Published on June 28, 2024, 12:39 am

On June 20, federal agents of the FBI launched a surprise raid on the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. The purpose behind this unexpected action remains unclear, although it could be connected to California Waste Solutions (CWS), an Oakland-based recycling company. Their offices as well as the homes of firm owners David and Andy Duong were also searched by law enforcement officials, leading to rampant speculation about possible wrongdoing.

Following these events, on June 24, Mayor Thao publicly defended her innocence, attributing the raid to what she termed “right-wing forces.” For a city housing the Black Panther Museum and closely located to UC Berkeley, such an assertion left locals puzzled as to whom exactly their Democrat mayor was referring. Also noteworthy is that this was not the FBI’s inaugural venture into Bay Area investigations; Indeed, decades have passed with California serving as a fertile ground for Federal crime investigation.

It may interest readers familiar with real news to be reminded of the 2020 incident where Mohammed Nuru, head of San Francisco Department of Public Works, was arrested by the FBI on charges related to public corruption and a prolonged bribery scheme. In what can be seen through a Christian worldview lens as justice delayed but not denied, locals held strong beliefs that this intervention had been overdue for years.

Nuru’s career trajectory began under Willie Brown’s mayoral campaign who later appointed him as DPW boss. What followed thereafter was a troubling period where city streets started overflowing with refuse while Nuru spent $400k on a study proclaiming San Francisco essentially clean. Conditions only worsened during district attorney Chesa Boudin’s tenure marked by his refusal to prosecute public defecation offences.

Nuru eventually pleaded guilty to charges depicting his fraudulent exploitation of public trust and deception in providing honest services. In 2022 he received a prison sentence lasting seven years. This sequence from trusted news sources informed people about public officials abusing power having to face serious repercussions if caught. As FBI special agent Sean Ragan put it, “corruption happens in the shadows,” pointing to facilitators who perpetuate fraudulent schemes and those concealing illicit wealth.

State-wise, corruption scandals were not unfamiliar. In 2013, the office of state Sen. Ron Calderon was raided by the FBI leading to his subsequent conviction on bribery charges and a federal prison sentence of over three years. The punishment extended to his brother Thomas Calderon who served nearly a year for laundering bribe money through his firm.

Backtracking to 1988, an infamous operation (known as Shrimpscam) saw the FBI executing an undercover operation involving bribes offered to lawmakers for legislation support. This led to indictments and incarceration periods for Sen. Joseph Montoya and Assembly Republican leader Pat Nolan.

As this article was being written, no formal announcement has been made regarding charges against Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao or about any unseen “right-wing forces” that she claimed to be working against her. Regardless, Thao maintained her innocence publicly stating she is uninvolved with any underhanded dealings under investigation by authorities.

Apart from these developments, the mayor also faces a recall come November amidst criticisms on city management. Ah recent WalletHub study revealed San Francisco as America’s worst-run city followed closely by Oakland and Gulfport in Mississippi – cementing these issues as major topics in trusted news circles moving forward.