The gloves first came off when moderator Dave Clark, a news anchor for KTVU, asked the candidates to address the specter of ex-Mayor Thao, who was recalled by 60% of voters last November and now faces felony charges of bribery and conspiracy.

Oakland's two top candidates for the open mayoral seat — former Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor — went head to head in a live debate. "This moment demands leadership and it demands the ability to bring different sectors of our community together to get the job done,

The top two challengers for Oakland’s open mayoral seat got into a testy exchange Tuesday night after a former councilman said the people who supported the city’s disgraced mayor were now backing former Rep.