The Oakland mayor’s chief of staff was fired yesterday (Sunday) following the media release of a handwritten note that contained a controversial reference about African Americans before last year’s recall election.
Leigh Hansen was a holdover from ousted Mayor Sheng Thao’s staff.
The Oaklandside reports that Hanson wrote the note during a March 2024 meeting of people supporting Thao in her defense against a recall campaign. The notation contained the phrase: “Use BP as tokens,” with BP standing for Black people.
The note was revealed in the latest release of thousands of documents related to the FBI investigation into alleged corruption by her former boss. Hansen made a statement shared by NBC Bay Area arguing her note was taken out of context on social media.
Hansen had been a key member of Thao's administration, taking an active role in the city’s negotiations over the fate of the Oakland Coliseum.
