Loren Taylor gains support from holy trinity of Bay Area mayors

Alameda County DA candidate dishes tough talk against violent offenders

Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor at a candidate forum last month at Fremont High School. PHOTO/Steve Tavares

ELECTION 2022

Days until Election Day: 48. Days until ballots are sent: 19.

OAKLAND MAYOR

—LIFE IN THE BIG CITY—Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor picked up the endorsement of the holy trinity of big city Bay Area mayors on Wednesday. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo are backing Taylor’s campaign this fall.

—Breed and Liccardo’s support provides gravitas to the District 6 councilmember’s mayoral campaign, but the big get is Schaaf.

—Her endorsement was not unexpected. Schaaf was instrumental in getting Taylor elected to the city council four years ago and contributed to Taylor’s mayoral campaign earlier this year.

—Endorsements are usually just endorsements. But amid the recent realization of just how much labor unions are willing to go to get Sheng Thao elected mayor, the sitting mayor’s support is a significant development.

—Schaaf is still relatively popular in Oakland, despite the rancor that often follows her in The Town. Taylor’s campaign thinks the Schaaf endorsement is very important. Notice it was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.

ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

—TOUGH TALK—A question asked last weekend to Alameda County District Attorney candidates Terry Wiley and Pamela Price may have yielded the most significant policy difference in the entire fall race.

—Do you favor reformative justice over harsh sentences for even the most violent offenders?

—Price agreed with the question posed by an Alameda County Democratic Central Committee member. "I do believe hurt people hurt people," she said. "You can't throw people away because they make mistakes." Price added the county's long history of favoring punitive incarceration is a failure. "We definitely need a new model," she said.

—Wiley was far more blunt. "Yes and no," Wiley responded. "At the juvenile level. Yes. If you're 36-years-old and you murder somebody, don't come talk to me about restorative justice and you're taking somebody's life. If you raped a women and you're over 40-years old, don't come talk to me about restorative justice."