A recent announcement from Taco Bell stated that due to an increase in crime, inside dining would no longer be available at their Oakland stores. In a statement on X, Seneca Scott, who is just one of many spearheading an effort to recall Oakland’s mayor, said Oakland is ground zero for ‘progressive’ policies that intentionally fail the working class.
Another champion of recall efforts to remove Mayor Sheng Thao from office is Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte of the Alameda Superior Court. She claims that Thao has caused a “number of problems.” She said she “ruined the city.”
After a year on the Oakland Police Commission, Thao ousted Harbin-Forte. The retiring judge referred to her dismissal as a “badge of honor.”
Pastor Marty Jenkins of Victory Baptist Church vented his anger at the mayor at a recall rally over the weekend.
The recall initiative needs to gather 25,000 signatures from eligible voters by July to be included on the ballot. The recall’s organizer, Seneca Scott, claims that gathering the necessary signatures should be completed months in advance of the deadline.
In addition to Taco Bell, many other companies, such as Denny’s, In-N-Out, Black Bear Diner, Subway, and Starbucks, have also announced closures due to the area’s crime epidemic. In response to the city’s apparent indifference to the recent spike in criminal behavior, many company owners have recently threatened to withhold tax payments.
Mayor Thao once claimed that making Oakland a better, safer, and more affordable place to live was her “priority.”
She said that with optimism, cooperation, and the elimination of division, she implores the people of Oakland to assist her in realizing this vision. She said people must unite as a community to defend the city we cherish.
Being tough on crime would have helped.
Frustrated Oaklanders have also begun a recall drive against Pamela Price, the district attorney for Alameda County, who is well-known for her liberal, soft-on-crime views.