Board of Supervisors District 4 Preview: The potentially paradigm shifting supervisors race

Landlords land hit on D4 supe challenger; 'Dro official who resigned endorses replacement; Jewish group calls for end of Hayward's 'woke kindergarten' curriculum; GOP assembly candidate backs Trump

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley faces Jennifer Esteen in a winner-takes-all March Primary.

ELECTION 2024

21 days to Primary Day

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - DISTRICT 4

—OVERVIEW—The Alameda County District 4 Board of Supervisors seat is one of the most economically diverse in the entire East Bay. It stretches across a portion of East Oakland through unincorporated Alameda County to Pleasanton in the Tri-Valley. In short there’s always a host of competing interests constantly colliding, in addition to Castro Valley’s periodic itch for incorporation.

Incumbent Supervisor Nate Miley has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2000. If re-elected he will become the board’s longest-serving supervisor. Jennifer Esteen, a Registered Nurse, has not held elected office and was a candidate for the 20th Assembly District in the 2022 June Primary

Board of Supervisors races feature a November runoff election if a candidate does not notch a simple majority of the primary vote. In District 4, there’s only two candidates in the primary, so we’ll have a winner after March 5. If Miley wins, he receives a seventh term. If Esteen wins, she will take office in January 2025.

—THE CANDIDATES—

• Jennifer Esteen, Registered Nurse

• Nate Miley, Alameda County supervisor

—WHERE THEY STAND?—Miley has a long record to draw on and a long record for his opponent to pick apart. Much of this campaign has been about Miley touting his experience over his inexperienced challenger, and Esteen questioning whether Miley’s experience has truly improved the district, in particular, struggling unincorporated areas like Ashland.

MILEY

Miley’s main argument for re-election is simple. With the Board of Supervisors in the midst of generational change over the past three years—two retirements and two supervisors passing—Miley’s experience is needed going forward to maintain continuity on the board.

As supervisor, Miley has long pledged support for law enforcement and has long focused on the “lawlessness” in Oakland. He supports oversight of the sheriff’s office and the creation of an inspector general’s office.

Miley has not outright said he’s against tenant protections, but he’s stymied its creation over the years. He spoke with indifference on the issue of Castro Valley seeking cityhood. “I support whatever the people of Castro Valley want,” he said at a forum last month.

The county’s Reparations Commission and Election Commission were created under his tutelage.

ESTEEN

If elected, Esteen would be the first supervisor elected from unincorporated Alameda County. She supports tenant protections for unincorporated Alameda County, and incorporation for Castro Valley.

She says the lawlessness that Miley describes in Oakland has happened under his watch. Esteen also supports sheriff’s oversight, but said she would have approved its creation much faster.

As a psychiatric nurse, Esteen said she will refocus the county on social services, , homelessness, and health care. She wants the county to subsidize garbage pick-up to help with illegal dumping, and would seek an audit of county departments, if elected.

—CAMPAIGN FINANCE—The scouting report going into this race says Miley is notorious for slow starts to his re-election fundraising efforts. Esteen has proven to be a strong fundraiser, although the data is limited to her assembly race two years ago and this campaign. That being said, the most recent campaign finance reports revealed a weakness in Miley’s campaign. There’s was a clear uptick in large contributions after the late January report to replenish Miley’s campaign reserves.

But Esteen’s small fundraising advantage probably makes it more likely that Independent Expenditure Committees enter this race in support of Miley and opposing Esteen. Once such mailer arrived in mailboxes last week courtesy of the California Apartment Association. More about that below the payline.

TOTAL 2023-24 FUNDRAISING, THRU JAN. 20

• MILEY $246,536

• ESTEEN $242,298

CASH RESERVES, THRU JAN. 20

• ESTEEN $99,069

• MILEY $54,217

—OUTLOOK—Forget that supervisorial race in District 5. This is the one that could flip the narrow 3-2 advantage that typically supports landlords and the sheriff’s office. If Esteen can pull off the upset, a host of initiatives backed by progressives are suddenly in play, especially rent control for unincorporated Alameda County.

District 4 voters have seen this before. A well-financed, well-messaged opponent takes on Miley and appears to have him on the ropes. Before Esteen, there was Bryan Parker in the 2016 race. He had Miley scrambling, Castro Valley folks were all-in with Parker, and a new day in District 4 felt within their grasps. Miley won by 25 points.

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