Robert GrahamOakland Mayor Sheng Thao will not participate in Thursday's police commission community forum to discuss the new list of police chief candidates.
In a letter addressed to Oakland Police Commission Chair Marsha Peterson on Wednesday, Thao declined the invitation, citing concerns that such a public setting could jeopardize finding the best candidates.
"A forum identifying candidates places those individuals at unnecessary risk with their current employers. It may also force Oakland to enter into a premature bidding war with an individual's current employer if they feel strongly about retaining them," the mayor wrote in the letter.
