East Bay officials condemn attempt on Trump's life, but many stay silent

Rep. Barbara Lee: 'I’m thankful Donald Trump is safe'

ELECTION 2024

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

—CALLS FOR CALM—Alameda County’s congressional caucus expressed condemnation and disbelief after the attempted assassination of President Trump last Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.

—Rep. Barbara Lee and California Attorney General Rob Bonta expressed gratitude for Trump’s safety, but at the local level, most offered no statement on the horrific chain of events.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL: “Political violence is NEVER the answer. Ever. Ever. Ever. What happened today is absolutely despicable,” Swalwell posted on X.

REP. BARBARA LEE: “Political violence has absolutely no place in this country or anywhere in the world—period. I’m thankful Donald Trump is safe. My condolences go to the loved ones of the person who lost their life at today’s rally,” Lee said.

REP. RO KHANNA: “I am absolutely appalled by the gun shots fired at Donald Trump,” Khanna posted on X. “Violence is never acceptable in our democracy. I pray he was not seriously hurt and for our deeply divided nation.”

AG ROB BONTA: “We cannot condone political violence. Wishing for a speedy recovery for Former President Trump, and anyone else impacted at the rally,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta posted on X.

—CRYSTAL BALL—In early January, Gerald Pechenuk, a Republican running in the March Primary for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors seat in District 5, predicted the attempted assassination of President Trump, although he pinned the act on the British government.

—At a candidate forum held by the Albany Democratic Club, Pechenuk said, “The British are threatening to kill Trump right now.” He added, “He’s going to be in a car like Kennedy. You’ll see.”

—The British Empire was also behind the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, McKinley, and Kennedy, Pechenuk said.

—The shooter in Saturday’s attempted assassination was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Penn. The FBI believe Crooks acted alone.

—The idea the British government is behind the assassination of American presidents over the past 150 years was a talking point of right-wing conspiracy theorist and presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche

REPLACING BIDEN

—EAST BAY CAUTIONARY TALE—It’s no longer clear whether growing calls by Democrats for President Biden to end his re-election campaign was halted after the event of Saturday.

—The downside for allowing a revered elected official to seek re-election well past their prime was evident in the East Bay a dozen years ago.

—Rep. Pete Stark was a 40-year incumbent as the 2012 primary approached. Stark was pushing 80 and while only few years earlier he helped pass the Affordable Care Act, his energy and clarity was clearly on the wane.

—Redistricting a year prior had moved a large part of Stark’s district to a new set of voters in the moderate Tri-Valley. Privately, the campaign viewed the new district has highly problematic for Stark’s re-election chances.

—An unknown Dublin councilmember without much legislative accomplishments named Eric Swalwell entered the race.

—For several cycles there had been parlor talk that this was Stark’s last election. But he continued.

—There were some, like Ellen Corbett, at the time the state senate majority leader, positioning themselves as Stark’s successor.

—Ro Khanna was working for the Obama administration at the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and was also cozying up to Stark. A seat in Congress had long been on Khanna’s wish list.

—For both Corbett and Khanna, Stark was stubbornly holding on to the seat despite the threat Swalwell held with his demographic advantage.

—Like Biden’s botched debate performance last month, Stark melted down at a candidate forum in Hayward in which he called Swalwell names and accused him of breaking the law. After the forum, rather than shake Swalwell’s hand, he called him a “f—king crook.”

—The performance was the beginning of the end for Stark. The campaign essentially mothballed Stark through the November General Election, which he lost to Swalwell.

—The 2012 election is a reminder of what can happen an elected officials hold on to power too long.

—At the time, Swalwell was not viewed as a progressive, by any means. By necessity, Swalwell’s campaign was backed by some members of the local Tea Party, a fact that alarmed Alameda County Democrats.

—The election also had consequences for Corbett and Khanna. Corbett ran in 2014 to oppose Swalwell’s re-election and was embarrassed with a third-place defeat.

—That same year, Khanna’s bid to unseat fellow Democrat Rep. Mike Honda was unsuccessful. However, Khanna would defeat Honda in a 2016 rematch.

THAO RECALL

—CONWAY OR THE HIGHWAY—San Francisco angel investor Ron Conway not only wants Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao out of the mayor’s office, he also wants President Biden out of the oval office.

—Conway, a major Democratic Party donor, reached out to Rep. Nancy Pelosi to express opinions that Biden should bow out of his re-election campaign, CNBC reports.

—Conway is the top funder of Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST), according to the most recent campaign finance report ending on Mar. 31. Conway contributed $10,000 to the effort, as did Chris Conway, and Ronny Conway.

PRICE RECALL

—HEINOUS CRIME—Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price did not charge Shane Killian, 54, of Alameda with special circumstance in the murder of his wife, in-laws, and 6-year-old son.

—The designation would have made Killian, if convicted of the crimes, eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole.

—Price’s criminal justice reform policies have often eschewed charging special circumstances to the great consternation of survivors of crimes.

—To make matters worse, the shootings in Alameda last week were especially heinous.

—A police source said they believe Killian shot his father-in-law and young son in the back as they fled the scene. In addition, the wife was shielding the one-year-old in her arms when fired upon.

SCANDAL IN THE EAST BAY

—BLUE BIN COMEDY—Oakland school boardmember Sam Davis is not running for re-election this fall, so he’s free to be himself.

—Last week, Davis made light of reports that Oakland politico Mario Juarez was targeted by gunman last month.

—Police have not identified suspects in the alleged firefight on Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland, but circumstantial evidence has led some to believe it is related to California Waste Solutions, whose office and founders was raided by the FBI on June 20.

—When Davis was notified by California Waste Solutions that his recycling bin could not be picked up due to large pieces of cardboard, he jokingly pledged compliance