They recalled Oakland’s mayor. Who are they backing now?

Most of the key figures behind the unprecedented recall of Sheng Thao have coalesced behind a favourite candidate within the mayor’s race: Loren Taylor.

For shut observers of Oakland politics, this in all probability isn’t stunning. 

Taylor was a vocal critic of Thao after dropping narrowly to her within the 2022 mayoral election. He personally voiced help for the marketing campaign to recall Thao after the FBI raided her residence in June 2024. And a political advocacy group he created in 2023 endorsed the recall.

Taylor’s stance on the recall units him aside from the one different well-funded candidate operating for mayor within the April particular election, Barbara Lee. The previous congresswoman opposed Thao’s ouster. In October, shortly earlier than the election, Lee called all remembers “undemocratic, pricey, and chaotic.”

The recall garnered help from tens of 1000’s of residents. Now the architects of that marketing campaign are backing Taylor within the mayor’s race. Nevertheless it’s unclear if his marketing campaign will obtain something approaching the extent of monetary help that the recall measure loved. 

Philip Dreyfuss, the Piedmont-based hedge fund supervisor who poured over $500,000 into selling the recall final 12 months, hasn’t spent any money on the mayoral election. 

Revitalize East Bay, a gaggle with shut ties to Taylor that spent a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} on native races final election, put up cash to sponsor a candidate debate final week. Extra not too long ago, Revitalize gave $67,000 to a political committee that has run assault adverts towards Lee.  

We wished a clearer image of how some key figures who supported the recall really feel in regards to the mayor’s race. We spoke with just a few of them, reviewed social media and marketing campaign adverts, and examined marketing campaign finance disclosure kinds. 

We discovered that recall supporters are typically pulling for Taylor however not all the time for a similar causes. Some like his promise to overtake Oakland’s authorities and make it extra environment friendly. Others are rallying round Taylor as a result of they’re against Lee. We additionally discovered a handful of distinguished recall supporters backing Lee. 

Recall leaders largely line up behind Loren Taylor

The 2 principal organizers of the Thao recall — Brenda Harbin-Forte and Seneca Scott — now need to see Taylor in workplace. Neither responded to interview requests for this story, however they’ve made their views clear in social media posts.

“I strongly urge these 86,000 voters who joined me in recalling Thao to once more step up and be part of me in electing you to avoid wasting Oakland,” wrote Harbin-Forte on X in response to a put up from Taylor.

Harbin-Forte, a retired Alameda County Superior Courtroom decide, has additionally criticized Lee. Harbin-Forte not too long ago shared a post on X from an account accusing Lee of staying “SILENT whereas Oakland spiraled into chaos.” In a separate post, she known as Lee “a figurehead, a puppet managed by SEIU and Carol Fife [sic] and the opposite progressives which have destroyed Oakland.” 

Harbin-Forte launched the recall marketing campaign towards Thao in January 2024. The previous decide accused Thao of making a public security disaster by “systematically dismantling” OPD and firing the previous police chief, LeRonne Armstrong. Later that 12 months, Harbin-Forte introduced that she was operating for town legal professional seat being vacated by Barbara Parker. Harbin-Forte misplaced that race to Ryan Richardson, a deputy within the division. 

Harbin-Forte not too long ago appeared in a marketing campaign advert that attacked Lee for “coming in with the identical failed insurance policies” as Sheng Thao. The advert was posted on an internet site known as “Recallers Against Barbara Lee,” which was paid for by an anti-Lee impartial expenditure committee. That committee is principally funded by Ronald Nahas, an actual property developer, and Charlie Freiberg, who works in insurance coverage. 

Seneca Scott, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2022 earlier than rising as a recall chief, initially gave the impression to be tepid towards Taylor’s candidacy. On a podcast earlier this 12 months, Scott stated he in all probability wouldn’t endorse anybody however was ready to see if Taylor “will run arduous.” He added that “we name him Boring Loren” however is a “wise reasonable.”

Scott has proven extra enthusiasm for Taylor in current weeks. On March 8, citing fundraising figures that he stated confirmed Taylor getting extra donations from Oakland residents than Lee, Scott wrote that Taylor is “powered by the folks of Oakland.” In different posts, Scott has known as Lee “a puppet” and accused her of operating for mayor out of “vanity.”

Scott didn’t reply to an e mail or telephone name requesting an interview. 

Scott is a polarizing determine in Oakland politics, and Taylor’s opponents have centered on the candidate’s alleged connection to him. 

Taylor’s critics level to an incident in 2023 when he spoke at a rally that Scott organized in East Oakland. On the time, homophobic statements made by Scott had drawn condemnation from the Alameda County Democratic Get together and LGBTQ teams within the East Bay. When requested why he was nonetheless collaborating within the rally, Taylor instructed The Oaklandside he was there to assist the group discover options to public security issues.

“I’m attending the occasion and accepted the invitation as a result of the main focus is on options which might be actionable and that we will maintain one another accountable to,” Taylor stated on the time. 

In February, town settled a restraining order towards Scott, who had been accused of harassing a homosexual metropolis staffer and disclosing his residence deal with. Since then, Scott has continued to put up his views on LGBTQ folks on social media.

On March 1, Taylor was once more asked about Scott’s anti-LGBTQ statements, and about his association with Scott, at a mayoral discussion board hosted by the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Membership on the Oakland LGTBQ Group Heart. Taylor stated he doesn’t have a relationship with Scott.

“Backside line, Seneca Scott is unstable, he’s poisonous, he’s bringing a variety of vitriol into our public discourse,” Taylor stated on the occasion. “I’m not supportive of that, I’ve stood agency towards that. When I’ve been requested, that’s what I’ve stated, and I’ll proceed to make that denunciation of the behaviors, the actions, and issues which might be there.” 

Different distinguished pro-recall voices are backing Taylor

Taylor declined an interview for this story however offered an announcement on recall backers favoring his candidacy.

“It is just logical that supporters of recalling Sheng Thao wouldn’t help Barbara Lee who stood towards the recall and wished to maintain her in workplace,” he stated.

His marketing campaign additionally despatched us a photograph of a billboard advert it funded that criticizes Lee’s opposition to the recall. “Barbara Lee: Unsuitable then. Unsuitable now,” the billboard says, urging folks to vote for Taylor.

Taylor can also be receiving help from one of many leaders within the recall marketing campaign towards Alameda County District Lawyer Pamela Value. 

Earlier this month, Brenda Grisham, a victims’ rights advocate who led the Value recall, arrange a committee known as “Oakland Neighbors, Companies & Public Security Advocates for Loren Taylor.” This committee has spent cash to create a website attacking Lee. 

Grisham instructed The Oaklandside she’s backing Taylor as a result of he has a variety of plans for public security. She attended a digital assembly with Taylor and another residents the place she was impressed by how he responded to residents. 

“He didn’t waver from answering questions,” Grisham stated, including that when Taylor was criticized for issues he did on the Metropolis Council, “he simply stated he’s going to do higher.” 

Grisham stated she doesn’t have something towards Lee however doesn’t really feel the previous member of Congress is aware of sufficient in regards to the inside workings of Oakland’s authorities.

One other distinguished supporter of the remembers towards Thao and Value, public relations specialist Sam Singer, is now pulling for Taylor. On social media final 12 months, Singer blasted the previous mayor over her dealing with of crime and called for her elimination. Singer additionally does communications work for the Oakland Police Officers Affiliation, which demanded Thao’s resignation and supported the recall. 

In current weeks, Singer has urged folks to vote for Taylor and reposted accounts criticizing Lee. 

Singer instructed The Oaklandside in an e mail that OPOA’s government board is interviewing mayoral candidates and can seemingly have an endorsement within the close to future. And he stated he’s personally supporting Taylor. 

“He was cheated, as was the Metropolis of Oakland, of the mayorship by the last-minute shenanigans of Sheng Thao and her supporters,” Singer wrote. Taylor misplaced to Thao by 677 votes — a margin that Taylor and others have introduced up repeatedly. “Oakland wants a wise, youthful, and dynamic chief. Loren Taylor is that particular person. Barbara Lee is previous her shelf life.” 

Bilen Mesfin, a spokesperson for Barbara Lee, instructed The Oaklandside that Lee has help from folks on either side of the recall challenge. Lee has acquired endorsements from a number of distinguished Oaklanders who known as for Thao’s elimination from workplace, together with former Mayor Libby Schaaf and former political candidate and businessman Derreck Johnson. 

“I don’t assume Barbara Lee is somebody you may say isn’t centered on bringing folks collectively from totally different sides of any challenge to work collectively on powerful points that Oakland is going through,” Mesfin stated. 

The large monetary backer of Thao’s recall has stored quiet

Thao’s recall was virtually single-handedly funded by one particular person: Philip Dreyfuss, a Piedmont-based hedge fund supervisor who works for Farallon Capital. Dreyfuss bankrolled the recall by way of a political committee known as Foundational Oakland Unites, personally funneling $510,000 into the marketing campaign — over 80% of the whole cash raised to oust the mayor.

Dreyfuss received his want, so who does he need to see as mayor? 

The quick reply is we don’t know. Dreyfuss’ committee, Foundational, has not reported elevating or spending any cash within the particular election. 

Dreyfuss has by no means spoken publicly about why he paid for Thao’s recall. We have now reached out to him a number of occasions in search of an interview, however he has not responded.

One other Piedmont resident who helped run the pro-recall political committee funded by Dreyfuss is Chris Moore, a vocal Taylor supporter. Moore has additionally shared posts criticizing Lee’s economic policies and urged folks to donate to an independent expenditure committee supporting Taylor.

Len Raphael, the previous treasurer of Dreyfuss’ pro-recall committee and a former Metropolis Council candidate, can also be supporting Taylor.

“Taylor has a significantly better deal with on the truth of Oakland’s funds, and on the truth of crime on the streets and find out how to repair it,” Raphael stated in an interview earlier this month, although he stated he’d prefer to see Taylor appoint Lee to a place the place she may entice non-public donors for metropolis applications.

Dreyfuss has additionally paid some distinguished supporters of Taylor by way of his political committee’s spending. 

Final 12 months, Dreyfuss gave $124,500 to a marketing campaign known as “Coalition to Reclaim Oakland,” whose goal is to repeal ranked-choice voting. Based on marketing campaign disclosure kinds, the one that runs this committee is Pamela Ferran — Loren Taylor’s former chief of workers, who’s presently engaged on his marketing campaign. Final 12 months, the Coalition to Reclaim Oakland paid $15,000 for skilled providers from an organization Ferran owns known as Taurus Advocacy LLC.

The Coalition committee additionally paid Seneca Scott $8,000 for consulting providers.  

Taylor is endorsed by the political group he based, Empower Oakland

Taylor can also be getting institutional backing from a corporation he created: Empower Oakland. 

Taylor launched Empower in September 2023 and billed it as a solution to affect Metropolis Corridor and encourage residents to get politically concerned. Within the final election, Empower endorsed candidates and poll measures, together with former police chief LeRonne Armstrong and Warren Logan for Metropolis Council, and John Bauters for supervisor. Empower additionally endorsed the remembers of Sheng Thao and District Lawyer Pamela Value.

Empower boasts that it largely depends on volunteers, with its endorsement work dealt with by a small committee. The group has acquired a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars}, together with from the leaders of main Bay Space tech firms. 

Empower’s endorsement committee supported the recall of Thao, writing, “Public security has deteriorated, she has proven no dedication to addressing Oakland’s structural deficit and the FBI raid of her residence — an occasion that shook town — solid much more doubt on her skill to successfully lead.”

Taylor was a member of Empower’s endorsement committee together with Trishala Vinnakota, who’s now his marketing campaign supervisor. Taylor stepped away from Empower in July 2024 to run for mayor, handing the management over to tech executive Gagan Biyani. Biyani is the co-founder of two schooling tech platforms, Maven and Udemy.

Final month, Empower endorsed Taylor for mayor, calling him the “most ready candidate” and “the one one championing widespread sense, sensible concepts to enhance our metropolis.”

Biyani, Empower’s digital director, instructed The Oaklandside that Taylor had no function within the group’s endorsement course of. Whereas acknowledging that he and Empower have a “proclivity” for Taylor, Biyani stated the group is impartial of its founder. 

“We did run a full course of — we learn everybody’s questionnaires, we interviewed the highest two candidates, and we very significantly thought of what Barbara Lee needed to say,” Biyani stated. 

He famous some similarities between Taylor’s platform and Lee’s. At a current debate cosponsored by Empower, Taylor and Lee each expressed help for revising Oakland’s police pursuit coverage. In addition they agreed that the choice to couple Oakland’s finances to the sale of the Coliseum was a nasty thought. (See extra comparisons between Taylor and Lee’s platforms in our breakdown.)

However Biyani stated he believes Taylor has extra expertise dealing with Oakland’s points. “I simply imagine that Loren has been speaking about this a lot longer and goes to be a lot simpler at hitting the bottom operating,” Biyani stated. 

One different influential group that was very lively in DA Value’s recall and the November election has solely not too long ago jumped in to help Taylor. The committee Revitalize East Bay, which was arrange by native actual property investor Isaac Abid, raised and spent a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} to efficiently oust Value. Abid additionally served final 12 months on Empower’s endorsement committee, which supported the DA and mayoral recall campaigns. He’s additionally on Empower’s committee, which endorsed Taylor just some weeks in the past. 

Revitalize not too long ago gave $67,000 to a political committee that has run assault adverts towards Lee. A few the committee’s high-dollar donors — Ryan Graciano, cofounder of Credit score Karma, and Ilya Sukhar, a enterprise capitalist — have made direct contributions to Taylor’s marketing campaign. 

And Revitalize additionally give $22,500 to a brand-new political group known as Black Motion Alliance, which cosponsored a mayoral debate with Empower on March 11. 

Abid instructed The Oaklandside he was unavailable for an interview. 

Thao’s recall drew {dollars}. This mayor’s race? Not a lot

Will Taylor have the ability to capitalize on the success of the recall to bolster his marketing campaign? Whereas he’s receiving monetary help, it’s not the massive {dollars} that Thao’s ouster drew — nor are the funds as plentiful as these raised by his and Thao’s 2022 mayoral campaigns.

Taylor has raised over $310,000 in direct marketing campaign contributions as of March 1, whereas Lee has raised $293,000, in line with marketing campaign filings. Impartial expenditures are additionally supporting Lee to the tune of roughly $385,000 to date, and Taylor with over $141,000. 

Whereas these figures are substantial, they pale compared to the roughly $620,000 spent to recall Thao, and to the quantities raised by unions to again Thao in 2022.

Going by the cash alone, the marketing campaign is shaping up as one thing of an anticlimax to a transformative 12 months in Oakland politics. This may be because of the very nature of the election. 

As a result of particular elections occur in off-years and have few big-ticket gadgets on the poll, they have a tendency to draw a lot much less consideration. Voters had a lot of causes to make a visit to the polls in November, when the poll was filled with consequential questions, like whom to elect as president. The April 15 poll may have solely two or three gadgets, relying on the place you reside in Oakland, and the mid-spring Election Day might not be on everybody’s minds. 

In contrast, within the months main as much as the November 2024 election, voters couldn’t ignore the query of whether or not or to not recall Thao.

“The rationale the remembers have been so profitable is it was pushed in folks’s faces by TV reporters and the information,” stated Raphael, the previous recall committee officer. “You don’t see that type of drama on this race. Strolling round, I don’t see zillions of indicators for both candidate in folks’s yards.”