Brenda Harbin-Forte, leader of Thao recall, is running for Oakland city attorney
Brenda Harbin-Forte, leader of Thao recall, is running for Oakland city attorney
Long-time East Bay MUD board director is leaving after 24 years, endorses candidate familiar to Alamedans. Plus: Who pulled papers on Wednesday
ELECTION 2024
OAKLAND CITY ATTORNEY
—CAPTURING THE ZEITGEIST—Brenda Harbin-Forte, the leader of the campaign to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, is running for Oakland city attorney.
—“I think it’s time for Oaklanders to take back their city. Too often we haven’t required accountability to those in leadership positions and we need to know what is going on with our city attorney.” said Harbin-Forte, a former Alameda County Superior Court judge who served on the bench for 27 years.
—Big cases are being lost at the city attorney’s office and there’s an overreliance on costly outside counsels, Harbin-Forte said. “We need to keep more cases in-house.”
—Shedding oversight of the federal monitor after more than two decades will likely be a large part of Harbin-Forte’s platform.
—“We need to be more aggressive in getting out from under the federal monitor. If we provide the right argument, the right information, we can persuade the judge,” Harbin Forte said.
—“We should not be under that negotiated settlement agreement any longer. We pay the federal monitor $1 million a year. We need that money to stay in Oakland.”
—Harbin-Forte believes Oakland was nearly out from federal oversight of the police department under former Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong before Mayor Thao fired him in early 2023.
—Armstrong’s dismissal set in motion the recall effort against Thao that will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot in Oakland.
—Harbin-Forte said people often asked her to run for mayor and city attorney, but she was focused on the Thao recall. “I wanted to make sure that the recall would be on the ballot before looking at other things are needed to be done in Oakland,” she said.
—Most observers predict Thao will likely be recalled and by a large margin, pending specifics about the FBI raid on June 20.
—Harbin-Forte’s association to the recall will make her a formidable candidate this fall against Ryan Richardson, the current Oakland assistant city attorney.
—“It’s time for a different vision for the Oakland City Attorney’s Office. Time for fresh leadership. My concern is Richardson will continue the same policies as the current administration,” Harbin-Forte said, adding, “He’s not the best leader in the city. I’ve seen his work and I’m not impressed.”
—Current Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker is not seeking re-election after 23 years in office. Parker has endorsed Richardson as her successor.
EAST BAY MUD
—PARTIAL END OF AN ERA—Doug Linney will not seek re-election this fall to the East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) Board of Directors, he announced on Wednesday.
—Linney was first elected in 2000 to serve the EBMUD seat that represents Alameda, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and parts of Oakland.
—“After much personal deliberation, I have decided not to run for re-election this November. It requires little explanation,” Linney wrote in a statement.
—“I still enjoy serving my constituents and the general public, and believe we have a smooth path forward due to the tremendous staff leadership at the agency. Alas, I have concluded it is time for me to move on and allow others to have the opportunity to serve.”
—Linney is endorsing former Alameda Councilmember Jim Oddie for the Ward 5 seat this November, he wrote. Oddie pulled papers on Wednesday afternoon.
—Linney is also known as one of the best political consultants in the East Bay.
—Two years ago, he delivered two consulting masterpieces: Yesenia Sanchez’s upset of Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern, and Lena Tam’s victory over Rebecca Kaplan for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors
—Linney will continue his work at Next Generation, his candidate consulting firm, he said.
—THE HEIR APPARENT—Former Alameda Councilmember Jim Oddie was not actively looking for a return to public life, but the opportunity to possibly succeed Doug Linney at the East Bay Municipal Utilities District was too good to pass up.
—Oddie envisions good jobs, clean and affordable water, and a safe environment for Ward 5. “Nobody knows the district and the issues better,” he said.
—His policy experience includes serving as district director under then-Assemblymember Rob Bonta.
—During six years on the Alameda City Council, Oddie said his role in reducing unfunded liabilities is similar to the work of an EBMUD board director.
—“You need to be able to store things away during good time so you can survive during the bad times,” he said.
NOMINATION PERIOD
—PULLING PAPERS—Candidates who pulled papers on Wednesday: *-incumbent
