Sheng Thao

Sheng Thao
Official portrait, 2024
Sheng Thao
Born	1985
Birthplace	Stockton, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Known for	First Hmong American mayor of a major U.S. city; 51st Mayor of Oakland, California
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA)
Children	2

Sheng Thao (born 1985) is an American politician who served as the 51st mayor of Oakland, California, from January 2023 to December 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Thao made history as the first Hmong American to serve as mayor of a major city in the United States. Before becoming mayor, she represented Oakland's 4th District on the Oakland City Council from 2019 to 2023, also serving as president pro tempore of the council from 2021 to 2023. Thao's path to political office was shaped by her personal experiences with poverty, domestic violence, and homelessness — experiences she frequently cited during her campaigns as motivating her public service. Her tenure as mayor was marked by efforts to address crime, homelessness, and affordable housing, but also by significant controversies, including an FBI raid on her home in June 2024 and a successful recall election in November 2024 that removed her from office before the end of her term.

Early Life

Sheng Thao was born in 1985 in Stockton, California, to a family of Hmong refugees who had immigrated to the United States from Laos. Her upbringing was marked by significant hardship. Growing up in a large family in Stockton, Thao experienced poverty and instability during her childhood. As a young woman, she faced domestic violence and homelessness, experiences she later spoke about publicly during her political career as formative influences on her commitment to addressing housing insecurity and social services in Oakland.

Thao eventually moved to the East Bay, settling in Oakland, where she would build her career and political life. Her personal history as a Hmong American woman who overcame economic hardship and violence became a central element of her public identity, resonating with many of Oakland's diverse communities. As part of the Hmong diaspora in the United States, Thao's family background reflected the broader experience of Southeast Asian refugees who resettled in California's Central Valley following the Vietnam War and the Laotian Civil War.

Education

Thao attended Merritt College, a community college in Oakland, where she earned an associate degree. She subsequently transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her educational trajectory through community college to a prestigious public university was cited during her campaigns as emblematic of the opportunities available through California's public higher education system.

Career

Early Political Career and City Council

Before seeking elected office, Thao gained experience in Oakland's political landscape through work in local government. She served as a legislative aide on the Oakland City Council, developing knowledge of municipal policy and building relationships within the city's political community.

In 2018, Thao ran for the Oakland City Council seat representing the 4th District, succeeding Annie Campbell Washington. She won the election and took office in January 2019, becoming a council member in a city grappling with challenges related to housing affordability, homelessness, and public safety. Her victory was noted as a breakthrough for Hmong American political representation in Oakland.

During her time on the city council, Thao focused on issues including housing, public safety, and services for vulnerable populations in her district, which encompassed neighborhoods in North Oakland and the Oakland hills. In January 2021, she was selected by her colleagues to serve as president pro tempore of the Oakland City Council, a leadership position she held until she left the council to assume the mayoralty in January 2023.

Thao's tenure on the city council was not without controversy. In 2022, a former staffer filed an ethics complaint against her with the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, alleging misconduct during her time as a council member. The allegations and subsequent investigation were reported on by local media during the mayoral campaign season.

2022 Mayoral Campaign

In 2021, Thao announced her candidacy for mayor of Oakland, joining a competitive field of candidates seeking to succeed term-limited Mayor Libby Schaaf. She emerged as one of the frontrunners in the race, which featured several prominent candidates vying for the position.

Thao's campaign emphasized her personal story of overcoming adversity, her experience as a council member, and her plans to address Oakland's most pressing issues, including rising crime, the homelessness crisis, and the need for affordable housing. She drew support from progressive organizations and labor unions, as well as from Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Oakland. Her candidacy was also notable for the endorsement of the Alameda County Democratic Party and various local political organizations.

Oakland uses a ranked-choice voting system for its mayoral elections, a system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting only one. The 2022 mayoral race proved to be exceptionally close. On election night in November 2022, results were initially uncertain, and it took several rounds of ranked-choice tabulation before a winner could be determined.

By mid-November 2022, updated vote tallies showed Thao pulling ahead, and she was projected to become Oakland's next mayor. The San Francisco Chronicle confirmed her victory later that month, reporting that Thao had secured enough votes through the ranked-choice process to win the election. The result was finalized in December 2022 after the completion of the canvass, with no recount requested despite the narrow margin of victory.

Her election attracted national and international media attention. The Guardian, the New York Times, the BBC, and NBC Bay Area all covered her victory, emphasizing the historic nature of a Hmong American woman becoming mayor of one of California's largest cities.

Mayoralty (2023–2024)

Sheng Thao was inaugurated as the 51st mayor of Oakland on January 9, 2023, succeeding Libby Schaaf. Upon taking office, she outlined priorities centered on reducing crime, addressing homelessness, and expanding affordable housing in the city.

Budget and Policy

In May 2023, Thao presented her first budget proposal for the city of Oakland. The proposed budget addressed the city's fiscal challenges and sought to allocate resources toward her stated priorities, including public safety and homelessness services. The budget deliberations took place against a backdrop of fiscal constraints and competing demands from various city departments and community groups.

Police Chief Dismissal

One of the more controversial actions of Thao's tenure involved the firing of Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. The dismissal generated significant public debate and media coverage. Thao defended the decision, while Armstrong filed an appeal challenging his termination. The firing drew criticism from some community members and political figures who viewed Armstrong's tenure favorably, while Thao's supporters argued the move was necessary for reform of the department. The controversy over the police chief's dismissal contributed to broader tensions around public safety policy during Thao's administration.

Oakland Athletics Relocation

During Thao's time as mayor, the potential relocation of the Oakland Athletics baseball team became a major public issue. The Athletics, a franchise with deep roots in Oakland, were engaged in negotiations to move to Las Vegas. Thao was involved in discussions regarding the team's future and the potential impact of their departure on the city. The potential loss of the Athletics was a significant blow to Oakland's civic identity, and the issue remained a point of contention throughout her administration.

FBI Raid and Federal Investigation

In June 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a raid on Thao's home as part of an ongoing federal investigation. The raid attracted widespread media attention and intensified scrutiny of Thao's administration. In January 2025, following the conclusion of her term, Thao was indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges. The federal investigation and subsequent indictment represented a significant chapter in Oakland's political history and added to the turbulence of Thao's time in office.

Recall

As challenges mounted during her tenure — including the FBI raid, the controversy over the police chief's firing, and persistent concerns about public safety and homelessness — a recall effort was organized against Thao. On November 5, 2024, Oakland voters approved the recall, removing Thao from office. She officially left the mayoralty on December 17, 2024, and was succeeded by acting mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas, who as president of the Oakland City Council assumed the role on an interim basis.

The recall marked a dramatic conclusion to a mayoral tenure that had begun with considerable optimism and historic significance. Thao was only the second mayor in Oakland's history to be recalled, reflecting the depth of dissatisfaction among segments of the city's electorate over governance, public safety, and the cloud of the federal investigation.

Personal Life

Sheng Thao is a member of the Hmong American community, part of a broader diaspora of Hmong people who resettled in the United States following the conflicts in Southeast Asia during the 1960s and 1970s. Her Hmong name is rendered in the Romanized Popular Alphabet (RPA) as Seeb Thoj.

Thao has spoken publicly about her experiences with domestic violence and homelessness as a young woman, and has cited these experiences as central to her motivation for entering public service and advocating for vulnerable communities.

She has two children. Thao resided in Oakland during her political career and throughout her time as mayor.

Recognition

Thao's election as mayor of Oakland in November 2022 was recognized as a historic milestone for the Hmong American community and for Asian American political representation more broadly. She was the first Hmong American to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city, a fact highlighted by national and international media outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, the BBC, and NBC News.

Her victory was covered as part of a broader narrative of increasing diversity in American political leadership, and she was recognized by Asian American advocacy organizations as a trailblazer in Hmong American civic participation. The BBC published a profile of Thao in early 2023, exploring her background and the significance of her election in the context of Hmong American history in the United States.

Despite the historic nature of her election, Thao's legacy became complicated by the controversies of her administration, including the ethics complaint from a former staffer, the firing of the police chief, the FBI raid on her home, and the recall vote that ended her tenure early.

Legacy

Sheng Thao's tenure as mayor of Oakland occupies a complex place in the city's political history. Her election in 2022 represented a historic achievement for the Hmong American community and for immigrant communities more broadly, demonstrating that individuals from refugee backgrounds could attain the highest levels of municipal leadership in a major American city.

However, her time in office was also defined by significant challenges and controversies. The firing of Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, disagreements over public safety strategy, the federal investigation culminating in an FBI raid, and the subsequent recall election all contributed to a turbulent period in Oakland governance. The recall itself reflected broader frustrations among Oakland residents regarding crime, homelessness, and the perception of municipal government effectiveness during a difficult period for the city.

Thao's indictment on federal bribery charges in January 2025, following her departure from office, added further complexity to any assessment of her legacy. The legal proceedings remained ongoing as of early 2025.

Her story also highlighted the challenges faced by the city of Oakland during the early 2020s, a period marked by rising crime rates, a persistent homelessness crisis, fiscal pressures, and the potential loss of one of its major professional sports franchises. Thao's brief time as mayor became emblematic of the difficulties of governing a city confronting multiple overlapping crises, regardless of the historic nature of the officeholder's personal background.