tony brass is now the mayor's attorney. he says she may have nothing to do with this at all. >> i mean outside of the official search warrant documents, she has no information about it. >> reporter: former prosecutor tony brass now oakland mayor sheng thao's attorney says she not only had no idea about the unfolding investigation, he says there says no evidence that she is part of it. >> so it surprised me that they would go through the step of a search warrant on her home because the optics make her vulnerable. it's a terrible position to be in. >> reporter: your determination yesterday seemed to be this raid would nohahappened had the fbi not had some type of -- i don't know -- actionable information and you're saying this has happened? >> no. that is an absolutely fair question, but what i didn't know when i gave the statement yesterday was that she had not been contacted inquiring about anything. it was my assumption that she would have been asked for information or documents or devices if they were needed and that she

tony brass. thank you for talking with us today. >> thank you. >> so the mayor just released a statement in the last hour saying, "i appreciate tony brass for providing me with legal guidance. over the weekend i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass. i will share the flame of my new counsel once agreement finalized. outside city hall a rally calling for the mayor to resign. anne makovec joining me now with more on the political pressure the mayor is facing today. >> it's certainly intense. it's no secret mayor sheng thao has plenty of enemies, including those who worked to get their signatures on the ballots. her statements today did not gain any favor with them. >> come out now almost. >> these people gathering outside of city hall listened to the mayor online and then they had their say. >> she'd rather deflect and play victim which we don't need my more of. >> no more. >> the ream victims in oakland are the people who are suffering and who are going to suffer when this city goes ban

it is unfortunate because oakland deserves so much better. >> reporter: but tony brass says the raid on the highest ranking city official indicates authorities are certain of her involvement in misconduct. >> this really does besmirch the name of the mayor of oakland, so they better be right. this says there's corruption and we couldn't get the cooperation of the mayor in investigating this corruption. >> reporter: i want to be very clear here, sara. we still don't know just how the mayor is involved with this federal investigation and she has not yet been charged with or convicted of any kind of crime. >> lauren, important distinction there. i guess the big question is what does the mayor have to say about all this? have we heard from her in any capacity today? >> reporter: not yet, sara. the mayor has been entirely silent all day. we have seen a little activity inside the home, but we don't believe that to be of the mayor. she has been absent from city hall. we have reached out to her office. we have not heard any word. she was also notably absent from a public event she was expect

it reads, quote, i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidance. he helped me better understand the investigation and my legal options. over the weekend, i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass for his counsel. i will share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized. while mayor tao deals with last week's raid by the fbi, the city of oakland is working to get through a number of crises, including last week's mass shooting at lake merritt. now, many are questioning if the mayor can handle these issues as she faces enormous pressure following the raid. ktvu henry lee is with us in studio. and, henry, what are you hearing from residents? >> yeah, greg, it's no surprise that oakland was already confronting all these hot button issues. but some say the fbi raid is only distracting the mayor from these problems. the fbi raid of oakland mayor sheng tao's home, and her fiery response to what monday comes as the city is facing an extraordinary number of challenges. the big question many oakland residents have is, can the mayor handle

>> reporter: a reminder that tony brass is who we heard from yesterday saying he did not think the fbi would go into the home of a mayor unless they had some kind of a case or the mayor was uncooperative in an investigation. today he is her attorney and says this may have nothing to do with her and he is shocked they went into her front door yesterday. >> yeah. generally what happens particularly with an elected official is they would receive a request for information. they receive a subpoena to say provide these documents, letters, emails by this date. we want any and all communications and people comply with those. the mayor certainly would have. now i don't know enough about the investigation to say why that was necessary, why the federal government decided well, this is the best step for our investigation, but i can say this. it doesn't necessarily appear that she's even the target of the search warrant. the search warrants are for the residence. so there may be an alternative explanation. >> reporter: can you tell us anything else about the other parties involved in the investigat

that's tony brass, the attorney for oakland mayor sheng thao brass, a criminal defense attorney and formerederal prosecutor, claims his client was blindsided by the fbi search on her home yesterday. the mayor never received any sort of inquiry or any sort of information regarding the existence of this investigation. our cameras were there yesterday as federal investigators took several boxes and

she doesn't know how to do the job. >> reporter: but tony brass said the raid on the highest ranking city official indicates authorities are certain of her involvement in misconduct. >> this really does besmirch the name of of oakland, so they better be right. this says there's corruption and we couldn't get the cooperation of the mayor in investigating this corruption. >> reporter: again, just to be very clear, it remains unclear thao's connection to this raid at her home. we are working diligently to get our hands on the search warrant to give us more information about just why federal authorities were here this morning, but we have heard from former oakland police chief leronne armstrong. he said in a statement, "it is a sad day for the city of oakland. even before today's news some city leaders have done nothing to help. we must unite and work together to move our great city forward." >> the optics certainly not good, lauren. of course, the feds are notoriously tight lipped about their investigations, for good reason. have you gotten any indication of what they might have been lo

in a statement, the mayor says i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidance. ped me better understand the investigation and my legal options over the weekend, i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass for his counsel. i will share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized. the federal government thought it was important for the investigation to be overt now, rather than covert. carlos singh is a former federal prosecutor and criminal justice lecturer at san jose state university. he says while it's unclear what crimes were committed in this case, fbi investigators clearly felt it was important to gather the evidence sooner than later. sometimes there's a sense that evidence may be destroyed, and so therefore it's urgent that then, a search warrant be sought with the approval of the magistrate judge establishing probable cause. and now the mayor is questioning the timing of last week's raid, which happened shortly after it was announced that enough signatures were gathered to get a recall vote on the november ballot. i want to know why. t

the mayor's attorney, tony brass, says tao has nothing to hide.ederal agents searched her home yesterday, investigators

. >> reporter: tony brass became mayor thao's attorney last friday, the day after fbi agents were seenng her home and carrying out what appeared to be boxes of documents. but after a press conference today, brass says he called the mayor to say, i quit. >> i have not been charged with a crime, and i am confident that i will not be charged with a crime because i am innocent. >> reporter: this is only part of a heated and at times emotional press conference where oakland mayor sheng thao blasted the attorney's office and the fbi. >> i did not know there was going to be a press conference. >> reporter: tony brass is a former federal prosecutor and is now a defense attorney specializing in these types of cases, but after her remark, he says it became clear he could not represent the mayor. >> it appears to me that her messaging was inconsistent with the way i intended to manage this case. i asked to withdraw as her counsel today. >> reporter: brass declined to comment on the specific messages in the mayor's press conference that concerned him, but she did imply the fbi search of her home c

that's tony brass, the attorney for oakland mayor sheng thao responding to questions tonight about wherebeen since the fbi searched her home yesterday. brass, a san francisco criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, claims the mayor was blindsided by the fbi search on her home and has nothing to hide. the mayor never received any sort of inquiry or any sort of information regarding the existence

and zach, you spoke to tells former mayor, yeah, as you mentioned, tony brass telling me that he was absolutely caught off guard by this morning's news conference, a news conference the mayor used to declare her innocence. >> well, she also railed against the media, the fbi and her critics. >> i have done nothing wrong. >> embattled oakland mayor shan tao, addressing the public for the first time since her home was raided by fbi agents last week. i am confident that i will not be charged with a crime because i am innocent. the mayor, now preparing to defend herself with new legal counsel after parting ways with attorney and former federal prosecutor tony brass, i asked to withdraw from being her attorney. >> today. it became clear to me when i saw the press conference that she and i had just different approaches about the case, both sides describing the split as cordial, but tao contending it was her decision to make the switch. >> the move comes as she's expected to meet with federal investigators this week. >> as of friday, i had no information that she was the target of the invest

i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidance. elped him better understand the investigation. and my legal options over the weekend, i obtain new legal counsel and thank mister brass for his counsel. i will share the name of my a new council once agreements are finalized. so what happens next? what is the target of this investigation? what are prosecutors doing behind the scenes? former u.s. attorney winston chand joining me now to share some insight. you are a former u.s. attorney in new york. 8 years experience a lot of this legal issues behind the scenes, somewhat confusing to people. what is the most elite? what is the most significant aspect of all of this balding? the mayor of a major city. >> well, first of all, thanks for having me on a i would say that the important thing to keep in mind is that there's a little is only very little information that the public is aware, you know, the searches would have been done with applications made in under seal to a core. and so the bases for that is not known to us. so we don't know w

in a statement, the mayor says, quote, i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidance. he helped me better understand the investigation and my legal options. over the weekend, i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass for his counsel. i'll share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized. now, as far as the fbi search is concerned, we spoke to a former federal prosecutor and criminal justice lecturer at san jose state university, who says it's unclear what crimes were committed in this case. sometimes there's a sense that evidence may be destroyed. and so therefore it's urgent that then, a search warrant be sought with the approval of the magistrate judge establishing probable cause. and i want to be crystal clear. i have done nothing wrong. i can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. and as far as the next steps in the case are concerned, singh believes it could be a while before we get details on the full scope of the investigation. happening now. a major drill on treasure island is underway. this is to help the bay

in another twist, defense attorney tony brass is no longer representing the mayor.news political insider phil matier broke that on our 3 p.m. newscast. getting answers. mayor qingdao's attorney, tony brass uh- a very competent and experienced former federal prosecutor here. >> i talked with him and basically it appears that he is terminating his relationship with the mayor. that just began. and the reason she said yes, it was it appears to be, first of all, that she held the press conference without giving him a heads up about what she was going to say. and that's one of the first things you don't do if you're someone's client, if somebody's representing you, you don't go out on your own. the second thing, i think he was not at all comfortable with her uh- sort of insinuations that the fbi was out to get her, that the fbi was somehow in collusion or timing this deliberately. after the recall petitions qualified, putting a recall of her on the ballot. >> and stay with abc seven news for updates on the fbi investigation and its impact on mayor shengtao and the city of

. >> mayor tao did so without now her former attorney, tony brass. ktvu zac sos live now in oakland with all of the latest developments. >> yeah, and tony brass telling me earlier that he was caught off guard by this morning's news conference. a news conference mayor tao used to declare her innocence and rail against everyone from the media to the fbi and her critics. >> i have done nothing wrong. >> embattled oakland mayor shan tao, addressing the public for the first time since her home was raided by fbi agents last week. >> i am confident that i will not be charged with a crime because i am innocent. >> the mayor, now preparing to defend herself with new legal counsel after parting ways with attorney and former federal prosecutor tony brass. >> i asked to withdraw from being her attorney today. it became clear to me when i saw the press conference that she and i had just different approaches about the case, both sides describing the split as cordial, but tao contending it was her decision to make the switch. >> the move comes as she's expected to

but just hours after this press conference, we learned the mayor and her attorney, tony brass, parted ways. he said he had no idea she was holding a press conference or what the messaging would be. he said her messaging left him without a defense plan. during tao's speech, she called out past elected officials in oakland but didn't name names. justin burton was director of communications for previous oakland mayor libby schaaf, and is now a media relations strategist. he defended his former boss, libby mayor schaaf. >> she would have never walked away from oakland the way this mayor has right now. >> and you think shengtao has walked away from oakland? i think mayor tao has gone dark on oakland. >> i think she's walked away from them and she's keeping to herself. >> burton says he is disappointed that other leaders aren't more vocal in oakland. at a time when strong leadership is needed to pass a budget that will help address concerns in oakland, mayor tao is saying she will be 100% transparent with the investigation, but also not taking questions from reporters. on monday. live in st

in a statement, the mayor says, quote, i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidancehe helped me better understand the investigation and my legal options over the weekend, i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass for his counsel. i will share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized. as far as t fbi searc agency maintains that no arrests have been made. pg&e and san francisco firefighters are working togetherjortyrill. thr o acalsure the bay area is better prepared for earthquakes. nbc bay area's bob redell has more pg&e and the san francisco fire department. they have teamed up for this morning's drill to test how both agencies can communicate with each other in case of a major earthquake. we areer at the sf fire department's treasure island training facility. here they are simulating a major earthquake, a magnitude 5.5, and as a result of the earthquake, there's been a natural gas leak, h of crse would be something that pg&e would have to help them coordinate. and the resultg fire. there's also downed power lines, and then they're also havi

tony brass signed on as towels attorney the day after the fbi agents searched her home and carried out what appeared to be boxes of documents. agents also searched homes owned by members of the duang family. that owns the recycling company, cal waste solutions. after the mayor's remarks, brass told our julia goodrich it became clear he could not represent her >>appears to me that her messaging was inconsistent with the way i intended to manage this case. i asked to withdraw. as counsel >>brass says he did not know there was going to be a press conference. he declined to comment on the pacific messages in the mayor's press conference. that concerned him, but mayor did imply the fbi search of her home could have been politically. motivated. >>the timing of all this is troubling and we should all be concerned. i want to know why. the day following the qualification of a recall election. funded by some of the richest people in the bay area. seems like the right day to execute a warrant. >>mayor went on to say it was her lack of political connections that allowed her to be a target. of an i

former prosecutor tony brass now oakland mayor's sheng thao 's attorney, he says there is no evidencet she is part of it. >> so it surprised me that they would go through the steps of a search warrant on her home. it is a terrible position to be in. >> the determination yesterday seemed to be that the raid would not have happened had the fbi not had some kind of information. >> that is an absolutely fair question. but what i didn't know when i gave a statement yesterday, she had not been contacted inquiring about anything. it was my assumption that she would have been asked for information, or documents, or devices they were needed. she must have refused that if they got a search warrant. i'm quite surprised that the search warrant was the first she'd heard of the investigation. >> reporter: before calling for her recall following the -- >> i think this was a political hit job. i think it was done strategically and tactically. >> reporter: cat brooks, pointed to the mayor's opposition, calling the raid part of a broader campaign against progressive politics. >> we can't lose fact -- t

lawyer tony brass withdrew as mayor. tao's defense attorney just a few hours after the news conference. he tells us here at ktvu news that he was not informed of the news conference, and he only found out about it when members of the media began calling him. >> it became clear to me when i saw the press conference that she and i had just different approaches about the case, and i think our approaches are inconsistent. so i'm not the right advocate in all likelihood, for her message. i am my ancestors. >> now, tao has released a statement saying she appreciates brass's guidance and that she has hired new legal counsel. so far, that attorney has not been named. >> our time is 536 julian assange, the founder of wikileaks, will be a free man after pleading guilty to a felony. he's flying from london to an island in the pacific to enter a plea deal with the united states government. he admits to violating the espionage act by conspiring to obtain and distribute classified national defense information. now, under this deal, as

tony brass says the mayor and he had differing approaches to the case . says he was not informed ahead of time of the press conference that she gave today, and only found out about it when members of the media started to call him. the mayor says she has hired new legal representation, but so far has not released their name. >> the giants honoring willie mays tonight in the team's first home game since his death last week. the entire team wearing number 24 jerseys as they take the field tonight against the cubs. mays died on tuesday. he was 93 years old. funeral plans have not yet been announced. >> and you are watching ktvu fox two news here at 630. we're now hearing from the three year old boy whose san francisco firefighters say helped save an apartment from burning down. >> yeah, little luca spotted the flames at his neighbor's home and he knew just what to do. ktvu joey horta talked with the neighborhood hero and joins us now live. joey. >> heather and micah, just three years old. this little pre-k student who loves playing with his toy fire trucks kn

mayor tells attorney tony brass quit after he was surprised by the mayor's news conference.f zamora says i resign my position as chief of communications i thank my colleagues for their professionalism and dedication. it was an honor to serve the city of oakland beside them. so the chief of communications for mayor thao is out along with the mayors attorney were waiting for her to say who her new attorney is. governor newsom and state democratic leaders have announced a final budget deal they say is going tech key programs and support fiscal stability and also comes with billions of dollars in cuts as well. the 298 billion dollar spending plan includes 1 billion dollars addressing homelessness and 250 million for programs to improve internet access for low-income communities. it also prioritizes education with about 115 billion for k through 12 and community colleges. democrats say that some cuts are necessary to reduce education funding, though they say was not an option. >> let's face it. the kids didn't receive the full education they were looking for, you know, during thi

she did hire an attorney, former prosecutor tony brass. he suggested that there is no evidence that thao is actually the target of the fbi investigation. and that she had no idea it was even happening. >> it was my assumption that she would have been asked for information or documents or devices if they were needed and that she must have refused that if they got a search warrant. so i'm quite surprised that the search warrant was the fist she'd heard of this investigation. the optics are bad, but the fact is that she is going to cooperate with the investigation and she would have done that in the first place. >> brass also said mayor thao is working from a remote location because of the media circus around the raids and that she will release a statement some time next week. a former chief of staff for thao believes she should resign following the raid at her home. agents interviewed her about a year ago. while the fbi hasn't linked mayor thao to any wrong doing, the former confidant spoke out. da lin joins was more, da? >> i met this forme

brass for his counsel. >> well, tony brass became her attorney last friday the day after fbi agents searched the home and carried out what appeared to be boxes of documents. we asked brass about the statement and he never talked to the mayor over or her team over the weekend he said. and let's clear -- be very clear about something. the feds are not saying anything about what they're investigating or who their target is. security analyst jeff harp who spent years in the fbi told us this. >> search warrant doesn't target the person. it targets the location where the fbi feels there may be evidence that is tied to the crime. >> so person not targeted. location. mayor thao says she has questions for the u.s. attorney overseeing the investigation including why she was not first given the option to just let the feds in to cooperate. specifically questions directed at this man, u.s. attorney for the northern district of california among other career credits. well, jeff harp told us the fbi takes political implications seriously and often does offer to cooperate. but not always in the case of a sea

in a statement, the mayor says, quote, i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidance. he helped me better understand the investigation and my legal options. over the weekend, i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass for his counsel. i will share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized. now, as far as fbi search is concerned, we spoke to a former federal prosecutor and criminal justice lecturer at san jose state university who says while it's unclear what crimes were committed in this case, sometimes there's a sense that evidence may be destroyed and so therefore it's urgent that then, a search warrant be sought with the approval of the magistrate judge establishing probable cause. and i want to be crystal clear. i have done nothing wrong. i can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. and as far as next steps in the case, singh believes it could be a while before we get details on the full scope of this investigation. 536 in a very contagious disease is infecting more people in the south bay. the shigella outbreak is

it reads, quote, i appreciate tony brass for providing me with initial legal guidance. he helped me better understand the investigation and my legal options. over the weekend, i obtained new legal counsel and thanked mr. brass for his counsel. i will share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized. >> and at that news conference today, the mayor of oakland, also for the very first time, addressed last week's mass shooting in lake merritt. >> i am sickened by this senseless acts of violence, and i want every oaklander to know that we will work hard to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. my heart goes out to all of those who are battling injuries. their families and our whole city. >> thousands of people were celebrating juneteenth at the lake on wednesday night, when dozens of shots were fired around 830 in the evening. 15 people were hurt. so far, no arrests have been made. the mass shooting, along with the fbi raids, comes as the city of oakland already faces several difficult questions, from looming budget deficits to businesses closing.

an earlier this week, the attorney representing mayor thao withdrew from representing her tony brass told us the mayor's speech were, she strongly denied any wrongdoing. game to as a surprise. to him. adding to the challenges oakland city council is trying to sort out a budget crisis. the council is set to meet friday to finalize a budget deal and well there is a worst case scenario plan if the 105 0 deal to share the city share of the coliseum falls through the contingency planning. includes $63 0 in additional cuts to make up for the money the city is counting on from the sale to private developers. the city will play close to 2 police academies freeze 78 police officer positions and freeze 5 fire companies, but the african american sports entertainment group, which has agreed to purchase the city's half stake of the coliseum. told the chronicle the deal is still on one. we'll stay on top of this for more and some breaking news reports suggest the supreme court is about to allow abortions for medical emergencies and idaho a spokesperson for the justices confirms that an opinion of

property in bags and boxes, mayor tao hired former prosecutor and now criminal defense attorney tony brass. he immediately spoke in defense of the mayor and worked on scheduling a meeting with federal investigators over the next week. but monday morning, mayor tao says she retained new counsel over the weekend and thanked mr. brass for his services. brass, however, says it was monday morning when he watched a news conference that he had no idea was happening, that he decided to ask mayor tao to withdraw. >> he was very nice. she thanked me for the work i've done and appeared to be comfortable with me withdrawing, it became clear to me, when i saw the press conference that she and i had just, different approaches about the case. and i think our approaches are inconsistent. so i'm not the right advocate, in all likelihood, for her message. >> in a statement, the mayor says brass did help her understand the investigation a bit better and her her legal options a bit better. during her news conference, she says she followed legal advice to not take questions from reporters. it's still not clear

and it is unfortunate because oakland -- deserves so much better. >> reporter: but tony brass says thed on the highest ranking city official indicates authorities are certain of her involvement in misconduct. >> this is -- this really does besmirch the name of the mayor of oakland so they better be right. right? this is like -- this is -- this says there's corruption and we couldn't get the cooperation of the mayor in investigating this corruption. >> federal agents also conducted at least two other. rides one at a home on view crest court linked to andy doung. a member of the family that owns the company running oakland's curbside recycling service and also saw agents taking boxes from their company's office on embarcadero. kevin ko has that part of the coverage. >> reporter: fbi agents and the irs raided california waste solutions' office on embarcadero in oakland. the recycling company's office is located on the third floor. and the vietnamese american business association, or vaba is just below it. several people confirm vaba was also raided by federal agents today. >> very surpris

tony brass has officially withdrawn as the defense attorney representing oakland mayor shang tao. the move comes hours after mayor tao delivered those fiery remarks, railing against this investigation. welcome to the for. i'm alex savage and i'm greg lee. >> ktvu. tom vacar joins us live from the newsroom with more on the mayor's remarks. tom. >> well, after way too many days of silence, oakland's beleaguered mayor came out swinging. oakland mayor shang tao delivered a speech full of defiance, anger, emotion and blame. she took no questions on her attorney's advice. >> i have done nothing wrong. i am confident that i will not be charged with a crime because i am innocent. my role as your mayor continues the federal raid and the furor it caused her household is top of her mind. >> she directly accused the media of fanning the flames and bending the facts. >> i want to know how the tv cameras knew to show up on my sleepy residential street. so early in the morning to capture footage of the raid. she's prepared for legal warfare. i want to know what probable cause the fbi has. what e

he left on monday, the same day tony brass says he withdrew as tao's attorney, although the mayor says she and brass actually parted ways on saturday. as for zamora, he issued a statement confirming his decision to leave but without providing details. he said i resigned my position as chief of communications. i thank my colleagues for their professionalism and dedication. it was an honor to serve the city of oakland beside them. now, of course, this comes in the wake of that big raid, fbi raid, and of course, the mayor's fiery remarks after that city hall. i mean, she was defiant, angry at sometimes emotional, so remains to be seen what happens now. but she is now without two key advisors. yeah >> so do we have any sense of what exactly it was that prompted her spokesperson to want to step aside? >> no, but you can read between the lines, because both tony brass and the spokesman said, you know, they were out as of monday. and this comes after her decision to speak out against the raid. and it was very, very defiant and angry. she casts blame on the fbi and said that there was a whole

it comes after attorney tony brass told me he's withdrawing from the case after the mayor's press conferencehis morning. i'll have our full conversation about their differences in the approach to the case coming up. >>> plus how the tech billionaires planning a new city in solano county are trying too build goodwill with some skeptical voters that will decide the project's fate. >>> let's head over to vern and some sports. hi, vern. >> reporter: good evening, everyone. from about 40 minutes of pure love for willie howard mays jr. after five straight giants losses all on the road, finally here at oracle park some home cooking, some home love for number 24 being honored on the 24th of june at a 6:30 ceremony. the giants have not won since we lost him. as for what's going on tonight, this is pretty cool, all for giants players and coaches who are wearing number 24 tonight to honor the say hey kid. third base coach matt williams recalled the first time he met willie mays at spring training nearly 40 years ago. >> open the doors the first day and murph had this big roundtable in the middle of sco

lawyer, tony brass told us on friday. she's still performing her mayoral duties. just not from home, which was raided by fbi agents on thursday. it's still unclear what is being investigated. but several boxes were seized. through thursday. search warrant lawyer also says it's still unclear if the mayor is even the primary focus of whatever the fbi and irs are investigating. >>a lawyer. you pay them, they'll say anything for you. but is she a part of the investigation versus the primary target? i would agree with that statement. but she's definitely an important part of the investigation. fbi. the i. r s postal inspectors. they don't just show up at anyone's house. it's beyond local regional or >>state. escobar was 1 of the organizers of sunday's >>rally, >>which included vocal critics of tau, including recall organizer seneca >>scott. needs to resign. >>throughout the >>rally >>chance demanding towns resignation. were repeated. >>sharing town. >>that includes long time oakland resident patricia right. >>newton >>was part of the black panther party and has lived i

today, the attorney representing her tony brass, said the mayor had no idea that there was any type of investigation going on prior to these raids. still running her team, her team is meeting deadlines and continuing to do the work that oakland needs their mayor t do. she's r, willing and able to cooperate with the authorities in the investigation. gm she intends t unfortunate that she didn't get a request for information or request for documents. she would have. answered that and given the information over if it was needed 20 brasses as he and american giving a statement sometime next week. we're still waiting to hear back from andy dwan. guang, whose family owns cal waste solutions. three properties connected to him. we're also rated by the feds. 66 people died of accidental overdose last month in san francisco, mostly from fentanyl. according to the chief medical examiner. that number is down slightly from last may, which saw 73 overdose deaths. meantime, the state says its generic over the counter version of naloxone. is starting to become available. mud and water. flooding 7 homes

and, larry, to tony brass, her attorney, said, you know, the optics, they don't look good either way. they're going to deal with this first and then the optics. but how can mayor tao do or can she do anything to prove to oakland that she's still the person for this job? this job? well, first of all, they've got to prove that she's not i mean, this whole idea of a person being guilty and proven innocent is the opposite of the way this country works, so absolutely, she's got to come and make sure that things are okay if it's, as her attorney says, there's no guilt whatsoever. this could really backfire on the folks that are demanding her resignation, given the little that they know. so you better watch it when you're playing with fire. we know so little right now, and for people to jump to any conclusion, means risking an awful lot in terms of their own credibility. as far as the mayor goes, if, in fact, there's nothing to worry about. that's all she has to do. there's nothing to worry about. i don't know what this is about. and in fact, it could very well be that these folks came to he

attorney tony brass who represents oakland, mayor sheng thao said on friday that so far no one from thee postal service or the irs. >> has spoken to the mayor about why they searched her home on thursday morning. he says he has no reason to believe the mayor has done anything wrong and that she is ready to answer any questions they might have. there's no indictment. >> there's no arrest warrant for her. so that is that's what's not happened. well, there is a search warrant for a location. >> the fbi has not revealed any specific details about the search. only saying in a statement that the fbi is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on maiden lane. we are unable to provide additional information at this time. but sources have told kron 4 that the search may be related to a federal investigation into alleged campaign finance violations. bres says he has no reason to believe the mayor has violated any such rules. i know of no reason. i know of no protocols that were not followed that call her ethics into question. mayor thao has not spoken or appeared publicly since thursd

sheng thao's lawyer, tony brass, told us on friday that she is still performing her mayoral duties, just not from home. which was raided by fbi agents on thursday. is still unclear what is being instigated, but several boxes were seized through a search warrant. sheng thao's lawyer also says it is unclear if the mayor is even the primary focus of whatever the fbi and irs are instigating. >> lawyers you pay them, and anything for you but is she a part of an invitation or the primary target? i would agree with that statement , but she's definitely an important part of that investigation. the fbi, the irs, postal inspectors don't just show up to anyone's house. it is beyond local, regional, or state. >> reporter: edward escobar was one of the organizers of sunday's rally, which included critics of tal, including organizer seneca scott. >> reporter: throughout the rally, chants demanding sheng thao's resignation were repeated. that includes longtime oakland resident , patricia, who was a part of the black panther party and has lived in the town for most of her life. >> i would rather be in w

as we've also learned that the mayor's attorney, tony brass has withdrawn from the case saying he knew nothing about the morning news conference. >> the mayor's office says the mayor inform brass on saturday that she was changing. attorneys. but brass says that's totally untrue. he says there was no communication on saturday from the mayor. now, the mayor herself has issued a statement thanking brass for his initial consultation and saying over the weekend is when she decided to change attorneys and she says she will announce the name of that attorney once the agreement is finalized. dan kerman kron, 4 news. >> political analyst michael yaki is reacting tonight as well pointing to things he feels she should not have said. >> i would have i'm cooperate fully with the fbi and this there's no wrongdoing my part period. but that's not what you get. you kind of went above and beyond and those are the things that i think we're going to get her in trouble. the fact that she was talking about billionaires influencing the fbi. there is a right-wing conspiracy in a president bay area. it sounds

. >> attorney tony brass now represents the embattled mayor. he says she has not been arrested. abc7 news returned to tao's home on sunday. no one answered the door when we knocked the mayor hasn't been seen in public since the raid on thursday. many residents of oakland don't know what to think, but they want answers. and their biggest question is where is mayor shang tao? >> say something to the city of oakland. just come out and say, you know, this is under control. what's going on? just say something to us. so at least we know that you have our back or something. just say something. don't hide you know, she got to be open. >> if she's a public figure, she's got to let us know for the voters to. we want to know. that's why she's in office. >> tuan knows. says there was silence from the mayor when 15 people were shot at lake merritt after a juneteenth celebration on wednesday. his organization now calling for tao to step down. >> we are calling for her to resign because it's been a series of failures under her administration in oakland, cornell bernard, abc seven news. >> this

against her, he wonow wh the probable cause as we also found out today that the mayor's attorney, tony brass, who we heard from on friday, >> has withdrawn from the ca saying he knew nothing about the mayor's news conference today. the mayor's office responded saying tal inform brash she was changing. attorneys on saturday. brass said that is totally untrue. there was no communication on saturday about a change in attorneys. and in fact, he withdrew this morning. now the mayor has issued a statement thanking brass for his initial legal guidance and saying she obtain new legal counsel over the weekend. but at this point, she's not ready to say who that is until agreements are finalized. nothing is simple with this story. we can tell backo you in the studio. my goodness. stand so much to follow. oh, my goodness. yeah entry. it's a mess. all right. we'll be back to you. >> immediately after the mayor held her news conference, a group of people supporting the recall effort. they hailed held a rally outside of oakland city hall. >> they criticize the mayor's response and her claim that right wing

que ayer lunes también se conoció sobre la renuncia del abogado que representaba a la alcaldesa tony brassvienda de la funcionaria el jueves pasado. además, dijo que tao recibió su solicitud de renuncia de forma cordial y que le agradeció por su desempeño. posteriormente, la alcaldesa emitió un comunicado en el que reconoció el papel de quien hasta ayer era su abogado. le agradeció por su orientación legal al inicio de ese caso, porque según aseguró, le ayudó a comprender mejor la investigación y las opciones legales que tenía. también mencionó que durante el fin de semana contrató a un nuevo asesor legal y que su nombre será revelado posteriormente. la junta de supervisores del condado solano se reunió este martes con el registro de votantes y acordaron de manera unánime que en la boleta electoral de noviembre se incluirá la opción para que los votantes decidan si se realiza o no un proyecto de vivienda en un terreno de 17.000 acres. quienes se oponen a dicha medida alegan que esto podría afectar la disponibilidad de agua, provocar pérdidas de tierras agrícolas y también causar más tráfic

. >> attorney tony brass now represents the embattled mayor. he says she has not been arrested. abc seven news returned to tao's home on sunday. no one answered the door when we knocked. the mayor hasn't been seen in public since the raid on thursday. many residents of oakland don't know what to think, but they want answers. and their biggest question is where is mayor shank tao? >> say something to the city of oakland. just come out and say, you know, this is under control. what's going on? just say something to us. so at least we know that you have our back or something to say something don't hide. >> you know, she got to be open if she's a public figure, she's got to let us know for the voters to. we want to know. that's why she's in office. >> twan nose says there was silence from the mayor when 15 people were shot at lake merritt after a juneteenth celebration on wednesday. his organization now calling for tao to step down. >> we are calling for her to resign because it's been a series of failures under her administration in oakland, cornell bernard, abc seven news. >> now,

tony brass is a former federal prosecutor and is now a defense attorney specializing in these types of cases. but after her remarks, he says it became clear he could not represent the mayor. >>it appears to me that her messaging was inconsistent with the way i intended to manage this case. i asked to withdraw as counsel today >>declined to comment on the specific messages in the mayor's press conference that concerned him. but she did imply the fbi search of her home could have been politically motivated. >>the timing of all this is troubling and we should all be concerned. i want to know why. the day following the qualification of a recall election. funded by some of the richest people in the bay area seems like the right day to execute a warrant. >>she went on to claim it was her lack of political connections that allowed her to be a target of an investigation. >>this wouldn't have gone down the way it did if i was rich if i had gone to elite private schools. or if i had come from money >>within hours of those remarks, brass said he quit. people come to me for a certain type of appro

uh- mayor xing tao's attorney, tony brass, a very competent and experienced former federal prosecutor. i talked with him and basically it appears that he is terminating his relationship with the mayor. that just began and the reasoning, she said, yes . yes it was. it appears to be, first of all, that she held the press conference without giving him a heads up about what she was going to say. and that's one of the first things you don't do if you're someone's client, if somebody's representing you, you don't go out on your own. the second thing, i think he was not at all comfortable with her uh- sort of insinuations that the fbi was out to get her, that the fbi was somehow in collusion or timing this deliberately after the recalled petitions qualified, putting a recall of her on the ballot, that somehow that this was a conspiracy that involves everyone from the fbi to san francisco billionaires. i do not think he was comfortable with that and having to deal with the us attorney's office going forward. >> you're right. that was pretty surprising that she mentioned that. in fact, we cut