People's Tribunal finds Swalwell guilty
BLee wants to get rid of jungle primary. Something afoot with Rebecca Kaplan? OUSD could be on the verge of multiple strikes
D.C. NEWS
14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
—PEOPLE’S COURT—Pro-Palestinian activists took East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell to a mock court and found him guilty of complicity in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, and for failing to represent his constituents.
—Groups, including East Bay 4 Ceasefire, held a “people’s tribunal” that detailed over more than two hours on Saturday testimony and evidence purporting to show Swalwell’s guilt in Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.
—“Representative Swalwell is charged today with complicity and genocide,” declared Dan Siegel, a noted Oakland civil rights attorney and former candidate for Oakland mayor.
—Activists in the East Bay have recently exerted great opposition to Swalwell’s positions on the Israel-Hamas war, which they believe is one-sided in favor of Israel.
—They have organized die-ins at his district office in Castro Valley, marched on Redwood Road, and presented him with a subpoena to appear at last weekend’s tribunal.
—Evidence presented to show Swalwell’s complicity in genocide:
Accepted $186,000 from pro-Israel groups
Supported military aid for Israel before and after the Oct. 7 attack
Defunded U.S. tax dollars to humanitarian aid provider in Gaza
Supported resolution declaring Israel is not a racist or apartheid state
Supported legislation that equates anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism
Co-sponsored anti-BDS legislation
Placed pro-Israel poster on the door of his D.C. office
—“You have an opportunity now to enable Representative Swalwell to have a lot of time to reconsider his actions and his opinions by finding him guilty as charged and allowing the judge to sentence for an appropriate period of time,” Siegel told the tribunal.
—All of the roughly 100 “jurors” in attendance found Swalwell guilty.
—Palestinian groups in the East Bay have long harbored antipathy toward Swalwell.
—In 2014, Palestinian activists packed a town hall in San Lorenzo to voice criticisms similar to those lodged by the tribunal over the weekend.
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12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
—IT’S A JUNGLE PRIMARY OUT THERE—Rep. Barbara Lee thanked the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee for their support of her U.S. Senate primary campaign on Wednesday.
—“Alameda County showed up big,” Lee said, who finished second in the county to Adam Schiff. “Larger turnout than most counties and that speaks volumes to grassroots organizing.”
—For someone less than a month from a very disappointing March Primary result, Lee seemed chipper and energetic.
—But she also offered criticism of opponent Adam Schiff’s manipulation of the top two “jungle primary” process.
—“The jungle primary is not democratic. You see what money can buy. You see what took place. Not that we’re going to lose in November, but this was dicey,” Lee said, referring to Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, who both advanced to the November General Election.
—During the late stages of the primary, Schiff used his fundraising advantage to not only spend on his own campaign, but to also boost Garvey’s underfinanced campaign.
—The theory being a Republican is a prohibitive underdog in California in a head-to-head matchup against a Democrat.
—“This jungle primary opens up too many avenues for hanky-panky, for misusing the system, and allowing money to be able to influence who you want as your opponent,” Lee said.
ELECTION 2024
BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL ELECTION - DISTRICT 4
—TIME CHANGE—Alameda County Democrats will hold a special election endorsement meeting for the Berkeley City Council race in District 4 on Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.
—Two central committee members must endorse a candidate to be eligible for the endorsement process. April 6 is the deadline for nominations.
—An objection, though, was raised by a central committee member about the meeting’s date and time.
—“Anyone that is Jewish and who observes in any way is going to be in synagogue,” said Trish Munro, a former councilmember from Livermore. “That is discriminatory and I object.”
—The time was later moved to 4 p.m.
—SOMETHING UP?—Following the upcoming Berkeley special election discussion came a curious exchange on Wednesday night between Alameda County Democratic Central Committee member Andy Kelley and vice-chair Tonya Love.
—“Thank you vice-chair Love, who might have a special election coming up of her own,” Kelley coyly said.
—What might the curious comment mean?
—Love recently announced her campaign this fall for the Oakland City Council at-large seat held by long-time Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.
—Most believe Love’s intent to run means Kaplan will not run for re-election. But that Kaplan would resign before the end of her current term would be big.
—Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong is also thinking about running in the at-large race, which may complicate plans for Oakland progressives to retain Kaplan’s seat.
—If Kaplan were to resign, she would be the third councilmember in Alameda County to abruptly quit this year.
SUNOL RECALL
—SUMMER VACATION—The recall of Sunol Glen school boardmembers Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley, by the numbers, should be a slam dunk.
—Because of the school district’s small size, the roughly 250 Sunol Glen voters who signed recall petitions for each official is more than half of the electorate.
—However, Sunol recall proponents are worried about voter turnout for the July 2 recall elections.
—Because Jergensen and Hurley make up two-thirds of the three-person Sunol Glen school board, they had the power to set an advantageous recall election date.
—The pre-Independence Day election begins smack in the middle of summer vacation (vote-by-mail ballots are sent around June 2) and could tamp down voter turnout, proponents believe.
—PEACE CORNER FACE-OFF—A parents’ rights group seeking a statewide ballot measure that would require school district’s to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender, and ban transgender students from sports, is coming to Castro Valley this Saturday.
—The group plans to gather signatures for the proposed ballot measure at the corner of Redwood Road and Castro Valley Boulevard, a spot known to progressive activists as “peace corner.”
—LGBT activists are planning counter programming at the same corner, said Austin Bruckner-Carrillo, a candidate this fall for the Hayward school board. “They are vile, horrible, horrible people,” he said of the right-wing groups.
CITY NEWS
OAKLAND USD
—UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES—A bill by Oakland Assemblymember Mia Bonta that was signed by the governor two years ago is hampering the ability of the Oakland school board to negotiate pay raises for its unions.
—Oakland school boardmember Mike Hutchinson said the county-appointed trustee stayed a recent board vote that would have allowed the school board to approve negotiations with its labor unions for potential raises.
—The county-appointed trustee will only lift the order if the school board complies with Bonta’s Assembly Bill 1912, which calls for school districts to approve an equity analysis before closing schools.
—“If we do nothing and are prevented from negotiating raises, the unions will (justifiably) strike,” Hutchinson wrote on Facebook on Tuesday,” and OUSD will be prevented from ending the strike(s).”
—“The trustee does not have the authority to hold us hostage and demand we pursue the policy she likes, in this case, school closures,” Hutchinson continued.
—The situation puts a twist on AB 1912, which most believe was legislation intended to help teachers’ unions. In this case, the standoff could trigger a cascade of strikes from school administrators to teachers and other school employees.
ALAMEDA
—HONEST TONY—Alameda Councilmember Tony Daysog is one of the nicest guys in East Bay politics and, apparently, he’s also a good Catholic boy.
—On Tuesday, Alameda City Clerk Lara Weisinger mentioned that two former council candidates still owe money to the city for previous ballot statements.
—Alameda councilmembers discussed plans on Tuesday night to cap the cost of future ballot statements at $1,000 in order to entice more residents to run for office.
—One candidate from the 2020 council election blew off the city and stopped making payments, Weisinger said. But there was another from 2022 that still owes $1,700.
—“I’m the guy that still owes $1,700,” Daysog sheepishly said during the council meeting.
—Daysog was already paying his ballot statement bill in installments, Weisinger said.
—Daysog later assured the council that he would pay the remainder of the balance ASAP, although none of his colleagues seemed particularly concerned about the debt.
