Wahab, Mei play for a draw in first SD10 meeting
San Leandro official is Superman; A’s ballpark plan comes to Oakland Planning Commission
—ELECTION 2022 UPDATE—The first meeting of the top candidates in the open 10th State Senate District (SD10) primary election lacked punch as Hayward Councilmember Aisha Wahab and Fremont Mayor Lily Mei mostly avoided any contentious moments. However, there was perhaps a fair amount of passive-aggressiveness not perceivable to the layman, alongside a subtle warning from Mei.
On a question about housing posed by the FUN Progresssives, a political group based in Southern Alameda County, Mei touted the construction in Fremont of varying levels of housing. Wahab similarly showcased her work on the issue on Hayward City Council before suggesting her family had moved from Fremont to Hayward because they had been priced-out of the city. Mei noticeably winced. Later, on a question about campaign finance reform, Mei hinted around the influx of political contributions from labor unions that is likely to flow to Wahab’s campaign.
Following the same question about campaign finance reform, Mei made a curious statement about foreign donors. It’s likely she meant campaign contributions from individuals with foreign-sounding surnames, since donations from individuals and entities outside of the U.S. is illegal. But the comment appeared to be a warning to Wahab’s campaign.
Mei’s recent campaign finance reports is, in fact, filled with contributions from Asian American donors. Mei went on to reference attacks she faced from an opponent in a previous race. That person is Justin Sha, an Asian American, who challenged Mei’s re-election as Fremont mayor two years ago. Sha was relentless in attempting to link Mei to Chinese foreign interests.
—MCNERNEY OUT—Long-time Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney abruptly announced his retirement on Tuesday morning, avoiding a potential intra-party challenge due to new congressional maps created last month by the California Redistricting Commission. McNerney has served the Central Valley district since 2007. Neighboring Democratic Rep. Josh Harder quickly announced that he will move back to run for the new 9th Congressional District that would have been McNerney’s.
CITY NEWS
—FASTER THAN A SPEEDING TSUNAMI—A curious tweet by a San Leandro councilmember is raising questions about his fitness for possibly being mayor one day.
As the world watched a massive underwater volcano explode near Tonga over the weekend that triggered tsunami watches across the Pacific Ocean, including alerts in the Bay Area, San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo went to Twitter to calm his constituents.
Using a tone suggesting Azevedo had binged recently on Marvel movies, he tweeted in all caps, “Good morning San Leandro. We have a tsunami warning and waves that may hit our coast. But never fear. I am on the lookout and will protect our city.” A photo of Azevedo wearing his mayoral campaign t-shirt and sitting on rocks near the bay shores while awaiting the tsunami accompanied the tweet. He later deleted the tweet.
Is Azevedo serious or does he need to work on his comedy writing? There’s evidence that it’s the former and Azevedo actually thinks he’s a superhero. For months, Azevedo has been sporting a lone curl on his forehead that is an unmistakable nod to Superman.
ON THE AGENDA
OAKLAND
—A’S BALLPARK PLAN—The Oakland Athletics failed to make the postseason in 2021. Wednesday’s vote at the Oakland Planning Commission for the approval of the Howard Terminal Ballpark Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is basically the American League Championship Series. The proposal is one of the largest in the U.S. and includes not only a 35,000-seat waterfront ballpark but housing, retail, hotels, and a total of 18 acres of park space. The stakes are high here for what will be a defining moment for the city and region. Most expect the planning commissioners to easily approve the EIR. Next up: a trip to the World Series, AKA a final approval by the Oakland City Council, possibly next month.
—RE-FUND THE POLICE—Oakland Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Carroll Fife want to shift $493,000 budgeted for public relations to fund additional police patrols in East Oakland. For Kaplan, an elected official known for shifting stances, the proposal, in light of last year’s Defund the Police push in Oakland, is understandable. For Fife, a vociferous opponent of police, the plan signals that she’s learning to read the political winds amid a rise in violent crime.
—TRASH WATCH—Illegal dumping has chronically plagued Oakland streets. A new idea to stem its proliferation includes installing up to 10 surveillance cameras in areas frequently littered with used mattresses, garbage, and other detritus. Oakland Public Works said it picked more than 7,400 tons of illegally dumped garbage last year. However, Oakland has also been historically skeptical of surveillance cameras of any type.
SAN LEANDRO
—MENTHOL CIG BAN—Several years ago, the San Leandro City Council banned the sale of flavored tobacco, but chose not to extend it to menthol cigarettes, which historically have been purchased by African Americans. A prohibition on menthol cigarette sales in San Leandro returns tonight and expect the vote to be highlighted in this fall’s mayoral race… San Leandro is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. The council will hear an update on how the event will be celebrated during a pandemic.
ALAMEDA
—ENCINAL TERMINAL PROJECT—A proposal to renew an effort to develop the Encinal Terminals on the Oakland Estuary for a 589-unit waterfront project that includes 50,000 square feet of retail, and 4.5 acres of public space, returns to the Alameda City Council on Tuesday night after being shelved for several years. Previously, the project ultimately did not pencil out for the developer, they had said. The reintroduction and proposed development agreement was originally scheduled for the Jan. 4 meeting, but was postponed.
HAYWARD
—LABOR PEACE—Hayward city employees represented by the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 will receive a new three-year contract that includes a 10 percent wage increase over the life of the contract. The Hayward City Council, once a staunch opponent of the union, is scheduled to approve the contract’s Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday night. The deal also includes a lump sum of $1,500 to all Hayward city workers represented by SEIU Local 1021.
FREMONT
—PROJECT HOMEKEY—Fremont is poised to submit an application for up to $40.2 million in state Project Homekey Round 2 funding to acquire and convert a Motel 6 located on Reserach Avenue for up to 156 units of permanent housing for the chronically homeless. Three other Fremont hotels were identified, but at roughly $210,000 per unit, the Motel 6 site provides the most bang for the buck.
DATEBOOK
—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.
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