Miley removes appointee who just happens to be his March Primary opponent
GOP assembly candidate gets presidential candidate's backing; Eden Health District is again eyeing tax authority; Sheriff's drone policy is forthcoming; Long-time undersheriff retires
ELECTION 2024
75 days to Primary Day
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - DISTRICT 4
—HARDBALL TACTICS—District 4 supervisorial candidate Jennifer Esteen accussed her opponent, incumbent Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, of removing her from the Alameda Health System (AHS) Board of Trustees for what appears to be political reasons.
—Miley did not reappoint Esteen to the board that oversees Highland Hospital, and other health care facilities in the county.
—“Not being reappointed has come as quite a surprise,” Esteen said. “Throughout my tenure on the board, Supervisor Miley expressed his trust and confidence in my service with AHS and the Eden MAC.”
—Esteen said Miley never notified her of his decision. She was the only trustee up for reappointment this week that was not moved forward for another four-year term. Miley could not be reached for comment.
—Esteen criticized Miley’s move and the composition of the current AHS Board of Trustees as being “middle-aged and male.”
—Esteen served as vice-president of the board at the end of her term and was its only Registered Nurse.
—Esteen was appointed by Miley to the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) in 2019. The council is the de-facto local government for the unincorporated areas of Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, and Hayward Acres. Miley appoints all its members and their decision are only advisory to the supervisor.
—Miley could potentially remove Esteeen from the Eden MAC sometime in the near future. Esteen’s term ended in December 2022. Another seat on the Eden MAC remains vacant.
“The incumbent’s inattentiveness to the Eden Area is on display,” Esteen told the East Bay Insiders on Wednesday. “He clearly trusted my leadership when I wasn’t on the ballot.”
—CALL FOR CEASEFIRE—Jennifer Esteen’s campaign suggested that Supervisor Nate Miley’s decision to remove her from the Alameda Health System Board of Trustees is connected to a statement she made on Monday calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
—“The death and destruction in Gaza has torn at my heart for far too long,” Esteen said on Monday. “Now is the time for a permanent ceasefire! Violence does not create peace, it never has, and it never will.”
—Esteen is Black, Jewish, and Lesbian.
—The announcement is notable as Gaza supporters have filled city council meetings across the county calling for ceasefire resolutions. Esteen is the first supervisorial candidate to make such a declaration.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - DISTRICT 5
—D5 BANK NOTES—Supervisorial candidate Nikki Fortunato Bas continues to cash big fundraising checks.
—Following a $20,000 contribution from progressive donor Quinn Delaney this week, Bas added a $10,000 contribution on Wednesday from Wayne Jordan. Delaney and Jordan are connected by the Akonadi Foundation, a non-profit that promotes racial justice in the East Bay.
—ENDORSEMENT SEASON—Supervisorial candidate John Bauters rolled out more endorsements for his campaign in District 5 on Wednesday.
—Of the 30 new endorsements, nine of Alameda County’s 13 mayors have endorsed Bauters’ campaign, along with four members of the Berkeley City Council—Rigel Robinson, Mark Humbert, Terry Taplin, and Susan Wengraf. (more about this group below).
—District 5 candidate Ben Bartlett unveiled his first round of campaign endorsements on Wednesday. They include Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, three members of the Berkeley City Council that also endorsed Bauters (Humbert, Taplin, Wengraf) and two others—Kate Harrison and Sophie Hahn.
—The list also includes four Berkeley school boardmembers; Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, who also endorsed Bas; former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, and Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran.
18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE’S SUPPORT—Cheyenne Kenney, one of two Republicans challenging Assemblymember Mia Bonta in the 18th District, received the endorsement of GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the campaign announced on Wednesday.
—“I am so excited to earn the support from Vivek. I share a commitment to core American values, such as individual liberty, a strong community identity, and the pursuit of happiness. My vision for a better Oakland, aligns with Vivek’s pro America message as well,” Kenney said in a statement.
—Ramaswamy’s endorsement of Kenney’s assembly campaign was a bit off-the-cuff. Kenney publicly asked for the endorsement during an event in Arizona last weekend. Ramaswamy said yes, if her values align with his.
Editor’s note: The East Bay Insiders Newsletter last issue of the year will be this Friday, Dec. 22. The newsletter return on Jan. 3.
Happy holidays! It’s been a great year. I hope you enjoy the newsletter as much as I enjoy writing it every weekday.
I hope Santa is good to you! -steve
COUNTY NEWS
HEALTH CARE
—ST. ROSE LIFELINE—A list of potential operators for struggling St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, and summaries of their bids will be presented to the health care provider’s Board of Directors by Jan. 12, said Colleen Chawla, Alameda County Healthcare Services director.
—Last fall, a feasibility study of St. Rose’s future as a stand-alone safety net hospital found it could not stay open without help from a new health care organization.
—The number of parties interested in taking over St. Rose is unknown. “I was told a small handful,” Chawla said. Supervisor Lena Tam, responded, “Like one hand?”
—Non-Disclosure Agreements have been signed by potential operators, Chawla said. This allows potential bidders to view St. Rose’s sensitive financial information. The Board of Supervisors expect an update on the search for a new operator sometime in February.
—TAXING AUTHORITY—Meanwhile, the Eden Health District is set to meet today with Assemblymember Liz Ortega to discuss potential state legislation that would give the health care district taxing authority that could be use to further prop up St. Rose Hospital.
—However, the Eden Health District Board of Directors, which represents Hayward, San Leandro, and the nearby unincorporated areas, have studied the issue several times over the past decade.
—Polling previously done by the district indicated ballot measures asking voters to tax themselves to fund health care in the region was unpopular.
—One big problem is the Eden Health District is one of only two health care boards in the state that does not oversee a hospital.
—The district’s main function is to offer grants to health care-related endeavors in the district. It does so through proceeds from ownership of two large medical buildings.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
—SHERIFF’S PLEDGE—Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez assured the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that non-lethal projectiles will no longer be used on inmates at Santa Rita Jail’s acute care and mental health housing units.
—The pledge was made to the Board of Supervisors as they were set to approve the sheriff’s annual inventory of military equipment. Sanchez told the board the new directive will soon be added to the department’s policy.
—COUNTY DRONE POLICY—The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office plans to offer a policy for its use of drones to the Board of Supervisors early next year. The policy will also include a data retention policy.
—The proposed drone policy is expected to come before the board’s Public Protection Committee sometime in January or February, a representative from the sheriff’s office told the board on Tuesday.
—MUTUAL AID—Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson griped about Oakland essentially avoiding accountability when sheriff’s deputies are called in for mutual aid. Carson said the county, not Oakland leaders, face the brunt of criticism when things go awry.
—The underlining issue is many Alameda County police departments ask that sheriff’s deputies fall under the city’s use-of-force guidelines during mutual aid calls, Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
—“We respond and fall under their use-of-force police, and that is impossible,” Sanchez said. “Use-of-force is obviously our highest liability in law enforcement.”
—“It’s an impossible ask,” Sanchez added, since sheriff’s deputies are not trained under other jurisdiction’s use-of-force policies.
—Cities take primary responsibility during mutual aid situations, and the county supports them. “Historically, that may not have been the case,” Sanchez said. “We have incurred a number of instances with liability.”
—A NEW NO. 2—Long-time Alameda County Undersheriff Richard Lucia is retiring after more than five decades in law enforcement. His last day is next week.
—Lucia, who stayed on as undersheriff under Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez after serving under Sheriff Greg Ahern.
—On Tuesday, Sanchez named April Luckett-Fahimi to replace Lucia. She will be the county’s first female undersheriff and first African American.
—After decades of white males running the sheriff’s office, Alameda County’s top two law enforcement officers are now both women of color.
ELECTION 2024 cont.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE DATA
—MONEYBALL—Below is Form 497 campaign contributions filed on Dec. 20.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—Nate Miley (District 4), National Union of Healthcare Workers Candidate Cmte for Quality Patient Care and Union Democracy, $5,000 (Dec. 20).
—Jennifer Esteen (District 4), Karen Frances Grove of Menlo Park, $1,000 (Dec. 19).
—Nikki Fortunato Bas (District 5), Wayne Jordan of Oakland, $10,000 (Dec. 19).
OAKLAND
—Carroll Fife (City Council, District 3), National Union of Healthcare Workers Candidate Committee for Quality Patient Care and Union Democracy, $1,200 (Dec. 20).
STATE LEGISLATURE
STATE ASSEMBLY
—Buffy Wicks (14th Assembly District), Faculty for our University's Future, a committee sponsored by the California Faculty Association, $3,000; Professional Engineers in California Government PAC, $5,000 (Dec. 19). TOTAL: $8,000.
—Liz Ortega (20th Assembly District), Faculty for our University's Future, a committee sponsored by the California Faculty Association, $3,000; Professional Engineers in California Government PAC, $2,500 (Dec. 19). TOTAL: $5,500.
—Alex Lee (24th Assembly District), Faculty for our University's Future, a committee sponsored by the California Faculty Association, $1,250 (Dec. 19); Sports Betting Alliance, $1,000; California State University Employees Union PAC, $1,000 (Dec. 20). TOTAL: $3,250.
STATE SENATE
—Jesse Arreguin (7th Senate District), California Dental Association Political Action Committee, $5,500 (Dec. 15); Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union No. 761 PAC, $1,000; Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union No. 398 PAC, $1,000 (Dec. 20). TOTAL: $7,500.
—Kathryn Lybarger (7th Senate District), International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13 PAC, $10,900 (Dec. 19).
—Tim Grayson (9th Senate District), California Association for Nurse Practitioners PAC, $1,500; Sports Betting Alliance, $1,000 (Dec. 19); California Hospital Association PAC, $5,500; California Communications Association PAC, $1,500; California Communications Association, $5,500 (Dec. 20). TOTAL: $15,000.
—Carlos Villapudua (5th Senate District), David Quintana of Sacramento, $2,500 (Dec. 18); California Dental Association PAC, $3,000; California Hotel & Lodging Association PAC, $2,000; Californians Allied for Patient Protection PAC, $3,000 (Dec. 20). TOTAL: $10,500.
STATEWIDE
—Citizens for a Better California, a ballot measure committee sponsored by Senator Steve Glazer, Anheuser-Busch Companies, $20,000 (Dec. 20).