The Advocate

If you haven't heard the news about San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, well here it is .  The Feds have charged him with three criminal violations. One count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. One count of false statements. And one count of criminal forfeiture. The charges were filed as "information" instead of an indictment, which may mean Azevedo waived his right to a grand jury and made a plea deal. The investigation predates the current regime and the lawyers that signed off on this are career prosecutors, not political appointees. They accuse Azevedo of lying to federal agents, taking bribes, and selling out the city. The scheme is allegedly related to a much larger conspiracy involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a business groups run by the Duong family. *** I've been a fan of Bryan's since 2020 when he was out doing community clean ups and running a program to help feed people during the pandemic. I voted for him for c...

(Picture by Sheyda Sabetian.) SLPD Sergeant Robert Sanchez has been charged with embezzling and misappropriation of public funds. In plain language: Sanchez was stealing through fraud and corruption. Local news reports are available at here and here . However, I’m sure many of you – like me – found out via the city’s Nixle alert system. What’s interesting is how San Leandro Mayor Pauline Cutter and San Leandro Police Chief Jeff Tudor were able to make such timely and heartfelt statements when it comes to misconduct over money, but not for the murders of Steven Taylor or Anthony Gomez. Indeed, I wonder why immediate action can be taken in the case of this property crime but not for violent crime against innocent citizens? It took months of public pressure, letters, petitions, social media campaigns, and video evidence, as well as a bevy of new laws based on the burgeoning outcry against police brutality just for Jason Fletcher to be charged for killing Steven Taylor. Either the law gov...