San Leandro group may take legal action against state redistricting commission over state senate map
Oathkeepers join the Alameda County sheriff's race discussion
—EXCLUSIVE—A group led by San Leandro Councilmember Corina Lopez and leaders from neighboring unincorporated Alameda County is contemplating legal action against the California Redistricting Commission over new state senate boundaries approved last month that moves the region into a Contra Costa County-dominated district.
The group is still in the process of finding legal representation, preferably on a pro bono basis, while also seeking financial backing for the effort. But time is of the essence, Lopez said. The group has just 45 days from approval of the new districts by the state commission, which was Dec. 27, to make a formal complaint.
Barisha Spriggs, a resident of unincorporated Alameda County who is one of the leaders of the group leading the effort to reverse the commission’s decision, said the communities affected want to “escalate it to the next level,” including a possible lawsuit against the state redistricting commission.
“The map has been gerrymandered to dilute our votes and people of color,” Spriggs told the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee on Wednesday. “It rips us apart. Placing our majority people of color into a larger voting district with non-contiguous communities dominated by white voters whom we do not share any commonality.”
After various iterations of the state senate maps, the commission shocked many in the East Bay when it made last-minute and drastic changes to maps centered around San Leandro, Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview,, Hayward Acres, and San Lorenzo. Over the past decade San Leandro was represented by the 9th State Senate District (Nancy Skinner), while the unincorporated areas rested in the 10th State Senate District (Bob Wieckowski).
But just days before the commission moved to approve its maps, San Leandro and its neighbors were abruptly shifted away from its traditional nesting with Oakland and Hayward. Prior to approval of the map late last month, community members in San Leandro and the unincorporated areas registered their complaints to the commission and sent a letter to state Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber. But the efforts accomplished nothing.
The new map is dominated by Contra Costa County cities like Walnut Creek, Concord, and Lamorinda areas. Visually, the San Leandro and unincorporated Alameda County areas, indeed, look like a gerrymandered vestigial tail to what is largely a compact district map. Under the new map, State Sen. Steve Glazer would become the new representative for San Leandro and the neighboring unincorporated Alameda County areas.
Lopez said the group does not have a stated preference about which state senate district San Leandro and the unincorporated areas should instead be placed—one that includes Oakland, or one that includes Hayward—just not Contra Costa County.
Nevertheless, the effort is a longshot. There doesn’t appear to be a groundswell of other efforts across the state against the redistricting commission for the San Leandro group to collaborate. The absence of any legal representation at this late date is also a stumbling block. The group has interviewed attorneys, they said, but has yet to find much interest. For example, the American Civil Liberties Union recently declined to take case, the group said.
ELECTION 2022 UPDATE
—ALCO SHERIFF—During last Sunday’s Alameda County sheriff candidate forum, Yesenia Sanchez mostly avoided strong criticism of Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern. Sanchez is a commander at Santa Rita Jail. Ahern is her boss. But after news on Thursday that leaders of Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group, were charged with sedition for their part in organizing the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol, Sanchez’s campaign moved quickly to link the group to Ahern.
—Her campaign sent an email to supporters on Thursday evening noting the sedition charges against Oath Keepers leader founder Stewart Rhodes and their previous connection to Ahern’s Urban Shield, calling it a relationship that “needlessly damaged” the trust between the sheriff’s office and county residents.
—“The Oath Keepers’ far-right extremism and potential for violence were well known at the time they had a presence at Urban Shield,” Sanchez wrote. “That it has culminated in numerous indictments related to the January 6th insurrection is no surprise to me. When the Oath Keepers participated in Alameda County’s Urban Shield, they were already identified as an anti-government extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
—In 2017, the Oath Keepers were prominently displayed at Urban Shield, the law enforcement emergency training event organized each year in Pleasanton by Ahern. The group had a booth at the event. The story came amid strong condemnation in the East Bay against Urban Shield, which Ahern conceived and organized for many years. The attendance by the Oath Keepers, along with the use of Muslims, portrayed as terrorists, as targets in the emergency training exercises, went far in leading to Urban Shield being discontinued in 2018.
—ENDORSEMENT—We may have a competitive race this June for Alameda County Superintendent of Schools. Incumbent Alameda County Superintendent L. Karen Monroe is facing Alysse Castro, an Alameda resident who serves as the executive director for San Francisco County schools. The Alameda County Teachers Association offered Castro their full endorsement over the incumbent Monroe. Castro’s campaign highlighted the union’s sole endorsement of her campaign on Friday. As the pandemic continues to upend school attendance and create wedges between teachers, administrators, and parents, just about any school board incumbent will face a daunting re-election campaign this year.
DATEBOOK
—MLK CARAVAN—The Anti-Police Terror Project is organzing a day of action to “Reclaim MLK’s Radical Legacy with a caravan beginning at the Port of Oakland on Monday, Jan. 17, 11 a.m. More information HERE.
—AD20 ENDORSEMENT MEETING—The Tri-Valley Democratic Club is holding a forum and endorsement meeting for candidates in the 20th Assembly District on Monday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m. Register for the virtual meeting HERE.
—2022 ELECTION INSIGHTS—The Asian Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus will holding a general membership meeting on Thursday, Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring insights on Asian American candidates in the 2022 election cycle from Alameda County Assessor Phong La, Bill Wong, and Harris Mojadedi. Register for the virtual meeting HERE.
—SHERIFF OVERSIGHT—Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson is holding a public meeting on the creation of a Community Sheriff’s Oversight Board on Thursday, Jan. 20, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register for the virtual meeting HERE.
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