Sheng Thao was elected November 2018 to the Oakland City Council, representing District 4. She is the first Hmong American woman to be elected to City Council in the State of California. She was voted Council President Pro Tempore in January 2021.
Sheng Thao is the daughter of Hmong refugee parents from Laos. Sheng was born and raised in unincorporated Stockton and is the 7th of 10 children. She is a domestic violence survivor and as a single mother, Sheng put herself through college while working and raising her son.
Sheng graduated as Valedictorian from Merritt College and transferred to U.C. Berkeley, where she earned her degree in Legal Studies. During her time at U.C. Berkeley, she helped establish the Bear Pantry, a food access program for students with families who could not afford to buy healthy food. Sheng has been appointed by her colleagues to serve in a leadership position as the Chair of the Rules and Legislation Committee, and is a member of the Finance and Management, and Public Works Committees. Sheng has also been appointed to be a representative for the City of Oakland at the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
Sheng lives in Oakland’s Laurel District and enjoys spending time with her 13-year-old son, Benedict, who is an avid cellist. They enjoy biking and hiking in Joaquin Miller Park, a world-famous park in her district, and camping in the Stanislaus and El Dorado forests with her family.