By Magaly Muñoz

The Oakland Police Officers Association is the newest set of upset residents calling on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign from office because of her alleged mismanagement of the city.

Thao is already facing a recall election that will take place this November. Opponents have said on numerous occasions that they would rather she resign than have to go through the process of an election.

OPOA’s executive team sent Thao a lengthy letter Monday citing all the failures she’s had under her administration, with lack of police staffing being the No. 1 problem.

“Every day you are in office, Oakland is less safe. Your administration has turned Oakland into an international embarrassment,” the letter reads.

Because of budget cuts, the Oakland Police Department only has enough funding for 678 sworn officers, down from 803 officers a few years ago.

OPOA said the Oakland Coliseum sale that is intended to save Oakland from its budget crisis is not a guarantee and they fear what will happen if the funds do not come through as promised by city officials and developers.

The letter said City Councilmembers Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Rebecca Kaplan, Carroll Fife and Dan Kalb are equally to blame for passing a budget that relied heavily on funds that may not be seen.

According to OPOA Vice President Timothy Dolan, nine people were shot over a 30-hour time period last weekend. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to manage the number of 911 calls they receive and who they can send out to respond to crimes.

Dolan said the department was up to 250 calls when he started his shift over the weekend.

OPOA is calling for Thao to resign by Aug. 9, the last day potential candidates can file paperwork to run for mayor.

OPOA President Huy Nguyen said her resignation could “save millions” that could then be invested into hiring more police officers. He said there needs to be at least 1,000 officers on staff in order to fully function.

According to a memo by the City Clerk’s office, the recall election for Thao, which is being consolidated with the November general election, will cost the city up to $1.2 million.

Dolan said there are 105 officers a day over three shifts patrolling the city, meaning only 35 officers are on the streets at any given moment. Three hundred officers on patrol a day is the minimum in order to answer more calls and reports, OPOA staff said.

Nguyen said he’s heard directly from residents that they fear leaving their homes or work because they do not want to be the next victims of crimes. He added that members of the association are also expressing worry over the lack of staffing and the work that is quickly building up.

Nguyen also criticized the police crime data that Thao uses to show that crime has drastically gone down since last year. He said property crimes and crimes that are reported online are backlogged almost four months, so the data is not accurate to the total picture Thao is trying to paint.

But OPOA are not the only ones turning up the heat on forcing Thao out of office.

A recent survey of Oakland voters shows that 73% of Oakland voters say the city is on the wrong track, 66% disapprove of the mayor’s job performance, and 65% disapprove of the job performance of the City Council.

Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams used this data in a recent press release to “call upon voters of Oakland to come together and elect leaders who will focus on ending the rampant crime that is devouring our city.”

Adams has been vocal about wanting Thao out of office, blaming her for a lack of a permanent police chief for a year and the rise in crime.

“It is time to clean house. We must rid Oakland of elected officials who enable criminality by voting to defund or reduce funding for public safety!” Adams said.

Recall group Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao doubled down on their calls for the mayor’s resignation following OPOA’s announcement.

“Every day that Mayor Thao remains in office, Oakland’s safety diminishes,” Brenda Harbin-Forte, leader of Oakland United, said.

Thao released a video statement Tuesday saying OPOA is “obviously playing politics” and that she has done a lot of work in public safety since her start last January.

She told the press that she has no plans to resign.

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