County mobile home ordinance to receive tweaks, but no rent moratorium expected

Former Oakland police chief for council?; Sunol recall may be short and sweet; Gaza activists show no love for departed Berkeley councilman. Plus, campaign finance data

COUNTY NEWS

CASTRO VALLEY

—ORDINANCE FIX COMING—The Alameda County Board of Supervisors have mothballed a proposed emergency moratorium on mobile home rents in the unincorporated areas, county staff told the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) on Tuesday.

—The reason for the emergency moratorium being shelved is the owners of the Avalon Mobile Home Park in Castro Valley rescinded across-the-board rent increases after the county notified them that they had exceeded the four percent maximum for yearly rent hikes.

—A representative for Avalon apologized for the incorrect interpretation of the county’s mobile home rent ordinance on Tuesday.

—But the ordeal, which triggered outrage from tenants at the mobile home park, revealed holes in the county’s ordinance, in particular, questions about its definition of mobile homes.

—An amendment to clarify the definition was also continued at the last meeting and is expected to be on next Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors’ agenda.

—MAC DREAD—Castro Valley school boardmembers may be summoned to appear before the MAC at a future meeting after some councilmembers posed questions about the safety of students at the high school.

—Tojo Thomas, a MAC member, raised concerns about drugs and safety issues at Castro Valley High, while criticizing the school board’s decision in 2020 to eliminate a student resource officer from campus.

Quotable

“I’m scared to death that what’s happening in Oakland is going to filter its way down here.”

—Chuck Moore, Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council member, speaking to an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy about rising crime on Tuesday night.

SUNOL

—LOW BAR RECALL—The recall campaign against Sunol Glen school boardmembers Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley has reached the signature gathering stage.

—Unlike other recalls currently on the menu in Alameda County, this signature gathering period should be extremely quick. Proponents need only 246 valid signatures from registered voters to place the recall question on the ballot.

—That’s because the Sunol Glen Unified School District is tiny. It’s lone school campus, for example, includes a little more than 250 students.

—The firestorm at Sunol Glen began last November when Jergensen and Hurley voted for a policy that allows only the U.S. and state flag to be flown over the school campus.

—Opponents said the policy’s intent was to block the raising of the LGBT Pride flag at the school.

—The group behind the recall intends to deliver the signatures to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters for verification by Feb. 20.

FREMONT

—BACON BITS—The Sunol Glen recall against Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley, may become uncomfortable for Fremont mayoral candidate Vinnie Bacon.

—During Bacon’s unsuccessful campaign for Alameda County supervisor in 2020, he accepted two $1,000 contributions from Jergensen, according to finance records.

—With the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee taking a leading role in recalling the Sunol Glen school boardmembers, the decidedly pro-LGBT central committee members will not take this news lightly.

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