The Advocate

(Zdzislaw Beksinski, 1973, Untitled) There were so many times in my life that I should've died. So many times when I should've been lost. So many times when I shouldn't have made it. Maybe it's the fact that I'm nearly 40 when I never thought I would've lived to see 30. Maybe it's just the precarious state of the world and I'm feeling like I've never stopped fighting against all the terrible things destroying it. Maybe it's nothing but cobwebs in my ear and something even more ephemeral in my chest. But here I am at my desk typing away past 2 AM. Memories coursing through me like haunting ghosts and flashbacks faster than bolts of lightning surging across tormented skies. *** I was 1 year old in 1987, laying at the foot of the stairs I'd been knocked down, arm and leg broken, crying for help, but none came until my parents found me hours later almost unconscious while the babysitter was watching Saved By The Bell. I was 2 years old and my mot...

The reason people don't understand me is because my politics are dark and not visible from the outside. I'm not the person you've projected, but someone far, far different.  *** Liberal, Leftist, Progressive. Socialist, Communist, Tankie. Capitalist, Fascist, Nazi. Moderate, Centrist, Shitlib. Democrat, Independent, Republican. Alt-Left, Alt-Right, Fill-in-the-blank. As a Jew, I've always been called whatever was convenient for other people to label me. Hate capitalism? I'm the uber-capitalist. Hate communism? I'm the super communist. Hate liberals? I'm a Democrat party shitlib. Hate conservatives? I'm a moderate Republican. Hate colonizers? Jews are the ultra-colonizers. Hate rootless cosmopolitans? Jews are the biggest globalists of all time. I used to consider myself a leftist. But after October 7, 2023, leftists told me I couldn't be. Because Zionists aren't allowed, which is just another way of saying no Jews allowed. It was on December 4, 2...

"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...