ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | San Leandro resident Richard Mellor is one of the most eloquent progressive voices in the East Bay. His working class accent, however, can often beat you over the head, rather than persuade you.
Nonetheless, he documented a town hall meeting two weeks ago for Assemblymember Rob Bonta and criticized the sparsely-attended event for being designed to repel residents instead of encouraging them to participate in public discourse.
“Any politician representing the interests of workers and the middle class would have to be concerned that only 17 or so people would show up at a ‘Town Hall’ meeting. But these folks are happy with that,” Mellor wrote. “In fact, these meetings, like regular council meetings are designed to keep people away. The audience was mostly, though not exclusively older and white; no youth, hardly any people of color.”
During the town hall Mellor had enough. “You’ve rambled on here with this glowing report of yours when the country is in crisis,” he told Bonta. “You talk about giving people in prison a driving license, so they can drive to the unemployment office?” (Watch the video below starting at 1:30 mark)
When Bonta attempted to plow through the exchange, Mellor repeated, “What about Gaza?” Eventually, the San Leandro police officers pulled Mellor out of the chambers, but not before asking if he was drunk.
Later, Mellor offered his thoughts about the town hall on his blog, Fact for Working People. For San Leandro politicos, his comments about Councilmember Jim Prola, of whom he has a previous relationship as co-workers at East Bay MUD, are hilarious. And just to show how purely progressive Mellor is, keep in mind, Prola is likely one of the most progressive council member’s in the East Bay.
Shame on our Vice Mayor Benny Lee telling Oakland it's ok if they take MILLIONS of dollars and jobs away from San Leandro.
Shame on Diana Souza for allowing this same company's director to throw a fundraiser for her after taking jobs and millions away from our city.
Shame on Diana Souza and Benny Lee for wanting to fly the Chinese flag over city hall. Don't vote for Souza for Mayor and recall Benny Lee.
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Just read in the San Leandro Times that Souza has taken $1000 from California Waste Solutions director Andy Duong who threw a fundraiser for her.
For those who don't know the Duong family are the ones who run CWS and are friends of San Leandro Vice Mayor Benny Lee who appeared before the Oakland City Council, introduced himself as our Vice Mayor, and told them to give their garbage contract to CWS even though it would cost San Leandro millions of dollars in transfer and permit fees and cost San Leandro hundreds of jobs.
Shame on our Councilman Lee and shame on Councilwomen Souza for having them throw a fundraiser for her and take their money. This San Leandro voter will never vote for either of them again and I'm sure there are many others who feel the same way in our city. No Benny Lee puppet for Mayor.
Proud to be voting for Cutter our next San Leandro Mayor for sure! Can't take anymore of Lee and Souza mistakes that take millions from San Leandro's general fund and lose hunded's of San Leandro jobs.
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Pauline Cutter took $4900 from Oakland Marijuana distributer Sara Ubelhart, the new owner of Zocalo coffee shop in San Leandro. Tim Holmes was former owner of Zocalo also Cassidy's 2010 campaign manager.
Sara Ubelhart and Dan Grace, who own Dark Heart Nursery which grows cannabis in Oakland recently took over San Leandro Zocalo coffee house with Mayor Cassidy pressured and pushed landlord to continue lease.
Zocalo new owner Sara Ubelhart host many campaign functions for Pauline Cutter and other candidates support Marijuana.
Cutter's campaign report on official site Sanleandro.org stated Sara Ubelhart gave her $2450 in Cash $2450 provide space
and refreshment.
Here Contra Costa Times article, read for yourself:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24117535/medical-marijuana-shops-moving-
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Anyone who knows Richard Mellor, knows he's a looney tune who drinks a lot and constantly gets his facts wrong.
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Marga Lacabe is a San Leandro Joke. Her husband Mike Katz is going down, no one takes both of these clown seriously.
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Richard Mellor is a San Leandro joke. No one takes him seriously.
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Mellor is not well liked in San Leandro!
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Poor Richard Mellor…….he's such an insignificant person that he tries to disrupt a meeting to try any give his life some meaning.
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I'm not sure he was drunk because he always gets his facts wrong and acts that way.
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Richard Mellor here is a tip for you. When you are drunk don't film with the sound on. It showed everyone how ridiculous you are.
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Lol at the fool Mellor for filming what made himself look like a looney!
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Another stupid ass foreignor who comes to this country and manages to worm his way onto the Public Dole. In Richard's case getting a cushy Government job where he can sit on his fat ass and do nothing, yet bitch about how bad this country is for him and his kind. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY COUNTRY!
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Anyone who believes a word Mellor says is also not in their right mind. This stunt was Mellor's attempt at relevancy but that's impossible for him to achieve. If he actually believes what he says, he should run for public office. However, he knows his ideas would be rejected by the voters.
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richard mellor at his worst. what a joke
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Mellor sounded drunk on the video. How else would you explain that type of stupidity? Should have been arrested. He always gets thing wrong on his blog, but he sounded really obnoxious and crazy on his own video.
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Nobody really gives a damn about what Richard Mellor has to say. He's always been someone who's ignorant and loose with the truth, and tends to exaggerate.
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Wow, some guy was ridiculous in public and filmed himself. Riveting.
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I think the travesty is that that lazy Slimey and Prola are milking the ratepayers $6000 a month in pensions!!! Horrible. Lazy good for nothing. Go back to Scotland Mellor!!!
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Mr. Prola was right about the private sector and the need to bring businesses to our town, especially hi-tech. This will help stimulate San Leandro's economy because they pay their workers better wages and benefits, who in turn will spend their money at other local businesses, who can then afford to pay their workers more. Business, labor and San Leandro all come out ahead.
As far as Gaza goes, what an idiotic thing to say Mr. Mellor to Mr. Bonta. If you had any intelligence at all you would know a California Assemblyman has very little say on this subject, and very little power to do anything about it.
You do have a point about allowing more time for questions and answers. If you don't like it Mr. Mellor, run for office and see if anyone will vote for you! I know I won't.
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Coupon clipping hypocrite, heaps all blame on the 1% taking too much, but refuses to acknowledge the ever growing gaps in how the 99 spread that share around.
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I hope Richard is reading this….Hamas is a terrorist organization you ignorant Limey. Now get the Hell out of my country.
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Richard Mellor is about as dumb as they come. He makes no sense and probably would prefer to live in a socialist country. Most people in San Leandro just ignore him or laugh at his inane ramblings.
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A real moron. The guy is fool. Screw the Public Sector workers and their bloated theiving pensions.
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Can we not glorify the crazies that always come out to these political town halls…this guy is obviously unbalanced. We should be making sure he doesn't hurt others or himself. He's obviously not a serious political thinker, he's attacking an Assemblymember about a foreign policy issue that he has no control over what so ever.
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“one of the most eloquent progressive voices in the East Bay.” – SARCASAM? Doesn't seem eloquent or sober in this video..
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Huh? Prola is retired from the public sector, so that means he can't say anything about the private sector? What a bunch of nonsense. “What about Gaza”? What is non-Congressman, non-President Rob Bonta supposed to do about Gaza, exactly? Shame on Bonta, I guess, for not having a silver bullet solution for this 60-year-old intractable Middle East dispute that nobody has been able to solve yet.
This guy had one good point about town hall meetings not being designed to really engage with a broad cross-section of the public, but unfortunately it got buried in the rest of his inane ramblings.
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I don't know who the biggest asshole is in this video.
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