Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's home raided by FBI and woo hoo, it's interesting

Sheng Thao is the former mayor of Oakland, California (2023–2024), the first Hmong American to lead a major U.S. city. She was narrowly elected in 2022, recalled by voters in 2024 amid crime concerns and other issues, and faces an ongoing federal bribery and corruption case with a trial scheduled for October 2026.

Background and rise to office

Thao was born in 1985 in Stockton, California, the daughter of Hmong refugees who fled Laos. She grew up in poverty, experienced domestic violence, and was homeless for a time in her early 20s (including living in her car with her infant son). She later earned degrees from Merritt College and UC Berkeley.

She worked as a staffer for Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan, then won election to the Oakland City Council (District 4) in 2018—the first Hmong American on the council. She served as president pro tem. In November 2022, she narrowly defeated fellow councilmember Loren Taylor in a ranked-choice mayoral race (by roughly 682 votes) and took office in January 2023 as Oakland’s 51st mayor. She emphasized addressing crime, homelessness, and affordable housing, with goals including building tens of thousands of new housing units.

Mayoral tenure and recall

Her time in office was turbulent. Early on, she fired Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. The city faced ongoing challenges with crime, business closures, homelessness, and budget issues (including deficits). Crime later declined in some metrics, and she pointed to efforts on housing, violence prevention (including a ceasefire strategy), 911 improvements, and other initiatives.

A recall campaign gained traction, driven by frustration over public safety and questions about her leadership. The Oakland police union called for her resignation. On November 5, 2024, voters approved the recall with about 60.6% in favor—the first successful mayoral recall in Oakland history. She left office in mid-December 2024 after results were certified.

Federal investigation and charges

In June 2024 (shortly after the recall petition was certified), the FBI raided Thao’s home as part of a corruption probe. In January 2025, a federal grand jury indicted her, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and father-son businessmen David and Andy Duong (associated with California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s recycling contractor, and related housing ventures such as Evolutionary Homes).

Prosecutors describe an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme. They claim that around the 2022 election and afterward, the Duongs provided campaign support (including financing roughly $75,000 in negative mailers against Thao’s opponents) and payments to Jones for a “no-show” job (about $95,000 of a promised larger amount), in exchange for Thao using her influence to help their businesses—such as with recycling contracts, city purchases of modular/container housing, favorable appointments, and other favors. Additional allegations in court filings have included claims of sharing sensitive information, creating fake employment records, and other actions.

All four defendants pleaded not guilty. Related figures, including political operative Mario Juarez (a key alleged participant/informant) and former San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, have pleaded guilty in connected matters and are expected to be witnesses. Prosecutors have listed dozens of potential witnesses (including city staff, officials, and others).

Recent developments (as of August 2026)

The case remains active with a jury trial set to begin around October 19, 2026 (jury selection earlier that month). On August 14, 2026, Thao appeared in federal court in Oakland for a pretrial motions hearing. New court records include allegations that she pressured the Duongs to pay about $10,000 to a reporter’s associate to suppress a potential story about alleged drug use and sexual conduct during a 2023 Vietnam trip funded by California Waste Solutions. Prosecutors also reference claims involving secret recordings or materials of politicians held by one of the businessmen. Defense teams have sought to exclude various evidence; the judge is reviewing those issues.

Thao has maintained her innocence through counsel. The case is being closely watched in the Bay Area as it involves local politics, city contracts, and allegations of influence-peddling.

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Farley’s East cafe in Oakland blocked Jewish woman from using bathroom, now apologizes

Tough guy's pronouns: she/it.  Woman's pronouns: OMG Covid/Covid

A cafe in Oakland, California made the news when three woke workers intimidated and blocked a Jewish paying customer from using the bathroom, possibly because its walls were filled with anti-Semitic slogans.

A tough male worker with bandy arms crossed, accused her of wanting to use the bathroom because “Israel loves taking private property and saying it’s their own," which makes no sense, and it wasn't his cafe in the first place.

They blocked the woman’s path at Farley’s East in Oakland. Remember that name if you're from Oakland or plan to go there to hang with the homeless and play hopscotch with the street turds.

“I want to go in the restroom,” the distressed Jewish woman says to the staff as she video records them.

The woman says she “was a patron here and I have a right to go into the restroom.”

But the man replies: “And we have a right to refuse service.”

Actually no. If they were willing to accept her money for their goods, she has the right to use the restroom if it's for paying customers; otherwise that's discrimination, and in this case, a hate crime.

The woman declines the use of a neighboring business’ bathroom when an employee says she can use it.

“No, I want to use this one. I should not be excluded and other people allowed,” she says.

But they were likely worried that the neo-Nazi scribblings on the walls would bring trouble, or else they just hate Jews, or both.

Addressing the employees blocking her way, she says: “If you agree with [the graffiti], why are you afraid that I will take a picture of it?”

“Oh, actually, great — please” the male worker says when she pushes her way in. He was obviously afraid to get into a physical altercation at the chance he might lose.

She films messages including “Zionism = Fascism,” “Your neutrality/apathy is enabling genocide” and “Free Palestine.”

“History didn’t start in 1948, lady,” the male worker says.

He's correct, History didn't start in 1948, and it certainly didn't start in 1988, when Palestine was declared Palestine. Israel started thousands of years ago and was the home of the Jews back then and returned to them in 1948.

Oakland, CA - 3 antisemitic employees at Farley's East coffee house (33 Grand Ave.) are filmed denying a Jewish woman's access to a bathroom after she complained that it was filled with antisemitic graffiti.

After FINALLY allowing her inside the restroom, the employees start… pic.twitter.com/t3rFMyRIDH— nycphotog (@nycphotog)

“Free Palestine. Now, please leave,” a female worker says. “Free Palestine,” she/it man also says.

Yes, these idiots are products of our colleges and universities and have been taught Islamic-style history.

Marc Levine, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Central Pacific, said: “It is sickening to watch Farley's East staff reinforce anti-Israel graffiti scrawled in their restroom and block a customer's access to the restroom all while verbally abusing her.

"Jews everywhere are facing vitriol, harassment, and pure hatred simply for being Jewish and supporting Israel's right to exist. It must stop.

“Farley's East management apologised and committed to staff training so this egregious behaviour never reoccurs. This is the least any business can and should do. ADL offers Farley's our workplace antisemitism resources.”

Farley’s East eventually offered a “sincere apology” after the video went viral, and said it does not support the “hate speech” written in the bathroom, and please come and spend your money. 

“As context, hate speech graffiti was written in our bathroom. We do not support hate speech; this does not reflect our values [although it's obviously not completely true].

“After a customer used the bathroom and wished to return to document the graffiti, they were initially denied access and then allowed to enter the bathroom to film the graffiti. We apologise for this error and the distress caused to the customer.

“We’re committed to ongoing staff training for a safe and welcoming environment. Thank you for understanding that we are a small business doing our best to operate a community business in a difficult environment.”

Principles take a backseat to money and anti-Semitism in all forms, sucks like their coffee shop.

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California Hypocrisy Alert: electric scooters dumped in lake, fish die

Oakland, California -- Woke tofu-eating vegans have some 'splainin' to do.

Environmentally friendly electric scooters are not so environmentally friendly when they are dumped in lakes. That is about as funny, ironic and hypocritical as it gets.

As they become less desirable the cheap mode of transportation that was designed for those who want a "green" earth, have been the source of "yucky" earth, or should I say 'lakes.' Now we're talking real pollution, baby.

This past October, cleanup crews at Oakland's Lake Merritt fished out 60 environmentally friendly, once upon a time, according to James Robinson, the Executive Director of Lake Merritt Institute, as reported by Fox News.

"We've been having a fair amount of the e-scooters come into the lake or thrown into the lake rather," he told KTVU. "These can be very damaging to our marine environment because they're not natural things that go into the lake.”

Fish cannot ride electric scooters and gas scooters are a joke.

Robinson is concerned that the damage is coming from the batteries in scooters, operated by both Lime and Bird scooter companies.

Chariots of dorks

Robinson took photos and the scooters appear to be from those two companies. He reported the situation to Lime and Bird but only Lime has sent employees to remove them.

With a company named 'Bird' you can imagine what Robinson wanted to flip at them.

So tell us how to live, residents of California. Tell us how important saving the environment is to all of you fine vegans and yoga mat shleppers. 

But it isn't only Californians who are liberal hypocrites. In Portland, activists created a blog called "Scooters in the River PDX" that documents how many e-scooters are dumped into the Willamette River-- 17 as of this writing.

Freaking hypocrites!

If you ride an electric scooter and you don't pollute lakes and you aren't a hypocrite, then you are not a dork.

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Arrest made in Oakland apartment fire

Faheem Bey, [aka: Dustin Bellinger] a guy with ties to the infamous "Your Black Muslim Bakery" has been arrested last week for starting the Oakland apartment fire in the East Bay.

Bey was booked for conspiracy. He has ties to the Bey family "Your Black Muslim Bakery" in the Bay area.

Faheem Bey – Who Has Ties to the Infamous ‘Your Black Muslim Bakery’ – Is Arrested for Oakland Apartment Fire.

At least one member of the "Your Black Muslim Bakery" was sentenced for murder of an Oakland journalist investigating criminal activity of the Bey family.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported:

Dustin Bellinger, 45, who also uses the name Faheem Bey, was arrested around 7 p.m. Tuesday in Oakland, according to Alameda County jail records.

The U.S. Attorney's Office charged him with one felony count of maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive--a charge that carries a penalty of 5 to 20 years in prison.

But wait, there's more about Bellinger and his wonderful bakery.

Bellinger, a self-employed handyman and part-time construction worker from Oakland, has previous convictions for serious crimes, including kidnapping and second-degree robbery. He was sentenced to 11 years and nine years in state prison for each crime respectively, according to court records.

Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives linked Bellinger to an intentionally set fire that burned itself out inside the under-construction Hollis Oak apartments along Peralta Street near the Oakland-Emeryville border in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, according to a federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

So the Bay's Beh will soon be on his way to court. Nice family.

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ICE chief: Oakland mayor helped criminal illegals escape

Northern California -- More than 850 illegal immigrants were able to elude deportation officers this week. The head of the deportation force on Tuesday blamed Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for helping some of them escape.

Over 150 illegal migrants were rounded up in the operation, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and half of them had criminal convictions, according to ICE.

One arrest was of a 38-year-old Mexican Sureno gang member who had been deported four previous times. Others had been convicted of domestic violence, drunken driving, and weapons possession.

According to ICE, 864 criminals are being sought and remain at large in the Oakland and San Francisco region.

Mayor Schaaf issued a very public warning to the community that ICE was making arrests, which is a violation of the law and puts ICE officers in grave danger. Her reasoning is that she wanted to make the criminals aware the law was coming and to take needed steps to protect themselves from them.

By allowing criminals to escape, Schaaf also put her community at risk, and Thomas Homan, top ICE official, isn't happy about it.

"I have to believe that some of them were able to elude us thanks to the mayor's irresponsible decision," Homan said.

One of the scumwafers who got away was a Honduran who was arrested for transporting cocaine and for having sex with a child under 16. Another was a Mexican with drug and firearms convictions. Both had been in police custody before but authorities refused to hold them for pickup by ICE, the agency said. Both had been deported multiple times but were able to sneak back into the country as there is no wall to stop them.

Schaaf said she had an obligation to protect the city's residents, "particularly our most vulnerable." Evidently she hasn't a clue who the most vulnerable are--the unarmed citizens, children and elderly who frequently fall victim to these criminals.

Of course, Schaaf is a Democrat. 

Hopefully nobody will fall victim to these criminals and that Ms. Schaaf will be tried criminally for her interfering with law enforcement.


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