County reparations off to an inauspicious start
A's notch big wins on the field and the courts; Former East Bay legislator gets a cushy job
COUNTY NEWS
REPARATIONS
—ADHOC COMMITTEE FORMS—The Alameda County Board of Supervisor’s timeline for reparations is not as far along as believed. On Tuesday, county supervisors approved the creation of a 15-member ad hoc committee tasked with studying reparations in Alameda County. Once formed, possibly as late as July, the group will make bimonthly reports to the board.
—But prior to voting, the board failed to properly frame the nascent issue, which could come back to haunt them and the issue.
—A staffer member from Supervisor Nate Miley’s office said the county’s involvement in racial discrimination toward African Americans wasn’t fully apparent. Instead, the criticism should be about the county historically not doing enough to stop discrimination.
—Supervisor Keith Carson then offered a lengthy, historical-based “dissertation” as one supervisor labeled it. The comments were a response to a letter the board received from a constituent who questioned the logistics, parameters, and financial costs of reparations.
—“This is not about putting a check in the hands of African Americans,” Miley said. But the statement was too little, too late, after more than an hour of public commentary that was highlighted with fringe actors and their pet causes.
—They included a critic of paper money, digital currency, conspiratorial rants alluding to assassination in the 1960s.
—A woman who opposes government-sponsored reparation, instead, urged people to “Venmo all the Black people in the room.”. In each case the argument was rooted in opposition to reparations.
—Miley offered up his famous quip: “Reasonable people will disagree,” before adding, “I got to say this, as an elected, we have to listen to fools and idiots, and we did have that today.”
—San Francisco’s headline-popping $5 million reparations to each African American has riled up those easily riled up, making reparations movements in other locales that much more difficult. Hayward is also studying reparations for Russell City.
—But there are indications here that Alameda County supervisors may be looking for a more conservative version of reparations.
—The proposed make-up of the ad hoc committee is quite specific, and suggests any reparations proposal might lean on philanthropy and fundraising.
—Each supervisor will get three picks on the committee, and include, among others, a formerly incarcerated individual, a member of the local Black business community, individuals with financial expertise, and someone 55-years-old and up who lives in a predominately Black community.
CITY NEWS
OAKLAND
—WINS ON THE FIELD, COURTS—The A’s started this season in the opposite way they ended their 102-loss season of a year ago—with a late inning rally and victory.
—The A’s and supporters of Howard Terminal also won in the courtroom on Thursday.
—A state appeals court upheld a decision that approved the environment impact report for the proposed Howard Terminal ballpark in Oakland.
—An Astroturf group formed by Schnitzer Steel, the metal recycling company that would be the ballpark’s neighbor on the Oakland Estuary, challenged the EIR in a lawsuit.
—However, a judge last August, denied their claims, which were upheld on Thursday.
—Whether or not Thursday’s win in the court will ultimately mean much in terms of building the waterfront ballpark remains to be seen.
—A year ago at this time, proponents of the estimated $12 billion ballpark development were in the midst of uncommonly good vibes. The project appeared to be turning a positive corner after a string of small wins with regional jurisdictions and the courts.
—That momentum was undercut after it became clear A’s owner John Fisher had great concerns about the team’s share for paying for affordable housing at the site.
—Since Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao took over for Libby Schaaf, there’s been radio silence from both the city and the A’s. In the meantime, the team’s “parallel path” approach to finding a home in either Oakland or Las Vegas, has truly become that.
—While the city and A’s are reportedly still in active talks, the team’s management is also hard at work in Las Vegas. The arrangement is curious on the Oakland side.
—Keeping the issue in low-profile mode isn’t helpful for Oakland leaders if it gives the A’s cover while working the corridors of the Nevada Legislature and local county supervisors.
—However, unlike the new baseball season in which the A’s have no chance of succeeding, there is still real hope for Howard Terminal coming to fruition, but barely.
STATE LEGISLATURE
—CASTE-GATED—State Sen. Aisha Wahab is taking some heat, including death threats, for groundbreaking legislation she introduced last month that would ban caste-based discrimination in the state.
—The bill adds a person’s birth and descent to the list of those protected by the state’s anti-discrimination laws.
—Word has definitely gotten out about the bill. Major national outlets such as The Washington Post, Time, and Associated Press have covered the legislation.
—Some Hindu and Indo-American groups have sharply criticized the bill, saying it unfairly targets them. The caste system is most identified with South Asian countries.
—The rancor was on display at an Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting this week when a public speaker referenced Wahab bill and labeled it racial profiling.
“They are talking about several-hundred-year-old empires and old country politics,” Wahab told Time. “They’re conflating different issues to distract us from the job at hand, which is making sure this bill passes.”
—BOB’S YOUR BOARDMEMBER—Former state Sen. Bob Wieckowski’s post-legislative career has taken him to the preferred landing spot for so many obedient legislators before him—the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
—Wieckowski started last January and was appointed by Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins.
—The pay is good. About $160,000 a year. The hours are good. You attend a monthly meeting. And you get to work with some of your old colleagues. Currently, two other former legislators served on the short-handed five-person board.
—Granted, since controversies in recent years at the state Employment Development Department, the job isn’t as kick back as before.
—Liz Figueroa, a former state senator from the Hayward area, served on board a decade ago. I once interviewed her near her home in Sunol. She asked me to meet her at a local coffee shop. “I’ll be there doing my homework,” she said, referring to her business on the unemployment insurance board.