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Texts Show Newsom’s Office Pressed Oakland to Address Encampment Outside Marshawn Lynch’s Family Home

Newly released texts from an FBI-related records trove show political access influencing how Oakland handles encampment complaints.

Overview

  • Newly released messages confirm the governor’s staff asked Oakland leaders in 2024 to resolve a small encampment outside the NFL star’s family home.
  • A May 28, 2024 text from then–Mayor Sheng Thao’s chief of staff, obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, relayed the Governor’s request for a “timely” fix.
  • City administrators discussed on June 7 using Animal Services and an emergency fire closure that would bypass the 72-hour notice usually required before removals.
  • Oakland officials say the pressure did not trigger a fast clearance, and by August 2024 the RVs and cars left on their own for nearby state-run lots.
  • The texts were released as part of records tied to an FBI subpoena in the Thao probe, and the trove also exposed crude messages that led a top city administrator to resign.