AD16 Assemblymember Catharine Baker will face Dem Rebecca Bauer-Kahan are the only candidates in the June 5 primary. 16TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT–ELECTION 2018–In some parts of the state where Democrats are hoping to upend Republican seat holders, aspiring candidates are running… Read More ›
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East Bay’s Top 10 Races to Watch in 2018
ELECTION 2018While legislative special elections in Southern California proliferate–mainly due to resignations that follow claim of sexual harassment–the level of interesting and competitive races in the East Bay is lacking something fierce. Several cities in Alameda County will decide whether… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | SEPT 15-21 | OAKLAND public bank; FREMONT rent review ordinance; HAYWARD shuttle study; KHANNA town hall
THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15-21Without a doubt, affordable housing is the biggest issue facing the East Bay. Last week, the state legislature delivered some help to alleviate the crisis, but only time will tell if the wisdom of allowing developers… Read More ›
East Bay’s GOP Assemblymember Baker voted for cap-and-trade
Assemblymember Catharine Baker 16TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTTo get Governor Jerry Brown‘s cap-and-trade bill passed Monday night, it took help from Republicans to get it done, including the East Bay’s Assemblymember Catharine Baker. Baker, the East Bay’s lone Republican state lawmaker, was one… Read More ›
BONTA’S ASSEMBLY DISTRICT SLATE GETS BOUNCED BY BERNERS
ASSEMBLY DISTRICT ELECTIONS | Every odd year, California Democrats, almost entirely the insiders and party activists, choose 14 delegates per Assembly district to write and influence the party’s platform. In most years, few vote and the exercise is often an… Read More ›
PREVIEW: East Bay Berners look to upend state Assembly district elections
Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigning in California last fall. ASSEMBLY DISTRICT ELECTIONS |Hillary Clinton’s defeat last November revealed glaring cracks in the Democratic Party that might otherwise been glossed over if she had won the presidency. In many ways, the rise… Read More ›
AD16: Catharine Baker wins re-election over Cheryl Cook-Kallio
An expected close race turned into a nearly 12 point win over Cheryl Cook-Kallio. ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT |ELECTION 2016 |In successive elections, East Bay Republican Assemblymember Catharine Baker has now beaten back some of the most powerful liberal institutions… Read More ›
EAST BAY ELECTION NIGHT STORYLINES TO WATCH
–CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN CA17?––Is this truly the end of Rep. Mike Honda’s 16 years in Congress? Is the third time a charm for Ro Khanna, who lost congressional races in 2004 and 2014? The race will be tight… Read More ›
ELECTION DAY IN THE EAST BAY FEARLESS FORECAST
We probably won’t find out officially until the end of the week, but Ro Khanna will win CA-17. FEATURED TOSS UPS *ALL CAPS denotes incumbents. CA17 – Ro Khanna over MIKE HONDA AD16 – Cheryl Cook-Kallio over CATHARINE BAKER BERKELEY… Read More ›
EBCampaign NOTEBOOK – 1 day from ELECTION DAY IN THE BAY
Latest attack ad charges Alameda’s Tony Daysog with pay-to-play. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL –— ANOTHER NASTY HIT —Assuredly somebody has it in for Alameda Councilmember Tony Daysog. Over the weekend, a second scathing attack piece hit mailboxes. And like the first,… Read More ›
EAST BAY CITIZEN PODCAST – ELECTION DAY IN THE EAST BAY PREVIEW
//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4812231/height/90/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/3a7ea9/ EPISODE 28 | Election Day is upon us. Or, shall we say the last throes of democracy in America is near? Nevertheless, Bay Area News Group political reporter Matthew Artz joins the podcast for a special Election Day in… Read More ›
EBCampaign NOTEBOOK – 2 days from ELECTION DAY IN THE BAY
16TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT –— PARTY TIME —As opposed to two years ago when special interests on both sides of the ledger spent ungodly sums of Independent Expenditure Committee money, this year’s 16th Assembly District race has shifted to the party… Read More ›
EBCampaign: Swanson commits ‘political catfishing’; Khanna invited Hillary to his wedding; Cook-Kallio gets high on pot $$
12 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY | Sometimes the Internet is not what it seems. For some, the person one perceives on the other end of an online interaction is not who they are in real life. It’s not uncommon for,… Read More ›
Blockbuster endorsement: President Obama backs East Bay Assembly candidate Cheryl Cook-Kallio
President Obama endorsed just three California legislative candidates, including the East Bay’s Cheryl Cook-Kallio in AD16. ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT | ELECTION 2016 |In a surprising, somewhat unprecedented move, President Barack Obama has endorsed 16th Assembly District Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio. The… Read More ›
AD 16 PREVIEW: The Passive-Aggressive Assembly Race
Assemblymember Catharine Baker and former Pleasanton Councilmember Cheryl Cook-Kallio in the race to represent parts of Contra Costa County and the Tri Valley in the Assembly’s 16th District. MEET THE CANDIDATES Assemblymember CATHARINE BAKER just sort of fell from the… Read More ›
Two East Bay campaign ads used actors, similar strategies to attack opponents
ELECTION 2016 | In the East Bay recently, two major campaigns felt the sting of similar negative television ads. Both used stand-ins to portray the challenger and both attempted to describe their alleged ties to powerful special interests groups. While… Read More ›
EBCampaign: KHANNA throws campaign manager under the bus; SKINNER raises another $125k; ALCO DEMS tangle
24 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY |In the hours after Ro Khanna received news of a federal lawsuit filed Sept. 22 alleging his participation in a “modern-day Watergate” to illegally access Rep. Mike Honda‘s digital fundraising donor data, the Khanna’s initial… Read More ›
First ad of high-profile AD-16 race teaches voters to pronounce Democrat’s name
Screenshot from the Cheryl Cook-Kallio campaign ad paid for by the California Democratic Party. ASSEMBLY 16TH DISTRICT |ELECTION 2016 |California state Democrats believe the 16th Assembly District is ripe for the retaking. But first, they just need to introduce their alternative… Read More ›
EAST BAY’S TOP 10 MOST INTRIGUING RACES THIS NOVEMBER
ELECTION 2016 | This year is a presidential election and all eyes will be on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. However, when it comes to down ballot races in the East Bay, this is not the most electrifying local election,… Read More ›
Sharp rise in Democratic registration is making Catharine Baker blue
Assemblymember Catharine Baker broke with Republicans and supported SB32 on Tuesday. ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT |There’s more reason for East Bay Republican Assemblymember Catharine Baker to be worried about her general election matchup with Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio. The Democratic Party in… Read More ›
EBCampaign: Baker is tied to the Trump Train; Council candidates line up in Oakland, Alameda
94 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY |As the dynamics of the presidential election begin to take hold, it’s becoming increasingly clear that East Bay Republican Assemblymember Catharine Baker‘s fate will rest with The Donald. The 16th Assembly District only slightly favors… Read More ›
For the children’s sake, Baker opposes state initiative to legalize cannabis
Assemblymember Catharine Baker ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT | East Bay Assemblymember Catharine Baker says she opposes the “Adult Use of Marijuana Act,” the state ballot initiative to legalize cannabis in California. Baker, an East Bay Republican legislator representing suburban areas… Read More ›
Catharine Baker wanted to head off a vote on four bills to regulate assault weapons
Assemblymember Catharine Baker voted against an amendment to move four assault weapon bills for a vote in the near future. ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT |In the wake of the Orlando tragedy and a full-throated protest by House Democrats this week… Read More ›
EBCampaign: Baker’s Trump dilemma; Skinner sets sights on Alameda; Republicans go all-for-one
21 DAYS TO PRIMARY DAY | Republican Assemblymember Catharine Baker has a big problem and its name is Donald J. Trump. In the purple-tinted Contra Costa County and Tri Valley 16th Assembly District, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is a… Read More ›
EBCAMPAIGN: Is Glazer trying to help Baker beat her Democratic opponent?; HONDA’S BABY MAMA DRAMA; Hayward CM is an emoji; IDLF’s SLATE
70 DAYS UNTIL PRIMARY DAY |Earlier this year, I visited one of the six joint legislative town halls organized by Democratic State Sen. Steve Glazer and Republican Assemblymemer Catharine Baker. This particular town hall in Orinda, a city within the… Read More ›
Assembly Speaker pegs 16th District as a top opportunity for Democrats
Assemblymember Catharine Baker and challenger Cheryl Cook-Kallio. ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT | It took six years for Republicans to snatch the 16th Assembly District from Democrats. Now Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon wants it back in the Democrat’s column after just… Read More ›
CADEM NOTEBOOK: AD16 Dem Cook-Kallio gets a shout out from assembly speaker-elect
AD16 | Cheryl Cook-Kallio, the Democrat tasked with winning back the only red assembly district in the Bay Area, received some attention from Assembly speaker-elect Anthony Rendon. During his remarks before the California Democratic Party Convention’s general session Saturday, Rendon… Read More ›
For Glazer, an exercise in mixing bipartisanship and party politics
State Sen. Steve Glazer and Assemblymember Catharine Baker at a town hall Saturday in Orinda. LEGISLATURE | Democratic State Sen. Steve Glazer says there’s a place and time for campaigns and politics, but Saturday morning was reserved for the constituents… Read More ›
YEAR-IN-PREV16W: TOP 10 EAST BAY RACES TO WATCH IN 2016
Nancy Skinner and Sandre Swanson SD9 | State Senate District 9It’s the race most East Bay political junkies have been waiting four years to watch. State Sen. Loni Hancock is termed out of the Seventh State Senate District, which leaves… Read More ›
Outgoing Speaker recruited Democrat to face Baker in Sixteenth Assembly District
Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio filed Nov. 17 fornext year’s Sixteenth Assembly District primary. ASSEMBLY | DISTRICT 16 | If outgoing Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins was a college football coach her recruiting trip to the Sixteenth Assembly District could be graded as… Read More ›