The Advocate

San Leandro isn't ready to resist the arrival of American fascism. We're now over 8 months into the Trump Regime 2.0, and our democracy is crumbling faster than a sandcastle in the sea. ICE is snatching innocent people off the streets like the Gestapo in 1930s Germany, sending them to concentration camps in Florida or foreign gulags in El Salvador. The White House is openly defying court orders, from ending birthright citizenship to firing federal workers en masse. Trump himself has monetized the presidency with billion-dollar jets from Qatar and literal gold statues from Apple's CEO. The tariffs are spiking inflation, and the job market is tanking as ordinary folks and working families struggle to survive. But the richest people continue to rake in profits. Now the military is being deployed against American cities, with soldiers on the streets and threats to send more across the country. It's so bad I don't even have the space to type it all out. *** So what's...

Now that we are fully immersed in the horrors of the Trump Regime, I might as well wax aspirational about what the political roadmap for rebuilding the country should be (in my humble opinion). My plan is based on over a decade as an advocate and community organizer, working with marginalized groups across the country and sitting in rooms with the powerful where it happens; as well as another decade as a public servant, doing the people's business from the inside out and the bottom up to repair broken systems amongst crumbling institutions. It's not a perfect plan or a final plan. It's just a roadmap, but I think it's a pretty good one, all things considered. Here we go! *** Organizing motto: Building a better world for everyone Organizing strategy: Do everything everywhere all at once and all the time Organizing principles: Fundamental fairness through social and economic justice Civil rights and responsibilities for all Growth and abundance for shared prosperity Organ...

(Image from JRS USA ) After fleeing Afghanistan, the Qureshi family came here to San Leandro for a better life. Unfortunately, the parents have fallen ill, and the family cannot afford rent, bills, or even basic needs like food. Their teenage daughters are students at the local high school. They're trying to stay in school and take care of their family, but currently they have no income or support. Here's their plea in their own words: "My name is Sapna, and I’m sharing this with deep sadness. My twin sister Hosna and I are students at San Leandro High School. Both of our parents are very sick and unable to work. Because of their health, our home has no income right now. We cannot afford rent, bills, or even basic needs like food. Every day is a struggle. We try to stay strong for our parents, but it’s hard. Watching them suffer while we feel helpless is the most painful part. My sister and I are doing our best we want to stay in school and take care of our family, but we’...

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...

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...

The Big Tent calls on the City of San Leandro to implement housing reform immediately and to declare that there exists a housing emergency. Each year, housing scarcity and rents rising faster than wages cause many renters in the City of San Leandro to be evicted or priced out of their homes, resulting in housing turnover and unstable neighborhoods. This displacement damages our families and communities by increasing homelessness, food insecurity, pollution, mental illness, and lowering life expectancy. Community displacement hurts not only San Leandro’s residents; it also holds dire consequences for the resilience of our economy. San Leandro’s manufacturing employers, schools, and small businesses are already challenged in their effort to find adequately skilled, reliable, local workers. An insufficient workforce hurts business growth and San Leandro’s ability to increase revenues and improve our facilities and services. San Leandro’s housing supply was approximately 73% below its Regi...

(Photo credit: Darin Moriki/Bay Area News Group) Failed former San Leandro City Councilman Ed Hernandez was recently reprimanded by departed City Manager, Fran Robustelli, for allegedly violating campaign finance rules. While this isn't the first time Hernadez has reportedly engaged in questionable behavior, it certainly is ironic coming from a guy who's spent years complaining about mismanagement at city hall. Here's the scoop from The San Leandro Advocate, courtesy of a confidential source: *** "Dear Mr. Hernandez: I write to inform you that the City received several complaints from residents who attended the Cherry Festival parade that you and volunteers related to your campaign for a City Council seat were engaged in campaign activities during the Cherry Festival parade. As I trust you are aware as a public official, under California law it is illegal to use public funds for any campaigns, whether to support or oppose ballot measures or candidates for office. T...

Credit to the Bay Area News Group and The San Francisco Chronicle . "San Leandro to pay $3.9 million settlement amid claims officers beat, tased mentally disabled man in 2019. The settlement marks at least the sixth time either officer has been sued over their actions as police officers in the East Bay San Leandro is expected to pay $3.9 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit claiming the city’s police officers brutally beat a mentally disabled man in 2019, causing his brain to bleed so badly that he suffered repeated strokes. The city’s payout comes nearly five years after Sorrell Shiflett, 37, was tased and bludgeoned by two San Leandro police officers while walking with his cousin through a neighborhood in search of a friend’s house, according to the federal lawsuit. The case marks at least the sixth time that either officer — Ismael Navarro or Anthony Pantoja — has been named in a lawsuit claiming they acted violently while working for multiple police departments ac...

It happened in San Leandro back in 2011 with Dewayne Stancill . A highly regarded Black police officer forced out because of racism, politics, and corruption. Now, here we are in 2024 having deja vu. Former SLPD Chief Abdul Pridgen has been fired by the city under, to put it mildly, suspicious circumstances without any actual evidence of wrongdoing having been provided with the specter of expensive litigation looming ahead. I guess I'll weigh in on this with what I know, especially now that Pridgen is officially out. What I have learned is based on information from my own sources, some of whom took great risks to reach out to me, so I can't even share all of what they told me, let alone independently verify all of it. At the same time, because the city is point-blank refusing to release responsive records under the California Public Records Act, despite repeated attempts to get them to do so, even what has been shared publicly is difficult to confirm or deny. So, please, like ...