Miley doesn’t think cash reparations is a good idea
Future county bond measure could help pay for types of reparations, Miley said; Poll shows BLee’s senate campaign still languishing; Swalwell vindicated in Fang Fang fiasco
COUNTY NEWS
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—COUNTY REPARATIONS—Later this year, Alameda County will begin lengthy deliberations about reparations for African American residents and the county’s role in other racial injustices.
—But when the creation of the commission was approved last month, the proposal lacked specifics about its scope, potential outcomes, and funding. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, who along with Supervisor Keith Carson, is spearheading the reparations effort.
—At a candid appearance Tuesday night with members of the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club, Miley said he does not favor cash reparations for African Americans in Alameda County, but many other non-compensatory solutions could be applied, instead.
—He also floated the idea of paying for potential reparations with a future Alameda County affordable housing bond measure possibly coming to voters in November 2024.
—Miley said he’s cognizant that cash reparations for African Americans in Alameda County may inflame opponents and possibly scuttle the movement.
—“We’ll have a lot more push back if we try to put a check in the hands of every African American,” Miley said. “If we try to push that agenda we’ll end up failing, particularly, when we have other things we can do to address historical wrongs.”
—“It’s a track we can pursue, but I hope it’s not a track that we land on.”
—He added, “I personally think a suitable remedy is programmatic, legislative, and putting resources into affordable housing.”
—Miley later added some of the ideas for reparations could include increasing resources available to African Americans in health care, the school system, and steps for creating generational wealth.
—Many early white settlers were given free land by the federal government, Miley said. Can we find ways for African American renters to become homebuyers? Perhaps a break on property taxes to help build wealth? Some type of credit?, he said.
—There’s not yet a source identified to pay reparations if that’s what the committee and Board of Supervisors eventually decide sometime in late 2024 or early 2025. But Miley said an Alameda County bond measure potentially coming before voters in November 2024 could be a source.
—If approved by voters, the affordable housing bond measure could generate $1 billion, Miley said, while raising the possibility that a carve out could be made for helping African American renters get loans or support African American small-business owners to expand their portfolio.
—How much could be carved out? “Just throwing out figures,” Miley said, “$100 million.”
—In addition, the reparations committee could also look into other examples of historical racial and gender injustices in the county, including the annexation by Hayward of Russell City in the 1960s.
—The move displaced the mostly African American and Latino enclave for an industrial park. The City of Hayward issued an official apology in 2021 and has convened a Reparative Justice Project on the subject.
—“What happened in Russell City is a clear example of abuse that happened in Alameda County,” Miley said. “The Board of Supervisors clearly played a role.”
—Examples of redlining in unincorporated San Lorenzo, and other parts of the unincorporated areas, could also be looked at for its role in cementing generations of poverty.
—O’MALLEY OUT—Just like former Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern last month, Nancy O’Malley closed out her district attorney campaign committee on Tuesday.
—O’Malley served 12 years as Alameda County DA until retiring prior to last year’s election. O’Malley donated the remaining $6,520 in her account to one of her pet causes as DA, the Alameda County Family Justice Center.
ELECTION 2024
U.S. SENATE
—CASEN POLL—An internal poll reportedly commissioned by Barbara Lee’s senate campaign did not yield much encouragement for her chances in the March primary, despite the pollster’s positivity.
—The poll of 1,380 likely voters, conducted May 13-21, placed Republican Eric Early atop the field with 27 percent support, followed by Katie Porter at 24 percent, Adam Schiff at 21 percent, and Lee at 11 percent. Seventeen percent were undecided/other. The poll’s margin of error is +/-4 percent.
—However, once positive biographies of each candidate were offered, Lee’s support jumped to 20 percent, leading the pollster to conclude that once the East Bay congressmember becomes more known to state voters her support will greatly increase.
—It’s a reasonable conclusion, but getting the word out requires large amounts of campaign fundraising which Lee has not yet shown capable of generating.
7TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT
—ONE-PERCENTERS BEWARE—Using language you’ve heard many times from a certain messy-haired Vermonter, Jovanka Beckles kicked off her 7th State Senate District race with a campaign video on Wednesday.
—LABOR GAINS—The very early storyline in this race is the sorting out of labor unions between candidates in SD7.
—This week Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin announced three more labor endorsements—the Northern California District Council of Laborers, Operating Engineers Local 3, and NorCal Carpenters Union.
—The endorsements are significant because of the labor strength inherent in another SD7 candidate’s resume. Kathryn Lybarger, head of AFSCME Local 3299, has shown strong early fundraising support, especially for someone with limited experience in electoral politics.
—At this time, most view Arreguin and Lybarger as the front runners in SD7
CONGRESS
14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
—NO FURTHER ACTION—The House Ethics Committee determined Rep. Eric Swalwell did nothing illegal in his interactions with reputed Chinese spy Christine Fang.
—“The Committee will take no further action in this matter,” the committee wrote to Swalwell in a letter dated May 22.
—Upon taking power, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy booted Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee, citing unspecified allegations of wrongdoing between the East Bay congressmember and Fang, also known as Fang Fang.
—The House Ethics Committee took up the matter in April 2021.
—What is known is that Fang was able to quickly ingratiate herself with a number of East Bay officials nearly a decade ago. She later worked in Swalwell’s congressional office.
—An alleged romantic relationship between the two, however, became the focal point for much of the teasing and mocking memes Swalwell has received from the right wing since. It turns out, a single man having a romantic interlude with a Chinese spy, although not advisable, isn’t against the law.
—Point of personal privilege: My insights on the early days of Swalwell and Fang are included in a new book published by HarperCollins on Aug. 1 by former Axios reporter Bethaney Allen. Pre-order Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World.
PROGRAM NOTE: The newsletter returns on Wednesday, May 31, in observation of the Memorial Day holiday. Look out for a new episode of the East Bay Insiders Podcast on Friday morning!