A California city official who was fired over some handwritten documents in which she referred to Black people as “tokens” recently spoke out to clarify why the notes were written and how they were taken out of context.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Oakland’s former chief of staff Leigh Hanson was let go from her position this week.
Hanson was hired in 2023 to work under the city’s embattled former mayor, Sheng Thao. Thao was recalled from her mayoral seat last November, but Hanson was allowed to stay on under Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins to help finalize the sale of a local arena.
Hanson said the notes that resulted in her termination were written last year during an anti-recall meeting for how Thao could fight calls for her removal. She specified that the “tokens” note referred to potential strategies the recall effort might adopt to remove Thao from her post, including recruiting Black people to their cause.
In a statement to several local news outlets, Hanson said:
“These handwritten meeting notes record a group discussion that included proposed messaging points that the anti-recall campaign wanted to provide to potential surrogates. They are a specific reference to Seneca Scott, a paid African American political operative, who was hired by the wealthy white funders of the recall campaign to obscure the public’s understanding of the recall’s political origins. It was Mayor Thao and her political team’s belief that this operative’s paid involvement constituted tokenization by the recall’s financier, and Oakland voters had a right to understand this connection. I regret that my short-hand note-taking has been taken out of context on social media and inadvertently harmed close friends, colleagues and members of my community who have been marginalized by our political system. “
She provided further clarity in another statement:
“This was not Thao’s political strategy, it was her observation of her opponent’s tactics. And I was taking notes. This is clear to anyone seeking the truth and is convenient political fodder for others who are using this to their political advantage. Sadly, this is the state of our democratic ecosystem right now.”
Last summer, the FBI raided Thao’s home in connection to a federal corruption investigation that zeroed in on City Hall and an Oakland family that operates the city’s curbside recycling program, The Chronicle reported.
A grand jury criminally indicted Thao on federal bribery charges in January.
The city of Oakland recently released nearly 1,000 documents connected to the FBI probe after media organizations filed public records requests. Hanson had to turn over her daily planner, multiple binders filled with notes, and all written communication to federal agents for their investigation. Her note with the “tokens” reference was among the documents released.
Shortly after Hanson’s firing, Interim Mayor Jenkins announced that he would also be firing several other staff members hired under Thao’s administration.
“I want to thank everyone who is leaving the office for their service,” Jenkins said in a statement, according to KGO. “It has always been our intention to allow our next Mayor to choose their own staff after the April 15 special election. In the meantime, my team and I are laser-focused on preparing the Mayor’s draft budget for on-time release on May 1.”
