It’s official: Pete Stark is running for re-election.

 It’s official: Pete Stark is running for re-election.  Politics  No Responses »
Mar 052012
 

March 16 Update:  Ellen Corbett decided not to run for Congress this time around, but both she and Khanna are pushing full speed ahead for their 2014 Congressional ran.  Stark has two years notice, he better retire by then.  I hope that Stark will take advantage of these last two years to go back to his principled and courageous heydays. Fight the good fights, stand up strongly and loudly for civil liberties and civil rights, and leave his children a name they can be proud of.

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Congressman Pete Stark has completed his filings and is now an official candidate for re-election for the United States House of Representatives.  He’s running for District 15th, which includes the southern and eastern parts of Alameda county.

Stark has four opponents so far, but none of them stand much of a chance.  Eric Swallwell,  a prosecutor and Dublin City Council member, is probably the most likely to provide Stark with a challenge.  He is also a democrat and has support in his area (which I believe Stark has not represented before).  However, he’s relatively unknown and I can’t see him raising enough money (unless he has rich friends).   I know nothing about Mark Gonzalez beyond the fact that he is Republican.  Chris Pareja ran as the tea party candidate in 2010, but is now positioning himself as an independent.  As for the final candidate, Michael David Harris, I have no idea who he is – though he might be a realtor from Livermore, most likely Republican.

 

The real question, however, is whether State Senator Ellen Corbett, also a Democrat, will enter the race.  Corbett, a native San Leandran and former Mayor, has long wanted to run for Congress.  Her gamble is whether to do so now, against a well known Democratic incumbent who has been there forever (but who is 80 years old and in bad health), or to wait until 2014, when Stark may retire.  While the latter scenario would usually make sense, her declared opponent would be Ro Khanna, a young former Deputy Assistant Secretary at Commerce for the Obama administration.  While Khanna has no political experience, he does have a lot of money.  He was able to raise raise $1.2M in the last quarter of 2011, mostly from Silicon Valley and the Indian-American community; he got $450K alone at one fundraiser at the home of a venture capitalist.    Corbett, on the other hand, is not a particularly great fundraiser.  And without money, it’s impossible for any candidate to get their message to the voters.
We will know by Friday if Corbett throws her hat into the ring.  My bet is that if she runs, she won’t file until the last possible moment, so as to not give Khanna the opportunity to run as well.  Khanna has promised that he wouldn’t run against Stark, but observers believe he’d throw his hat into the race if Corbett wins.  I can just envision his spies hanging around the office of the Registrar of voters on Friday, seeing if Ellen or one of her people comes by.

It’s difficult to know how good a chance Corbett has.  Stark has a lot of supporters and detractors, both among party operatives and voters – but he’s a sitting duck and as thus probably not worth investing on.  My bet is that most people will stay out of the race until they see the June election results.

Because of redistricting, Pete Stark will no longer be representing San Leandro (we get Barbara Lee now!) – but this is still an election worth watching.

I (Margarita Lacabe) am running for the Democratic Central Committee. Here is why.

 I (Margarita Lacabe) am running for the Democratic Central Committee. Here is why.  ACDCC, Politics  No Responses »
Mar 052012
 

Just a quick note to let you know that I am now an official candidate for the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee.  I’ve served one term there and I’d like to serve another.  If you are a dem, I’d love you to vote for me in June.

I see my role in the Committee as being the voice for civil liberties and accountability.  While Democrats are quite committed to labor issues, education and social justice, there seems to be a reluctance to push for civil liberties head on.  Part of the problem, I think, is that the people who run for the Committee usually come from unions or grassroot organizing.  A larger part, however, is the current political situation.

Our Democratic President may very well have the worst record on human rights of any administration in the history of this country.  As a human rights activist, I find this outrageous.   Obama has ordered the assassination of American citizens  and their indefinite detention and torture.  He has kept Guantanamo open, widened spying on American citizens and tried to silence whistle blowers.  Unfortunately, the list of his repressive policies could go on and on.

And yet, the Republican party is pushing so hard to destroy the social covenant, our right to privacy and freedom of religion and our economic welfare, that the possibility of one of their presidential candidates winning the election is terrifying.  For that reason, the Democratic establishment is very wary of criticizing Obama’s actions or questioning his agenda (at least in non-economic or labor issues).

As a member of a local Committee my reach is, of course, very limited – but I think my voice is still necessary, specially now.

I understand that these positions will lose me as many votes as they may win them (one of my neighbors refused to sign my nomination papers because of  of my criticism of Obama) – but I do believe in democracy, and that means being as open and honest with the electorate as possible so that you can make an educated choice of who will represent you best.  I hope I will.

I’m running for the 18th Assembly district, which includes San Leandro, the city of Alameda and most of Oakland (except for the hills).  You get to vote for six candidates, so far there are ten candidates on the ballot though more may file before the March 9th deadline.

My husband, Mike Katz-Lacabe, who is more moderate than I is also running and I will ask you to vote for him.  Ditto for Robin Torello, who chairs the party in Alameda County.  She is truly indispensable for the smooth running of the Committee and we’d be lost without her.

Short Recap on the Rules Committee Meeting re: the Ban on Entertainment & Recreation in San Leandro

 Short Recap on the Rules Committee Meeting re: the Ban on Entertainment & Recreation in San Leandro  City Hall, Faith Fellowship v. SL case  No Responses »
Mar 042012
 

Committee Members ask few questions, make fewer comments, decide to pass the buck back to the City Council.

Thursday afternoon, the San Leandro City Council’s Rules and Communication Committee met to discuss the staff (read city attorney’s) proposal (read intense push) to amend the Zoning Code to ban entertainment and recreational use in industrial areas of San Leandro.  As one of the City’s attorneys made clear last week, the reason for the ban is to help on the lawsuit against Faith Fellowship.

Every single non-staff speaker at the meeting: community members, the Chamber, business owners and yours truly spoke against the ban.   Twenty first century companies, specially high tech ones, realize the importance of combining work with relaxation, and appreciate nearby recreational facilities which allow their employees to let off steam, and them come back to work.  An entertainment/recreational ban will discourage those companies from moving into town.

The Planning Commission has voted twice against the ban. The Board of Zoning Adjustments expressed its disapproval.  Plenty of people have spoken against it, and the city has not heard ONE community member speak or send an e-mail in favor of this (I checked).  And still, there seems to be a strong will to give away the future of the city for the potential legal advantage (one that I don’t quite get) in a lawsuit we are going to lose anyway.

Among the speakers at the meeting was Pastor Gary Mortara of  the Faith Fellowship Church.  He said that as a community member he doesn’t want to hurt the city, his interest is in getting a property for them to build a church (I’ve been suggesting that we give him the former Albertson’s property, this would put 1700 people downtown every Sunday, as well as many during the week).  He asked that the City not hurt the community for what’s a matter between them.

For me, giving away the future of this city for whatever legal advantage we may get in one case is just bad public policy.

The rules committee did not recommend against the code change, however.  Mayor Cassidy seems to prefer to add assembly use to the area rather than ban entertainment and recreation, but wants more time.

Council member Jim Prola is stuck on the 70’s and wants to preserve manufacturing.   He also wants to attract high tech companies, but even though he has no experience working for one, he believes he knows all about them and won’t listen to what people with experience have to say.    Prola is a great guy, but he’s very reluctant to go against staff on anything that is not labor-related.

As for Ursula Reed, I’m not clear where she stands.  I think she was very much in favor of doing what the City Attorney told her (she’s not an independent thinker, and usually just rubber stamps what comes from staff), but she’s starting to realize how detrimental that would be to San Leandro.  She is also running for re-election this November, possible against Chris Crow (who has been very vocal on his opposition to this ban), and she may not want to antagonize voters on yet another issue.  She’s already made enemies by pushing the purchase of i-pads for City Council members and top staff and by voting for red light cameras, even though they will cost the City money in the long (and probably short) run.  That said, Reed is not the most politically savvy person out there.

As for the rest of the Council, Diana Souza indicated last week she’d vote for the ban, which I’d expect from her.  Souza came to the Council with only two issues in mind: building a lap pool in Washington Manor and getting rid of the Links shuttle.  She was unsuccessful on both counts, and has since taken a very anti-community attitude.  She’s termed out and has no prospects for a political career, so she has no accountability whatsoever.

Joyce Starosciak will probably vote for the ban as well – or at least abstain.   She also kisses the staff’s butts whenever possible, though she should be wary of this decision if she actually plans to run for office again (and she has a committee for a City Council run in 2016).  Pauline Cutter also has a tendency to rubber stamp and she often has great difficulty understanding issues she’s unfamiliar with – for some weird reason her concerns about the zoning change had to do with parking (?!). Finally, Michael Gregory is hard to predict, though he never goes out on a limb, so I’d say he’ll vote for the ban as well – unless the Council seems to be moving against it.  He doesn’t like to make waves.

The one thing that really bothers me is that none of them (save for Cassidy who is, after all, a lawyer) seem to be able to grasp the actual issues at play. I know it’s not just my inability to explain them – there have been many speakers, using different languages and arguments to do so.  I think it’s just their lack of experience outside their personal spheres, their laziness vis a vis researching matters on their own or thinking about them, and their unwillingness to stand for something.

As next election cycle comes around, I can only hope that a couple of competent, intelligent candidates run.

Abel Guillen and Phil Ladew: Two Candidates to Get Behind – for all the right reasons

 Abel Guillen and Phil Ladew: Two Candidates to Get Behind – for all the right reasons  People, Politics  No Responses »
Mar 042012
 

Abel Guillen

Meet the two political candidates that give me hope we can actually turn around our country, from the bottom up.

Last night I had a small get together to introduce California Assembly candidate Abel Guillen to some of my friends.  It was great to hear his analysis of the state’s financial problems, his proposed solutions and overall vision, as well as his experiences at Peralta Community college.   One thing that really impressed me is that he lead the Peralta Board to divest their $100+M budget from big banks and move their money to small credit unions.  But he’s also done things that directly benefit the student community, like negotiate a $31 a semester AC Transit pass for students (normally, these are $80 a month).  Mike and I will be throwing a reception/fundraiser for Abel at Zocalo on March 23rd at 7 PM, and I hope all of you will come and have a chance to meet him.

Phil Ladew and his wife Victoria

One of my other guests last night was Phil Ladew who is running for re-election to the Alameda County Board of Education. Phil is an amazing man, and you know I’m not easily impressed by people. He grew up in the foster care system, experiencing all the hardships of that life, but was able to overcome those difficulties and be a better person for it. He  went to college and law school (my alma mater, U.C. Hastings).  He became a child welfare attorney, representing disadvantaged and foster children in court, and now heads an organization that advocates for abused and neglected children. The County Board of Education is responsible for the education of incarcerated children and provides services to foster children, pregnant teens, homeless students and students that have been expelled from other schools. I cannot imagine someone better suited for that Board than Phil.  I hope to host a coffee or some other event for Phil, and I’ll invite you all to meet him.  Phil, BTW, is a San Leandro resident married to a San Leandro native.

I’ve been involved in local politics for the last six years, I’ve worked on several campaigns – all of which have been successful – but I had overall become disenchanted with politics.  It’s so easy for politicians to be co-opted the moment they get into office.  They become afraid of making waves, push for change and alienate future financial backers.   But few people step up to run for any office, so it becomes a matter of choosing the most acceptable candidate: the one that seems smarter, more competent, hopefully more ethical.  But when I look at Abel and at Phil, I get excited.  I actually believe in them in a way that I haven’t believed in a politician in years – if ever.  I think Abel has the perfect combination of commitment to the community, financial acumen and understanding of how politics works.  More importantly, however, he has the passion to organize us into standing up against corporations and create a society more fair for all.  As for Phil, I am in awe of the work he does and his commitment to children, but also extremely impressed by his intelligence and work ethic.

Wanna have fun? Tell me how and win 2 tickets to “Salmon Fishing in Yemen”

 Wanna have fun? Tell me how and win 2 tickets to “Salmon Fishing in Yemen”  Businesses, City Hall, Community, San Leandro Deals  No Responses »
Mar 022012
 

Share your best ideas for entertainment venues in San Leandro.

There is no doubt that San Leandro leaves much to be desired when it comes to entertainment.  We have a multiplex showing new releases, the quaint Bal Theater showing old movies and hosting special events, plays at the Conservatory Theater and comedy nights at The Englander.  And that’s pretty much it, unless you count high school sports & shows and the occasional political fundraiser.  No wonder San Leandro cops spend so much time busting people for selling dope – there isn’t much for young people to do in town other than get high.  The San Leandro City Council wants to keep it that way.

Their latest proposal is to ban all entertainment and recreational uses  (except for “adult oriented businesses”) from the industrial area of town.  Such uses are already banned from residential areas, and this new ban will effectively mean that entertainment venues in town will be greatly limited.  Our boring town will remain just as boring.

That the City Council cannot think outside the box is, I think, a well established fact.  But let’s show that we can do better.  Can you come up with a great idea for entertainment or recreational uses for facilities in the industrial area?  Let’s try to be creative and look at the future.  Mini-golf parks and climbing walls are so 20th century, what should 21st century entertainment look like?

Those who come up with the BEST ideas will win 2-tickets to the opening of  “Salmon Fishing in Yemen“ on Tuesday March 6th at 7:30 PM at the Sundance Kabuki theater in San Francisco, courtesy of the movie’s marketers.   This movie stars Ewan McGregor as a fisheries expert hired to help realize a sheik’s vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert.  That’s the type of outside the box thinking I want to see from you, my readers!  Watch a movie trailer and get more info below.

Please leave your ideas as a comment to this post, on SLT’s FB page or tweet them to @SanLeandroTalk.

Good luck and get creative!

The winners will be announced on Sunday.

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