San Leandro mayoral candidate Bryan Azevedo on the environment: 'We're making it worst'
More from Saturday's hot mess of a performance from the presumptive frontrunner for San Leandro mayor
—LIFE OF BRYAN—Surprises came left and right at Saturday’s San Leandro mayoral candidate forum. Lee Thomas vowed to raise the city’s minimum wage to $20 an hour within the next two years, and Juan Gonzalez told members of the San Leandro Democratic Club that his daughter once had an abortion. But it was mercurial San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo who delivered one of the most bizarre public forum performances ever seen in these parts.
—While Thomas and Gonzalez appeared prepared. Both toted notes to the forum. Azevedo strutted past his mayoral opponents simply with his thoughts. During the roughly 40-minute forum at the San Leandro Library, Azevedo often used less than half the allotted time to answer questions ranging from police reform to the environment.
On the environment, Azevedo referenced the desert home planet of Luke Skywalker. However, it was unclear if he mispronounced the fictional planet or cross-bred it with a wiener dog. It came out as Tatooine-y.
On climate change, specifically, “We’re just making it worst,” Azevedo said.
Azevedo offered that a San Leandro business with a large freezer should offer its use to residents during a disaster. “We have a freezer place here so that if we can’t use our refrigerator, we have places to put all of our food and all of this other stuff that needs to be frozen,” he said.
He later asserted that San Leandro homes never used to have air conditioners.
Azevedo added a new definition for neutrality. “Our job as mayor is to be neutral. Not to be anti-police or pro-police. When they do good, we praise them. When they do bad, we give them hell.”
In his opening statement, Azevedo said as a child traveling in the south, he witnessed “poverty and the discrimination that was going on in my country and it intrigued me and inspired me for public service.” It is assumed his inspiration was to foster change.
—LEE TOMS AND JUAN GONE—Aside from Azevedo’s strange performance, the two other Democrats in the race participated in a healthy debate. (Chris Bammer is the fourth candidate in the field, but he’s an independent and could not be invited to the San Leandro Democratic Club’s event.)
—Lee Thomas and Juan Gonzalez squared off, in particular, over the issue of experience. It’s a mantle that Gonzalez, a first-time candidate, is eager to grab from Thomas, a former San Leandro councilmember.
—After Gonzalez told club members that he has the most wide-ranging amount of experience in the race, Thomas immediately shot back. “The next mayor has got to not just have a good education,” Thomas said, “but the next mayor has got know how to navigate the political waters, unite a city council.”
—FIGHT FOR $18? $20?—Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s mayoral forum, along with two open city council forums that preceded the main event, is San Leandro may be on the cusp of an $18 an hour minimum wage within the next two years. That is, if you believe comments made by candidates on the stump.
—Every San Leandro candidate at Saturday’s forum supported accelerating the city’s minimum wage from more than $15 an hour to $18 an hour before 2024. Lee Thomas one-upped everyone by supporting $20 an hour. Coupled with likely support for the issue from two current councilmembers there appears to be potential for majority support for the wage bump in San Leandro. We’ll see, though.
—LABOR DINNER SNUB—Alameda County officials fawned over labor unions last Friday at the annual Unionist of the Year dinner. In addition, state labor leader Lorena Gonzalez fawned over 20th Assembly District candidate Liz Ortega-Toro. During Gonzalez’s speech she openly advocated for Ortega-Toro’s election this fall while opponent and fellow Democrat Shawn Kumagai was in the audience.
—Ortega-Toro is also secretary-treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council, so her labor credentials are unquestioned, but Kumagai is no slouch when it comes to supporting labor. Kumagai was seated at the Northern California Carpenters Union’s table. Several attendees tell me Gonzalez’s comments made for some awkward moments.
—Kumagai was seen furiously texting on his cellphone after Gonzalez’s low blow and left shortly later. On Instagram, Kumagai posted a photo of the Carpenters Union with the comment, “I am proud of my strong pro-union track record.”
—OAKLAND MEASURE ‘S’—A lawsuit was filed against the Oakland ballot measure that would allow non-citizen residents to vote in school board elections. Last month, a superior court judge overturned a similar law in San Francisco. The lawsuit hopes to remove Oakland’s non-citizen initiative, now labeled Measure S, from this November’s ballot.
—“This measure is plainly unconstitutional because it violates a constitutional mandate allowing only United States citizens to vote in California elections. This requirement applies to every election in the state, even those conducted by charter cities,” according to the lawsuit.
—Litigation against the ballot measure is no surprise. During deliberations at the Oakland City Council last June, some councilmembers said they expected a lawsuit at some point.
—MONEYBALL—Large Form 497 contributions filed Friday afternoon through Monday morning. *-local city maximum campaign contribution.
COUNTY
—Terry Wiley (Alameda County District Attorney), Peter McGuiness of Alameda, $1,000.
CITIES
—Bryan Azevedo (San Leandro Mayor), Electrical Workers Local 595 PAC, $3,400; U.A. Local 342 PAC Fund, $2,400. Leo Sheridan (San Leandro School Board-Area 2), Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 $1,000.
—John Marchand (Livermore Mayor), Wente Land & Cattle Co., $2,000; Associated Builders & Contractors Norther CA Chapter, $1,000. Evan Branning (Livermore City Council-Dist. 2), Sheet Metal Workers Union 104 Political Cmte, $2,500.
—Oaklanders for the Oakland Zoo 2022 (Measure Y-Oakland Zoo parcel tax), Conservation Society of California (DBA Oakland Zoo), $200,000.
STATE SENATE/ASSEMBLY
—Liz Ortega-Toro (20th Assembly District), Sheet Metal Workers 104 District 2 Small Contributor Cmte, $4,800; Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 104 PAC, $4,800; Central Labor Council of San Joaquin and Calaveras Counties-COPE, $2,000; White Plains Real Estate Services, Inc. of Oakland, $1,000; Sole Supremacy, LLC of Newark, $1,000.
—Shawn Kumagai (20th Assembly District), Construction & General Laborers Local Union 304 PAC Small Contributor Cmte, $4,900.
—Buffy Wicks (14th Assembly District), Jeffrey Huggett of Minneapolis, $4,900.
