Oakland mayor recall speeds ahead as residents gather calling for ouster [Video]

With lightning speed just three weeks into signature gathering, the effort to oust Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao appears to be gathering steam. Using a shuttered business for their stage, recallers say they are succeeding.

Saturday afternoon saw yet another rally to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in what was once restaurant Le Cheval, closed in part due to street crime.

“She didn’t inherit all these problems. She caused a number of problems,” said retired Alameda Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who heads the recall petition.  

A recall is possible due to Oakland’s ongoing bouts with brash criminal activity, missing a deadline to secure $15 million in state funding to combat retail crime, the recent spate of Hegenberger business closures and the continuing failure to appoint a permanent police chief. 

“People who say give her more time. More time to do what? She has ruined our city,” said the retired Judge.

…