The story in San Leandro is beginning to mirror Oakland's public corruption scandal

Federal subpoena opens a new line of possibly inquiry--San Leandro's garbage contracts

☕️MORNING BUZZ

Much of what federal authorities included in a subpoena issued on Jan. 16 to San Leandro city officials is not particularly new. Some of the information the FBI is asking for has already been reported here.

San Leandro Councilmembers Bryan Azevedo and Victor Aguilar, Jr. urged the city administration to study the potential for working with a company named Evolutionary Homes, which offering easy to permit and to install $300,000 container homes.

The pitch by Evolutionary Homes to Oakland officials is a key part of the bribery indictments handed down in January. Among the allegation is former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her partner, Andre Jones, received money from the owners of the city’s recycling franchise, California Waste Solutions, who are also co-founders of Evolutionary Homes. (David Duong and Andy Duong of California Waste Solutions were also indicted, along with Thao and Jones on Jan. 17.)

FBI agents search the home of San Leandro official connected to Duong family

Azevedo pitched Evolutionary Homes, a potential target of the FBI's probe, to San Leandro officials

The federal subpoena asks for documentation related to a “declaration of emergency for homeless.” Representatives for Evolutionary Homes not only pitched the proposed ordinance that would accelerate the city’s ability to purchase and install the container homes, but also wrote the proposed ordinance for city officials, according to emails obtained by the East Bay Insiders. The same pitch for emergency powers was included in the indictments in Oakland.

But there is one section of the subpoena that potentially opens a new path of inquiry by the FBI: The request for documentation related to San Leandro’s garbage contracts could mirror the allegations in the indictments in Oakland.

The interconnection between Azevedo and the Duongs goes back to at least 2022. San Leandro’s garbage contracts were due to reopen for bid in 2025. Azevedo’s run for mayor in 2022 and campaign contributions from the Duongs raised questions about whether California Waste Solutions was making a move for the city’s garbage contract.

Azevedo was extremely open about his activities with the Duongs. In addition to receiving campaign contributions from the Duongs, Azevedo posted photos of himself dining with them at Joe’s Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant in San Leandro, and Dragon Rouge, a restaurant in Alameda favored by the Duongs for hobnobbing with elected officials and candidates for office.

San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo with thumbs up on the right, seated next to former Alameda Councilmember Stewart Chen.

Azevedo would narrowly lose the 2022 mayoral election, but the next year San Leandro officials approved a code of ethics and guidelines for council interaction in the upcoming garbage and recycling contracts, along with rules for prospective contractors.

Councilmembers violating the code of ethics would be subject to sanctions by the council. Tellingly, contractors violating the city’s guidelines would be barred from ever participating in the bidding process…

—More inside:

• Morning Buzz continued: Duongs links to San Leandro and garbage go back to 2014.

• Will the county’s proposed Coliseum deal be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting? Maybe yes.

• Board of Supervisors to discuss the state of the county’s safety net hospitals.

• Alameda County Dems to reach out to voters in support of Barbara Lee

• Barbara Lee or Sara Lee? Mayoral candidate likes posing with food.

• Campaign finance data for Oakland’s special election.

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