Candidate field taking shape as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao concedes recall

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said she would ensure a smooth transition as the latest results show the recall will likely succeed.

63.85% of the voters elected to recall her while 36.15% voted against the recall. The registrar said there are still many ballots left to count.  

However, on Friday evening, Mayor Sheng Thao tweeted, conceding the race. 

"Thank you for choosing me to serve as your Mayor. As the first Hmong American woman to become the mayor of a major American City, it has been the honor of my lifetime. 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 said.

The Associated Press confirmed that the recall was successful Monday.  

One of the potential candidates speculated to consider running in the special mayoral election is outgoing Congresswoman Barbara Lee.  

U.S. House Representative Lee has represented Oakland and parts of Alameda County for 26 years.

One of her parting gifts was convincing the EPA to give the Port of Oakland $322 million to transform the port to zero emissions.

At a Friday press event at the Port, CBS News Bay Area asked the 78-year-old congresswoman about her desire to lead the city that she loves.

"Let me talk to you about what we've been doing here (at the port) today.  There'll be time for those discussions later," answered Lee when asked to address talks of her running. "Can we talk about the port and how significant this (EPA money) is for Oakland and West Oakland?"

She didn't say yes. But political experts said more importantly, she didn't say no despite repeated questions and opportunities for her to shut the door to the speculation. 

Lee is extremely popular in Oakland.

"We'll have time later for other conversations," said Lee, who repeatedly declined to say whether or not she plans to run for mayor. "We'll have time to talk about this later. But I want to celebrate everybody here who has done the hard work to get this done."

Former Oakland Councilman Loren Taylor wasn't shying away from the question. He is running if there's a special election.

"I am the strongest candidate, potential candidate, and ready to jump in and actually lead our city forward," said Taylor. 

Taylor lost to Thao by less than 700 votes in 2022.

Another former mayoral candidate leaning toward running was long time former Oakland Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente. He finished in third place behind Thao and Taylor in 2022.

"If I decide to do this, I want the voters to know: I'm not looking for a long-term job, I'm 75 years old. Give me two years, I will clean the (city) up," said De La Fuente.

The two moderate Democrats, De La Fuente and Taylor, said they love and respect Lee, a progressive. But both cautioned voters that being an Oakland mayor requires a lot of energy and is a nonstop, 24/7 job.

"Huge respect for the Congresswoman, huge respect for Congressman Dellums. But these are two different roles," said Taylor as he compared the duties of a mayor or a U.S. representative.

Lee succeeded Ron Dellums after he retired from congress in 1998. The late Congressman Dellums served as Oakland's mayor from 2007 to 2011.  

But his critics claimed Dellums was a part-time mayor and not very effective. De La Fuente was the council president when Dellums was the mayor.

"He learned the hard way that it was a different ball game. They actually pushed him (to run).  And he didn't want to do it. But at the end of the day, he did it. And he learned right away that Oakland is a wild pony," said De La Fuente.

Lee had previously opposed the recall of Thao. Now, there's a possibility she could succeed her.

If Thao is recalled, the council president would become the interim mayor. Once the election results are certified, there would be a special election within 120 days.

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• Sheng Thao
• Oakland