Observations
It's hard being an Oaklander running for a non-Oakland office; Don't expect much from Alameda County's Election Commission; San Leandro may need a new strategy for gaining renters' rights
—THINGS I THINK—Five years when Oakland Councilmember Dan Kalb was running for a seat in the assembly, I joked that he probably had a miniature legislative office built in his basement and had already written all of his bills. Kalb is one of the best legislators in the East Bay. But I worry that his campaign for the 7th State Senate District is going to be hindered by his own city. Oakland isn’t a good brand right now. And we saw last fall with Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s run for county supervisor that any connection to Oakland is a big negative for non-Oakland voters.
—Speaking of Rebecca Kaplan. She’s like the out of touch parent who truly doesn’t understand the younger generation. Instead of buying her kid the Air Jordans they want, Kaplan is the parent who thinks the knockoff Air Yordans will suffice. In that vein, why is Kaplan constantly carping about minor league soccer clubs and a potential WNBA team coming to Oakland as if it’s anywhere equal to the A’s, Warriors, and Raiders? In addition, Kaplan has noticeably checked out over the past year. Maybe its parenthood? Maybe not. But I always thought she had the talent for higher office and that’s has evaporated.
—That San Leandro has very few rent protections in this era of housing instability is truly amazing. Apathy is a major problem within the San Leandro electorate. Its residents simply have no clue about organizing and it shows with the rental housing issue. San Leandro can look to its neighbor Alameda for help. About seven years ago, Alamedans created a very strong renters coalition, pounded the pavement, knocked on doors, and made huge strives toward rent control. The advocacy gave strength to elected officials and renters won a number of important rights, including just cause protections.
The San Leandro City Council has a tenuous pro-renter majority, but there not making much headway toward rent control or just cause. Other than Councilmember Celina Reynes, I wouldn’t trust that her colleagues will come through on these issues. And since city staff estimates it would take much longer than a year to have an ordinance ready, perhaps San Leandro needs to take the issue to the voters next year?
—Don’t expect much from the Alameda County Election Commission, set for final approval early next month. Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis clearly prefers to work in the shadows and without oversight, and that’s not a judgment about whether or not he’s doing something nefarious. However, his abhorrence to answering questions from the public is a red flag. But by the time the Election Commission has members and gets into the swing of things, we may be just 4-5 months or less from the Mar. 5 primary. That isn’t enough time to provide proper oversight of Dupuis’ office and the next election.
—New mayors’ probation period: San Leandro Mayor Juan Gonzalez has been a pleasant surprise. He came into office with no experience and has quickly exceeded expectations. Gonzalez has steered a potentially fractious council toward comity and order. His state of city speech, however, was historically horrendous, but within his remarks was a vision for San Leandro. Most leaders in Alameda County oddly forget about providing a specific vision for their municipalities. It should be the shorthand narrative that everything runs through.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao still seems unserious about the job. It’s like she’s waiting for someone else to do her work. It’s my gut feeling this is why she chose to talk so tough about the A’s locating a site in Las Vegas. It remains to be seen whether her decision to cut off ballpark negotiations with the A’s was a prudent response.
—Expectations for State Sen. Aisha Wahab were high. But the East Bay’s top elected official (throw in state Sen. Nancy Skinner in the top spot, too) is setting new standards. Check out the Sacramento Bee feature on Wahab from last week and remember she’s only been in office for five months! This is the type of trajectory that hints at a potential bid for state senate pro tem.
Conversely, I don’t know what East Bay Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Liz Ortega are doing. Playing legislator? Getting caught up in the Sacramento scene? California is a deep blue state and Alameda County is a deeper blue county. We can’t afford to have the Oakland and Hayward/San Leandro assemblymembers being backbenchers.
CITY NEWS
OAKLAND
—Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, along with other big city California mayors visited Sacramento on Wednesday seeking an additional $2 billion in state funding to fight homelessness.
—In her remarks, Thao reiterated her own bout with homelessness. "The access to safe, permanent housing should not be seen as the American dream,” Thao told reporters. “It should be seen as the American right. It should be seen as a basic necessity.”
SAN LEANDRO
—DUMPSTER FIRE—San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo wants an ordinance mandating business owners and malls lock their dumpsters.
—Business owner have approached him about the problem, Azevedo said on Monday night. “It’s a process of starting to clean up our city,” he said.
BERKELEY
—NIMBY ALERT—A controversial plan to build permanent supportive housing at Berkeley’s People Park has been defeated after the developer announced they are pulling out of the project.
—The proposal had been stymied by protests, some violent, and those who believe U.C. Berkeley had other more suitably locations to build housing.
“Their campaign of ‘no’ has resulted in the loss of millions of dollars and project-based Section 8 vouchers which would have helped us achieve our goal of housing for those living in People’s Park and on the streets,” Mayor Jesse Arreguin said.
—The fact that People’s Park is on the National Registry of Historical Places was also problematic.
BART
—BOOP BOOP—On Wednesday, BART experienced its highest level of ridership this year, 179,971 passengers, BART Board Director Rebecca Saltzman tweeted.
“Great to see more folks riding to BART, and looking forward to more growth in the coming months, especially in September when weekend and evening service increases,” she added.
CONGRESS
—NON-STARTER—Rep. Ro Khanna also doesn’t support additional work requirements for those using federal food assistance programs and Medicaid. The proposal is a demand by House Republicans in negotiations to settle the debt limit crisis.
—“It’s a nonstarter for me,” Khanna told MSNBC on Monday. “The studies are so clear that work requirements don't make people work more. What it does is deprive folks who need the help of food; people who are on the street, people who are homeless, people who are disabled. And it's just cruel, especially as we see the slowing down of the economy.”
—EFFIN’ BAD BOY—Rep. Eric Swalwell likes to swear on the job.