OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Voters in Oakland, California, ousted Mayor Sheng Thao just two years after she narrowly won office as leader of the liberal San Francisco Bay Area city.
The Associated Press called the race Monday.
“Thank you for choosing me as mayor. As the first American Hmong woman to become mayor of a major American city, this has been the honor of my life,” she said in a statement last week.
She promised to ensure a smooth transition.
Thao must leave office once election results are announced on Dec. 5 and the Oakland City Council announces a vacancy at its next meeting, set for Dec. 17, City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said in a statement.
Within 120 days, or about four months, a special election for a new mayor will be held.
Until then, Bas — as City Council president — would serve as interim mayor unless she wins a seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. From Monday, Bas was behind in that race.
Thao was elected mayor in November 2022, becoming the first Hmong American to lead a major city. She faced criticism almost immediately after taking office for firing popular Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. Frustrated voters, including the local NAACP, blamed Thao for a long list of city problems related to public safety, homelessness and the city’s budget.
In her statement, Thao said she was proud of her government’s achievements.
Thao was not the only official removed from office in Tuesday’s election. Pamela Price, district attorney for Alameda County, which includes Oakland, was also ousted by voters in a recall election. Critics of both Thao and Price disagreed with the officials’ progressive policies.
Thao entered Tuesday’s election weakened by a June FBI raid on her home — along with property belonging to a politically influential family that controls the city’s recycling contract. Thao has maintained her innocence and authorities have not said what they are investigating.
Oakland uses a ranked choice voting system that allows voters to list multiple choices in order of preference. Thao narrowly defeated Loren Taylor in 2022, despite receiving fewer first-place votes than Taylor.
Oakland has a population of about 400,000 and is sometimes more politically liberal than San Francisco. It is the birthplace of Vice President Kamala Harris.
In recent years, Oakland has lost three professional sports franchises, including Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics. California Governor Gavin Newsom has sent state highway patrol officers, prosecutors and surveillance cameras to help Oakland fight crime.