Observations
Wahab's caste bill revealed the fine line between the left and right fringe; Bay Area officials are clueless about sports; Pamela Price, perpetrators; and hometown candidates
—State Sen. Aisha Wahab probably did not seek to expose the extreme ends of the East Bay political spectrum with the introduction of SB 403 earlier this year, but that’s what happened.
The political spectrum is not the straight line that Mr. Williams taught me at Castro Valley High, but it bends into a circle with each end representing the far left and far right.
When the spectrum is curved both extremes are essentially waving at each other. They share a general common denominator calling for wholesale change for how government and society operates.
SB 403, which is poised to be passed by the Legislature soon, will make California the first state to ban caste-based discrimination.
But a group of South Bay conservative Hindus vehemently oppose SB 403. The reasons have always been unclear. They say the caste system no longer exists. Those who spoke at Fremont City Council meetings on the subject this spring said they don’t even talk about caste to their children, therefore, it doesn’t exist. Others say SB 403 actually represents discrimination against Hindus.
It’s also not clear what the end game is for people like Fremont power broker Romesh Japra, congressional candidate Ritesh Tandon, and others in this conservative subset of the Indo-American community.
It’s also not clear what the end game is for those such as Assemblymembers Alex Lee and Evan Low? Both took curious steps to placate conservative Hindus by attempting to diminish SB 403, and Wahab herself.
Lee and Low are generally viewed as progressives. So why were they hanging out at the home of Japra, one of the leaders of Wahab’s recall, a campaign triggered solely by the introduction of SB 403?
Japra’s allegiance to President Trump in the form of numerous tweets, including one with Japra braving the rain at Trump’s inauguration, should have been a red flag to Lee and Low, but they persisted.
Going forward, we have Indo-Americans in the South Bay and Fremont divided over SB 403. Remember these areas are described as liberal enclaves, so it’s likely that opponents of SB 403 are a small minority. It’s an unfortunate division because Indo-Americans in Fremont politics, with demographics in their favor, need to get their act together and start winning local elections.
On the left, we have growing chatter about what exactly Lee was doing hanging out with conservatives while undermining civil rights legislation, and collaborating with people seeking to recall his Democratic colleague.
Lee says he’s always willing to listen to both sides of an issue. But every elected official knows that in these circumstances, when some may perceive disloyalty by your actions, you chat in private with the other side, not at an invite-only soiree at the opponent’s audacious home.
Program note: In observance of Labor Day, the East Bay Insiders Newsletter will return on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5. Enjoy the weekend and thank you for supporting the newsletter and podcast.
-steve
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