Budgets and ballot measures
Pleasanton contemplates half-cent sales tax increase, although polling is iffy; Oakland City Council to tackle massive deficit just four days before budget deadline; Khanna ditching Netanyahu speech
CITY NEWS
ALAMEDA
—LOWERING THE BAR—A proposed charter amendment highlights the very real potential that the Alameda City Council’s progressive majority will vanished this November.
—Over the past year, a number of new and existing leases at Alameda Point (the former Alameda Naval Air Station) have either been denied or faced controversies drummed up by two of the five member of the council—Trish Herrera Spencer and Tony Daysog.
—A referral for a proposed charter amendment calls for repealing an existing supermajority requirement for council approval for the sale and leases of city-owned properties.
—The reason why the charter calls for four of five council votes for this particular action is unclear, but its providence may predate the naval air station.
—If Spencer is the impetus for the charter amendment measure, the future composition of the Alameda City Council could render passage moot.
—Spencer is up for one of two at-large seats on the council this November. Councilmember Malia Vella is termed out at the end of the year.
—Spencer is the only known candidate in the race, and there are no names being bandied about to run for the council.
PLEASANTON
—TEPID TAX SUPPORT—A reduction in services resulting from budget shortfalls could begin in Fiscal Year 2025-26, according to city staff.
—To remedy the budget uncertainty, Pleasanton is contemplating a ballot measure this fall for a half-cent sales tax increase, although recent polling showed somewhat tepid support.
—Polling commissioned by the city in mid-May showed 58 percent of Pleasanton voters would support a general-purpose sales tax increase. But the number dropped to 49 percent when negative information was asked. The poll’s margin of error is +/-4.9 percent.
—The half-cent increase, if approved by voters, would increase Pleasanton’s sales tax to 10.75 percent, joining Alameda, Albany, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro and Union
City.
—WATER WOES—Pleasanton’s push to mitigate the detection of PFAS, the “forever chemical,” in some of its wells moves forward on Tuesday night.
—Pleasanton and the Zone 7 Water Agency will split a $2 million price tag to study the feasibility of new groundwater wells at the Bernal subbasin.
—HAPPY BIRTHDAY—Pleasanton will celebrate 130 years since incorporation on Tuesday night.
SAN LEANDRO
—NEW CHIEF ON WATCH—San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averiett was elevated to the permanent status on June 3. A badge-pinning ceremony will be held at the start of tonight’s city council meeting. Averiett is the city’s first female African American police chief.
—WATCHING THE POLICE—Pcyeta Stroud and Peter Franco will be appointed to the San Leandro Community Police Review Board. Stroud was an applicant earlier this year for the open District 1 city council seat.
—SLOW DOWN IN THE ‘DRO—Speed limits on 30 street segments in San Leandro will be reduced, based on a recommendation by the city’s Public Works Department. San Leandro last evaluated its speed limits in 2017. At the time, speed limits were reduced on six street segments. Here’s the list of streets recommended for speed limit reductions.
OAKLAND
—TOWN PROCRASTINATION—The Oakland City Council will be formally presented with the council’s budget resolution and hear potential amendments for the first time on June 26.
—Budget discussions were initially scheduled for this Tuesday’s council meeting, but the city administrator’s office asked the council’s Rules Committee to postpone the item to next week.
—It’s just four days before the June 30 deadline for all municipalities to approve a balanced budget. The June 26 budget meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m.
—If needed, the Oakland City Council set a special meeting for June 28, at 1:30 p.m. to wrap up budget discussions.
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
ALAMEDA HOSPITAL
—FINANCING HELP—A bill that would help Alameda Hospital finance an estimated $52 million in state-mandated seismic retrofitting by 2030 is scheduled for its third reading in the state senate on Monday.
—Assembly Bill 2157, authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, sailed through the assembly and is expected to again meet little resistance in the upper house of the state legislature.
—Alameda residents pay a $298 parcel tax for the hospital, but the revenues can only be used for operation of the facility. Bonta’s bill would allow the parcel tax revenues to be used for financing of construction projects.
ST. ROSE HOSPITAL
—WAITING ROOM—Meanwhile, Assembly Bill 2271, legislation that will would hasten a partnership between the struggling St. Rose Hospital in Hayward and Alameda Health System, is in a brief holding pattern.
—The bill, authored by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, would require the state Department of Health Care Access and Information to forgive $17.2 million in distressed hospital loans previously given to St. Rose Hospital.
—Like the Alameda Hospital bill, AB 2271 faced very little opposition in the assembly. A scheduled hearing for the bill in the state senate health committee on June 4 was postponed.
D.C. NEWS
17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
—RO’S A NO-GO—Rep. Ro Khanna is not planning to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on July 24, he told NBC News on Sunday.
—“I said that if he wants to come to speak to members of Congress about how to end the war and release hostages, I would be fine doing that, but I’m not going to sit in a one-way lecture,” Khanna said on Meet the Press.
—Khanna’s progressive north star, Sen. Bernie Sanders, is also not attending the speech.
ELECTION 2024
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—MONEYBALL—Below is Form 497 campaign contributions filed on June 7-16.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
BART BOARD OF DIRECTORS
—Melissa Hernandez (BART Board-District 5), Hernandez for Dublin Mayor 2022, $20,000. TOTAL: $20,000.
STATE LEGISLATURE
STATE SENATE
—Jesse Arreguin (7th Senate District), Bao Le of Fremont, $5,500; Western State Council of Sheet Metal Workers PAC, $5,500; Chris Freise of San Francisco, $5,500; Lucas Miller of Pleasanton, $5,000; Sahar Yousef of Pleasanton, $5,000. TOTAL: $26,500.
—Jerry McNerney (5th Senate District), Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 104 PAC, $5,500. TOTAL: $5,500.
—Aisha Wahab for State Senate 2026 (10th Senate District), California Correctional Peace Officers Association PAC, $5,500. TOTAL: $5,500.
STATE ASSEMBLY
—Mia Bonta (18th Assembly District), California Academy of Family Physicians PAC, $5,500. TOTAL: $5,500.
—Liz Ortega (20th Assembly District), Sheet Metal Workers 104 District 2 PAC Small Contributor Committee, $10,900. TOTAL: $10,900.
STATEWIDE
—Citizens for a Better California, a ballot measure committee sponsored by Senator Steve Glazer, Centene Management Company LLC and its affiliate Health Net, $5,000; Peace Officers Research Association of California PAC, $5,000; Personal Insurance Federation of CA Agents & Employees PAC, $5,000; California Hospital Committee on Issues, $5,000. TOTAL: $20,000.