Opinion: Oakland deserves better

I have been part of the Oakland Chinatown community, living and doing business here for many years.

When Councilmember Sheng Thao decided to run for mayor in 2022, many in the Chinatown community and I supported her and helped raise funds for her campaign. I heard her share her story of overcoming hardships and challenges entering politics through the APAPA Internship program. No one wanted her to succeed more than I did.

As a fellow Asian immigrant with shared backgrounds and challenges, I hoped she would deeply understand Chinatown's needs and bring real change to Oakland.

Unfortunately, I have been deeply disappointed with Mayor Sheng Thao’s performance:

1) Since taking office, she has aligned herself with the more radical members of the City Council. Her abrupt decision to remove Police Chief Armstrong left Oakland without a police chief for over a year at a time when violent crime surged. The police department, which residents rely most on to combat crime, was leaderless during this critical period.

2) Mayor Sheng Thao has shown a reluctance to listen to opposing views and has failed to unite different communities and organizations. Although she won the mayoral election by a narrow margin (50.3% to 49.7%), she did not seek to bridge the gap with the nearly half of voters who did not support her. Instead, she has marginalized them, causing a divide between the city and various communities, including the African-American community, the NAACP, Chinatown, and the Little Saigon Chamber of Commerce. Oakland, a town already short on resources, cannot afford such divisions if meaningful change is to occur.

3) Under her leadership, Oakland missed out on $237 million in state grants (San Francisco, by comparison, received $17 million). At a time when the city is grappling with a severe budget deficit, rising crime rates, and cuts to essential police positions, this failure to secure funding is a significant oversight for which no one has been held accountable.

4) According to Oakland Police Department data, crime in the first half of 2023 saw sharp increases compared to 2022—robberies up 24%, burglaries up 43%, auto thefts up 54%, and overall crime up 30%. The mayor remained inactive despite repeated requests from community leaders, including the NAACP and Chinatown’s Chen Xipeng, to declare an emergency and request state assistance. It wasn’t until August 2023 that the governor, citing Oakland’s escalating crime, intervened by sending state police to help. This inaction from the mayor shows a concerning disregard for the safety and well-being of residents.

5) While it is normal for newcomers in leadership positions to make mistakes and learn from them, after nearly two years in office, Mayor Sheng Thao has yet to acknowledge her missteps or demonstrate a willingness to change. This is deeply troubling, and I believe many in the Chinatown community who face these challenges daily share this concern.

In November, voters will be able to assess the mayor’s performance. If the public is satisfied with her performance, she will continue in her role.

However, if voters feel she has failed to acknowledge her errors and is leading the city down the wrong path, they should use their votes to prevent her from steering Oakland further into crisis. More lives and livelihoods are at stake — businesses are closing, essential services are dwindling, and public safety continues deteriorating.

Lastly, I urge the mayor to distance herself from those who only tell her what she wants to hear, twist the truth, and misrepresent good criticism. For example, I once commented on a Chinatown WeChat group criticizing the District Attorney for not holding criminals accountable. Within hours, someone reported this to the mayor, twisting my words to imply that I was attacking her personally. I was then asked to retract my comments on WeChat. This shows that the mayor is surrounded by individuals who are more interested in stirring drama than fostering constructive dialogue. If she continues to be influenced by such people, how can she make the right decisions for Oakland?

The views expressed here are my own and don't mean to reflect any organization's. Oakland's communities can no longer endure additional political division or neglect.

*Taylor Chow is the President of American Tai Wah Trading Corp and a leader in the Asian Food industry.