Two East Bay officials, with re-election a sure-thing this fall, have other plans

The departures of Alameda Councilmember John Knox White and Hayward Councilmember Sara Lamnin might be a preview of big changes coming to each city’s council this fall.

—COUNCIL EXODUS—Alameda Councilmember John Knox White and Hayward Councilmember Sara Lamnin, both overwhelming favorites to return to their seats this fall, will not seek re-election. Knox White and Lamnin made the surprising announcements over the weekend. Knox White made no mention of his future plans other than a three-week vacation in Australia at the end of his term.

—Knox White said he tentatively planned to serve only one term on the council after being the top vote-getter in the 2018 election. Over the past three years, juggling a full-time job and the being an elected official took its toll. “While I am extremely proud of the work that I have done despite a global pandemic, and while I’ve managed holding two jobs, I have realized that working 40-plus hours a week and trying to be the kind of city councilmember I want to be (responsive, engaged, effective) takes its toll over time,” Knox White wrote.

—Meanwhile, in Hayward, Lamnin announced her second act in local politics will be a run for a seat on the Hayward Area Recreation and Parks District (HARD) Board of Directors this fall. A deliberative move from a city council seat to a less influential down-ballot seat like the HARD board is almost unprecedented. Insiders, though, say Lamnin had grown tired of a shift in the tenor of council meetings over the past four years from typically sedate gatherings to full-throated screaming matches and moves by its mayor to shut down meetings.

MORE IN THIS ISSUE: Inside Knox White and Lamnin’s Departure | Labor Comes Out Big for Ortega-Toro | AD20 Endorsement | Filing Deadline Update | Agenda Notes for Alameda County, Oakland |