2017 YEAR IN EAST BAY POLITICS
>>>>The state legislature decides in January that a new portrait of Assemblymember Bill Quirk would be a good idea for his 20th District website. The resulting creation, though, inparts vampire-like features to Quirk’s face. Funny thing, according to his district staff, is the web designers thought the new photo looked good. By the way, the real Quirk is on the right.

 ●After Alameda Councilmember Jim Oddie failed in early April to deliver a majority vote that would have prohibited all no cause evictions, a renters activist sent him a terse email during the meeting. Oddie then read the email from dais with the stunned sender looking on.

 >>>>Jan. 20 was a rough day for many East Bay progressives. But Assemblymember Rob Bonta coped with Trump’s inauguration by tweeting a rainbow.

●Over the years, one of Rep. Eric Swalwell‘s clear pressure points is the belief offered by some in the East Bay that he isn’t progressive enough for the region. When a member of the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee called him a Republican on Twitter, responded with “Hahahaha. No seriously. I’m laughing.” But, later, Swalwell took the conversation to a private and berated the committee member.

 ●Ro Khanna’s first town hall is a success in terms in the amount of constituents who showed up for his appearance in Fremont. On the flip side, poor planning resulted in hundreds being shut out of not only the actual auditorium, but the overflow room, too.

 ●Put it under the category of truths you’re not supposed to say in public. Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle says during a board meeting that a determination on the county’s next treasurer-tax collector must wait a week until SEIU tells him who to support.

 >>>>More cringe-worthy than comedic, the City Of Hayward’s officials Twitter feed posts a GIF including a taco and the phrase, “Let’s Taco About It.” Not to be outdone, the city includes the hashtag #TacoBoutItTuesday. Unfortunately the tweet is intended to promote the Hayward City Council’s approval to become a sanctuary city that night.

 ●The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department also had difficulty with Twitter. In August, a link to a lengthy video of white supremacist Richard Spencer is retweeted from the sheriff office’s official Twitter page. It’s later deemed a mistake.

 ●Alameda Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer’s opponents move to highlight her 2009 school board vote against the LGBTQ community in an effort to embarrass her during a council proclamation for the group. When LGBTQ leaders refuse to accept the award from Spencer unless she apologizes for the vote, Spencer instead turns to the audience and asks if anyone else wants to accept the proclamation.

 >>>>September is the month Assemblymember Bill Quirk got really quirky. First, during a marathon legislative session, the Capitol media notes Quirk tallied 52 laps around the Assembly Floor. Later, Quirk for some reason decides to “Jump Around” at a fall festival in Union City.
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBillQuirkAD20%2Fvideos%2F1725361617482866%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=893&appId
●Tortured syntax and all, Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday suggests the homeless might not be able to carry the responsibility of taking care of their own dwellings. “Everybody deserves a home, but homes–all of us who have homes have great responsibilities in connection with those homes. Having a home, it may be–I’m not trying to say I don’t want to see everybody have a home–but people have to understand there’s a responsibility, too.”

 ●Ro Khanna’s push for credibility as a true progressive has uneven results early on. After publicly endorsing progressive Kimberly Ellis for state party chair, the truth comes out in July when as part of an investigation into the contested results, it turns out Khanna didn’t even cast a vote. He then blames the mistake on his staff

 >>>>A rough mid-year continues for Khanna when he gets booted from posting on the progressive website Daily Kos after a staffer is caught posting on the site under another name, also known as “sockpuppeting.”Khanna’s team was caught doing the same thing in 2016.

 ●Berkeley takes on decriminalizing the public display of female nipples. The September agenda item, however, is postponed. But not before a nude woman causes the meeting to adjourn after climbing on the council dais.

 ●The headline says it all: “After begrudgingly offering 6 affordable units for Hayward project, exec brags about lengthy Italian vacation.” And there’s video to show how creepy he said it.

Advertisement