mayor sheng thao's response. she maintains she fired the chief not because of the original investigation but instead because of armstrong's . her office saying in a statement today, quote, the mayor repeatedly said that she believes is critically important opd leadership is held to the same sta of conduct as we expect of our officers. mr. armstrong failed to uphold that standard and lost the confidence of mayor thao. joining us now is leronne armstrong. leronne, nice to have you on the program. you're a hometown guy. you're part of this whole mess in oakland. is this a low point for you, not just personally but for the city itself? >> yeah, i think it's a low point. i think obviously the crime that we've seen increase in the city of oakland has made it challenging for everybody in the city of oakland. and i take this job 25 years ago to serve oakland and help make oakland a safer city. and today i feel bad that i'm not at the helm of the oakland police department, being a part of trying to make oakland safe. >> m

joining us now is oakland mayor sheng thao. mayor thao, nice to have you back on the program. in many ways, i wish we could have had a joint interview, you, john fisher, and me. the a's say they've submitted the formal relocation application to major league baseball. presuming that's true, are you now losing hope that the a's will leave oakland? >> i'm never going to lose hope until there is a shovel in the ground. we hear from the oakland a's all the time around we have all these plans, we submitted this and that, and nothing really comes to fruition. so i'm still going to go ahead and keep that hope, and not just that, but continue to work really hard with just not myself. i'll be working with the fans and other stakeholders to really push for mlb to do the right thing. and the right thing is to keep the a's here in oakland, with or without the current owner. >> john fisher was very blunt. he told me he wants to lve oakland because of the money. he said it straight up. i'm going to quote here. "iel the pressure from the collective bargain agreement. we had been working with

joining us now is oakland mayor sheng thao. mayor thao, nice to have you back on the program. i know you agree with me on this. money should be coming to oakland, but some department drops the ball. is this emblematic of how the city is run? >> you know, that is a question for the city administrator, and he is open to answering that. we are having internal conversations as well to ensure that this doesn't happen again, but i would definitely urge you to reach out to the city administrator's office. >> you get the frustration, though. people saying, okay, go to this person, go to that person. just the frustration of millions of dollars that could be coming to your city. >> i hear the frustration. again, you know, we are having those very tough conversations internally. the city administrator manages the whole city -- all the departments, and so he would be the key person to actually connect with around information around this topic. >> is it safe to say that changes will be made? >> there's definitely going to be some changes made to ensure that this doesn't ever happen again,

. >> the following month thao fired him dispute community opposition. the city has been without a permanent police chief ever since. >> this evening former chief armstrong said he's been vindicated and should never been fired in the first place. our john ramos has more on the independent report and the mayor not conceding a thing. >> reporter: in the ongoing saga of the fired oakland police chief, leronne armstrong revealed a report from an appeals hearing that he says completely vindicates him, but the mayor who fired him says she's seen nothing that would make her change her decision. all along leronne armstrong said he felt he needed to clear his name after being fired by oakland mayor sheng thao based on a critical report coming from the police department's court-appointed monitor, but armstrong demanded an administrative hearing and his attorney says the final report shows he did nothing wrong. >> at a very high level that report concludes that, number one, the chief never should have been disciplined. there's no factual basis for the discipline th

the search for a new chief has now turned into a war of words. >> oakland's mayor sheng thao and the city's police commission continue to trade barbs over the search for a police chief. no good chief in this nation is a kind of want to come into work in partnership police commission that cannot get their act together. mayor thao says she wants 3 finalists presented to her by the commission by the end of this year or she will declare a state of emergency for earlier this week, the commission blasted the mayor for firing former chief leronne armstrong without a plan and for using the commission as a scapegoat for rising concerns about public safety. this has been an ongoing issue even prior to me coming in. >> you know, the infighting within the police commission and the hostility amongst it's it's no secret anybody. the back and forth between the mayor and the commission is happening as police data shows crime is up. >> 28% overall this year compared to the same period last year and violent crime is up 17% kron. 4 legal expert michael cardoza says the mayor needs to get better and wor

however, mayor thao said it wasn't the actual investigation that led her to firearm strong. >> it was mr. armstrong's actions following the release and i have always been clear about this of the report that led to his termination. my administration is completely focused on continuing to reform opd, delivering the community safety services oakland needs and deserves right now and finally bringing the city out of this federal oversight. the vast majority of oaklanders know this is not about any one person and i'm not going to be distracted from the real work we need to actually do. >> mayor thao said those other issues are rising violence and property theft, saying opd and u.s. marshals have recently arrested more than 130 fugitives wanted for crimes in the city. >> we are committed to doing this ongoing work and really pay attention to how we can move forward to keep oakland safe in this moment right now. >> mayor thao says she is waiting on a list of recommendations for a new police chief from the city's police commission, but stresses whoever is hired must help get the department out

original report which ultimately led to mayor thao firing armstrong. so as of now, we here at kron 4 have not seen that report. but mayor thao has responded saying, quote, it is important that we remember the context. we're in the process of determining whether an officer committed a hit and run and failed to report it and whether opd failed to rigorously investigate it before he had seen the full report much less the underlying evidence while he was still the chief of police, mister armstrong immediately dismissed the allegations as mistakes and not systematic problems and insisted the officer had already been held accountable. my decision was based on mister armstrong's need response to the outside investigators report and the poor judgment in revealed not on the report itself. and while the law prevents me from publicly discussing the details of the report, neither my administration or the federal court agree with mister armstrong that the findings could be written off as the stakes. she did finish off by saying that, although firing armstrong was a

oakland mayor sheng thao said the fighting them and the police commissioner's is a sign of them beingysfunctional. judge hard for today. views it differently. you know, look at our federal government over the senate. >> look at the house of representatives. and if the city council people have different not necessarily just functional, but these are. important issues. >> has it made you cry on for news? >> there's ongoing grappling, you know, with crime and the search for the new police chief in oakland kron 4 stephanie lin spoke with mayor sheng thao earlier today about that. stephanie, what did you learn in that conversation? >> well, grant, it is no secret. the city of oakland has a serious crime issue. as we just heard dune reporting on and we were reminded of that this week, right? 200 small business owners shut their doors to protest retail crime on tuesday. target is leaving and police data shows car thefts are skyrocketing. 10,000 car thefts so far there this year. so i asked the mayor, is she here in the concerns of her community? >> know, i'm equally frustrated as well my on

oakland has not had a permanent chief in seven months since mayor sheng thao fired the last one.mayor sheng thao said she will declare a state of emergency if the police commission doesn't find three reasonable candidates for which she can hire a permanent chief by the end of the year. she says the commission is not doing its job. the commission chair called this political theater. part of the statement reads, the mayor dismissed the former chief without a plan and pre-empted the commission's ability to review the investigation's report, and after the chief's dismissal, the mayor only gave the commission a list of search consultants in may. and after mayor sheng thao fired chief armstrong, and then years before was the revolving door, and armstrong replaced sean whent after four years, and chief howard jordan spent two years before stepping down for health reasons, and then chief batts left over police reforms, and then there were three interim chiefs that served just days before they were said to be unfit. nbc bay area investigative reporter, kenneth nguyen, found oakland had ov

he was appointed by mayor sheng thao on march 4th. now we will continue to follow if this mission, this commission plans to recommend the mayor to consider armstrong as candidate for chief. but that's still very much in the air at this time. i'm sara stinson reporting the newsroom. back to you. thank you, sarah. well, the absence of a chief. >> has many blaming it as a reason for the rise in violent crime in oakland, the latest victim, a mother of 2 who was struck by a stray bullet inside her own home. police say those shots came from a it was a fight near 38th avenue and masterson street. happened late friday night in the laurel neighborhood. the mother was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died. police have been people rather dropping flowers off of the family's home to show their support. the council member who represents that district tells us she's been working closely with police on better ways to protect people. >> horrified. i know there's a crime wave going on oakland and the fact that it's spreading too not just at

i talked with mayor thao today during kron 4 news at noon. she told me she has to wait for the police commission to make their recommendations to her before she can hire anyone. and for the first time the mayor expressed her frustration with this process and talked about what she might have to do if things don't change and soon. >> i'm frustrated. i'm frustrated that the process is taking very long. and so if this doesn't actually come to fruition so that we can get our chief, then i will be forced. i will be forced to actually activate my executive powers around in a a state of emergency to ensure that we do get a chief in a timely manner. if if the police commission do its job. however, i do want to make sure that they get an to follow the rule of the charter. but this is taking way too long at this point. >> the commission did hold several community forms, looking for him, punched him, put this month and is also seeking feedback through online surveys. i'm live in the newsroom. justine waltman back to you. vicki, thank you. justine. happen

. >>> mayor sheng thao is defending her choice to fire leronne armstrong. this comes after a report found inaccuracies in the investigation that led to armstrong's firing, recommending the mayor consider reinstating him. it wasn't the report , the mayor insists , that resulted in the firing but the response to it. the report does not change anything in her eyes. >> my administration is focused on delivering the services that the oakland community needs right here and right now. the vast majority of oakland there's no this is not about any one person. i will not be distracted from the work that we need to do. >> according to mayor sheng thao , those issues are property crimes and the rise in violence. the city has been working with u.s. marshals, recently helping to arrest 330 people wanted for crimes in oakland. >> we are committed to doing the ongoing work and paying attention to how we can move forward to keep oakland a safe in this moment right now. >> as for the search for a new police chief, mayor sheng thao said she is waiting on a list of recommendat

>> today on kron 4 news at noon we talk with mayor sheng thao. she explained why her insistence on declaring a state of emergency now is different from what the oakland naacp has asked for. >> the call for this emergency a certain group of people was me to so that i could go get more resources the ceo of mayor of the city of oakland. i've already done that. and so the state of emergency that i'm calling for is really so that we can actually move forward with finding a new police chief. you know, i'm getting the resources from the state we have done that. we've seen that again. the governor is giving us 6 chp officers. plus one sergeant. we're going to ask him for more resources out him because the chp, again, 1.2 million dollars from the state as well for 300 cameras that are going to go. what's support our great officers who are doing great work day in and day out to give them some capacity. but if i don't get that 3 top names by the end of the year from the police commission, i will be calling a state of emergency around that. >> the police com

joining us live again is oakland mayor sheng thao.ajor mayor, thank you so much for being here with us today. absolutely. thank you for having me. mayor. you took office back in january and to be fair, you inherited a city already seeing a huge surge in crime data from your police department shows homicides and assaults. they hit a peak back in 2021. but that said auto theft and robbery numbers surge this year. what specifically are you doing right now to get the city back on track? >> absolutely. this is something that has been inherited. and let's be very clear that the crime in the kind of brazenness, this is little bit new, right? and so we are shifting gears as well to just as seeing that the brazenness is out there you know, when it comes to car bit thing, you know, breaking windows, the of burglaries or what have you. i am sick of it and the community sick of it and we will not stand for 8. this is why the governor's office and i'm so thankful to governor newsom are really showing up for the city of oakland. what he has done is

the police commission seems to think that mayor thao should give chief armstrong his job back.re asking about the direction that the police department should go in. >> reporter: this oakland resident spoke before the oakland police commission on monday in support of former chief leronne armstrong and made it clear with her sweatshirt. >> it was not feeling that there was something connected with the community and having the ability to understand the personal issues. >> reporter: she reacted to the word of a new report that included the chief's appeal and said that it lacked evidence. mayor sheng thao fired armstrong after a report about a federal monitor. >> i read this document, this so-called document that falsely accused armstrong of dereliction of duty. just a layperson like myself, this was an opinion and criticism of the chief. >> reporter: the new report cannot force the chief's reinstatement but the police commission's chair said since the chief should not have been fired to begin with, she is placing it on the agenda for the next regular meeting and recommending to the

new this midday, we have a new statement from mayor thao herself. >> nbc bay area's bob redell is insroom. what is the mayor saying in the statement? >> this stems from her concerns over the city's crime rate and responses to 911 calls and the recruitment of police officers and the city oakland still does not have a permanent police chief. within the past 90 minutes oakland mayor zheng thao released a statement t reads, our city deserveses a police chief that can get to work. it the responsibility of the police commission to conduct a search and commendinalts and if they cannot do that by the end of the year, then i will have no choice, but to declare an emergency to move forward. this is a live look from oakland where the mayor is set to speak for an unrelated topic. they have an unprecedented threat. oakland has had eight police chiefs over the last 14 years and has not had a permanent chief in seven months and this is after the mayor fired chief laronne armstrong and she was fired after three years without cause and in 2016, the department went from three police chiefs in nine day

chief mayor sheng thao is dhreat to declare state of emergency.the new chief isn't selected by the end of the year, it's a threat that the commission is calling political theater kron four's dance or live for us in the newsroom tonight with the story. dan, can the city has been without a permanent police chief since mayor thao. >> fired the ron armstrong back in february. the vacancies become a major topic is community organizations, including the naacp, say crime has gotten worse because of that firing. the search for a new chief has now turned into a war of words. >> the city that continues to without a police chief for 7 months. but oakland's mayor sheng thao says she can't do her job without the police commission doing. there's no good chief in this nation is a kind of want to come and work in partnership police commission that cannot get their act together. mayor thao says she wants 3 finalists presented to her by the commission by the end of this year or she will declare a state of emergency. the mayor tells kron 4, it's been difficult worki

mayor sheng thao has been ignoring the questions about this for months, but she took to a podium and announced the city is investing millions to bring oakland's 911 answering times down. >> i'm extremely happy to announce that, thanks to additional revenues collected this year, we are able to direct an additional $2.5 million over the next two years to strengthen our 911 response. >> reporter: she was joined by the city administrator and city council members to make this announcement, $2.5 million into the 911 system over the next two years. oakland's long answering times are unacceptable and have been crippled we the budget. just yesterday our investigative unit told you oakland had more than 50,000 abandoned 911 calls last year, double from the year before. those are emergency call where is someone just hangs up after no one answers on the other line. we've talked to people who have gotten busy signals or were on hold up to ten minutes. state data shows oakland has the second worst 911 answering time in the state. now, here's council member nikki fortunato bas talking about what it

and coming up live here on the program, mayor sheng thao joins us for discussion on crime in the city. stay tuned for that. and public safety took center stage at a community meeting in piedmont as kron four's. dan thorn reports residents met face-to-face with police. >> a public safety town hall in piedmont hope to put a spotlight on the city's crime. residents listening to the police chief will also voicing their concerns wednesday night. this is a historically a safe community. it still is a safe community. but you know, we're not we're not in a bubble. piedmont police chief jeremy bowers says there's been 10 robberies in the city so far this year. the chief also revealed crime stats showing assault vehicle, theft and larceny thefts have all jumped substantially over the last 3 years. sari kaplan, who has a young family is considering moving out because of the increase in crime. love our home have, you know, the meet the parks schools on using. >> but safety is you can't make sure it's safe we're going to >> chief powers says his department is trying to be proactive in response to

missing a deadline not paying attention or a decision not to seek the funds. >> earlier today mayor thao took some questions on camera about that. she strongly denied a suggestion by the naacp that the city may have intentionally missed the deadline to keep more money from going to oakland police instead of social programs. >> i'm infuriated and frustrated that city staff had missed the deadline, but to assume and put out false information that somehow we didn't want to apply for it, that's utter bs. >> so beyond that the mayor says the city administrator will take the lead on deciding consequences for missing the deadline. we should hear more details wednesday about a possible business strike. >>> some alarming numbers to report, new numbers in on the fentanyl crisis in san francisco, 84 people died from a drug overdose in the city last month. that is up from 74 deaths in july. it ties january for the deadliest month since the city started tracking deaths in 2020. at this pace the city is on track to surpass that year's total of 725 deaths. the city is trying to push ahead with an overd

led to ar firing, going as far as to recommend the mayor reinstating armstrong as chief, but mayor thao said it wasn't the report that led her to firearm strong, but his lack of action after receiving the report and in her eyes, this new investigation does not change that, but she says it's more than that. it's also about getting the department out of its 20-year federal oversight. >> and i didn't and i don't have the confidence that he would be the one to actually lead us out of the federal oversight with especially, you know, not being able to work with our federally-appointed monitor and the judge. >> the new report, however, praised armstrong's work to get the department out of the federal oversight. >>> meanwhile mayor thao is touting what opd has been able to do without a chief, citing more than 130 arrests in partnership with the u.s. marshals and says oakland is taking more proactive steps to stop property crimes like installing hundreds of new surveillance cameras to be able to identify suspects and arrest them. >> this is really the right way of how we move forward to insure t

oakland mayor sheng thao. i'm extremely happy to announce that thanks to additional revenues collected this year. we're able to direct an additional 2.5 million dollars over the next 2 years to strengthen our 9-1-1 response revenue from the event held at the oakland coliseum is provided the source for the additional money to improve 9-1-1. response, the chair of the city council's public safety committee, rebecca kaplan, also chairs the board oakland, alameda county coliseum, joint powers authority. we're bringing forward proposals. >> to support 9-1-1, dispatch to make sure that they have the staffing and the technology and the support that they need. >> including support with recruitment, oakland city administration recently received notice from state regulators that in order to continue receiving fund the in the city's emergency communication that out. >> dispatch operators will need to comply with cal oes call response requirements. this effort will provide through a change order to an existing contract an

mayor sheng thao took to the stage discussed how she's worked to expand policing in her first 8 months in office. we've increased the number of police officers and community ambassadors. and so today we have more officers, actual human officers in uniform and investors in the street today than we did in the past 3 years. house says they have 6 california highway patrol officers in the city to focus on traffic violence. she also has increased opd is budget by 2% and he's added police academies to train more officers. i promise you by next year. let's look at the numbers and then have me help be held responsible to that. she says she's still waiting to appoint a new police chief. the process has started, but the police commission has to first create a list of 3 candidates. then will be able to start the interview process? district attorney pamela price was also at the meeting she receives mixed reactions. you can't disrupt the meeting like she clarified some for goals as da and how it will make oakland and surrounding cities safer. we are focused. >> on how do we reduce guns in this comm

mayor thao reiterated that she has to follow a process. >> i am my office. we cannot interfere or do anything until they actually referred the top 3 names. the police commission, first top of the top 3 people to me so that i could interview and then pick on equally frustrated. i am equally frustrated because this process should up already started. >> in a statement, the chair of the police commission says the mayor is purposefully deflecting the naacp community's concerns by casting blame on the commission for the lack of a police chief. they add that the commission has been publicly updating the community about the hiring timeline and the timeline is posted on the commission's website. the commission chair also says the commission updated the mayor and her office on the hiring timeline just last week we've reached out to mayor tells office for her response to the commission's response and we have not yet heard back. the company that owns and operates the american eagle retail chain is suing the company that owns the westfield mall in san francisco in the fi

. >> reporter: with the $2.5 million additional into 911 mayor thao says this is how she's moving her city forward on an issue she's personally experienced. >> it's really frustrating when i myself, when i called 911, i got the busy signal so for me i take this very seriously. >> reporter: the first issue is being addressed is staffing. there's 16 dispatcher openings and want anyone to apply. as for outdated technology the city administrator says they are accelerating 911 software upgrades. we'll continue to keep an eye on that because according to the recent grand jury report, oakland has promised to upgrade that system for the past five years. with the investigative unit, i'm candace nguyen, nbc bay area news. >> thanks. >>> if you have a story for any one of the investigative units call 888-191-tips or visit our website at nbcbayarea.com/investigations. >>> in oakland it turns out it was a violent weekend again there. police investigating at least four homicides and nine shootings in the past three days. oakland police say shootings are up 6% from last year. so far this year 87 peo

mayor sheng thao says she's working hard to turn things around. the chp has sent in reinforcement officers, and the state is funding 300 cameras in oakland to fight crime. >> let's be very clear, these issues and problems, especially around crimes, it didn't happen overnight. this has been happening for many, many years. and so under the eight months that my administration has been in office, we have brought back the foot patrol officers. >> reporter: supporters are asking for time. >> we're already acting with urgency. the mayor is working with multiple levels of government to bring in resources. >> there is hope, and i have hope and faith in mayor sheng thao that she can pull autothis together with her leadership. now, it's going to take some time. >> reporter: many say they're running out of patience. they want results. >> i hear the mayor talk a lot, but i don't see a lot of action. >> reporter: haley wants more programs for the kids and the mayor agrees with that solution, saying she's providing young people with a lot more resources. >> mayo

. >>> tonight oakland mayor sheng thao is firing back.er and frustration about the failed talks to keep the a's rooted in oakland. mayor thao now publicly calling out a's owner john fisher after our exclusive interview. last week we chatted with fisher, his first interview since buying the a's in 2005. money is the bottom line here. fisher says he wants out of oakland buzz of the money. he told me, quote, i felt the pressure from the collective bargning agreement. we have been working with we had to have a b rs. agreement on a new stadium by january of 2024 or we would lose our revenue sharing. mayor thao said the a's kept changing the rules, the price and the timeline. she joins us on our 7:00 newscast. >> we were so close to a deal, and every time i just feel like every single week, every single two weeks, there is a new story to tell, a new false narrative that the oakland a's is telling about why they had to leave the city of oakland. and again, i continue to call bs on that, because at the end of the day, we went beyond what the a's

newly elected oakland mayor sheng thao place. then chief armstrong on administrative leave. >> the move followed a report conducted by a law firm commissioned by the federal monitor that oversees yokum police department for the last several decades due to the infamous ryders case where officers were caught framing innocent citizens and drug arrests. the outside from claim that she failed to appropriately discipline. an officer involved in a hit and run that ultimately cost the city about $14,000 in damages. however, the chief has long maintained. he followed the letter of the law in that case and should never have been fired. nobody took the opportunity to actually just be fair. >> i i simply ask for fairness, do in this process and to not look at all the evidence was completely unfair and unfortunately lead chief armstrong with his attorney says that the report recommends discussions between the city and the chief about his possible reinstatement. >> however, the mayor released a statement saying, quote, my decision to fire the

kron 4 stephanie lin spoke with mayor sheng thao earlier today. she joins us now with a little bit more about their conversation. stephanie, what did you learn? >> well, justine, it's no secret. the city of oakland has a serious crime issue and we were reminded of that this week, 200 small business owners shut their doors to protest retail crime on tuesday and target is leaving and police data shows car thefts are skyrocketing. in oakland, 10,000 car thefts. so far just this year. so i asked the mayor issue hearing the concerns of her community. >> absolutely. you know, equally frustrated as well to my administration. we're focused on making oakland safer for residents and businesses. you will you will see that there's going to be people brought to justice. but the standard of how how much crime is happening in city of oakland, it is not the standard that i ever ok with. >> well, the mayor also told me she's announce more foot patrol officers and business districts throughout the city this month on top of support from chp mayor tell also applaudin

mayor sheng thao said she lost confidence in armstrong because she did not think he took the investigation seriously enough . armstrong did not provide a copy of the report, he did say it proves he never violated department policy. >> i think the people of oakland deserves to know that the son of the city did not violate them, did not undermine their trust. that i am who i said i was. committed to the city of oakland. someone who was doing the job the right way. >> just moments before armstrong spoke yesterday afternoon, the mayor issued a statement saying in part, my decision was based on mr. armstrong's knee-jerk response to the outside investigators report and the poor judgment it revealed. not on the report itself . and of the new report, there was no recommendation that a reverse my decision. >>> across the bay bridge, san francisco just had one of its deadliest months ever for drug overdoses 84 people overdosed and died in august alone, up from 74 july. 84 overdose deaths happened in january. the city begin tracking them in 2020 and it is about to launch a dashboard to publish those

ahead, oakland mayor sheng thao speaking out and says there's a new story to tell when it comes to a a's proposed move to vegas. >>> plus -- ♪♪ >> celebrating lowrider culture. after being banned for years in a south bay city, leaders, drivers and riders will gather today to honor tradition that goes far beyond classic cars. >>> this is "today in the bay." >> that will get you going on a friday. >> good morning. i'm ginger conejero saab. marcus washington is off. >> i'm laura garcia. we're going to check the commute, if there is any. some people are taking a four-day weekend. >> that's what i hear. >> it is the labor day holiday weekend. >>> how is it going to be? >> it's going to be nice, much cooler. as we take a look at the san francisco camera, we have the clouds back and it's drizzling, so we are going to see this continue throughout much of the morning, but it's also going to bring our temperatures down, as we are going to see the coastal fog and a westerly wind cooling off of the bay area off today. as we take a look at our high temperatures for this afternoon, this kind of lo

mayor sheng thao fired armstrong in february after an independent investigation claimed he mishandledggests the city is considering to reinstate armstrong as chief. yesterday oakland mayor sheng thao issued a statement saying her decision to fire the chief was not based on the findings of that report. >>> let's get a look at that forecast. >> it looks great today, the next several days. we'll see highs in the upper 70s and sunshine for the inland valleys. >> looks nice. and of course the "today" show starts now. but "today in the bay" continues now live on roku, samsung tv, or wherever you stream. join us now or whenever it fits into your schedule. we're always here for you. >> that's what's happening here on "today in the bay." make it a great tuesday. we'll see you online. ♪♪ >>> hi, everybody. good tuesday morning. it is a happy one for families of those americans just freed from iran. >> yeah. their plane touching down in the u.s. just moments ago. good morning. it's september 19th. this is "today." ♪♪ >>> homecoming. five americans imprisoned in iran back on u.s. soil in five yea

will mark 7 months since oakland mayor sheng thao fired police chief leronne armstrong and separately crimes like auto thefts and robberies have surged over the summer. some groups are arguing that these 2 facts are linked and they have urged the mayor to declare a state of emergency, a movement that she once resisted. but now she's taking her own stance on the issue. so as the search for oakland's new top cop drags on, kron four's as you come. and takes a closer look at who supports the idea of declaring a state of emergency, who's against it and what that would actually mean for the city. >> mayor, we need a state of emergency now. not later. >> before too late do it asap is a state of emergency. all you have to do is just say it. >> declaring a public safety state of emergency has been something oakland mayor sheng thao has resisted doing. that is until recently stating that she is willing to make that call. if the police commission does not submit replacement candidates for the chief of police by the beginning of the year. she saying that she's willing to do it in january >> thoug

. >> in oakland, police captain and mayor sheng thao. converse amanda hari listened in on the meeting. she's joining us now live to explain what leaders have to say. amanda. >> there was an emphasis on the fact that there are only a small number of people committing crimes in oakland, less than one percent of the population. but everyone agreed that more has to be done to hold these people accountable. >> oakland community members feel genesis worship center to hear how elected leaders are going to try and curb violence in oakland. we need law enforcement to do their jobs constitutionally to help deal with these evil people. mayor sheng thao took to the stage, discuss how she's worked to expand policing in her first 8 months in office. we've increased the number of police officers and community ambassadors. and so today we have more officers, actual human officers in uniform and investors in the street today than we did in the past 3 years. house says they have 6 california highway patrol officers in the city to focus on traffic violence

mayor thao is publicly calling out a's owner john fisher after our exclusive interview.ek our raj mathai talked to fisher, it was his first interview since buying the a's in 2005. fisher says he wants out of oakland because of the money. john fisher says, quote, i felt the pressure from the collective bargaining agreement. we had been working with oakland for six years. we had to have a binding agreement on a new stadium by january 2024, or we would lose our revenue sharing. mayor thao did admit the ballpark deal was not approved and the a's kept changing the rules, the price and the timeline. >> we were so close to a deal, and i just feel like every single week, every single two weeks, there's a new story to tell, a new false narrative that the oakland a's is telling about why they had to leave the city of oakland. and, again, i continue to call bs on that, because at the end of the day, we went beyond what the a's had requested. >> fisher says he didn't want to wait any longer for the approval. we posted the full interview with mayor thao on nbcbayarea.com. >>> 6:09 no

mayor thao's office declined the on camera interview so we emailed two questions. is the city open to meeting with the former chief and what is the mayor's response to the independent report. they simply reiterated that the mayor fired the chief based on his actions following that investigation, adding that she believes it is critically important opd leadership is held to the same standard of conduct as we expect from our officers. >>> our top national stories. the federal reserve will keep interest rates the same this month but more hikes could be on the way. this is the second time in the past year and a half that rates have stayed the same. the current benchmark short-term rate is at a 22 year high. the fed expects to raise rates one more time this year and for next year, they are not projecting as many cuts as they estimated in june. >>> today marks 12 years since the military repealed its don't ask, don't tell policy for lgbtq+ service members. today, the pentagon took a significant step toward helping veterans who are still carrying less than honorable discha

at the latest started says the volunteer police commission has been keeping oakland mayor sheng thao's office in the loop throughout the search process for suitable candidates to lead opd. that is why he says he finds these words spoken by the mayor at a recent public safety town hall meeting. puzzling. >> i am my office. we cannot interfere or do anything until they actually referred the top 3 names on equally frustrated. i am equally frustrated because this process should up. >> already started. so we reached out to that 2. the mayor's office relatively quickly after chief was like, go. we did not hear back from them for almost 2 months earlier this year, mayor thao fired former oakland police chief leronne armstrong after investigators hired by a court appointed a federal monitor found that armstrong failed to discipline an officer for misconduct. >> since crime in oakland has steadily been on the rise as oakland naacp president said the adams, she says that's why earlier this summer of the civil rights organization called on the mayor to declare a public safety state of emergency.

. >> reporter: the city of oakland is still looking for a permanent police chief after mayor sheng thao fired police chief leronne armstrong. yesterday we learned a 57-page report by an independent arbiter recommended the discipline on armstrong should be removed from his personnel record. the mayor fired him after a case of a sergeant who hit a parked car in a garage. yesterday's report says the investigation was inaccurate and that internal affairs presented that parked-car incident as an accident instead of a hit-and-run. the independent report suggests the city considers reinstating armstrong. now, the city's police commission, which is looking for a new police chief, now says it will consider armstrong for its short list. a spokesperson for armstrong tells us his attorneys have reached out to the city about possible reinstatement. if that does not occur, armstrong could take legal action against the city. yesterday, oakland mayor sheng thao issued a statement saying her decision to fire the chief nine months ago was not based on the findings of that report. quote, "my decision was

. >> and oakland mayor sheng thao as the search for a new chief merit house been very vocal about the commission's process to pick 3 candidate for the police chief saying taking too long. coming up at 10, 30, we're going hear how the police commission is responding to the mayor. >> well, we started out with a lot of fog this morning tomorrow morning. you're going to see a lot of fog again, some dense fog developing around the bay area right now. let's check out your wake-up weather early tomorrow morning. that fog may be a little bit thick, especially along the coastline skyline boulevard. watch out for that. mostly cloudy skies early even inside the bay and some of the valleys. temperatures. we're going to be the 50's as we head toward 08:00am though. that's a thin deck that's going to likely start to break up and skies will be in the clear out, especially inland. the temperatures in the 50's 60's by 10:00am. we're looking at a nice day. almost 70 degrees in the valley. still cool. fog ghost with 50's and 60's. there. >> thank you a second. look at this. a big rig overturned in saint

this comes after oakland mayor sheng thao fired him back in january. terisa stasio review the report before sitting down for a one-on-one interview with the former chief. >> front and center in the more than 50 page report. hearing officer, a former judge states that the report, quote, contains no basis for discipline of chief armstrong and that the credibility findings in the report are not germane to the issues under review. i think it's important that the public. >> you know, knows that i you know, i've been vindicated that all of the allegations that were made against me what overturned. and they were proven to not be accurate. >> i sat down tuesday with former oakland police chief leronne armstrong to discuss the hearing judge's report of his appeal concerning his termination. last february. the firing came after an outside agency hired by the federal monitor overseeing the department conducted an investigation following to misconduct cases involving a seargent. armstrong has maintained that he took a proper disciplinary measures. but the investig

mayor sheng thao was there, the city administrator and interim fire chief all said remarks.n at 8:46 a.m., the first time that the first plane hit the north to you, the group held a moment of silence for one minute. >>> one of the thousands being remembered today is san francisco's betty ang, a flight attendant on american airlines flight 11 that crashed io the world trade center. she w first person to notify authorities about the hijacking and relayed critical inform about the hijackers likely saving countless lives. she grew up in san francisco's chinatown. her legacy lives on there today. the chinese recreation center was renamed betty ang recreation center in 2011. >>> not just in the bay area but across the country americans are remembering this day in history as the nation's dignitaries offered words of comfort. nbc's alice barr is in washington with more. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: today as the nation pauses to remember -- >> jeremy joseph ahern. >> reporter: names of the lives forever stopped on september 11, 22 years ago filled the silence. >> we love. we miss yo

based on a new independent report, armstrong says that it clears his name after mayor sheng thao fired him. so that 57 page report has not been made public, but our katie nielsen got to see it before she sat down with the chief today. >> reporter: why is this so deeply personal to you? >> for the community to finally believe in the police department and that it was changing, i did not want to tarnish people's confidence in me. i did not want to tarnish the trust and confidence people have in the oakland police department. i believe that the truth needed to be told. i think ultimately would be the mayor's decision as to whom she selects for the next chief of police, but i thought it was an important gesture to me that they appreciate the work that i did and that they felt that i was a good selection to be chief again. i want to serve oakland in any capacity. i will still be present in oakland as a leader. >> mayor sheng thao fired armstrong in february following an independent investigation into a misconduct case. she said she did not think he took it seriously enough and lost confidenc

coming up, oakland mayor sheng thao standing firm on decision to declare a state of emergency next year. >> if she does not receive a list of names for a new police chief, some city leaders argue now is the time to do it. and how long is too long question now being raised when it comes to the edge of term limits. >> of lawmakers on capitol hill, a closer look at what it takes to enact those requirements. new at 6, a man is recovering tonight after being shot near an elementary school in oakland happened about 11, 30 this morning at 85th avenue just down the street from highland community school and the southside of the city. police say the victim was rushed to the hospital. no word on that person's condition or a suspect at this time. so how old is too old when it comes the people who represent us in washington, congresswoman nancy pelosi, she has announced that she's going to run for re-election at 83 years old. but 76 year-old senator mitt romney says he's going to step down after finishing his current term kron four's. rob nesbitt joins us in studio more on what it would take to plac

i support mayor thao. let her lead during the entire town hall. she was in the minority speaking in favor of mayor tells decision to fire the chief back in january after a federal monitor report found that armstrong failed to discipline an officer for misconduct. well, i think it's kind of a slap in the face for them to to recommend it. >> he be reinstated. the decision that shane town made she made that decision. she has authority to make that decision and it's a done deal. >> the chair of the oakland police commission hopes to have enough attendance. they can finally make a vote on october. 12th about whether or not they want to recommend the mayor to reinstate chief armstrong. i'm sara stinson reporting in oakland. back to you. >> and while armstrong was initially fired because of that federal monitor report this month, appeals court arbitrator cleared him of any wrongdoing. this mayor sheng thao is standiog firm with her decision to not reinstate armstrong. >> for me, it's important to have a chief who can come on understand not just the cultu

according to oakland mayor, sheng thao, -- >> we are having internal conversations to make sure thissn't happen again but i would urge you to reach out to the cities administered your office. >> reporter: we did, and a statement was provided saying, in june, the economic and workforce development department identified the governors safety grant opportunity and collaborated with community partners to put together an application. opd and community partners provided that material. unfortunately, ew dd did not timely complete the submission. >> it's devastating for people, >> reporter: carlton is a community leader in chinatown he says that businesses in the area do not feel safe due to the rising crime rate. he hopes the state will reconsider oakland for funding, despite missing the deadline. >> many people will be benefited if we have this money. >> reporter: this comes at a time as mayor thao is moving to declare a state of emergency if the police commission does not provide three candidates for police chief by the end of the year. oakland has had eight police chiefs in the last 14 ye

he was fired by mayor sheng thao in february. at the time, she said she lost faith in the chief over comments that he allegedly made minimizing misconduct by one of his police officers. armstrong says the report, which was done by an independent investigator, found no foundation for those claims. he also says the report calls for his reinstatement. in response to this report, the group tasked with finding a short list of new police chief candidates says they'll add the former chief onto that list. joining us now is velena jones with nbc. she's been following this drama throughout today. velena, this is really a mess. the former chief called his own news conference today. is he directly calling out the mayor? does he want his job back, or does he want money from the city? >> reporter: he wants to be vindicated and he said this is what today was for him. he wanted to acknowledge that this report said he did no wrongdoing. he said this has been his mission in trying to clear his name all along. really today for him was about clearin

the oakland naacp is again calling for mayor sheng thao to reinstate the former police chief. >> that group has been a vote vocal about its unwavering support for leronne armstrong ever since his termination in february. in today's statement, the naacp says too much time has been wasted playing politics while oaklanders are terrorized by violence. kron 4 sat down with former oakland chief leronne armstrong. this was after yesterday's release of a report which he says vindicates him and clears him of any wrongdoing. addition to disagreeing with the mayor's firing of armstrong, the report praises his leadership on reforming the department and completing changes put forth by federal monitor. it's important that the public. >> you know, knows that i you know, i've been vindicated that all of the allegations that were made against me were overturned and they were proven to not be accurate. >> oakland mayor sheng thao says her decision to fire the chief was not related to the report. we've posted the entire interview with the former chief on our website kron 4 dot com. while many support th