The Advocate

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

The Big Tent: Founding Charter The Big Tent is a non-partisan group of community leaders, activists, and everyday folks committed to advocating for shared values and political organizing in the City of San Leandro. We are an inclusive collection of advocates from different backgrounds, platforms, and opinions working together towards mutual goals while supporting the individual success of our partners. We will serve as a communication and organizing hub with other local organizations on policy initiatives, civic education, public outreach, and similar efforts to build a better San Leandro. The Big Tent envisions revitalizing existing networks and reconnecting them to become catalysts for systemic change. Organizing Principle Social and Economic Justice Values Civil Rights Diversity Equity Inclusion Policies Public Safety Housing and Homelessness Healthcare and Wellness Economic and Workforce Development (Jobs) City Gov’t Charter and Election Reform Public Education and Schools The Envi

I'm so excited to announce my support for the campaign of this incredible community organizer, advocate, activist, educator, Alameda County Democratic Party associate, former East Bay Stonewall Democrats Club Board member, and, most importantly, my friend... Celina Reynes for San Leandro City Council! Celina is a third-generation San Leandran, a descendant of Portuguese immigrants, a vibrant member of our LGBTQ+ community, and has been an integral part of the work happening in our city to implement progressive initiatives, from police reform to homelessness to healthcare to the environment to local development. She founded San Leandro for Accountability, Transparency, and Equity ( SLATE ) which successfully jump-started the city's creation of civilian police oversight through a grassroots movement of hundreds of residents, local leaders, and social service organizations. Celina also served on the Community Advisory Budget Task Force (CABTF), including a leadership role in craft

This is something many suspected but only known to a few. Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley colluded with local police unions (including the SLPOA) to smear political opponent Pamela Price who wants to clean up law enforcement in our county. Among the alleged violations, "O'Malley's deputy prosecutors also monitored Price's political activities "during work hours," which "constitutes an in-kind contribution" and should have been reported by the O'Malley campaign committee and even the DA's office. Coordinating campaign ads, fundraising and other activities using government letterhead, time and emails all on company time, violate state campaign laws." Learn more at  KTVU  and WaPo . Please sign and circulate the petition demanding accountability for these violations election law and state ethics requirements. Their joint misconduct shows how much both offices think they are above the law. Hopefully, exposure of this sc

It starts and ends with the emails. So many emails. From 6:00 AM to well past midnight. Responding to aspiring politicos, friendly peers, allied organizations, and others needing subject matter expertise in legal assistance, fundraising, networking, or updates on current events, among a milieu of miscellany. After that, it's dashing across town for a local event -- coffee with the cops, a community clean-up, canvassing for a ballot initiative or new candidate, maybe attending a rally and protest. Then it's dashing back home to hop on for a few consecutive hours of Zoom calls with fellow activists to research, review, and write up public comments or civic education and outreach materials. By this time, we're well into the working lunch hour with a less formal meeting between new stakeholders wanting to jump in headfirst or tentative residents dipping their toes in to learn more. Sometimes it's a very formal meeting with new officials hoping to build bridges or test bound