Lee's best chance to become senator
Friday's news and notes; who might be the county's future highest-paid employee?; Specter of a possible SD7 IE
ELECTION 2024
U.S. SENATE
—RO SPEAKS FOR LEE—Rep. Ro Khanna, the new co-chair of Barbara Lee’s senate campaign, moved into his new role with some panache on Wednesday evening.
—Khanna, who once coveted the senate seat being vacated, wrote on Twitter that Sen. Dianne Feinstein should step down from the seat she has held since 1992.
—“It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign,” Khanna tweeted. “We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
—The move followed reports on Wednesday that Feinstein was temporarily stepping down from the influential Senate Judiciary Committee because of complications from shingles. Additional reports asserted the 89-year-old’s absences from the committee is tying up President Biden’s judicial nominees.
—Here’s the real motivation behind Khanna’s comments: The appointment process that would be triggered by Feinstein’s resignation would likely favor Lee. Recall that Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would favor an African American woman for the seat.
—Furthermore, Lee’s campaign needs all the help it can get. Early polling numbers show little enthusiasm for her candidacy in advance of next March’s primary. This many only mean that Lee has a lot of work to do in terms of introducing herself to the rest of the state.
—This step could be largely skipped with an appointment Having Lee bask in the glow of becoming the state’s first African American senator, along with the power of the (appointed) incumbency, is a strong combination.
7TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT
—IE RUMORS—Man, it’s way too early to be talking about Independent Expenditure Committees, but here goes: Insiders say AFSCME Local 3299, the labor union that bankrolled big victories for state legislators Liz Ortega and Aisha Wahab, is talking up plans for funding an IE for 7th District state Senate candidate Kathryn Lybarger.
—The union’s IE spent around $2.5 million total in support of Ortega and Wahab. The big number being bandied around for next year’s primary in SD7 is $3 million.
—But here’s where it gets complicated. Lybarger is currently AFSCME Local 3299’s leader and she ran last year’s IEs for Ortega and Wahab.
—Problems could arise because the operative word in IE is “independent.” There is no IE, as of yet, but having Lybarger too close to the potential IE might foster an uneasy feeling when it comes to election rules forbidding coordination between campaigns and the IEs that support them.
COUNTY/CITY NOTES
—Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert is hosting a multi-denominational National Day of Prayer on May 4. The event at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Amphitheatre begins at 9 a.m.
—Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and Fremont Councilmember Yang Shao attended last Monday’s rally in support of 23-month-old Jasper Wu, the toddler who was killed by a stray bullet last year. Mei and Shao stood with the protesters who later called for the recall of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Protesters and Jasper’s parents fear Price will not properly charge those suspected of killing their baby. While the Fremont councilmember’s appearance (it’s not known if they support a recall) is laudable, but some insiders grumbled that neither did much to help Terry Wiley, Price’s opponent last year.
—It’s clear that Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley does not like the state of Oakland, which he partially represents. At last Tuesday’s budget meeting, he twice took potshots at Oakland leaders. The worst came when Miley said he recently met with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, and described them as both unaware of what the county is doing in regards to homelessness.
—Appointed Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Marquez returned to her old haunts on Tuesday night and was feted by her former colleagues. Marquez spoke highly of freshman Hayward Councilmember George Syrop, calling him the “future of Hayward.” It’s true. Syrop is looking like an East Bay Rookie of the Year frontrunner, and with a very inexperienced council (four of the seven have docked less than six months on the board), he could quickly become the go-to councilmember. In addition, Hayward Councilmember Angela Andrews has steadily grown into an effective elected official. But while Marquez ticked off all of the council’s recent accomplishments, they mostly belong to former Hayward councilmember, now-state Sen. Aisha Wahab., who faced much resistance from colleagues for her housing and policing policies before seeing the light. One of things to watch in Hayward is how Syrop, Andrews and this very raw council begin this new era.
—There’s been much change at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and possibly more within the next year. While there isn’t much chatter presently about the future of long-time Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi, there’s no doubt retirement will come much sooner than later. I’ve asked some insiders about who could be the next county administrator, if, indeed, it came in-house or within the county. Health Care Service Agency Director Colleen Chawla’s name came up, as did a few local city managers. But county-level business and politics is an enormous undertaking. That’s why Muranishi is, by far, the county’s highest-paid employee.
PROGRAM NOTE: Look out Monday morning for a new episode of the East Bay Insiders Podcast.