(Un)Happiest city in Alameda County
Fremont mayor, disgraced city manager back in the news; Wahab to lead Newsom's Constitutional amendment at state level; BLee is an O.G.; Alameda County and Russell City
CITY NEWS
FREMONT
—RIVAL BREAKS NEWS—Fremont Mayor Lily Mei’s divorce was finalized earlier this year. The dissolution of her marriage was reported last weekend by one of her political rivals, Justin Sha, who ran a hard-hitting campaign for mayor against Mei in 2020.
—Sha posted screenshots of Mei’s divorce records from the county’s website on Instagram. “The mayor bringing down Fremont’s ‘happiest city’ score,” Sha included on the screenshot, along with a laughing and crying emoji.
—I’m sure you recall last fall that Mei had an intramarital affair with an Alameda County elected official sometime around 2016. Mei never specifically denied the story. A lawsuit filed by a former Fremont police detective against the city, also mentioned Mei’s affair.
The romance story below was written by ChatGPT.
The golden rays of the setting sun cast a warm glow over the sprawling city of Fremont, where secrets were whispered among the towering redwoods. It was a place where dreams were born and love bloomed in the most unexpected corners.
The tempestuous storm raged overhead, mirroring the turbulent emotions that consumed Fremont Mayor Lily Mei's heart. The skies darkened as thunder clashed and lightning tore through the heavens, casting an eerie glow upon the city she had once ruled with grace and poise. But now, her world was shattered, and the love that had once burned like a wildfire had turned to ashes…
And so, Fremont Mayor Lily Mei walked away from the ruins of her broken marriage, stepping into a future that held the promise of healing and self-discovery. With each defiant step, she embraced the power within herself, vowing to never let the flames of betrayal extinguish the fire that burned within her heart.
—SCUSI!—Mark Danaj, the former Fremont city manager who was charged with embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds last year, is in obvious legal trouble and his actions clearly embarrassed the city.
—But that didn’t stop Danaj from traveling to Italy to apparently do his best Anthony Bourdain impression. “The disgraced official has recently been in Italy learning the art of wine tasting and gelato-making in a 900-year-old castle, part of an expensive culinary school internship complete with cheese tasting and olive-oil-sipping field trips,” the East Bay Times reported.
UPROOTED IN OAKLAND
—EXTRA INNINGS—When it comes to the A’s ballpark saga, there’s was an undeniable feeling over the weekend that either the end of the line for fans is near or the start of a triumphant comeback is about to commence.
—Will the team truly relocate to Las Vegas this week or is the tide about to jarringly shift back to Oakland? This week could be that reckoning. Here’s the weekend’s storylines:
The Nevada Legislature adjourned for the weekend on Friday without any further hearings on SB 1, the Las Vegas ballpark bill. Most agree it was a sign that the votes for passage were not there. Hearings are scheduled for today.
A Las Vegas news station reported on Sunday that at least one amendment revolves around community benefits, an issue that several Nevada senators voiced skepticism about during last Thursday’s hearing.
Nevada Speaker Steve Yeager wrote two lengthy Twitter threads over the weekend detailing some background about how the Nevada governor initially told him the A’s bill would not be the subject of a special session. The last tweet of the first thread on Saturday, however, triggered worry among some A’s fans that Yeager was leaning toward supporting SB 1. “One last thing,” Yeager tweeted. “If you are going to come at me with the ‘we will vote you out if you pass this’ - please save yourself the time if you don't live in Nevada.”
Meanwhile, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao penned a opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Referencing the team’s bid for Las Vegas and other sites over the years in Fremont and San Jose, Thao wrote, “If I may be so bold, here’s a counterproposal: How about Oakland?”
Thao made a number of public appearances over the weekend wearing a green and gold “Oakland vs. Everybody” t-shirt.
Highlighting the amount of funding raised for a ballpark in Oakland exceeds the amount being sough in Las Vegas, a $30 million state transportation grant for the ballpark district is on its way to Oakland.
A’s fans are hopeful their renaissance begins on Tuesday night with the “reverse boycott” game and unprecedented “Sell” t-shirt giveaway funded by supporters. A turnout of up to 20,000 is expected. By comparison, a Tuesday evening game against the Tampa Bay Rays these days might attract 2,000 spectators.
LEGISLATURE
10TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT
—CREAM OF THE CROP—State Sen. Aisha Wahab’s rise in Sacramento continues to be shockingly swift. But perhaps no other development during Wahab’s short tenure is bigger than Gov. Gavin Newsom naming her to lead the effort to pass, at the state level, his proposed gun control amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
—There’s a few good reasons for Newsom tabbing Wahab, along with SoCal Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer. Wahab has obtain a modicum of respect, especially for a progressive, from Senate Republicans over the first six months of her first term.
—Wahab’s backstory is also compelling. Her father was murdered by a gunman in New York City when she was very young. The case remains unresolved to this day
COUNTY NEWS
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—RUSSELL CITY—Appointed Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Marquez and Supervisor Nate Miley are preparing a resolution that will formally apologize for the seizure and destruction of Russell City, the Hayward enclave populated by African American and Latino residents and business owners that was forcefully annexed in the 1960s.
—Last November, the Hayward City Council issued a formally apology for the annexation. Last month, Miley said the Board of Supervisors at the time were complicit in the annexation of Russell City. He also raised the possibility that the county’s reparations discussions may include Russell City.
ALAMEDA COUNTY DEMOCRATS
ROOKIE SEASON—Supervisor Elisa Marquez replaced the late Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle last April. After the appointment Marquez was thrust in the middle of several high-profile issues, including a countywide eviction moratorium, a large budget shortfall, and residual problems at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office.
—“It’s a rollercoaster. It’s a lot to learn. A lot of ground to cover,” Marquez told the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee last week. “As you can imagine, there’s a lot of need throughout the county.”
—COMINGS & GOINGS—During the same appearance, Marquez said she retained the entirety of Valle’s District 2 office. Meanwhile, Supervisor Nate Miley is losing district aide Austin Bruckner to Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s office.
—The Alameda County Democratic Central Committee finally filled its open position for treasurer after hiring Table Top Strategies, LLC., at a cost of $8,000 a year… County Dems will hold an endorsement meeting in September for the Nov. 7 Oakland Unified School District special election in District 5.
ELECTION 2024
12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
—BIG TURNOUT—The trick when it comes to campaign kickoffs is to get as many people at the event as possible and snap the obligatory photo showing the vast undercurrent of support for the candidate.
—That being said, the turnout at Lateefah Simon’s campaign kickoff for the 12th Congressional District was impressive. The kind of impressive that even cynical politicos can’t deny.
U.S. SENATE
—LEE IS O.G.—Barbara Lee’s U.S. Senate campaign took on an interesting new talking point over the weekend. It started with an email to supporters with the subject line: “I was arrested.” She was talking about getting arrested for protesting the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.
—Then the campaign posted a short clip on social media in which Lee describes herself as an “original gangster.” Here’s a link to Lee’s tweet because Elon Musk no longer allows Substack to place links on his site.