The news keeps getting worse for Oakland mayor Sheng Thao. Accused of creating a public safety crisis by dismantling the Oakland Police Department and missing a deadline for a state grant to fight retail theft, the mayor may soon be removed from office, less than two years into her term. Former Alameda County Superior Court judge and police commissioner Brenda Harbin-Forte and community organizer Seneca Scott, who ran for mayor of Oakland in 2022, are spearheading a recall effort, obtaining 40,595 valid signatures to place the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
Early in the morning on June 21, the FBI raided Thao’s home. The surprise search extended to three properties connected with the Duong family, owners of California Waste Solutions. Several Duong family members are board members of the Vietnamese American Business Association. In the summer of 2023, Thao traveled to Vietnam with the association, ostensibly as part of a delegation to boost the country’s business dealings with Oakland.
The FBI has not revealed precisely why it raided Thao’s home. On June 29, the Oaklandside reported that Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions founder David Duong, may have laundered cash to Oakland officials through Music Cafe, a karaoke bar known for illegal drug sales, human trafficking, and prostitution. According to a California state oversight body, Andy Duong allegedly recruited dozens of people to write checks to Oakland City Council candidates’ 2016 and 2018 campaigns. He then reimbursed the check-writers with either his personal funds or money from California Waste Solutions. Each candidate received thousands of dollars. Thao, a council member at the time, was among the recipients. […]
– Read More: www.city-journal.org
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