How will single-payer affect East Bay legislative races?
Oakland’s mayoral race grows to a baker’s dozen
—SINGLE-PAYER RETURNS—South Bay Assemblymember Ash Kalra is reinvigorating the cause for single-payer health care in California. Kalra introduced a bill this week, that if approved, would ultimately come before voters since its a proposed changed to the state Constitution. The bill generally proposes raises taxes on businesses and those earning more than $150,000 to pay for the major expansion of health care in the state.
—The issue of single-payer health care will undoubtedly be a headlining question posed to East Bay candidates seeking office in the Legislature this year. The issue is popular in the deep blue East Bay, but decidedly progressive, and potentially disruptive to the stances some moderates and those just a tad center-left might be attempting to campaign on.
—Let me preface that the exact views of the candidates when it comes to single-payer are not entirely known, but the issue could energize these candidates for the Legislature: Liz Ortega (AD20), Jennifer Esteen (AD20), Aisha Wahab (SD10), and Jaime Zepeda (SD10). Business-friendly candidates like Lily Mei (SD10), Melissa Hernandez (AD20), and Shawn Kumagai (AD20), may ultimately support single-payer or tip-toe around the edges in order to placate their supporters and contributors.
ELECTION 2022 UPDATE
—ENDORSEMENT—On Wednesday, I mentioned Lorena Gonzalez’s departure from the Assembly to lead the California Labor Federation might have some benefits for progressives running for the East Bay’s two open seats in the Legislature. In the 20th Assembly District race, Gonzalez has already weighed-in.
Gonzalez is endorsing Liz Ortega’s campaign to replace the retiring Assemblymember Bill Quirk. The connection is pretty obvious. Gonzalez is a major progressive labor leader in the state and Ortega heads the Alameda Labor Council as its executive secretary-treasurer.
But the perennial question about endorsements is in the details. Is this a high-profile endorsement and that’s all? Put my name on your endorsement list and fend for yourself? Or is this a signal that Gonzalez will marshal more labor support than Ortega might already be counting on?
—OAKLAND MAYOR—The field of prospective candidates for Oakland mayor is now 13, and it’s only the first week of January. However, a large field of mayoral candidates is par for the course in Oakland. I’m going to predict the final number of candidates on the ballot will be 16. John Reimann, a former labor leader and author of the Marxist blog, Oakland Socialist, filed an intent to run prior to Christmas. Peter Liu, the perennial mayoral and gubernatorial candidate, who advocated for creating local militias to fight crime and proposed making Lake Merritt a water park, has also joined the race.
DATEBOOK
—FIRST LOOKS—The first candidate forum of the 2022 election cycle is this Sunday afternoon. The Alameda County Sheriff-Coroner race kicks it off. It’s unknown whether the entire field, notably Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern, will participate in the virtual candidate forum. I’m told, probably yes. But one of his challengers (and employee) Yesenia Sanchez is touting the forum to her supporters. Here’s more details on the next week’s election events.
—Alameda County Sheriff-Coroner virtual candidate forum hosted by Livermore Indivisible, Sunday, Jan. 9, 1:30 p.m. Register for the webinar here.
—Alameda County District Attorney virtual candidate forum hosted by Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Wednesday, Jan. 12, 6 p.m. Register for the webinar here.
COVID CHRONICLES
—TOP-NOTCH CRYSTAL BALL—The number of Covid-19 cases is vastly exceeding any moment in the two-year pandemic era. However, with a vast majority of Bay Area residents vaccinated, many with the booster shot already in their system, the medical severity of the incoming wave of new cases is still relatively low.
Amid a growing sense that greater normalcy was coming into focus last fall, Nicholas Moss, the head of the Alameda County Public Health Department, pretty much called the current situation back in late September. He said the strength of the previous Delta variant appeared to be waning in Alameda County, but warned a winter wave and even a new variant could upend hopes for a full return to normalcy.
"We are more than halfway down through our peak and clearly through the worst of this summer wave," Moss told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in September.
But the decrease in spread witnessed last fall was tempered by Moss, who said he believed case could ramp up over the course of the fall and winter seasons. "I don't think we're done with this. I don't think that was the last wave. I don't think we're at a place where we won't see people end up in the hospital with Covid," he said. "But we'll get there eventually. That's probably further out."
—BLEE QUARANTINES FOR ME—ICYMI, Rep. Barbara Lee tested positive for Covid-19. She made the announcement on Dec. 21. She reported having only mild, cold-like symptoms. Lee is one of at least seven members of Congress to recently tested positive.
—CITY HALL CASES—Up to 20 public employees in San Leandro tested positive for Covid-19 recently, San Leandro Councilmember Pete Ballew said during a council meeting on Jan. 4. San Leandro and Hayward also announced they were cutting back on city hall services on Friday’s for few weeks while the wave of new cases spurred on by the Omicron variant continues.
—Thursday’s newsletter was the most-read issue yet. But 63 percent of the traffic came from readers who have not subscribed. The free preview period has been extended to Jan. 28 to allow readers to get a better idea of what the East Bay Insiders newsletter will provide in daily local government news, insights, and gossip. It’s information that many local political insiders are already utilizing. But the move from the East Bay Citizen to a Substack newsletter is ultimately to be a subscription-only model. Starting Jan. 31, read the East Bay Insider for $2.99 a month or risk testing positive for FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).