Nikki Fortunato Bas is now a witness in the Sheng Thao federal corruption trial. The former Oakland City Council President and longtime political ally of Sheng Thao will take the stand under oath. She claims she is not a target. That does not erase the years she spent as one of Thao’s closest partners at City Hall while the alleged pay-to-play scheme with the Duong family was underway. As Council President, Bas sat at the center of the same progressive machine that elevated Thao, protected her agenda, and helped maintain the political environment in which the corruption flourished. Sensitive contracts, city appointments, and internal strategy all moved through the Council she led. The same network that produced secret recordings of politicians, cash payments to bury damaging stories, and fake jobs for Thao’s partner operated under that leadership structure. Now the federal case is forcing the people who enabled and aligned with Thao into the open. Bas will have to answer questions under oath about what she knew, what she saw, and how City Hall functioned during the years the Duongs were buying influence. This is not ancient history. This is the same political ecosystem that left Oakland with exploding crime, gutted public safety, and a mayor now facing federal bribery charges. The people who stood with Thao through all of it are finally being pulled into the record. The trial begins October 19.