that the public strongly supports the police and safety.”
Top Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, distanced themselves from Thao and Price ahead of the election. Before the results were announced, Newsom declared an extension of an “enforcement surge” of California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland due to concerns over “leadership transitions.”
“California will continue to support East Bay local law enforcement in their efforts to address crime and lawlessness in the region,” Newsom remarked. “During these leadership transitions, Oakland families should feel secure knowing that the state will help maintain public safety and help keep their communities secure.”
Newsom also renewed a directive for attorneys from the California National Guard to assist in prosecuting certain drug offenses in Alameda County, following a dispute with Price over the summer regarding help she initially declined.
Thao and Price both attempted to combat the recall efforts by highlighting falling crime rates. In her concession statement, Thao emphasized accomplishments such as clearing encampments, improving technology infrastructure, and paving a significant number of miles in Oakland.
“It isn’t about me,” Thao expressed. “It has never been. It has always been about Oakland.”
Price made a last-minute appeal to voters on Tuesday before polling closed, stating that she had fulfilled her promises despite facing “relentless opposition and over-the-top scrutiny and criticism of every decision,” adding that the “media thirst for a recall was obvious.”
“I have not wavered in my commitment to racial justice, gender justice, youth rehabilitation, holding rogue police and prosecutors accountable, and ending both gun violence and mass incarceration,” Price asserted in a statement.
Price’s predecessor, Nancy O’Malley, who served three terms as Alameda County’s chief prosecutor, expressed her hopes for a replacement who is “somebody who's honest, who isn't going to be throwing out false accusations and blaming everybody else for whatever is not working.”
“True leaders, if something's not working, they get in and they fix it,” O’Malley stated. “They don't throw this mud on anybody that they could think of and blame everybody else. So I hope that the board will select a person of integrity who understands the job, who is honest and ethical.”
Thao attributed the recall efforts to “wealthy outsiders and opportunists.” The campaigns were significantly funded by investment manager Philip Dreyfuss, who contributed over $1 million and resides in Piedmont, a small city adjacent to Oakland.
The results leave a power vacuum: Oakland will need to conduct a special election to replace Thao within 120 days, while the Alameda Board of Supervisors will appoint a temporary replacement for Price until the 2026 election. Thao mentioned that she would likely vacate her office in December, pending the recall's certification by the city council.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
