Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's spokesman Francis Zamora resigns amid FBI probe
Francis Zamora, the chief spokesman for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, has resigned a day after the embattled mayor's attorney stepped down.
Zamora said in a prepared statement issued Tuesday, "I resigned my position as Chief of Communications. I thank my colleagues for their professionalism and dedication. It was an honor to serve the City of Oakland beside them."
"Francis was a valuable member of the team whose contributions are greatly valued and appreciated," said Thao in a prepared statement. "I thank him for his service and wish him well."
There was no reason given for Zamora's sudden departure.
Zamora stepped down a day after Tony Brass withdrew as Thao's attorney Monday, just hours following Thao's defiant and emotional press conference where she denied any wrongdoing in the wake of the FBI raid on her home last week.
Brass told CBS News Bay Area that he did not know Thao was going to speak to the press on Monday and would have advised her not to, adding that he decided to no longer represent Thao because of their differing approaches to her case.
"I want to be crystal clear. I have done nothing wrong," said Thao on Monday. "I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me."
During Monday's press conference, Thao blasted the FBI raid on her home and seemingly linked the raid with the effort to recall her from office.
"I want to know why the day following the qualification of a recall election, funded by some of the richest people in the Bay Area, seemed like the right day to execute a warrant," said Thao, at times fighting back tears.
Federal agents also raided two other homes owned by David Duong and his son, Andrew Duong, as well as offices shared by the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) and California Waste Solutions which manages the city's curbside recycling program.
David Duong is also listed as the chairman of VABA and the CEO of California Waste Solutions; the politically influential Duong family has multiple family members on the leadership teams of both organizations.
Oakland's Public Ethics Commission and the state Fair Political Practices Commission have been investigating campaign donations by California Waste Solutions to public officials and candidates and claims of using "straw donors" to hide the source of funds.
No one has been charged with any wrongdoing and federal authorities have not released any details about the raids or who is the subject of the investigation.
Thao's former chief of staff Renia Webb called for Thao to resign, accusing Thao of being involved in a pay-to-play scheme and telling CBS News Bay Area that she reported her allegation to the city council and the Public Ethics Commission, but her claims were ignored.
