Alameda County supes revisit rental housing ordinances; Oakland recount stalled by non-payment; East Bay reps on Senate shortlist
People v. Dave Brown ineligibility lawsuit has another court date next month.
COUNTY NEWS
—RENTAL HOUSING ORDINANCES—Newly-installed Hayward Councilmember George Syrop raised strong opinions during the fall campaign in support of renters. He’s already speaking out against landlords.
—Syrop spoke at today’s Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting. Syrop urged the board to approve three rental housing ordinances for unincorporated Alameda County on Tuesday afternoon’s agenda. The fate of three ordinances, vetted by the county since last March, could be decided today.
—Syrop said a potential spike in eviction next spring following the end of the county’s rental eviction moratorium will undermine everything the county supervisor did during the pandemic to stem waves of evictions. “Don’t give in to the fearmongering from the real estate lobby,” Syrop said.
—Two weeks ago, the trio of ordinances to enact just cause renters protections in unincorporated Alameda County, a rent registry, and a prohibition against landlords using past incarcerations in rental application decisions, appeared to have three votes to pass.
—But Supervisor Dave Brown, a supporter of the ordinances, botched the effort (See above) after he moved a slew of late additions to the legislation. Supervisor Keith Carson, also a supporter, pulled his support in order to analyze the affects of Brown’s changes. The items for continued to Dec. 20. I’ll have more on the Board of Supervisors’ meeting in Wednesday’s newsletter.
—As for Syrop, who I profiled below, his comments on Tuesday is a clear sign that renters in Hayward will regain a strong voice on the Hayward City Council following the elevation of pro-renter councilmember Aisha Wahab to the State Senate.
—PEOPLE V. DAVE BROWN UPDATE—A hearing in Alameda County Superior Court two weeks ago on the merits of a lawsuit arguing Supervisor Dave Brown was ineligible for the appointment to the Board of Supervisors last year yielded little.
—-Alameda County Superior Court Judge Michael Markman is taking the argument under consideration. A case management conference is set for Jan. 24, according to court filings.
—The lawsuit argues that Brown, who lived in Contra Costa County prior to being appointed to the late-Wilma Chan’s board seat in December 2021, was ineligible because the county’s municipal code says the next supervisor must live in the county for the prior year. Brown moved to Oakland just days prior to be appointed to the District 3 seat.
—But the big question before the court is whether the county code’s language only pertains to someone elected to the seat, and not someone like Brown, who was appointed.
—If Brown is found ineligible for the seat, an outcome that most don’t believe will occur, the ruling could invalidate board votes in which Brown was the tie-breaking vote, or instances when a four-fifths majority was needed for passage of an agenda item.
—YEAR-END ARPA ALLOCATIONS—Three Alameda County supervisors approved on Tuesday a large amount of federal American Rescue Plan Act pandemic funding totaling nearly $750,000.
—Supervisor Richard Valle allocated $$384,500 to 55 businesses in Hayward, Union City, and Newark. Among them nail and hair salons, childcare givers, and food service companies whose businesses were adversely affected by the pandemic. A vast majority of the allocations are $5,000 apiece.
—Supervisor David Haubert allocated $352,500, including $55,000 to the Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Livermore to replace philanthropic funding lost during the pandemic. Nine separate $25,000 allocations were given to Rotary Clubs in the Tri-Valley, Tri-Cites, and the Silicon Valley Chinese Rotary Club. Supervisor Nate Miley allocated $50,000 to the Genesis Worship Center Family Church in Oakland.
—RESIGNATION—April Chan resigned her seat on the Fairview Municipal Advisory Commission (MAC) in order to take over the East Bay Municipal Utilities District Board of Directors seat she won last month in Ward 7. Supervisor Nate Miley who appoints the entire Fairview MAC, accepted the resignation on Tuesday. Chan replaces the retiring Director Frank Mellon.
—CASTRO TAKES OVER—In an East Bay election cycle filled with upsets, one of the biggest was the outright June primary win by Alysse Castro over incumbent Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L.K. Monroe. Because Castro won a majority of the June vote, she avoided a November runoff.
—The nearly six-month respite before taking the helm at the county Office of Education ends soon. A swearing-in ceremony is set for Jan. 3. Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Aisha Knowles will administer the oath at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro.
ELECTION 2022
OAKLAND MAYOR
—RECOUNT CANCELED—The Oakland branch of the NAACP is continuing its advocacy for a recount in the city’s recent mayoral election. Sheng Thao defeated Loren Taylor by 677 votes in a race last month decided by ranked choice voting.
—The Oakland NAACP held another press conference on Tuesday morning prior to an effort to urge the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and Oakland City Council at their meeting today to authorize and begin a recount.
—A recount would cost $21,000 a day to conduct, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters said. Last Friday, the registrar announced that a scheduled recount was set for Dec. 16, at 9 a.m., but was forfeited after the registrar did not receive a deposit to begin the vote-counting.
—The Oakland election was certified by the registrar earlier this month. Oakland mayor-elect Thao is set to be sworn-in after the New Year.
CONGRESS
—SHORT LIST—The dean of California political journalism put two-thirds of the Alameda County Congressional caucus on his very short list of potential candidates to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
—The Los Angeles Times’ George Skelton voiced conventional wisdom that the 89-year-old Feinstein almost certainly will not run for re-election in 2024.
—Skelton put Southern California Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter atop the list, but the next tier is Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee and Fremont and Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna.
—Skelton believes Lee would be the sentimental choice of Gov. Gavin Newsom, if Feinstein were to retire before the end of her term, and a trigger yet another appointment for Newsom.
—Khanna, meanwhile, is certainly up to something, be it a run for president in 2024 or 2028, or a seat in the U.S. Senate.
—Khanna has made several trips to New Hampshire in the past year. The first in the nation presidential primary state is typically not on the radar of South Bay congressmembers unless they possess Swalwellian presidential aspirations.
—REWRITE—Between repeated trips to New England and endorsing Fremont Mayor Lily Mei in the 10th State Senate District, Rep. Ro Khanna has found time to write his third book, a second tome in less than a year. But not so fast!
—Khanna’s book, “Progressive Capitalism: How to Make Tech Work for All of Us,” scheduled to be released by Simon & Shuster in February 2023, isn’t a new book, but a title change.
—“Dignity in the Digital Age: How to Make Tech for All of Us” was released this year, but the title of the paperback version was changed. Perhaps, we’ll hear the phrase “progressive capitalism” used prominently in Khanna’s next campaign, whether it’s for president or the U.S. Senate.
—CROWN ACT SHELVED AGAIN—The Crown Act, a bill sponsored by a group of progressives, including Rep. Barbara Lee, that prohibits discrimination against people with hairstyles and hair textures associated with a race or national origin, was blocked in the U.S. Senate last week.
—The bill, touted as a civil rights issue, was blocked in the Senate Judiciary Committee by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (CROWN Act) had been approved previously by the House of Representatives in 2020 and last March 2022.
—With a Republican majority coming to the House next month, the CROWN Act’s future is dim, at least, over the next two years.