Oakland mayor and county’s district attorney ousted in historic recall
Story by Maanvi Singh and agency • 15h
Voters have ousted Oakland’s mayor and the region’s progressive district attorney, in a major political shake-up for the northern California port city. It’s the first time in modern history that voters here have ousted leadership from either position.
Sheng Thao, the mayor, and Pamela Price, the district attorney for Alameda county, were both the target of recall campaigns, launched amid discontent over the city’s challenges: a spiralling housing crisis, rising costs and the departure of the city’s last remaining major league sports team.
But the recall campaigns particularly centered on residents’ enduring frustrations about the area’s crime rates. Like many cities in the US, Oakland experienced a surge in violent crime during the pandemic, one that took longer than elsewhere to subside. Statistics had shown both violent and non-violent crime finally trending down – before the election, the Oakland police announced a 30% drop in homicides this year compared to 2023. Non-fatal shootings were down 20% and robberies were down 24%. Still, many residents remained deeply frustrated.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/oakland-mayor-and-county-s-district-attorney-ousted-in-historic-recall/ar-AA1tXWpE?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=f2c18028a12348f6b5e764d88ccf6c58&ei=14