WASHINGTON DC

Washington DC Mayor orders removal of ‘Black Lives Matter’ tribute to improve relationship with the White House

March 2025: Back in June 2020, during Donald Trump’s first term as US President, Washington DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser decided to rename part of a road in central Washington ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza’. Her decision followed weeks of protests over the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis and that of Breonne Taylor, a black woman, who was shot dead in her home by three police officers in Louisville (Kentucky). At the unveiling of the new name almost five years ago, Mayor Bowser said she wanted to create a space where Black Americans could demonstrate peacefully without feeling threatened.

 

Now, five years later, Muriel Bowser has instructed city workers to remove the iconic 30-metre-long ‘Black Lives Matter’ street mural, an emblem of the 2020 racial injustice protest movement. The Mayor did so, allegedly to appease Donald Trump who has threatened to cut some US$ one billion from Washington DC’s government funding. According to the US TV network CNN, “the move reflects the immense influence Trump wields in his second term and the fear some local leaders have of antagonising him as they play defence on multiple fronts.”

 

Since Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, the Washington Mayor has been careful not to antagonise the President. She kept notably silent when Trump pardoned all the rioters who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

 

But the Mayor’s softly-softly approach to the Trump administration has been criticised by members of her own Democratic Party. One council member said that history had shown that giving in to bullies emboldens them to bigger attacks. “Congress has been threatening to take away our funding since the start of Home Rule 50 years ago. We have always fought back. Let’s not give up the fight before it’s even started.” It has also been pointed out to the Mayor that capitulating to the President’s demands could provoke her 700,000 constituents, more than 93 per cent of whom voted against Trump in November 2024.

 

Bowser acknowledged the criticisms during a recent meeting with constituents. “While I recognise that there is frustration, and people want someone to blame or they want somebody to be mad at, I don’t think that’s where we are in DC,” Bowser said. “I think we’re in the place where we’re locking arms. They want us to be smart and strategic and get to the other side. And that’s my job. I’m going to navigate us to the other side.”

 

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USA

Republican members of the Oversight Committee issue stark warnings to mayors of US sanctuary cities

March 2025: The mayors of four of the largest American ‘sanctuary cities’ faced a hostile grilling by Republican members of one of the most powerful investigative committees of the US House of Representatives. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, under the chairmanship of James Garner, practically accused the mayors of “protecting dangerous criminal aliens”.

 

New York Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, all Democrats, were questioned by Republican lawmakers critical of their cities’ policies that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Some Republicans even accused the mayors of violating federal law and raised the possibility of criminal charges.

 

In the United States, several states and many municipalities and counties have declared themselves sanctuary entities and adopted policies intended to protect undocumented immigrants from federal government immigration enforcement. These states and cities often limit the extent to which state and local governments cooperate with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

 

Before the hearing, Committee Chairman Garner said in a statement that the four mayors were refusing to abide by US law and thus putting the lives of American citizens at risk. “The pro-illegal alien mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City have implemented reckless, illegal policies that shield criminal aliens from federal immigration enforcement and endanger public safety,” Garner stated.

 

In their prepared opening remarks, the mayors spoke about their general approach to immigration enforcement and rejected the argument that they were violating any federal law.

 

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston told the Committee that crime dropped when the city was faced with an influx of immigrants, many bused from border states governed by Republican administrations. “We city welcomed about 42,000 migrants over 18 months – the largest per capita influx of any US city – some unprepared for the cold weather. The city helped settle them, and there are now no migrant encampments or shelters open, and crime numbers still declined.”

 

Mayor Brandon Johnson explained to the committee that Chicago was safer due to its ‘Welcoming City Ordinance’ that ensures police are focused on law enforcement priorities rather than immigration laws. “Put simply, any actions that amplify fears of deportations make Chicago more dangerous.”

 

Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston, tried to explain to the Committee members that the Boston Police Department collaborated with state and federal law enforcement when there is a criminal warrant, but state law restricts law enforcement agencies from detaining people solely for alleged civil immigration violations. “This constant collaboration with state and federal law enforcement is a crucial part of making Boston the safest major city in the country,” she said.

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams received some praise from Republicans on the committee for his willingness to work with the Trump administration and his willingness to consider changes to the city’s sanctuary policies. However, some Democrats questioned the mayor about the controversy surrounding his federal corruption charges. It is alleged that the US Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop federal corruption charges against Adams so he could better help the government’s immigration crackdown.

 

After the hearing, the Oversight Committee warned in a press release that federal funding for sanctuary cities could be cut or withdrawn. “Congress should begin evaluating federal funding allocated to sanctuary cities and ensure mayors who defy federal immigration law are held accountable.”

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Further reading: American Sanctuary Cities and States

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USA / WASHINGTON DC

Washington DC Mayor Bowser rebuts Trump and renews call for statehood

February 2025: Granting Washington DC statehood and thus making it and not Canada the 51st US state was suggested by the city’s Mayor Muriel Bowser in response to US President Trump’s remarks about taking over the US capital.

 

Speaking last week (19 February) to reporters aboard Air Force One, the President complained about crime and homelessness in the city, saying, "I think we should take over Washington DC and make it safe." He added, "I think that we should govern the District of Columbia." Trump added that he liked Mayor Bowser personally but criticised the city’s governance. "They’re not doing the job," he complained. "Too much crime, too many tents on the lawns - these magnificent lawns."

 

Two days after President Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks, Mayor Bowser rebutted him in front of journalists at the National Press Club. “Trump has described Washington as filthy and overrun with crime and homelessness. But the fact is that is violent crime came down 35 per cent in 2024, compared with 2023.” The Mayor also suggested that the President should spend more time in the nation’s capital rather than at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. “Trump's impression was formed in the COVID era during his first term. The capital is a very different city now.”

 

Referring to Trump’s suggestion of taking over Washington DC, the Mayor mused that the President seems to have developed an obsession with taking over entities that don’t belong to the Federal Government. "The question for us," Bowser said, "is how do we maintain the pathway to the 51st state? And why not? We're Americans. We pay taxes. We go to war. We have all of the responsibilities of citizenship, but we don't have all of the rights."

 

The District of Columbia, larger in population than Vermont and Wyoming, elects one non-voting delegate to Congress. Under a 1973 law, the city gained its first elected mayor and city council but has limited ‘home rule’. The US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) can override its laws and budget.

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MEXICO

Women mayors in Mexico ready to respond to President Trump’s threat of mass deportation of immigrants

January 2025: Three of Mexico’s most influential female politicians are preparing to deal with the scare tactics of the newly installed American President. A day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, the Mexican President and former Mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, the current Mayor of the capital city, Clara Brugada Molina, and the Mayor of Iztapalapa (a district of Mexico City), Aleida Alavez Ruiz, said that if the US should carry out its plan of mass deportations, the country, the State and City of Mexico are ready to provide humanitarian assistance. Aleida Alavez underlined that help would be offered to Mexican nationals and migrants from other countries. “We are prepared to receive our compatriots, guaranteeing them security and certainty during their transit through the capital.”

 

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, reassured the country’s municipalities that the federal government is ready to step in should the Trump administration make good on its threat to deport tens of thousands of immigrants. “Welfare staff will be deployed at the border.” The Mexican government has also encouraged municipal authorities to prepare shelters for vulnerable migrants and set up transit centres for people on the move.

 

Many of the country’s Churches have also offered to open their facilities to migrants. Mayor Alavez said the participation of Churches is vital in providing shelter and food. “We are united in our desire to help people who frankly have suffered enough.”

 

In a strongly worded reply to Trump’s threat of mass deportation, Mexico City’s Mayor Clara Brugada reminded the American President that walls do not stop migration but address the structural causes. “The fact that more than 120 million people in the world were on the move in 2024, shows that human mobility is a global phenomenon that requires comprehensive solutions”.

 

Meanwhile, President Sheinbaum dismissed Trump’s decree to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. “For Mexico and the rest of the world, the Gulf will always be the Gulf of Mexico.” FULL REPORT

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Further reading: Mexican Mayors versus Donald Trump |  Mexico's women mayors

 

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USA / ALEXANDRIA (VA)

High hopes for Alexandria’s first Black woman mayor

January 2025: Alyia Gaskins has been described as one of America’s new watch-out-for mayors. Sworn in on 2 January 2025, she is the first Black woman mayor in the City of Alexandria’s 275-year history. The Washington Business Journal named her as one of the under-40-year-old stars of 2025.

 

Alexandria, in Virginia, lies some 11 km south of Washington DC’s federal government quarters. The newly elected mayor promised to make education and housing one of her priorities. In 2024, as a city councillor, Alyia Gaskins supported a controversial move to abolish single-family-only zoning in the city. Instead, she insisted, the authorities should support tenants’ rights, stop displacement and help locals become homeowners.

 

Mayor Gaskins graduated from Vanderbilt University with a medical, health, and society degree. She subsequently obtained an MA in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA in Urban Planning from Georgetown University, and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago.

 

The new mayor has worked on hunger policy at DC Hunger Solutions, advanced health policy at the National League of Cities, and managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment. Before her election in November 2024, Gaskins was a senior officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organisation devoted to ending homelessness. She is also the founder of CitiesRX, a consulting firm specialising in cross-sector partnerships with cities to foster healthy, sustainable environments.

 

Alexandria needs more commercial growth to diversify its tax base and alleviate the burden placed on homeowners, a fact Gaskins acknowledges. The city’s most promising and potentially most valuable land for development is the Potomac Yard, once one of the busiest rail yards in the eastern USA. Since the 400-acre (1.6 sq km) piece of land was identified as a toxic waste site in 1987, several plans for re-development have come and gone. After the proposals to build a new arena for the professional basketball and hockey teams the Washington-based Capitals and Wizards were rejected by Virginia’s general assembly in March 2024, new solutions are sought. Mayor Gaskins has said she would support building a ‘bustling’ mixed-use venue incorporating homes, restaurants, retail, entertainment, and open spaces.

 

Further reading: American women in municipal government

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USA / OAKLAND

Former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao is accused of taking bribes

January 2025: Sheng Thao, Oakland’s former Mayor, recalled by her fellow residents last November, has now been charged with maintaining a corrupt relationship with her boyfriend Andre Jones and David and Andy Duong, two of the Californian city’s best-known businessmen. After a lengthy investigation by the FBI, which included a search of the former mayor’s private residence, federal prosecutors allege that Sheng Thao promised the City of Oakland would extend its contract with the recycling company owned by the Duongs and purchase housing units from its politically connected owners in exchange for financial benefits.

 

The indictment alleges that Sheng Thao and Andre Jones accepted bribes from the Duongs in exchange for promising to extend their recycling services contract with the city and purchase modular housing units from a company the Duongs ran if Thao was elected in 2022. The Duongs own California Waste Solutions, which has a multi-million-dollar contract with Oakland to provide kerbside recycling services, and the company has a deal to take over part of the old Oakland Army Base to build a new recycling centre.

 

The Duongs allegedly paid $75,000 for leaflets attacking Thao’s opponents in the 2022 election, the government authorities say. Allegedly, father and son Duong also promised $300,000 to the mayor’s boyfriend for a ‘no-show’ job and allegedly paid him $95,000 in cash after the election.

 

At the time of the allegations, David Duong was – and is believed to still be – the president and CEO of Cal Waste Solutions. He is also co-owner of a housing company. His son, Andy, also works at Cal Waste Solutions and co-owns the same housing company.

 

Once Sheng Thao was elected mayor, prosecutors allege she used her influence to help appoint a high-level city official selected by the Duongs.

 

The evidence also alleges Thao, Jones and the Duongs tried to cover up the scheme. Thao allegedly directed the Duongs to make payments to Jones to avoid a paper trail leading back to her.

 

The former mayor’s attorney accused the authorities of putting forward allegations but not providing any evidence. "The case is built on allegations from an unknown co-conspirator that we believe, when evidence is revealed, will show my client has committed no crimes," Jeff Tsai said.

 

Attorneys representing David (the father) and Andy (the son) Duong released statements saying their clients were innocent. “We have kept quiet despite the media frenzy over the past months in the hope that the government would correctly come to see through objective investigation that the allegations are baseless and being fanned by nothing more than gossip and supposition stitched together by the fabrications and delusions of those who lack all fundamental credibility,” attorneys for Andy Duong wrote.

 

In court, on Friday, 17 January 2025, Thao, Jones and the Duongs pleaded not guilty.

 

“The public needs to know it can trust those in charge of City Hall to work for the public interest,” said First Assistant US Attorney Patrick Robbins at a press conference Friday (17 January). Robbins is in charge of this case because US Attorney for Northern California Ismael Ramsey had to recuse himself from the investigation. The office declined to answer questions about the reason for the recusal or when Ramsey was recused.

 

Since the June 2024 search of her home, former mayor Thao has adamantly maintained her innocence, even telling reporters that she was not the target of the FBI’s probe. Thao was recalled from office in November by voters frustrated with crime and the city’s flagging local economy, and the FBI raids may have played a role in turning the public against her.

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Further reading: American women in municipal government

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USA / LOS ANGELES

Angelenos and American media remind the LA Mayor of her election pledge to forego international travel

January 2025: Upon taking office as Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, who was a member of the US Congress from 2011 to 2022, told the New York Times that her international travel was behind her. As a member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Bass spent years travelling and working on US-Africa relations.

 

Three years ago, Bass was candid enough to admit that she would miss meeting people in other countries and on other continents but promised Angelenos that she would not travel abroad. “The only places I will go to are Washington, Sacramento, San Francisco, and New York." After her trip to Ghana, while her city was burning, the media and her voters reminded her of those words.

 

The New York Times reported that the pledge had been spectacularly broken. Since Karen Bass became Mayor in 2022, she has travelled internationally five times, once to Mexico, three times to Paris for the Olympics and now to Ghana for the inauguration of the country’s new president.

 

Bass told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday that she was communicating with City Hall throughout her flight back to LA. "I was on the phone, on the plane, almost every hour of the flight back to the US," she said. "So, although I was not physically in Los Angeles, I was in contact with many of the officials from the fire and police departments. When my flight landed, I immediately went to the fire zone and saw what happened in Pacific Palisades."

 

Further reading: American women in municipal government

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USA / LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles Mayor castigated for her trip to Ghana while the city was burning

January 2025: Los Angeles’ Mayor Karen Bass has been heavily criticised for the absence when the worst fires in the city’s history started to take hold. Residents told journalists and wrote on social media that the Mayor should have cancelled her trip to Ghana. “Why does the LA Mayor need to fly to Africa to attend the inauguration of the President of Ghana?” Paraphrasing the quote, ‘Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome was burning’, one commentator wrote, “Mayor Bass partied while Los Angeles was burning”.

 

According to the LA Times, Bass left Los Angeles on Saturday, 4 January 2025, as part of a presidential delegation to Ghana, just as the National Weather Service began ratcheting up its warnings about the coming windstorm. On Tuesday, she attended the inauguration of the Ghanaian President, leaving the City Council President as LA’s acting mayor when the fire broke out in a back garden in Palisades.

 

In the wake of the catastrophic wildfires that have now ravaged Los Angeles, claiming five lives, destroying more than 1,500 properties and forcing some 135,000 residents to evacuate, Mayor Karen Bass is facing mounting criticism of her leadership during the crisis.

 

As the firestorm intensified, questions arose regarding her actions - or lack thereof - when it came to preparedness and emergency response.

 

Criticism of the mayor intensified when reports revealed that crucial firefighting resources were stretched thin. Fire hydrants in affected areas, including Pacific Palisades, reportedly ran dry as first responders fought to control multiple blazes. Residents have expressed frustration over the lack of water pressure during critical moments, and many are pointing fingers at Bass' office for budget decisions made earlier in her tenure.s

 

The controversy centres around the Mayor’s decision to cut funding from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). In the most recent budget cycle, Bass slashed US$17 million from LAPD’s funding. This reduction follows an earlier proposal to cut as much as $23 million, which was ultimately scaled back after strong opposition from the United Firefighters Union of Los Angeles.

 

Further reading: American women in municipal government | American women mayors

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