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San Leandro council candidate Bryan Azevedo holds a
union placard, while his opponent Ed Hernandez sits.
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SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL |
ELECTION 2016 |
Josie Camacho, the leader of the powerful Alameda Labor Council, asked fellow union members to rise in support of San Leandro’s proposed minimum wage increase during a council meeting last week.
Dozens of supporters for raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2020 rose to their feet and held placards in favor of the ordinance, which was later approved that night.
At the same time, San Leandro City Council candidate Bryan Azevedo, a member of the sheet metal workers union, noticed his opponent Planning Commissioner Ed Hernandez seated at the back of the council chambers, huddled with his laptop.
“Look, he’s not even standing up,” Azevedo told me. “My opponent didn’t even say anything about Labor Day, either,” which was the day before.
Azevedo is a first-time candidate for the District 2 seat being vacated by termed out Councilmember Ursula Reed. He is also strongly backed by labor and always peppers his campaign rhetoric with strong support for union families.
The brief scene, however, portends for a contentious council race this fall, something that is somewhat foreign to San Leandro council races over the past few years.
Hernandez, however, declined to be baited by his opponent, saying, “As the son of a hard-working Teamster when I was growing up, I have the utmost respect for labor organizations.”
In an interview last month, Hernandez said he supports the council’s minimum wage ordinance.
ebcitizen.com 
The San Leandro Times last week published an interesting article about how the various candidates are funding their campaign. When I see thousand dollars checks pouring in from the Unions vs a lot of $100 checks from individual families, I get a pretty good idea of who will actually work with and for the citizens of San Leandro. I vote Ed H.
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I disagree with this assessment of Ed. When our Neighborhood couldn't agree on a traffic calming measure after over a year of petitions and back and forth with the traffic department, Ed was at an evening meeting with us at the Senior Center helping us sort it out. He was on his laptop staying ahead of the discussion finding facts to support our compromise. We will have speed bumps next year thanks to Ed, and you'll see nothing but “ed H” lawn signs on my block. Stop this misinformation and vote for Ed
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There is a difference between Bryan and Ed that this article points out. When Bryan believes in something that helps people in the community, he will stand up and speak out, and fight for it. Ed will only sit there quietly and do nothing. My family lives in San Leandro and will vote for Bryan.
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Agree with the statement above. Ed always seemed to place his own interests first and the city's second while on the planning commission. Bryan seems to really care for San Leandro and that's why he will probably get elected to the City Council this year.
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People do need to know about Ed's experience and his conflicts of interest on the planning commission and why no elected officials with endorse him except Ursula Reed and she dual endorsed them. I've known Ed longer than I've known Bryan and I won't support him. Vote Bryan Azevedo he cares about our city.
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Bryan has his roots in San Leandro, stands up for what he believes in, is sending his kids to our public schools, came to my door and talked about many issues that were important to San Leandro and was very knowledgeable and sincere about keeping our city moving forward in the right direction.
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Cheap political tricks Bryan…what matters is where the candidates actually stand on the issue not whether they stood up during your photo op. I am sure workers care more about substantive solidarity than your stunt. Try to get Bryan to talk about the issues and he flounders. One year on a parks commission and paying union dues is not enough experience to decide the future of our City. We deserve better.
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Everyone who works in a full time job deserves a wage that they can support their family with. Not sure what that is but even $15 an hour is not enough in this area. I hear Emeryville will have $16 an hour minimum wage.
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All cities in Alameda County should have a minimum wage that is higher than $15. How do you raise a family on 30k a year in this area. It cost you 24k per year for rent.
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Met Bryan at a fundraiser for education in San Leandro and he impressed me because he seemed to genuinely care about our city, has his kids in our schools, wanted to continue to help make San Leandro a better city to live in, and has lived here with his family for quite some time. My family and I will be voting for Bryan Azevedo.
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Like what people said above, I agree that it can be considered as the one of the most hot topics ever.
CYTOTEC
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A huge majority of San Leandro residents support the Minimum Wage that has been proposed in our city, but wish it could be sooner like most of the other Minimum Wage laws. Some can't afford to live in San Leandro, but would like to.
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