The Advocate

"Students complete an outdoor assignment at an elementary school in San Leandro, California, on June 1, 2023. A conservative parents group, Parents Defending Education, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education on Monday that alleges a program, taught by Black male educators to Black boys, violates equal rights protections. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)" *** This astroturf group, Parents Defending Education , has been attacking critical public education initiatives around the country. From student success programs in Chicago to protecting trans kids in Maine to equitable hiring practices in Rochester , there's very little in a multiracial education system that they don't rabidly oppose. They specifically hate the idea of anyone helping Black students achieve academic success. Now, they're suing to defund our schools for daring to support the needs of these students. Specifically, they're suing to stop a program called Kingmakers of Oakland that provides...

  Sonia Reed found her first home ever in the hills of San Leandro. After winning a lottery through a local program to support first-time homebuyers, she couldn't believe her luck in finding a place in the Bay Area's competitive housing market. As someone who was formerly homeless, she was very excited to then become a first-time homeowner.  As a peer support and recovery specialist and Narcotics Anonymous volunteer for Alameda County, she is used to helping others. In fact, after struggling against hardship most of her life, Sonia has dedicated her career to fighting for others, including serving as a member of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless Commission and a program manager at Bonita House.  But now she's the one in need of help. Upon coming to visit her new home in the unincorporated Hillcrest Knolls neighborhood , she was immediately met with racist slurs and hate from a couple of her neighbors. Insults were hurled about her race and her body. The co...

The Big Tent has just released its proposed Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection Ordinance (RS&TPO). A copy is available here for everyone to read freely. This critical legislation would provide the following: 1. Rent stabilization to cap annual increases and keep housing affordable. 2. Just cause requirements for evictions to protect tenants and property owners. 3. A rent registry to track rental housing in the city to help enforce the ordinance and evaluate the market. 4. A review board that is representative and has authority to resolve disputes or violations. 5. A diversity, equity, and inclusion provision for broad-based applicability to ensure that the ordinance serves all residents of San Leandro. 6. Sufficient funding and staffing to support the ordinance. 7. An anti-harassment clause to protect renters when exercising their rights. 8. A private right of action so that individuals can hold violators and the city accountable. 9. Improved noticing requirements so that ev...

Well, I told y'all this was gonna happen . I said it again and again in public comments to the city and letters to the editor in the local paper. It was only a matter of time before someone finally decided enough is enough and that's exactly what's happened. The City of San Leandro is on the verge of being sued for violating the California Voting Rights Act. Why? Because it has continued to refuse to use district-based elections. Instead, San Leandro uses at-large district elections where candidates must live in the district they run for office in, but are voted on by the entire city. This dilutes people's voting power, particularly for members of underrepresented groups, and exponentially increases the costs of running for elected office. The result? Our local elected officials are either independently wealthy or wholly reliant on special interest groups to fund their campaigns. They don't tend to focus on the interests of the constituents in their district, and th...

As your local advocate and community organizer, I'm here to bring you the only comprehensive guide for San Leandro voters, election after election . I'm here to help you decide what to vote for (or against) along with reasons and receipts. This will be a long post, so buckle up! I'm starting with the local San Leandro and district elections first, then county races and measures, then ballot propositions, and then finally the statewide and federal offices. If you're strapped for time, you can find the TL;DR / CliffsNotes version just below and then check out the details further down at your leisure. NB: this does not include any candidates that are uncontested so won't be on your ballots, but feel free to reach out if you'd like information about them too. City Offices City Council District 2, Bryan Azevedo City Council District 4, Fred Simon City Council District 6, Robert Bulatao District Offices EBMUD Director Ward 5, Alex Spehr 1st and Jim Oddie 2nd East Bay...

I finally finished listening to the season finale of local political and foodie podcast, The Marinade with Lee Thomas . For those who don't know, Lee is a former District 3 City Councilmember here in San Leandro - one of the few Black elected officials in our area - as well as a small business owner and budding entrepreneur.  I was happy to hear District 6 City Council Candidate Dylan Boldt speaking up to dispel the myths surrounding rent stabilization . (Something his opponent, Robert Bulatao, also enthusiastically supports.) Because of inflation and the high cost of living here in the Bay Area, rents are going up as much as 10% year over year. Meanwhile, most people's salaries are stagnant and they're already paying more than 1/3 of their income for rent as is! I think those skeptics, like Lee, should take a look at the broad-based movement from the Big Tent - San Leandro and the work we're doing on housing reform. As for Ed Hernandez , apparently, he's lying aga...