It's official: San Leandro has the worst city council in Alameda County
Observations: Igor Tregub, Alameda Point is closed for business, Nikki Bas vs. John Bauters, tenant protections in unincorporated Alameda County. Plus, Price campaign/recallers meet at forum next week
SAN LEANDRO
You had a good run, San Leandro. For decades, the San Leandro City Council, like its residents, kept their heads down, worked hard, and got things done.
But the decline in the city’s government has been gradual, perhaps fueled by the chronic inability to not only build a bench of future elected officials, but in too many cases, the inability to find a single person to run for office.
District 6, for example has not been contested since 2012. This fall, District 4 Councilmember Fred Simon may run unopposed for re-election. Two years ago, nobody challenged District 3 Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr’s re-election.
In a city where residents are worried about quality of life issues, the San Leandro City Council has been focused for better part of the last year on often inane ideas and peculiar power grabs, such as the fight this week about how the council chooses its vice mayor. —Watch the video clip above.
Under no uncertain terms is the role of vice mayor a real job. It does not denote a second-in-command to the mayor. It’s a purely ceremonial title. The vice mayor runs the council meeting in the mayor’s rare absence and subs at public events when the mayor is unavailable.
The strange fascination with being the vice mayor was kickstarted by Councilmember Bryan Azevedo. During the pandemic, he insulted a fellow councilmember who denied him the title.
When Azevedo finally gained the moniker, he ran with it. Creating a non-existent “office of the vice mayor” and referred to himself on social media as “VM Azevedo.”
Last year, Simon began pushing to change the council’s policy from an annual appointment to rotating the job among the councilmember with the highest seniority. In addition, Simon sought to change the council policy and allow the holder of the vice mayor title to use it as a ballot designation in the event they are running for office.
In a city with numerous problems, the vice mayor issue was moved to the back burner until last Monday.
Simon suggested opposition to changing the council’s policy was based on racism. Aguilar asserted blocking the change was discrimination against the LGBT community and vowed to sue the city if he was ever denied using the vice mayor on during a future campaign.
San Leandrans are worried about a decline in their quality of life. Outside of Fremont City Council meetings, no other city’s denizens are expressing more worry about crime than San Leandrans.
Instead, Azevedo is fixated on feral cats and dumpsters. Simon wanted an equestrian center, and Aguilar wants a city resolution in favor of magic mushrooms, in addition, to supporting the rights of people living in non-monogamous relationships.
What they have not done is deliver on a promise to tenants to bring some form of rent control to San Leandro. When pro-tenant Councilmember Celina Reyes abruptly resigned last December, most believed rent control was dead on arrival. They were right.
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—NEXT UP—Igor Tregub is going to be a good Berkeley councilmember. Few in this county have a greater love for the local game of politics than Tregub and he has connections in the city, county, and state that will be valuable to Berkeley residents. However, he’s often adverse to conflict. It will be interesting to watch how he responds to the wrath he’s likely to face from Berkeley progressives, especially those demanding the Berkeley City Council pass a Gaza permanent ceasefire resolution.
—TRISH’S WORLD—Despite all of her foibles, Alameda Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer proved this week that she is running the agenda on the city council, not Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft. Her war on science and prosperity at Alameda Point has been slow and meticulous and has succeeded in whipping up a small-minded minority and nudged some of her colleagues to her side. The message to green tech, biomedical, and engineering firms currently at Alameda Point or contemplating a move is “Alameda is closed for business” look elsewhere. The door has been left open for San Leandro, Hayward, and the Tri-Cities to become the incubator Alameda merely talks about being.
—MAKINGS OF A ROUT—Alameda County supervisorial candidate Nikki Fortunato Bas appears to be snapping up endorsements and lining up independent expenditure money. Meanwhile, John Bauters, her November runoff opponent, seems to have disappeared from the campaign trail. Perhaps, because Bas is securing so much support that it’s forcing Bauters to darken the doors of less-than-moderate funding sources. Bauters needs to figure something out quick. As of today, few think he can win the District 5 seat to replace Supervisor Keith Carson.
—YOU GOT TO KNOW WHEN TO FOLD THEM—Tenant protections have eluded renters in unincorporated Alameda County for several years. In April, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley threw up his arms and tasked an ad hoc committee made up of Supervisors Elisa Marquez and David Haubert to take a swing. The duo had 75 days to find solutions or Miley warned he will unilaterally create his own ordinance(s). The 75 days are almost up and there still doesn’t appear to be much movement between local tenant groups and landlords. Miley was re-elected in March and a slim majority of the Board of Supervisors usually sides with landlords. All the leverage is with the landlords. Yet, the tenant groups are still yielding no ground. If tenants don’t negotiate in earnest with landlords soon, they likely will be left holding the bag.
ELECTION 2024
PRICE RECALL
—SHOWDOWN—It’s the closest yet to an actual debate between opposing sides of the DA Pamela Price recall.
—The City of Alameda Democratic Club is hosting an endorsement forum on June 12, 7 p.m., featuring Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE), the group leading the recall against Price, and Protect the Win for Public Safety, the committee opposing the recall.
—Register for the Zoom meeting HERE.
—It’s not likely the Alameda Dems will endorse the Price recall. The best proponents of the recall can hope is garnering a no-endorsement.
—But the forum could give hints about the strategy Price’s campaign is readying for the fall recall election.
—Until now, its shifted from disparaging the recall as a Republican-led effort funded by wealthy real estate interests, an assault on democracy, to criticisms the media is ignoring her accomplishments.
—There is likely to be no surprises from SAFE, which has deployed a singular strategy throughout their campaign asserting that Price’s policies have allowed crime to skyrocket.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—DUES-PAYING—Felson Companies, Inc. and affiliates, which operates a number of apartment buildings in unincorporated Alameda County, Hayward, and Fremont, contributed $193,290 last week to the California Apartment Association Issues PAC, according to finance records.
—Emerald Properties, which is led by John Sullivan, a large rental housing provider in San Leandro and unincorporated Alameda County, also contributed $40,000 to the same PAC last week.
—MONEYBALL—Below is Form 497 campaign contributions filed on June 1-6.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
BART BOARD OF DIRECTORS
—Melissa Hernandez (BART Board-District 5), David Haubert for Supervisor 2024, $10,000. TOTAL: $10,000.
—Victor Flores (BART Board-District 7), AFSCME Local 3993 PAC, $5,000. TOTAL: $5,000.
SUNOL RECALL
—Recall School Board Trustees Jergensen & Hurley (Supporting recall), California Federation of Teachers COPE, $3,342, $3,342. TOTAL: $6,684.
CITIES
OAKLAND
—Oaklanders Together-For A Safer Oakland (ballot measure), SEIU Local 1021 Issues PAC, $100,000. TOTAL: $100,000.
STATE LEGISLATURE
STATE SENATE
—Tim Grayson (9th Senate District), California Optometric PAC, $5,500; Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association PAC, $5,500. TOTAL: $11,000.
STATEWIDE
—Buffy Wicks California Solutions Ballot Measure Committee, BH Properties, $5,500. TOTAL: $5,500.
