ELECTION ‘12//ALCO SUPERVISOR DISTRICT 2 | Even as the Alameda County Board of Supervisors enacted limits on campaign fundraising last year, they never imagined a candidate with as many connections as Mary Hayashi.
A large billboard towering over Foothill Boulevard and B Street in downtown Hayward featuring Hayashi’s smiling visage is proving there are many ways around the county’s $20,000 fundraising limits.
The bright red billboard, although it may feature Hayashi, is not directly associated to her campaign for Alameda County District 2 supervisor. “’Please join me and California’s Teachers,’” the sign reads, instead. “Vote No on Prop 32.” Furthermore, the billboard references the ad is paid for by, “Building California’s Future, Mary Hayashi’s Ballot Measure Committee.”
Similar accounts are used by many members of the Legislature to support or oppose local and state ballot initiatives. Hayashi’s account listed over $14,000 in cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports ending Sept. 30. A late expenditure report filed last week showed a $6,500 contribution to Working Californians to Oppose Prop. 32 for a billboard last month. In addition, Hayashi filed a late expenditure report Oct. 18 from her 2010 Assembly account showing a transfer of $50,000 to her ballot measure account, the same committee that paid for the billboard.
An ordinance authored by Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty passed last year placed a $20,000 limit on contributions from a single committee or person. Many believed the impetus for the ordinance was to avoid another instance, such as Bill Lockyer’s $1.8 million transfer of fundraising in 2010 from his treasurer’s campaign account to his wife, Nadia Lockyer’s war chest. Critics, though, contend the ordinance was more geared to the board’s bid to ensure self-preservation by making it unlikely they would ever face a challenger with as much power in the future.
While there is nothing illegal about the transfers, they do speak to the volume of creative ways around local, state and federal finance laws. In this case, Hayashi can raise her profile among Hayward voters with the billboard purportedly supporting the no campaign against Prop. 32 while hinting at her aspirations for supervisor next month. Some of Hayashi’s critics lodged a similar complaint this summer alleging two mailers to her Assembly district constituents were really thinly-veiled attempts to use taxpayers’ dollars to reconnect with voters, many of whom overlap the county’s District 2 boundaries. One mailer trumpeted a seminar for seniors, while the other advertised a pet fair in downtown Hayward.
Every teachers who sees that billboard has to be cringing, “join me and California Teachers” – me and California teachers – secondary singular, syntax – for the love of god woman, if you are going to support teachers use proper English but then again it shows exactly who and what Mary is – she ALWAYS comes first.
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Nobody forces a candidate to use a political consultant – that's horse crap!
Team Valle knows that using the mugshot will backfire big time. A man cannot attack a woman by placing her in a negative light. He would lose most votes by women.
Plus – I've heard that the shoplifting isn't a deal breaker for voters. They look at Hayashi's total history and all the work she has done for the district.
For some of you that comment here – you act like this is the worst choice – but she is a progressive democrat with many awards from prominent organizations.
Valle doesn't come to the dance with clean hands – that's the biggest problem – no one vetted this greedy insider who raises trash rates to live like a king. His judgment of giving Nadia's staff raises, hiring Mike Mahoney to run Tri-CED after he mismanaged St Rose, and then is letting the most fraudulent management company to take over St Rose – is flawed big time! Everything that has been a disaster at the county level has Valle all over it including ACAP.
Get ready for Supervisor Hayashi…
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Borrowing from the ebcitizen article published here only last Thursday, one has to ask how this issue could not be used more effectively.
READ it again below. Hayashi essentially caught lying again and again. Even the District Attorney is willing to say it forcefully on the airwaves.
Why in the world would the campaign not be willing to use such public facts?
It is a true mystery. I don't believe anyone could have imagined this happening.
Every newspaper, every story on the TV, all proclaiming Hayashi to be a crook. Calls and editorials all asking for her immediate resignation, even before she ever considered running. A DEEP reservoir of distrust and disgust that is not being tapped.
If someone is waiting for the voters to automatically remember everything on their own, then someone is sadly mistaken.
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“Appearing on KGO’s Ronn Owens radio program, Gascon said Hayashi showed intent to steal $2,450 worth of apparel from a Neiman Marcus at Union Square in San Francisco before she was nabbed Oct. 25, 2011 by police.
“We don’t take cases to court unless we believe we have evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Gascon told the caller inquiring about Hayashi’s infamous arrest. “In the case of Ms. Hayashi, we had plenty of evidence to prove the case to a reasonable doubt.” Hayashi later plead to a misdemeanor in early January.
When Gascon was asked by the caller whether his office would have prosecuted the case without evidence Hayashi had intended to steal the good, he said, “No, absolutely not.”
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Valle is a zombie on sleeping pills.
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Can't do it my man. Then Team Hayashi would spread it like wild fire that he used District 2 discretionary funds for his campaign AND stole the county seal.
This would would be the fatal blow to his battle- ship. The deal is not to go negative on each other, at least to the degree of that issue and Mary's shoplifting. In the end, Valle knows that Mary will take this election, and that there is nothing he can do to save himself. Now it's all about saving what's left of his 'reputation.' Valle was never ready for the big leagues, and due to his own making, he's going down!
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Richard chose not to attack Mary because he was forced to hire Catherine Lew of the Lew/Edwards Group. Turns out Catherine is one of Hayashi's best friends. She's taking a dive in this fight, and she's going to sabotage him from the inside.
Why else would a campaign willing choose not to highlight the fact that this bitch is a convicted shoplifter?
Fuck Catherine Lew. She should be ashamed of herself for taking on a client only to deliberately ensure his demise.
And what the fuck is up with Team Valle? Hey Richard, Laurie, Ginny, and Chris: Please get your shit together! There's a lot a stake here!
use her god damned mug shot, idiots!
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Valle's billboard message would be:
“Nadia' Choice!”
Valle is in a good position – if he wins $305,000 salary from Tri-CED and $150,000 from the county for a total of $455,000 a year.
If he loses, $455,000 from Tri-CED a year, with a stacked board and city Councilmembers from two cities approving rate fee hikes – he's GOLDEN! All on the backs of taxpayers!
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Mary's on Valle like Obama is on Mitt. We got a junkyard dog kicking the crap on a Mexican Hairless.
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Why is there quotes on the billboard? Is that some legal thing? Valle has a billboard across town. Oh, sorry, that's for Sleep Train. Same thing I guess.
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9:13, Good vote there, your vote for Green should guarantee a solid 3rd place finish unless Turnqist has a strong “get out the vote” drive 🙂
Seriously, regardless of ones position on any of the candidates, what was Green smoking when he entered this race?
With a negligible campaign and $7,000 cash on hand, he must only be in it for the thrill of appearing at League of Women Voter forums.
He may be the single biggest asset that Hayashi has going for her. She should offer to pick up any campaign debt he may develop. Could transfer funds over from her $800,000 war chest.
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don't forget, billboard elected Dennis as judge and paid for by mary-
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Two weeks to go and Valle's campaign is impotent. what a disappointment. This needed to be a sustained continual attack up on Hayashi. But then again we should have expected it from a man who's previous campaign were underwhelming.
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The typical voter will care MUCH more if there representative committed official misconduct while IN office, especially if they misused their position, government funds, and other resources. Dick Valle meets that definition. He used county funds for his campaign and lifted the official county seal for his cheap attempt to get his name out there on swag bags for his election.
Since he knows that Mary will be all too happy to respond in kind, he doesn't dare bring up the fact that she shoplifted in Union Square. I make no excuses, as I have already cast my ballot for Mark Green. I would venture to say that the amount of money spent on Valle's precinct bags came close to the amount that Hayashi shoplifted. Monetarily it's a wash. The salient point is that while one did it on her own time and without the trappings of her office, the other made no such attempt.
If you ask the average voter who was more wrong, the overwhelming answer is both. They don't differentiate. They can relate more to the Valle scandal since it happened on county time, and with taxpayer dollars, if that alone wasn't enough to establish breaching the public trust the official county seal was 'borrowed' to convey legitimacy by saying that county government supports him. Two real 'winners.'
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8:07, Talking with two people today, both of whom pay attention to their political mail.
–In Newark, she got 2 mailers from Hayashi and 1 mailer from Valle.
She was very clear, the mailer she got from Valle did not attack Hayashi on the issue of her shoplifting conviction.
–In Hayward, the resident got two mailers. One from Hayashi and one from Valle. She said she hadn't gotten anything in the form of a negative mailer from Valle on highlighting the Hayashi shoplifting issue.
You seem to be suggesting two mailers from Valle, both “attacking Hayashi”..
However given the rest of your post, I'm not sure I won't stick with the versions I got from these other residents.
However I do admit, that different areas may and probably do receive different mailings. Also that different types of people may get different mailers depending on several factors such as party affiliation, etc.
You did not say what area of what city you lived in.
Do you care to disclose such a fact so that we can ask others in your area what they did or did not get in the mail.
It is getting very late in the game and even well done attack mailers may get diluted in impact when voters are getting 5 or 6 mailers every day.
If any negative mailers are still being mailed out, I sure hope they are forceful.
Such a opportunity, such a issue. Heck, you could even mail out the editorials from the Daily Review, Argus, and Chronicle, all asking for Mary to resign as part of a mailer.
Amazing the public's mind isn't being refreshed and reminded of Mary's crime and her laughable lying about a “brain tumor” being the cause.
Back then, in January, the public was almost unanimous in their distain for Mary. That fire needs to be stoked.
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Hey, Mary's my own little ho. We need one to represent the second Districcct. Got to have a female eeven is shes no lady. Anyone betting againstt Mary don't know jack! Im just sayin'!
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I don't know what 6:02 is talking about – I have received 2 mailers from Valle attacking Hayashi.
The billboards, district mailers – all legal. $20,000 limits are most likely illegal according to our current US Supreme Court decisions. Regardless – Hayashi has a 6 year history with her district winning awards from American Red Cross, California Medical Association and Congress of California Seniors. One indiscretion isnt going to eliminate that history. Similar to Stark and his rants, tax issues, and ethical investigations – people are going to vote for his history of voting.
Hayashi will win – plain and simple!
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Teachers all around the Bay must be dying a thousand deaths, “me and California Teachers” – secondary singular Mary, learn syntax Mary, stop stealing Mary. It's like fingers on a chalk board, I'm just saying…….
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This campaign is getting real sad. Mary is firing on all 8 cyclinders, even injecting extra money from her huge war-chest and thus far it seems the opponents are too timid to even suggest she has committed a crime.
We've gone from every local newpaper calling for her resignation, to her smiling down on us, beaming with pride.
Is there NO opposition with the imagination to use her shameful past and current lies about her crime?
Goodness ladies and gentlemen, you have candidate who is on 30 months probation for shoplifting and you haven't laid a glove on her.
Do you think the average voter needs no refresher on her past? If so, you think wrong.
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Supervisor Mary! Woo hoo!!
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