OAKLAND, California – Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County Administrative Attorney Pamela Price, targets of the layoffs, will soon find out if they will keep their jobs.

As of Wednesday morning, early reports showed voters favored the withdrawal efforts with 65 percent of the vote. Election officials have not said exactly how long it will take to determine the final results.

Thao cited a sharp drop in homicides and a successful restart of the “Starting Fire” anti-violence program as some of the reasons the city is on track and why she shouldn’t be removed from office.

But critics say Thao is to blame for business closings, sports teams leaving — and the perception that crime is out of control. They say he shouldn’t have fired Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong or sold the city’s stake in the Coliseum.

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Detractors also say the FBI raid on her home has cast a cloud of suspicion over her administration. She has not been charged with any crime.

Price was elected on a platform of reforming the criminal justice system and holding police officers accountable for misconduct.

During her tenure, she made it clear that she would not automatically levy special circumstances or the most severe weapons upgrades like her predecessors. She says she has uncovered evidence that prosecutors in previous administrations intentionally excluded Jewish and black jurors from death penalty cases.

But critics say Price went too far, allowing criminals to receive lenient sentences while ignoring the wishes of crime victims. Her policies led many prosecutors to join other DA’s offices, including a longtime veteran whom she had charged with a crime until the case was dismissed.

“There has to be a change,” said Sgt. Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association. “I think we’ve swung so far to the left, the counter, that we have to make sure that at some point there has to be some rationale to make sure that we can sustain these challenges.”

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Civil rights attorney Walter Riley is a staunch supporter of both Thao and Price.

“There are forces, builders, real estate agents, that oppose progress in Oakland,” Riley said. “They are campaigning to recall every progressive from the ballot. They have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars against everyone they support. And I see no basis for recalling Sheng Thao or Pam Price.

If Price is recalled, the Board of Supervisors would appoint her successor, who will serve until the next election.

If Thao is remembered, that’s a little more complicated. The president of the municipal council would be interim mayor. But board President Nikki Fortunato Bas is running for Alameda County supervisor, so someone else could fill the seat until a special election is held.

Henry Lee is a reporter for KTVU. Email Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan