Bay Area
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Delivers State of the City Address Weeks Before Recall Election
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao delivered her State of the City address at a City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, laying out her administration’s accomplishments over the last year and outlining how she intends to continue the progress during the rest of her term. Thao boasted about where the city has improved in the last year since her previous city address, saying that the change is “nothing short of inspiring.”
By Magaly Muñoz
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao delivered her State of the City address at a City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, laying out her administration’s accomplishments over the last year and outlining how she intends to continue the progress during the rest of her term.
Thao boasted about where the city has improved in the last year since her previous city address, saying that the change is “nothing short of inspiring.”
Her 2023 city address was filled with acknowledgments of her administration’s failures, including not securing funding for retail crime prevention, loss of businesses, risk to public welfare and much more, but this year’s speech focused on her accomplishments.
There was also no mention of the recall she is facing in a few short weeks or the FBI raid on her home in June.
Thao dedicated the majority of her 2023 speech talking about her priority on public safety. She had fired the former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong eight months prior. She then became the face of the rising crime the city was struggling to manage.
But at her speech Tuesday night, she celebrated the hiring of current chief Floyd Mitchell, who joined the department this spring, and the reinvestment into the Ceasefire program to prevent violent crimes.
“I can tell you today that crime is down,” Thao said.
Homicides in particular are down nearly 30% from 2023. One hundred and twenty people were killed last year, but OPD data shows that there have only been 66 homicides to date.
Robberies and burglaries are also seeing a significant decrease by 24% and 54% respectively this year. In 2023, robberies were up 38% and burglaries up by 23%, a statistic that many did not let Thao forget.
Now, Thao said that business owners are seeing fewer break-ins and “less broken glass on the streets.”
The mayor also mentioned the substantial investments into public safety technology, such as the 290 Flock cameras installed all around the city to catch offenders. According to the Flock Safety portal, there have been over 55,000 hits to date for wanted vehicles.
Thao announced that the city is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission, and the Police Commission to facilitate a “first-responder droning program” that will allow for faster response time for Priority One calls. The drones would send live feed information to first responders to assist in their aid.
The mayor also mentioned the efforts to clean up the streets by clearing 250 homeless encampments, cleaning illegal dumping and parked vehicles, and adding new infrastructure to keep streets safe for everyone.
Aside from public safety, Thao celebrated the recent sale of the Oakland Coliseum, which is set to bring in $125 million for the city, $110 million available in this fiscal year.
But this deal is anything but smooth sailing. In recent weeks, questions have risen about the legitimacy of the sale and whether the funds will come in on time so that the city does not have to cut funding to essential public safety departments. The mayor’s team and the buyers have assured the public that all payments will be made when promised and no cuts will be made.
Acknowledgements to the various sports investments did not stop at the Coliseum. The Oakland Ballers moving into Raimondi Park and the Oakland Roots playing at the stadium next season were also points of economic progress for Thao.
The Bay Area will also be home to a new WNBA team, the Valkyries, and will see events from NBA All Stars to the 2026 Super Bowl, and the Men’s Fifa World Cup in the next few years. Thao said she will make sure that Oakland is involved in these key events in order to secure revenue from visiting tourists.
“Our challenges are great, but our people are greater,” Thao said.
Activism
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.
Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).
Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.
According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.
The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”
Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.
EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”
Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.
An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”
The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.
The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”
The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”
Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.
Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.
Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of August 19 – 25, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 18 – 25, 2026
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