One day last summer I was driving down the street when "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," an 80s pop classic by Tears for Fears came on the radio. In the middle of a tight race in the 18th Assembly District special election race to replace Attorney General Rob Bonta that featured his wife, Mia Bonta, I started singing, “Every Bonta Wants To Rule The World.” Clever, but prescient after Rob Bonta was able to easily coalesce Alameda County Democrats, both within the establishment and voters at-large behind Mia Bonta’s ultimately successful victory last August.
The act of keeping the 18th Assembly District seat in the family, along with several recent moves, has clearly ushered in the Bonta era in Alameda County politics, and possibly statewide. A generation ago, Alameda County politics was dominated by three names—Don Perata, Bill Lockyer, and Pete Stark. The triumvirate was separately shady, brusque, brainy, and undeniably brash. How will we describe the Bontacracy over the next decade or more?
That era in which the threesome regulated politics and candidates for local office, in addition, to offering guidance and support, has been largely absent in Alameda County politics for the last decade. The void, many insiders contend, has left Alameda County politics to wide-eyed political neophytes and misguided activists.
With Rob Bonta’s rise to the state attorney general’s office earlier this year, his ascencion to the throne of Alameda County politics is complete. Bonta quickly parlayed his newly-attained influence to gather support for Mia Bonta, with just three years on the Alameda school board, held a thin resume for a jump to the state Legislature. Privately, support for Mia Bonta was tepid among her early supporters. Time again, her endorsers privately expressed a fear of “angering the attorney general.” It was bad politics to get on his bad side, several added.
Some elected officials who were also eyeing the open 18th Assembly District seat had good reasons to eschew their dreams of higher office. Oakland Councilmember Sheng Thao was putting together a early campaign for the assembly special election even before Rob Bonta was appointed attorney general. Her candidacy appeared imminent. Then amid rumors that the Bontas were attempting to clear the field of women, particularly minorities, Thao announced she would not run for the special election seat and later set her sights on running for Oakland mayor in 2022. Thao then endorsed Mia Bonta for the assembly
Whispers were immediate that Thao had dropped out of the assembly special election in exchange for the Bontas endorsement of her future mayoral campaign. With great fanfare last November, Thao declared her candidacy for Oakland mayor, along with a glowing endorsement from the Bontas, who attended the announcement.
Another candidate that was also eyeing a run for the assembly special election—San Leandro Councilmember Corina Lopez—also abruptly ended her efforts and endorsed Mia Bonta for the assembly. Like Thao in Oakland, Lopez is certain to run for San Leandro mayor in 2022. Similarly, an endorsement from the Bontas is expected.
There are other signs indicating the Bonta era has fully arrived. Following Mia Bonta’s victory last August there have been numerous rumors that she did not take kindly to the sometimes aggressive campaigning employed by some of her special election opponents. Special election candidate James Aguilar, a San Leandro school board trustee, who is running for re-election to his seat this year, has been a target of Mia Bonta’s ire. She has quizzed several endorsers of Aguilar’s school board campaign recently. No motivation on Mia Bonta’s part was specified, the sources told me, but the simple act of receiving a phone call about a down-ballot race that may not even attract a challenger for Aguilar felt ominous.
Janani Ramachandran, the upstart progressive candidate who faced off with Mia Bonta in a vigorously fought special general election last summer, also appears to be in the Bontas crosshairs. Ramachandran decided against running again for the 18th Assembly District and, instead, will seek Thao’s now-open Oakland City Council seat in District 4. Ramachandran’s suggestions that the Bontas are corrupt don’t appear to have been forgiven. The Bontas are actively seeking candidates to challenge Ramachandran, one of which is reportedly an aide for an East Bay legislator.
It all begs to wonder how Mia Bonta might treat another special election candidate like San Leandro Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr.? He later aggressively supported Ramachandran in the special general election over Mia Bonta. And to make his support for Ramachandran last August crystal clear, Aguilar, Jr. placed nearly a dozen Ramachandran lawn signs in front of his house. Aguilar, Jr. is a potential San Leandro mayoral candidate also up for re-election to his council seat this fall.
CITY NOTES
—BALLPARK PLANNING VOTE—It was a very positive result for the Oakland Athletics’ Howard Terminal ballpark project on Wednesday night. The Oakland Planning Commission unanimously agreed to move the project’s 3,500-page final Environmental Impact Report to the Oakland City Council for certification. Such a vote could come next month. Wednesday’s vote moves the project one step closer to final approval.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, the proposal’s biggest cheerleader, said after last night’s vote, “Tonight’s Planning Commission decision to send the final environmental report (EIR) to the City Council for certification is a huge win for our entire region & puts Oakland one step closer to building a landmark waterfront ballpark district w/ the highest environmental standards.”
Much work remains before shovels are in the ground, including a development agreement, but momentum appears to be picking up for the massive $12 billion project. To highlight this point, Clark Manus, the chair of the Oakland Planning Commission, in a comment directed at A’s President Dave Kaval, said, “Mr. Kaval, I think you have work to do.”
—PANTS ON FIRE— A year ago, San Leandro Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr. became the City Council’s point person for banning menthol cigarette sales. The issue bounced around several committee meetings, along with a round table to gauge the public’s pulse before coming to city council last Tuesday night. That Aguilar is now a staunch supporter of banning the sale of tobacco products is surprising. He certainly did not hold these beliefs when he ran for the city council in 2018.
—Watch the clip HERE on the new East Bay Insiders YouTube channel.
In the interview, Aguilar, Jr. scoffed at the notion of prohibiting flavored tobacco sales. “This ban on tobacco, might as well have banned flavored vodka—flavored alcohol. You have small business owners who have customers going to other neighborhoods, other cities, buying flavored tobacco in Oakland, buying it in Hayward. In a sense we’re losing tax revenue in San Leandro because of this.” It’s a stunning flip-flop on flavored tobacco that underscores Aguilar’s reputation of being one of the most duplicitous elected officials in Alameda County.
AROUND THE EAST BAY
—During Tuesday night’s Alameda City Council meeting regarding the Encinal Terminals waterfront project, Alameda Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer said she had been “bargaining in good-faith” with the developer. Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft keyed in on the statement and suggested such activity is not part of a councilmember’s job description. Herrera may have misspoke, according to the city manager and city planner. But the exchange evokes the illegal council interference scandal that was so corrosive to the city’s politics four years ago.
—San Leandro Councilmember Fred Simon introduced a referral asking city staff to prepare a potential citywide prohibition on all types of tobacco sales. If it comes to fruition, it’s a proposal that will certainly attract the attention of Big Tobacco boardrooms across the nation.
—San Leandro is in talks with an unnamed developer interested in creating a homeless navigation center, San Leandro City Manager Fran Robustelli said on Tuesday night.
NEWS BRIEFING
—BOMB THREAT—A suspicious package was left at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland on Wednesday, ABC7 reports. The package was not lethal, but a “specific message” for law enforcement was included.
—OUSD STRIKE?—Oakland teachers are poised to go on strike if school administrators don’t approve new Covid-19 protections, the East Bay Times reports. The union is giving the administration 48 hours from yesterday to come to an agreement.
—TAX DOLLARS AT WORK—Berkeley councilmembers agreed to allot $67.5 million in Measure O funds toward seven projects, the East Bay Times reports. The projects will add more than 400 new affordable units to Berkeley’s housing stock. Measure O was approved in 2018 and includes a tax of $23 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
—BAD BART—An advocacy group released a report giving BART failing grades on its finances, “on-time performance, customer satisfaction ratings, crime and cleanliness,” KTVU reports. BART denies the assertions.
—VIGILS FOR GO—The Bay Area continues to mourn the death of Fremont native Michelle Go, who was pushed on to subway tracks in New York City, KTVU reports. Vigils in Go’s memory have been organized across the region.
DATEBOOK
—TOWN HALL—Rep. Ro Khanna will meet with constituents in a Facebook Live town hall on Thursday, Jan. 20, 6 p.m. Visit Rep. Khanna’s Facebook page HERE for the virtual meeting.
—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.