After voting against ballpark EIR, Oakland councilwoman calls her opponents heathens
A history-making San Leandro official joins the ALCO supervisors race
—BIG WIN—The Oakland waterfront ballpark project continues to gain momentum. Subscribers of the East Bay Insiders newsletter learned late last night that the Oakland City Council certified the all-important Environmental Impact Report for the $12 billion development. The vote was 6-2, with Councilmembers Noel Gallo and Carroll Fife voting no. The project now moves to a new phase before construction can begin. First and foremost, there is negotiations for a development agreement between the city and Oakland Athletics, along with a community benefits package that could include an affordable housing component of up to 30 percent.
—INSIDE BASEBALL—It was a bad night for Fife, whose District 3 is where the massive development will be built. If the A’s had truly gambled that they can get the Howard Terminal Ballpark District project approved without even trying to interface with Fife, as speculated at City Hall, then it looks like a brilliant move. Twice during last night’s meeting, Fife nearly begged for the A’s to meet with her. This isn’t the first time she’s urged the A’s to give her the time of day.
—Recall, last year when Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, and Fife sent a letter to the A’s in May asking to meet with them. The context of that letter followed the beginning of the A’s flirtation with Las Vegas. But the A’s and Major League Baseball ignored the letter. Meanwhile, Bas and Kaplan now appear to be on the field, but Fife remains on the bench.
—Since elected in 2020, Fife has struggled during her first year in office. She has made false statements about the city budget and has stoked an insular populism in District 3. The latter was seen last night when Fife quarreled with Councilmember Treva Reid over the her colleague’s attempt at outreach to residents in Fife’s district.
—HEATHENS!—Fife has also shown a very thin skin. During Thursday’s council discussion Fife referenced her naysayers on social media. It’s a rhetorical device she using often at public meetings. But following her no vote on the ballpark EIR, Fife took to Twitter to label ballpark supporters as “heathens,” a term that only reinforces Fife’s peculiar District 3 nationalism. It’s likely once the Howard Terminal project is approved without her support, she will merely use the situation to her perceived advantage and further alienate herself and the district from the rest of the city.
ELECTION 2022
ALCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—GRANT ENTERS D3 RACE—Surlene Grant, the first African American woman to serve on the San Leandro City Council, is the unexpected newest candidate for this June’s contentious primary to replace Wilma Chan on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Grant made a flurry of calls, texts, and emails to insiders and supporters on Thursday to announce her run for the District 3 seat that includes San Leandro, Alameda, Oakland Chinatown, and San Lorenzo.
MORE IN THIS ISSUE: Surlene Grant’s History | Lena Tam’s Familiar Campaign Logo | Carlo Vecchiarelli Dies | DA Doubleheader | A Glutton For Punishment Challenges Lee |
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