OAKLAND — It is proving trickier than expected for Oakland to move on from its contracted private security company, which last year found itself uncomfortably linked to a corruption scandal at City Hall that led to criminal charges against ex-Mayor Sheng Thao.
City leaders are torn between a pair of leading suitors that, beyond their mutual interest in replacing the existing contractor, have wildly different aspirations: an immigrant-owned local business with strong political connections in Oakland versus a mega-corporation with hundreds of thousands of employees.
Tensions are rising around City Hall with days left to figure out a plan…