Last dance for 2023
Hayward school boardmember asks colleague, 'Do you believe that I'm a racist?'; Miley supports Gaza ceasefire; New U.S. Senate poll; AD18 candidate says, "Don't bip our future!"
CITY NEWS
HAYWARD USD
—DRAMA DEPARTMENT—Ken Rawdon, a Hayward school boardmember who is caucasian, asked his collegue, Sara Prada, a black woman, whether she thinks he is a racist.
—The question was posed last week during a contentious meeting that revealed a school board rife with divisions.
—“You and I have an unfortunate past that started as my fault and I apologized to this day and I don’t know that you ever forgave me,” Rawdon told Prada.
—Rawdon later referenced a social media post by Prada that referred to him as a racist.
—”I would ask you tonight, and before this audience, and in the public, do you believe that I’m a racist?” Rawdon asked Prada.
—Prada never answered the question, but added, “The n-word was the least of what you said to me that day, it was everything else that you said against my character that hurt and cut and that made the statement of apology that you gave almost irrelevant.”
—“You said a lot right now, but you didn’t answer my question,” Rawdon responded.
—Prada shot back, “That’s a question for you to answer. I’m not going to tell you who you are.”
—The exchanged came after the board appeared leaning toward re-electing Trustee Peter Bufete as the board’s president. Prada also sought the leadership position. She was later named vice-president of the board, although after further conflict.
—Prada noted previous conflicts with another trustee, April Oquenda, that required a third-party to intervene. Later, Oquenda objected to Trustee Joe Ramos being re-elected as clerk because of anti-LGBT comments he made earlier this year.
—Even one of the board’s student trustees joined the fray. “I’m really off-put by the way Dr. Oquenda accepted her nomination (for vice-president) and had this grin on her face like she had just won a Grammy,” said Khamari Lewis, a Hayward school board student trustee.
OAKLAND
—DONUT HOLE IN PUBLIC SAFETY—A second brazen robbery at Oakland’s beloved Colonial Donuts on Lakeshore Avenue this week is yet another high-profile data point for those that believe crime is out of control in Oakland.
—The Coalition For Community Engagement, a group that has been critical of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is holding a rally this morning against the “failed leadership and policies in Alameda County’s crime wave” at the venerable donut shop this morning at 11 a.m.
—The group not only intends to highlight issues with Price’s response to public safety, but also Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, and Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas.
—The inclusion of Thao and Bas might be a signal of what’s in store for each next year.
—If the Price recall is successful, public safety advocates may move to recall Thao next year, and attempt to thwart Bas’ bid for Alameda County supervisor.
—GRAPHIC PICTURE OF CRIME—Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s assertion and accompanying graphic that crime is decreasing in her city fell flat with residents who certainly don’t feel safe.
—The response to Thao’s claim on various social media sites was overwhelmingly negative, with many calling it dishonest.
—Read the fine print below the graphic. The numbers show levels of crime today decreasing in comparison to only three months ago.
—That’s hardly a large sample size in a city that has struggled with violent crime for more than a decade.
—Earlier this month, I reported Thao had been making this claim around Oakland, including at an event with developers who also were not buying her line.
—TOWN PFAS—Oakland moved to exclude itself from a class-action lawsuit against 3M and DuPont over PFAS groundwater contamination.
—PFAS, also referred to as “forever chemicals,” because of the difficulty that comes with filtering it out of the groundwater, is a big problem in Pleasanton, and potentially other regions in the East Bay.
—Oakland, meanwhile, is investigating the existence and severity of PFAS contamination in the city. By not participating in the current lawsuit, the city is reserving the right to make their own claims in the future.
ELECTION 2024
74 days to Primary Day
U.S. SENATE
—NEW POLL—A Politico/Morning Consult poll released on Thursday shows the U.S. Senate primary is still up in the air with Democrat Adam Schiff leading the pack, but also indicating Republican Steve Garvey is gaining momentum for a possible finish in the top-two.
(Full disclosure: I had a Steve Garvey poster on my bedroom wall when I was a kid, and he belongs in the baseball Hall of Fame.)
POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL*
Adam SCHIFF-D 28%
Steve GARVEY-R 19%
Katie PORTER-D 17%
Barbara LEE-D 14%
James P. BRADLEY-R 7%
Eric EARLY-R 7%
Christina PASCUCCI-D 4%
Undecided 3%
*Poll of 858 likely California voters from Dec. 15-19. Margin of error: +/-3%
—For Lee, the poll yet again shows little overall momentum for her campaign, yet she is still hanging in with the rest of top-tier candidates.
—Forty-three percent of respondents had a very favorable or somewhat favorable opinion of Lee. However, 21 percent “never heard of” of Lee, and 20 percent had no opinion.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS -DISTRICT 4
—MILEY ON REAPPOINTMENT SNUB—Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said there is no connection between his decision not to reappoint Jennifer Esteen to the Alameda Health System (AHS) Board of Trustees and her call for a county resolution supporting a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
—“I support a ceasefire,” Miley said on Thursday. “There’s no connection with what happened in Gaza and me not reappointing Jennifer Esteen. It’s total bullshit.”
—Miley did not give a reason for replacing Esteen on the AHS board. “I had that discretion and made the decision to reappoint another person,” he said.
—On whether Miley might also remove Esteen from the Eden Area MAC, he was non-committal. Miley appointed Esteen to the Eden Area MAC in 2019. Her term ended in December 2022.
—“She been a holdover. We’ve had a hard time coming up with replacements for the Eden MAC,” Miley said. “If we find someone that is capable, and has the time, then I will reevaluate the appointment.”
18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—POIGNANT SLOGAN—Republican 18th Assembly District candidate Cheyenne Kenney may have the most relevant East Bay campaign slogan out there.
—“Don’t bip our future!”
—Bip is slang for breaking into a car, an act not foreign to residents in the 18th District, which includes Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda.
—The slogan, included in the campaign’s logo above, can also be inferred to mean, “Don’t steal our future!” Kenney is a student at U.C. Berkeley and may be one of the youngest candidates running in the March Primary.
—Kenney is challenging Democratic Assemblymember Mia Bonta, fellow Republican Mindy Pechenuk, and Andre Sandford.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—BANK NOTES—On Thursday, $66,000 in total contributions was reported by Alameda County Board of Supervisors candidates.
—Supervisor Nate Miley received a maxed-out $20,000 contribution from SEIU Local 1021. The influential labor union counts Jennifer Esteen, Miley’s opponent, as a member.
—Meanwhile, Quinn Delaney, the wealthy progressive donor that is beginning to play a big role in this primary election, contributed $20,000 to Esteen’s campaign.
—John Bauters’ campaign for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in District 5 reported a total of $20,000 in contributions on Thursday.
—Jesse Arreguin’s campaign for the 7th State Senate District reported $37,900 in total contributions on Thursday.
—MONEYBALL—Below is Form 497 campaign contributions filed on Dec. 21.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
—Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County PAC (Political Action Committee), PG&E Corporation Major Donor Account, $5,000 (Dec. 20).
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—Elisa Marquez (District 2), SEIU Local 1021 Candidate PAC, $5,000 (Dec. 21).
—Nate Miley (District 4), SEIU Local 1021 Candidate PAC, $20,000 (Dec. 21).
—Jennifer Esteen (District 4), Quinn Delaney of Oakland, $20,000 (Dec. 20).
—John Bauters (District 5), Nicholas Josefowitz of San Francisco, $10,000 (Dec. 20); Marc G. Hedlund of Berkeley, $10,000 (Dec. 21). TOTAL: $20,000.
—Ken Berrick (District 5), Sylvia Pizzini of Bainbridge Island, Wash., $1,000 (Dec. 20).
SUPERIOR COURT
—Michael Johnson (Office #12), Michael Johnson of Oakland, $16,000 (Dec. 7).
STATE LEGISLATURE
STATE SENATE
—Jesse Arreguin (7th Senate District), Personal Insurance Federation of CA Agents & Employees PAC, $3,000 (Dec. 20); PG&E Corporation and affiliated entities, $5,500; California Dental Association PAC, $5,000; California Building Industry Association PAC, $2,000; California State Association of Electrical Workers, $10,900; Build Jobs PAC, $5,500; IBEW Local 551 PAC, $5,500 (Dec. 21). TOTAL: $37,900.
—Dan Kalb (7th Senate District), Re-Elect Rick Chavez Zbur for Assembly 2024, $1,000 (Dec. 21).
—Kathryn Lybarger (7th Senate District), California Nurses Association Political Action Committee Small Contributor Committee, $6,000 (Dec. 20).
—Tim Grayson (9th Senate District), Deloitte LLP, $1,000; Dentsply Sirona of York, PA $1,000; Lyft, Inc., $1,000 (Dec. 20); McDonald's California Operators PAC, $5,500; Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America PAC, $2,000; Sprinkler Fitters & Apprentices Local 483 Legislative PAC, $5,500; California Almond Industry PAC, $3,500; American Chemistry Council, $1,000 (Dec. 21). TOTAL: $19,500.
—Marisol Rubio (9th Senate District), SEIU United Healthcare Workers West PAC, $5,500 (Dec. 20).
—Aisha Wahab (10th Senate District), California State Association of Electrical Workers, $10,000 (Dec. 21).
—Jerry McNerney (5th Senate District), Vishaal Hariprasad of Menlo Park, $5,500 (Dec. 19); Jerry Fiddler of Berkeley, $1,500 (Dec. 20); Olga Reznick of Albany, $5,500; Glenn Ikemoto of Sonoma, $1,000; Susan Eggman for Lieutenant Governor 2026, $1,000; Tari Nicholson of Martinez, $1,000 (Dec. 21). TOTAL: $15,500.
—Carlos Villapudua (5th Senate District), Personal Insurance Federation of CA Agents & Employees PAC, $3,000 (Dec. 20); McDonald's California Operators PAC, $5,500; California Beer & Beverage Distributors Community Affairs Fund, $5,500; Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America PAC $4,000; California Association of Health Facilities PAC $1,500 (Dec. 21); California Almond Industry PAC, $2,000. TOTAL: $21,500.
STATE ASSEMBLY
—Buffy Wicks (14th Assembly District), Deloitte LLP, $1,200 (Dec. 20); American Clean Power Association, $5,000 (Dec. 21); UnitedHealth Group Inc., $2,000. TOTAL: $8,200.
—Mia Bonta (18th Assembly District), Amazon.com Services, LLC, $3,000; SEIU United Healthcare Workers West PAC, $10,900 (Dec. 20); Abbott Laboratories Employee PAC, $2,000 (Dec. 21). TOTAL: $15,900.
—Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (16th Assembly District), Barona Band of Mission Indians, $3,000 (Dec. 19).; Deloitte LLP, $1,000; UnitedHealth Group, Inc., $3,000 (Dec. 20). TOTAL: $7,000.
—Alex Lee (24th Assembly District), Barona Band of Mission Indians, $3,000 (Dec. 19); SEIU United Healthcare Workers West PAC, $10,900 (Dec. 20). TOTAL: $13,900.
STATEWIDE
—Citizens for a Better California, a ballot measure committee sponsored by Senator Steve Glazer, McDonald’s Corporation, $5,000 (Dec. 8).
Editor’s note: The East Bay Insiders newsletter returns after the holiday break on Jan. 3.
In the meantime, look out for the East Bay Insiders Podcast Year-In-Review episode next Friday, including the first annual Insidey Awards!
Thank you for your support over the past year. Merry Christmas and a happy new year! -steve