Oakland's ultra-progressive Mayor Sheng Thao claims LIFE COACHING will help solve city's soaring crime as she unveils bizarre graphic she says is secret to slashing violence

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has claimed life coaching could be the secret to solving crime rates in the California city.

Thao revealed last week that her office plans to reinvigorate the city's ceasefire program, which connects those at the highest risk of gun violence involvement with life coaches. 

Thao, who took office in 2023, revealed a bizarre graphic outlining the city's plans to reduce homicides and shootings as part of the announcement.

The proposals include life coaches acting as 'interested direct communication participants.' 

'Oakland was once the national model for reducing gun violence, achieving substantial decreases between 2012 and 2019,' Thao wrote on social media.

'I’m proud to announce that we are resurrecting the strategy that was proven successful in saving lives and reducing crime.' 

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has claimed life coaching could be the secret to solving the California city's soaring crime

Thao revealed a bizarre graphic outlining the city's plans to reduce homicides and shootings

Video released by Oakland police in August shows a woman being pistol-whipped by two men after refusing to give up her purse

It comes as the city suffers a crime wave including 120 homicides and 509 shootings last year alone. 

Robbery increased a shocking 38 percent increase between 2022 and 2023 alone.

Auto burglaries have been rising since 2020, reaching a new peak in 2023 that has not been seen in the past decade.

Commercial burglaries, for the most part, have also steadily increased over the last five years and have almost tripled since 2019.

An exclusive report for DailyMail.com revealed that Oakland has potentially the most dangerous square mile for crime in all of America. 

Three gas stations and fast-food joints that surround Oakland Airport have become notorious for vehicle thefts. 

Within a single square mile, cops claim criminals strike a dozen times or more per day, every day, mainly targeting victims who are headed to and from the airport.

And Oakland's only In-N-Out Burger restaurant in this area is set to close after 18 years, despite still turning a healthy profit, as customers and staff are 'unsafe' due to soaring crime rates, the business said.

Thao, who took office in 2023, said 'I’m proud to announce that we are resurrecting the strategy that was proven successful in saving lives and reducing crime.'

Oakland police investigate a shooting on Brookdale Avenue and Foothill Boulevard 

A thief breaks into a car outside the Shell gas station on Hegenberger Road before leaning into the vehicle to snatch items, then escapes in a waiting vehicle

Another victim of theft at the Shell gas station shared a photo of their car's smashed window 

A victim at the Chevron on Hegenberger Road said their rear window was smashed as they pulled away after getting gas but nothing was taken

In August, shocking video circulated showing a woman being confronted by two men who tried to snatch her purse before pistol-whipping her.

She fell to the ground before both men rifled through her pockets.

One month earlier, the Oakland Police Department issued a public safety advisory citing an uptick in home invasion robberies.'

OPD urged residents to trim hedges and shrubs to 'eliminate potential hiding spots,' install home security systems and use outdoor lighting with motion sensors.

Thao said her office had implemented new neighborhood strategies since then and were already seeing success.

In Chinatown, Uptown and Jack London Square areas, she said, 'We have experienced 42 percent decrease in robberies, 32 percent decrease in auto burglaries…and a 38 percent decrease in theft and 13 percent decrease in commercial burglaries.'

When the ceasefire program was launched in 2012 and in 2013, homicides started tracking downward and hit a low of 67 in 2018. Since then, rates have been increasing, reaching 120 in 2023.

Thao said her office had implemented new neighborhood strategies which have already seen success

An audit of the program by the California Partnership for Safe Communities suggests that these spikes are due to the city gradually walking away from the ceasefire strategy.

Beginning in 2016 and 2017 and accelerating in 2019 and 2020, 'each essential element of the strategy was significantly watered down, resources stripped away, or refocused,' the report read.

This began under Thao's predecessor, Libby Schaff, who assumed office in 2015 and admitted last year that efforts to defund the city's police department went 'too far.'

The latest ceasefire program is expected to be up and running in six weeks, but this will likely not be enough to sate Thao's critics, some of whom intend to get her kicked out of office.

Earlier this month, a group led by retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte sent out an official notice of intent to start the recall process.

The organizers accused Thao of creating a public safety crisis by 'systematically dismantling' OPD, firing former police chief LeRonne Armstrong and failing to appoint a successor.

'Lives have been lost, property destroyed, businesses have shut down, and fear and collective trauma are daily occurrences for Oaklanders,' the detractors wrote in an official notice.

Thao's chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, said in a statement that the recall campaign is 'led by losers.'

'I know for a fact that if Mayor Thao had lost the election, she would have conceded gracefully and found a legitimate job that contributed to moving our community forward,' Hanson said.

'I have faith that Oaklanders are smarter than this, and will resist the urge to be distracted by a desperate attempt for relevance.'