Councilmember inserts himself into FBI raid discussion

Special double issue! San Leandrans are raising questions about councilmember's ties to Thao scandal; Loren Taylor readies another run for Oakland mayor; Oakland is facing excruciating budget cuts

San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo greets the prime minister of Vietnam last summer, with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in the background.

FBI FALLOUT

SAN LEANDRO

—Over the past week, the FBI raids in Oakland have focused on Mayor Sheng Thao and the Duong Family, the owners of California Waste Solutions.

—Most local elected officials have gone great lengths to avoid discussion about their previous ties to the Duong Family through campaign contributions.

—But a San Leandro councilmember who traveled to Vietnam last year for a trade mission with Thao, the Duongs, Port of Oakland officials, and others, inserted his own name into the burgeoning scandal in a letter to the editor that appeared in the San Leandro Times on Thursday.

—San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo said he received $2,000 in campaign contributions for his 2022 mayoral campaign from California Waste Solutions.

—“There have been a lot of rumors recently tying me to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's alleged corruption scandal and I want to set the record straight,” Azevedo wrote. “I don't know anything about this alleged corruption nor do I believe that we should assume that corruption has happened until the facts come out.”

—Questions about Azevedo’s involvement on a trip focused on the Port of Oakland and Oakland officials, and who paid for it, have been raised since August. The city of San Leandro did not pay for the trip.

—The Vietnam trip, however, occurred during a time last summer when San Leandro officials were preparing to open up its garbage and recycling contracts.

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—There does not appear to be any evidence of campaign finance wrongdoing involving Azevedo, the Duong Family and California Waste Solutions.

-Rumors of inappropriate behavior occurring on the Vietnam trip have been whispered among San Leandro insiders for the last nine months.

—In the letter, Azevedo defended the Duong Family, saying they have “supported many officials, organizations in our communities for the past few decades so we should not assume anything until the facts come out.”

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MORE INSIDE:

• FBI FALLOUT: Deep dive into Bryan Azevedo’s Vietnam expenses, including text messages

• CITY NEWS: Loren Taylor is readying a run for mayor much sooner than expected

• Difficult budgetary decisions ahead for Oakland today

• COUNTY NEWS: Alameda County approves $4.6 billion budget

• Carson cautions supervisors about focusing on wants, rather than needs

• The search continues to replace aging Eden Township Substation

• ELECTION 2024: Berkeley City Council is unpopular. Plus, Campaign data!

Program note: The East Bay Insiders Newsletter will go dark on July 4-5. The newsletter returns on Monday, July 8.