Rally held in support of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao as some push for a recall
A rally in support of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was held on Tuesday as there are some calling for a recall.
Saabir Lockett is the executive Director of Pathways 2 Peace. He told KPIX he organized Tuesday's rally to show that Mayor Sheng Thao has supporters.
And, they believe a recall campaign against her is a waste of time and money.
"A recall would disrupt the process and could lead to an extended period of chaos and disfunction within our city. That is a cost we cannot afford to pay," said Lockett.
The mayor's opponents launched their signature-gathering effort last week, saying the mayor is not doing enough to combat crime. Thao's supporters say give her a chance, and that she's only been in office a short time and this is a problem that will take time to solve.
Thao's supporters said a recall would cost over$ 4 million taxpayer money; money they believe should go to something productive rather than something they see as divisive.
"I mean it makes no sense to have a recall attempt already against District Attorney Pamela Price. That's about $4.5 million. And now this attempt against the mayor would be another $4.5 million while the city is currently in a deficit. It was already projected to be in a deficit and now even more so. These resources need to be utilized to rebuild our community," said Lockett.
Lockett said he plans to continue this campaign to stop a recall effort.
He believes even if people have a problem with the mayor's policies, they should work to fix those, not just try to kick her out of office.
