Photo IllustrationVol. VI, No. 1,202
—The case file opens with a familiar suspect: the Ford Expedition stolen this week is the very same SUV former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao bought under intense scrutiny in early 2024.
Back then, as wildfires piled up and pressures mounted during Thao’s administration, another unwelcome twist emerged—reports that the City of Oakland had failed to pay for the mayor’s city-issued vehicle. It was one more clue in a string of civic headaches.
The SUV’s troubles didn’t stop there. While assigned to Thao, it was broken into as she attended the premiere of a documentary by Stephen Curry—a night out that ended with shattered glass rather than applause.
When Councilmember Kevin Jenkins stepped in as acting mayor in early 2025, the same Expedition reportedly suffered yet another break-in. Different mayor, same mystery.
And this wasn’t the first time a mayoral SUV seemed cursed.
Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who served from 2011 to 2014, had her own run-ins with fate when her city-issued Lexus SUV was vandalized, its windows smashed.
The plot thickened months later with a far more dramatic episode: Quan crashed into another motorist at a West Oakland intersection. The incident became the talk of the town, fueled by allegations that she was on her cellphone at the time.
One year later, the final chapter—at least legally—arrived when the city settled the motorist’s lawsuit for $15,000. The vehicles changed, the mayors changed, but the mystery of Oakland’s mayoral SUVs rolls on.
—More inside:
CITY NEWS: Theft of Mayor Barbara Lee’s car raises serious concerns about Oakland’s embattled security services vendor.
Fremont police chief hire helped trigger debate for becoming a charter city.
San Leandro councilmember wants council to erase his censure and issue him a formal apology.
The Aussies are coming to Alameda this summer.
ELECTION 2026: Recent CA guv polls, attack ad, shows Swalwell gaining momentum.
