Pamela Price's next move is to limit prison sentences
ALCO supes turned back three rent ordinances this week, Sen. Aisha Wahab has statewide versions for two of them; County Dems know best for Oakland; Mei hangs with Republicans
COUNTY NEWS
—PRICE IS NICE—Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced on Wednesday that most crimes will be punished with minimum prison time or probation.
—In a memo obtained by the Berkeley Scanner, Price’s latest instruction begins next Monday.
—“This directive reduces reliance on sentencing enhancements and allegations as an effort to bring balance back to sentencing and reduce recidivism,” Price wrote in a staff memo. “This new directive captures the District Attorney’s Office’s vision of justice for Alameda County.”
—During last year’s election, Price promised to radically overhaul the criminal justice system in Alameda County. Just months into her term, she has largely kept her promise to voters.
—Criminal justice reformers are elated by Price’s early moves. Not so much, with local law enforcement and Alameda County constituents worried about the perception of rising crime rates.
—In January, Price removed special circumstances in the case of David Misch, who is accused of killing nine-year-old Michaela Garecht, an infamous East Bay missing person case from 1988. Misch is also accused of killing two other Fremont women.
—Price next move was earlier this month when she offered a plea deal to Delonzo Logwood. The deal removed a murder and lowered another alleged killing to voluntary manslaughter.
—It remains to be seen whether law enforcement in Alameda County will slow the rate of arrests in response to Price’s new directives. This occurred in Los Angeles in response to similar directives.
—Meanwhile, it’s clear Price has leakers in her own office, based on the anonymous quotes in the Berkeley Scanner story.
—Last month, Price reopened a case involving the death of Mario Gonzalez by Alameda Police. Price has been very vocal about the need to hold police accountable for wrongful deaths.
—Her next move is likely to greatly inform how her office will respond, if and when, an Alameda County police officer or sheriff’s deputy is involved in a civilian death of a suspect.
—DEM RESO FOR OAKLAND—Alameda County Democrats voted on Wednesday night to offer Oakland’s mayor and city council a resolution that calls for shifting $20 million from the Oakland Police Department’s budget to the city’s Department of Transportation for improvement of streets and sidewalks.
—The Alameda County Democratic Central Committee’s resolution frames the budget request in terms of public safety. More than two dozen pedestrians and cyclists have died or been injured in Oakland.
—“This is a miniscule three percent reallocation to something that has been deeply disinvested in and underfunded,” said Igor Tregub, chair of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee and co-sponsor of the resolution.
—The committee was nearly unanimous in its support of the resolution, but there were some who voiced skepticism. In particular, whether a full breadth of Oakland communities, including those worried about public safety, were included in the conversation.
—RCV DISCUSSION—It’s March and Alameda County voters, in particular, those in Oakland and San Leandro, remain uncertain about what occurred with ranked-choice voting last November, along with the voting system’s future in the East Bay.
—On Saturday, a panel led by Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, that includes Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam, and representatives from the League of Women Voters and San Francisco Election Commission will discuss ranked choice voting.
—What may be the slant of the discussion? Probably mostly objective, but Miley has made no secret that he does not favor ranked choice voting. For more information, see tweet below.
—CENSURE WILL NOT BE TELEVISED—Two weeks ago, as the Chabot-Las Positas Community College Board of Trustees made their case for censuring Trustee Luis Reynoso, there was several references to his behavior at a meeting last November.
—Reynoso was disruptive, condescending toward a trustee, and abruptly left the meeting, his colleagues said. However, views of the incident appears to be subjective. Perhaps, the public should watch the video to make their own judgment about Reynoso’s behavior?
—There’s a problem. The public will never see the video, because it doesn’t exist. The Chabot-Las Positas has not broadcast its meetings live or provided a video recording for several months.
—The lack of transparency is shocking, especially for 2023. I don’t believe there is any other elected board in Alameda County that does not provide live feeds or recordings of its public meetings.
—Chabot-Las Positas Board President Tim Sbranti said the lack of video access is a problem and the district is working on a remedy. Audio recordings of recent meetings, including the November hearing, is available through the district, he said.
—THE BODYGUARD—Tim Sbranti’s high school student, better known as Rep. Eric Swalwell, blamed Fox News’ repeated lies for whipping up anger towards him from its conservative viewers.
—Swalwell told MSNBC viewers this week that his use of protective services is so ubiquitious that his young daughter’s drawings of the family include their bodyguards.
—HOFer—Former AC Transit Board Director Elsa Ortiz is one of 12 named to the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame. Ortiz retired from the AC Transit board after 16 years of service. Here’s the list of 2023 recipients
CITY NEWS
FREMONT
—COVER BLOWN—Item No. 5 on last Tuesday morning’s Fremont City Council retreat was labeled “Icebreaker.” Here’s an interesting one for Fremont Mayor Lily Mei: Why was Mei, a registered Democrat, hanging out with the Alameda County Republicans last weekend?
—Mei, who was found by her own local Democratic Party to be anti-LGBT, was at a meeting with a group that advocates, among other issues, against “critical race theory” in schools.
—Jennifer Kavouniaris, the far-right Fremont school board candidate last fall who levied some of the most grotesque anti-LGBT comments ever heard in these parts, blew Mei’s cover in a Facebook posting last weekend.
—To be fair, the topic of the event is unclear and several Fremont insiders have remarked to me about Mei seemingly attending every single community event she can find since her defeat last November in the 10th State Senate District.
SAN LEANDRO
—SURVEY SAYS—San Leandro’s right track-wrong track numbers are mostly positive but somewhat underwhelming. A recent city survey found 50 percent of residents agree the city is on the right track. Thirty-five percent believe it’s on the wrong track. Fifteen percent had no opinion.
—Younger residents appear to be more optimistic about the city, the survey found. Unsurprisingly, residents believe homelessness and the high cost of housing are major problems.
LEGISLATURE
—HOUSING BILLS—Over the course of debates about the county’s renters’ protection ordinances, state Sen. Aisha Wahab sent two letters urging for their passage. It’s for good reason because Wahab is carrying statewide bills this session that are similar to two of the three now scuttled county ordinances.
—On Tuesday night, the Board of Supervisor failed to approve a second and final reading of a Just Cause ordinance for unincorporated Alameda County; Fair Chance legislation that stops landlords from using a prospective tenant’s criminal history in the application process; and a countywide rent registry.
—Earlier this month, Wahab introduced SB 395, which would create a statewide eviction database. SB 460, also introduced last month, is similar to the county’s Fair Chance legislation. Violation of SB 460, if signed into law, would require statutory damages paid by the landlord to applicant up to three times the rent of the unit.
—DISEMBARKING—East Bay state Sen. Steve Glazer is back using BART union workers as a whipping post. Glazer got his start by shaking his fist at the sky when it comes to vehemently opposing BART strikes. The anti-union stance works in his 9th State Senate District, but so much in the rest of the pro-union East Bay.
—Glazer resigned from a state Senate Select Committee on Bay Area Transit, citing Bay Area leaders’ inability to support fiscal oversight of BART and for underfunding the position of inspector general, an office in which he led the effort to create.
—As a side note, having Glazer openly raining criticism on BART officials and alleging fiscal ineptitude, including labeling the agency as an “open sore” is not going to help BART Board Director Lateefah Simon’s congressional campaign. Simon has served on the BART board since 2017.
ELECTION 2024
U.S. SENATE
—BASS BACKS LEE—The path for gaining a spot in next year’s U.S. Senate Top Two November Election will likely run through Los Angeles.
—If so, then Wednesday’s endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee’s senate campaign by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could be significant. The current field of candidates include Southern California heavy hitters, Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.
—Two early polls show Schiff with leads of differing sizes, followed by Porter. Lee, however, has languished far behind in two polls with just six percent support.
—LEE SPEAKS THRU HIM—Alameda County Democratic Central Committee member Sean Dugar is serving as political director for Barbara Lee’s senate campaign.
PODCAST
—Coming Monday morning! Look out for East Bay Insiders Podcast-Episode 59 with myself, Shawn Wilson, and Dan Mendoza.