Overview

• Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins confirmed the firing of Chief of Staff Leigh Hanson after a handwritten note surfaced in which she referred to Black people as 'tokens.'
• Hanson stated the note, written during an anti-recall meeting under former Mayor Sheng Thao, was taken out of context and referenced strategic messaging regarding political operatives.
• The dismissal follows the release of nearly 1,000 documents tied to an FBI investigation into former Mayor Sheng Thao, who faces bribery charges.
• Jenkins also terminated several other staffers linked to Thao, citing preparations for the upcoming mayoral transition after the April 15 special election.
• Community organizations, including the NAACP, criticized Hanson’s note as tokenizing language and called for accountability in Oakland’s political leadership.