Text messages show Alameda County Supe Dave Brown coordinating his appointment to Board of Supervisors
Alameda County set to hire consultant for A's ballpark financing district
—DIGITAL BACKROOM DEALING—As the Alameda County political world was mourning the shocking death of Supervisor Wilma Chan in early November of last year, there were grumblings among insiders that Dave Brown, Chan’s longtime chief of staff, was mounting a serious lobbying effort to replace her on the board. Amid serious questions about Brown’s county residency and eligibility for the appointment, the Board of Supervisors selected Brown on Nov. 16 without a public process.
—A lawsuit filed last month alleging the Alameda County Board of Supervisors violating the Brown Act, includes text messages between Brown and a majority of the Board of Supervisors that elucidate the roughly 12 days between Chan’s death and Brown’s appointment. Whether illegal or not, the texts offer a revealing view of the unseemly underbelly of Alameda County government, and Brown painstakingly coordinating his own appointment while using his institutional pull, Chan’s legacy, and her family, to seal the deal.
—Read the entire Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association vs. Alameda County lawsuit HERE.
—Chan was struck and killed by a motorist in Alameda on Nov. 3. Just over 24 hours later, Brown was already laying out his plans for the appointment in texts with Supervisor Richard Valle. “I would move and not run for the seat. Serve through December 2022,” Brown texted. Valle replied, “Thank you Dave for sharing this.”
—Hours after texting Valle, Brown exchanged messages with Supervisor David Haubert, who appears to have communicated that he was unavailable. “After the retreat, can I speak with you about the next D3 supervisor?” Brown wrote.
—During this period, opponents of Brown’s appointment, among them those also interested in the seat, were critical of the smarminess of Brown’s then-alleged behind-the-scenes maneuvering for the seat. In particular, how close the effort was to the actual day of Chan’s death. Brown was also intent on using Chan’s son, Daren Chan, to lobby the board on his behalf. The text messages show Brown almost breathlessly coordinating phone calls between Daren Chan and three supervisors—Haubert, Valle, and Nate Miley.
—News reports leading up to the Nov. 16 vote highlighted that the Chan family was backing Brown, a Caucasian male, for the seat, despite widespread conjecture that the seat should honor Chan by going to an Asian American woman. Brown added that Chan had previously communicated the desire for him to replace her on the board, in the event something untimely happened to her.
—Hours before the Nov. 16 Board of Supervisors meeting, Brown texted Valle at around 8 a.m. In the text, Brown insists that Valle make a motion at the meeting to appoint him. “I need you to make the motion no matter what today. Waiting a week might doom our changes. We’re very close. Wilma would have gone for it in this type of situation,” Brown wrote. Valle replied, “Wear a tie today.” Brown responded, “I will and I’ll shave too.”
—During the actual meeting, Haubert lays out the state of the board’s public deliberations, noting that Miley is pushing hard to schedule the appointment for another day in order to allow for a more robust public process. “We don’t have the votes,” Haubert wrote to Brown, who responds, “If Keith [Carson] votes yes, we’re done. If not, we agendize for next week.” Brown then cheekily adds, “This is WWWD :-)” meaning “What Wilma Would Do.”
—The lawsuit also alleges that Brown, who lived in Costa Costa County, just days before before being appointed to the board, is not eligible to serve. Brown registered as an Alameda County voter on Nov. 12—four days before his appointment. Brown lists an Oakland address on his registration, but it remains unclear whether he still maintains residency in Walnut Creek with his family. In other words, in which city is the pillow that Brown rest his head upon each night?
MORE IN THIS ISSUE: County Hires Consultant for Ballpark EIFD | Agenda Notes for San Leandro, Alameda County, Oakland, Fremont | New Podcast Available |
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