About six weeks ago, Oakland Councilmember Abel Guillen’s re-election chances appeared shockingly grim after a concerted effort by some labor groups to block his bid for the critical Alameda County Democratic Party endorsement. But in recent days, Guillen’s supporters cobbled together a coalition that was able to edge out his upstart challenger Nikki Fortunato Bas for the party’s endorsement Saturday.
The vote highlighted a rare split between big labor and the local Democratic establishment. Last month, SEIU Local 1021, in a letter to central committee members, ripped Guillen’s record a councilmember and his intransigence when it came to last winter’s labor negotiations between the city and the union. Additional groups, in lockstep with SEIU Local 1021, also contacted committee members and urged them to back Bas for the District 2 seat.
But within the last two weeks, unions such as the Alameda County Building and Trades and the Oakland firefighters issued their own strongly worded support for Guillen. A significant amount of horse-trading among central committee members was already evident within the past 48 hours either whipping up votes for Guillen or urging them to skip voting on the race altogether, according to those familiar with the dealings.
“We prevailed against some pretty powerful forces. Grateful for the support of my friends and allies in the Alameda County Democratic Party!” Guillen said Saturday night.
There was also some apprehension by some central committee members who questioned the prudence of maligning an incumbent councilmember by withholding their endorsement, according to three people who witnessed the local party’s closed-door deliberations.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf also fared well Saturday winning the party’s endorsement for re-election this fall. The central committee’s steering committee last month did not find a consensus for placing the mayor’s race on its consent calendar. Instead, Schaaf and civil rights attorney Pamela Price were nominated for the endorsement.
In an often testy 20-minute forum Saturday afternoon, Schaaf defended her record as mayor, while Price lashed out at her handling of the Oakland Police Department and the city’s growing homeless problem. Price said sites that contain the mayor’s Tuff Shed program for temporarily housing some homeless look like a “concentration camp.” Price urged for the party’s endorsement or for “no endorsement.” Instead, the central committee, of which some of its leaders have fought bitterly with Price in recent months over transparency issues, gave its support to Schaaf. Price received just six votes.
In two other Oakland City Council races up for grabs Saturday, the central committee voted for “no endorsement” in the open District 4 seat, including Sheng Thao, Nayeli Maxson, Charlie Michelson, and Pamela Harris. Thao, though, fell just four vote short of the endorsement. A similar result followed in Councilmember Desley Brooks’ District 6 contest. Brooks did not attend the endorsement meeting at the Teamsters Hall in Oakland, and sent a surrogate to speak on her behalf.
Below is the complete list of endorsement from Saturday’s meeting:
ALAMEDA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Gary Lym
Mia Bonta (consent)
ALBANY CITY COUNCIL
Rochelle Nason
Margaret McQuaid
ALBANY USD
Charles Blanchard (consent)
Brian Doss
Sara Hinkley
BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL
DISTRICT 1
Igor Tregub
DISTICT 4
Kate Harrison
DISTRICT 7
NO ENDORSEMENT
Rigel Robinson
Ces Rosales
BERKELEY Measure Q
NO ENDORSEMENT
FREMONT CITY COUNCIL
DISTRICT 1
NO ENDORSEMENT
Teresa Keng
Jose Oropeza
Chandrakala Siramdas
DISTRICT 2
NO ENDORSEMENT
Rick Jones
Cullen Tiernan
DISTRICT 3
David Bonaccorsi
DISTRICT 4
NO ENDORSEMENT
Justin Sha
Craig Steckler
Debbie Watanuki
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL
Sara Lamnin
Aisha Wahab (consent)
HAYWARD
William McGee
Todd Davis (consent)
LIVERMORE Measure U
ENDORSED
OAKLAND MAYOR
Libby Schaaf
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
DISTRICT 2
Abel Guillen
DISTRICT 4
NO ENDORSEMENT
Pamela Harris
Nayeli Maxon
Charlie Michelson
Sheng Thao
DISTRICT 6
NO ENDORSEMENT
Desley Brooks
Marlo Rodriguez
Loren Taylor
Mya Whitaker
SAN LEANDRO MAYOR
Pauline Russo Cutter
SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL
DISTRICT 1
Deborah Cox
DISTRICT 3
Lee Thomas
CHABOT-LAS POSITAS TRUSTEE
AREA 2
Linda Granger
AREA 3
NO ENDORSEMENT
Genevieve Randolph
Harpal Mann
AREA 2
Lovedeep Jhamat
Suzanne Chan (consent)
PERALTA COLLEGE TRUSTEE
AREA 3
NO ENDORSEMENT
Linda Handy
Corean Todd
AREA 5
Cynthia Reiss
AC TRANSIT
NO ENDORSEMENT
Kewal Singh
Diane Shaw
Pure B.S. hype; Abel’s chances for re-election was never threatened. Oakland City Council members are re-election nearly 99 percent of the time.
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What the hell are you talking about?
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I do not like the way Prices’s arguments against the Oakland Police could be disregarded. Again rhis is why we want mentalities who do not undersyand all Amwricand to not be elected or voting in anywhere. It is not normal to think that a prejudice person is not going to be prejudice. It is not normal to think that a racists is not going to bring tp the table racist laws. It is abmormal for any person with a background like that to judge anyone. They are the rwadons why innocent people have been setup. They do not recognize their own demons because they are too busy pounding thr pavement to do some demon things of their own. No one can rest or trust them. It becomes a repeated cycle of Martin Luther King. No matter what, out of all of the Races. The Blacks are who these craze people feel the need to express their emotions out on. They better grab a psychiatrist or a therapist. I be damnned if these people are going to practice their prejudice, personal. outlandish, unlawful practices on my life.
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Pamela Price is full of shit; she could care less about the homeless issue. She just uses the issues as a political football. Why is this woman even running for Mayor? She is not remotely qualified
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Please retire the overused term “upstarts” to describe political challengers. Also the term “embattled” is overused
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Please retire the overused term “upstarts” to describe political challengers.
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I am baffled as to why you have a photo of the Peralta trustees incumbent and candidate in this article. This article is dealing with council seats, nothing else. Furthermore I don’t recall as to why the incumbent would be considered embattled, the seat is elected and he’s done an amazing job for Peralta Colleges with class. Write real pure facts, the students have benefited greatly for his efforts. Again, get real!
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