EXCLUSIVE!
IS SAN LEANDRO’S MAYOR TRYING TO SILENCE CRITICS; POTENTIAL WHISTLE-BLOWERS?
By Steven Tavares
A member of the San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy’s inner circle has made two requests in the past three weeks to retrieve emails sent by city employees to and from the East Bay Citizen, according to numerous sources at City Hall.
Magarita Lacabe, the wife of San Leandro School Trustee Mike Katz-Lacabe and member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, made Freedom of Information Act requests to the city on March 28 and again April 15 asking for electronic correspondence made by the city council and city employees to this reporter between September 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010.
Lacabe and her husband have long been vocal critics on a range of city issues and have published their opinions in the blogosphere and local newspapers. Both currently maintain blogs pertaining to San Leandro. The couple also have a tight relationship with Cassidy. Katz-Lacabe sat on Cassidy’s campaign committee along with having a voice on the mayor’s transition team. Lacabe is also known to have frequent access to the mayor’s audience.
Through the emails request, it is believed Lacabe is attempting to locate information on discussions this reporter and former San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos may have had during the last mayoral election. The East Bay Citizen published numerous article detailing Cassidy in a negative light leading up to the election and since he become mayor earlier this year. Just last month, it was reported Katz also requested information through the same public information act on the San Leandro Police Department’s SWAT unit.
It is well-known Cassidy and his close supporters have exhibited frequent hostility towards city employees going back to his mayoral campaign. This knowledge has also fostered an atmosphere of intimidation city employees at City Hall towards speaking to the East Bay Citizen and leading up to Lacabe’s request this month.
Numerous city employees expressed animosity towards Cassidy and his tight group of supporters and expressed fear of reprisals if they speak to the East Bay Citizen. One long-time city employee, who asked not to be identified, told The Citizen they felt they would be “put through the ringer” if they forwarded any messages to the city’s IT department and conversely, subject to sanctions if they did not comply with the request.
An email was sent to employees on two occasions by the IT department asking them to forwards any emails from “Steven Tavares” from two separate email addresses.
Lacabe has railed recently against a city proposal to delete non-essential city emails after 120 days and possibly leading her to expedite her search before the new rules are put in place. The City Council has not yet deliberated on the proposal.
A concerted effort by the Cassidy and his fervent supporters to minimized the voice of the East Bay Citizen has been rumored for months against its articles detailing the mayor’s rising unpopularity at City Hall stemming primarily from his positions on employee pension reform and questions of whether his pleas for transparency are merely ruses to further his platform.
Cassidy supporters have used social media in the past to call out critics. A notoriously derogatory “anonymous” Facebook and Twitter page has been used to propagate to falsehoods ultimately in favor of Cassidy along with postings from the blog of both Katz-Lacabe and Lacabe regarding the police department that mirror the objectives of Cassidy.
Some has also expressed doubt Katz-Lacabe’s frequent use videotaping of government meetings and local appearances by the police department is only for informational purposes but also to intimidate city officials and police officers.
Another thread by the preschoolers I see. This blog is starting to annoy many people.
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Manuel you never used a fact in your life and the San Leandro voters keep rejecting your extreme opinions.
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bahahhahahahahahhaa Looks like the Zocalo crowd was smoking the bong last night. They can't win any arguments on the fact so they start fantasizing about their reality. bahahhahahahaaha Lay off the cheap booze.
Manuel
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mr. Vargas, your comments are getting to be very inapropriate. the only thing more warped than your taste in men is your political point of view..
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This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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This picture shows the real love between these two…I bet they secretly have it framed, in a heart shape frame, which is cool. These two losers shouldn't be re-elected…San Leandro, we're idiots for even giving them the time of day.
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Steve,
I like your visually imagery. But you should have gone the extra step and photoshopped some flames in the background and put little red horns on Cassidy to show him as the great ginger Satan he is.
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When people ask for other people's e-mails, it's usually done to try and shut someone up.
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Hey Milton, Good Man, and about reading other peoples emails, anyone that wants to read mine, thats fine with me, got nothing to hide, and if I say it on my emails I will also say it in person if needed, but the govt is reading a lot of peoples emails today so if you have something to hide dont put it in your emails unless you can back it up, and should you commit a crime they will come into your house and take your computer and pull everything out of it so wanting to see someones email is not really a new thing, whether its right or wrong I dont know, its just a sign of the times, and once again I applaud you for putting your name where your comments are. John Kalafatich
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Someone should look at Katz's computers…gotta' be some illegal porn on there.
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I'm not much into this political shit going on, But I will say that asking to see emails that were not sent to you is Bitch shit!! I think people are butt hurt cause they are looking for the writers source and can't find shit!! P.s. no anonymous name here
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Hey all of you anonymous wimps, at least Steve has the guts to put him name on his writings, you weirdos are either afraid to do it or maybe you cant even spell your name. Well I can and I am not afraid to use it, and if you dont like what Steve has to say go and read the comic books where it appears you mentality lies.
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Oh come on Tavares. Aren't you being a tad bit paranoid? At least Frank Lynn had a reason to see Santos' emails.
Manuel
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Guess who deletes comments he doesn't like? At least Katz will engage in debate…
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You can't have it both ways Tavares – in one article you state Cassidy is not being *transparent* on choosing the city manager; in the next, video taping public city meetings for public view equals “intimidation” – if it's done by a Cassidy supporter.
Police have to go to court all the time to testify against criminals; many have to give press conferences on high profile crimes. If seeing Katz with a camcorder to post a video on his widely unread blog threatens them; then they don't have what it takes to be a peace officer in the first place.
It's in the public interest to know what taxpayor-funded city workers are doing on we the peoples' time and on we the peoples' dime. Maybe if they worked harder and smarter to make our town a better place instead of bitch and moan to the media about how underpaid and unrespected they are; we'd have a better town.
And btw, it's interesting that Luke Sims, and other higher ups in the planning department don't even live in this town.
I think your just jealous because most people see the East Bay Citizen for what it is – the Weekly World News tabloid version of San Leandro news with an obvious anti-Cassidy, anti-common sense bias. Katz and Holmes beat you at your own game using far less *talent* and web resources and their candidate won.
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