So it begins. Rebecca Kaplan joins Alameda County supervisor race
Alameda waterfront development move forward with a surprising twist
—KAP IS IN—Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan next move has long been a topic in the city’s politics. That move now appears to be the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
Kaplan has filed an intent to run for the open District 3 supervisorial district previously represented by the late Wilma Chan.
Kaplan is one of the more accomplished elected officials in Alameda County and well-known to regional leaders for her advocacy in transportation. A desire for higher office has long been evident.
Kaplan unsuccessfully ran for Oakland mayor in 2010 and 2014, and contemplatED another mayoral campaign in 2018. Along the way, Kaplan’s name was attached to open seats for the state Legislature. She did not immediately respond to a text asking for comment.
District 3 includes Oakland areas surrounding Chinatown, Alameda, and San Leandro. As Oakland’s at-large councilmember, Kaplan should be able to maximize support in Oakland. But that advantage is likely to be muted as more candidates join what will be a contentious June primary for one of the plum seats in Alameda County politics.
Furthermore, following Chan’s passing last November, an early consensus has emerged that the seat should be represented by an Asian American woman.
Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas has vacillated about her interest in the seat. Insiders say Bas has swung back to running for supervisor. Alameda Councilmember Malia Vella is also interested. Former Alameda Councilmember Lena Tam was the first to file an intent to run earlier this month. All three are Asian American women.
ELECTION 2022 UPDATE
—MORE TO THE PARTY—Peralta Community College Board Trustee Kevin Jenkins wants to replace Oakland Councilmember Loren Taylor in District 6. Jenkins filed an intent to run on Jan. 10. Taylor is running for Oakland mayor this fall leaving the seat open. Jenkins was elected to the Area 2 seat on the Peralta board in 2020, but ran unopposed.
—Hayward Planning Commissioner Julie Roche filed an intent to run for the Hayward City Council on Jan. 6. Two at-large council seats will be on the November ballot. The seats are currently filled by Hayward Councilmembers Sara Lamnin and Aisha Wahab. Lamnin is expected to run for re-election. Wahab is running for the state Senate.
—CLUB ENDORSEMENT—Members of the Tri-Valley Democratic Club chose to endorse the hometown candidate for the open 20th Assembly District seat. The club endorsed Dublin Councilmember Shawn Kumagai on Monday night. “Shawn’s clear vision, strong leadership, and ability to hit the ground running won him the overwhelming support of the club,” they wrote in an email announcing the result. Currently, the race to replace Assemblymember Bill Quirk also includes Liz Ortega-Toro, Jennifer Esteen, and Shay Franco-Clausen.
—View all the potential candidates for June and November East Bay races HERE.
CITY NEWS
ALAMEDA
—OLD ALAMEDA VS. HOUSING—Alameda Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer asked a number of seemingly obtuse questions about a proposed 589-unit waterfront development that appeared to repeatedly annoy the city’s chief planner. Spencer’s distaste for new development in Alameda nearly overwhelmed the project on Tuesday night before she flipped the script.
The council move the project forward by a surprising 4-1 vote. Councilmember Tony Daysog voted no, while Spencer ultimately voted yes after appearing to lead an obstructionist campaign against the project. The project required at least four out of five votes for approval.
The project known as Encinal Terminals proposes to remake a blighted waterfront area situated across the water and similar to Oakland’s Brooklyn Basin to include new housing, retail, and public space.
But despite an ongoing regional housing crunch, a vocal portion of Alameda electorate is routinely skeptical of any developments on the island. To plow through this sentiment, city staff framed the argument as a zero-sum game. If approved, the 589 units would be built at the waterfront site. If not approved, those units would be interspersed across the city.
To get the required four votes, the council, city planner, and developer agreed to modifications sought by Spencer that included language to spur homeownership at the proposed development. The new language provided no legal significance, the city attorney added. Perhaps this is why Alameda City Council meetings run so long and without much progress?
SAN LEANDRO
—MENTHOL & POLITICS—The San Leandro City Council approved a prohibition on the sale of menthol cigarettes, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The approval comes nearly four years after a suite of flavored tobacco bans were past by the council. But that vote excluded menthol cigarettes, despite the protestations of Lee Thomas, then a member of the city council. If San Leandro would have passed the entire package of prohibitions then they would have been the vanguard regarding the issue in the East Bay. In the meantime, nearly every other city in Alameda County has banned the sale of menthol. There was very little opposition to Tuesday night’s agenda item other than who should take credit for its passage.
Because Thomas is running for San Leandro mayor this fall, along with at least two current members of the city council, the flavored tobacco prohibitions may be an issue. Notably, San Leandro Councilmembers Deborah Cox and Pete Ballew specifically thanked Thomas for his advocacy on the issue. During public comment, Thomas, himself, thanked the council for advancing his legislation. Opposing camps on the council, however, attempted to give credit to Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr., who initiated the current push to ban menthol over the past year. Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, a candidate for mayor, thanked Aguilar for his efforts.
DATEBOOK
—ROE V. WADE EVENT—State Sen. Nancy Skinner and members of the Legislative Women’s Caucus will livestream a virtual event in honor of the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Thursday, Jan. 20, 10 a.m. To watch the livestream, click 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.