Oakland City Council candidate Loren Taylor OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL–ELECTION 2018–Now that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has thrown down the gauntlet against Councilmember Desley Brooks, she’s ready to back one of the candidates seeking to unseat the District 6 councilmember this… Read More ›
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Costa-Hawkins repeal bill fails in committee; Bonta votes yes
Assemblymember Rob Bonta at a Housing and Development Committee hearing Thursday in Sacramento. 18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTAssemblymember Rob Bonta, and throngs of rental housing advocates from Oakland, Alameda and across the state, were ready for a fight Thursday in favor of… Read More ›
Khanna floats Lee for U.S. Senate: A look at the political earthquake that would hit the East Bay
CONGRESSBefore Rep. Ro Khanna dropped fellow Alameda County Rep. Barbara Lee‘s name today as a possible progressive challenge to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who announced Monday that she is running for re-election next year, the idea of such a run was… Read More ›
Bonta urges Alameda to disqualify landlord referendum accused of violating election law
Assemblymember Rob Bonta 18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTAssemblymember Rob Bonta wants the Alameda City Council to investigate and potentially disqualify a pending ballot referendum brought forth last month by local landlords after a raft of complaints that signature-gatherers intentionally misled residents. The… 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 ›
Bonta takes seat at the big table as state Dems take aim at Trump, bail reform
Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta previewed legislation Monday to reform the state’s bail system and protect immigrants. ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT |The state is paying more than $4.5 million per day to jail suspects yet to be sentenced for crimes, many… Read More ›
Rob Bonta’s assembly challenger is a Donald Trump delegate
Republican Roseann Slonsky-Breault was named a Trump delegate and is facing Assemblymember Rob Bonta in the June primary. ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT |Two years ago, Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta was opposed by a Republican who suggested an United Nations secret… Read More ›
Bonta bill calls for transparency between ICE and local cops over deportations
Assemblymember Rob Bonta unveiling legislation Friday in Oakland that supports undocumented immigrants. PHOTO/Steven Tavares ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | Pedro Figueroa’s story is well-known in Latino communities throughout the Bay Area. In December 2014, the undocumented immigrant from El Salvador went… Read More ›
Skinner’s internal polling touts across the board lead in State Senate District race
Current Ninth State Senate District candidates, clockwise, Nancy Skinner, Sandre Swanson, Katherine Welch, and Rich Kinney. STATE SENATE | 9TH DISTRICT |Nancy Skinner’s internal polling shows her campaign for the Ninth State Senate District would easily win the four-person June… Read More ›
Republican East Bay Assemblymember Catharine Baker posts strong first-half fundraising numbers
Assemblymember Catharine Baker ASSEMBLY | CAMPAIGN FINANCE | Republican Assemblymember Catharine Baker raised more than $427,000 during the first half on this year. Baker, who is the lone local Republican member of the Legislature, nearly outpaced the rest of the… Read More ›
Bonta: Proposed ‘Voter Empowerment Act will adversely affect CalSTRS, women
Assemblymember Rob Bonta ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | A proposed statewide ballot measure that could severely undercut the stability of public employee pensions might also disproportionately affect women, says East Bay Assemblymember Rob Bonta. The initiative, currently called the Voter… Read More ›
Bonta’s bill placing regulations on medical cannabis dispensaries moves forward
Assemblymember Rob Bonta Major legislation moves to Appropriations in August ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | At the very least, East Bay Assemblymember Rob Bonta doesn’t want you consuming medical cannabis loaded with mold and harmful pesticides. Bonta’s Assembly Bill 266… Read More ›
Assembly speaker’s gravy train comes to Bonta’s 18th District
ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | It’s doubtful many in the 18th District know Toni Atkins is the speaker of the State Assembly. For the uninitiated, ostensibly, she is Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s boss in the Legislature (of course, excluding his ultimate… Read More ›
Periodic rumors of Rep. Barbara Lee’s departure now focus on post in Cuba
If Rep. Barbara Lee’s seat is open soon, Rob Bonta could be in first in line to replace her. CONGRESS | DISTRICT 13 | Every so often in the East Bay you hear chatter that Rep. Barbara Lee is pondering… Read More ›
East Bay Assemblymembers sworn-in; Wieckowski joins State Senate
Assemblymember Rob Bonta with his wife and father at Monday’s swearing-in. PHOTO/@RobBonta ASSEMBLY | STATE SENATE | Just like two years ago, Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta rocked traditional Filipino attire for his swearing-in Monday in Sacramento. Hayward Assemblymember Bill Quirk… Read More ›
Bonta, Quirk Win Easy Re-Election To State Assembly
Assemblymembers Rob Bonta and Bill Quirk won easy re-election Tuesday night. ASSEMBLY | DISTRICT 18/20 | What a difference two years makes. Rob Bonta and Bill Quirk each won election to the State Assembly in 2012 following two of the closest… Read More ›
DOWN BALLOT: Nov. 3, 2014, 1 Day Until Election Day
ALCO REGISTRAR Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis appears to have a great sense of drama. He said Monday the ranked-choice voting algorithm used to tabulate races in Oakland, San Leandro and Berkeley will only be used after all… Read More ›
AD-18 Candidate Has Been In The Hospital Since Early October; Has No Insurance
David Erlich, a candidate for the 18th Assembly District next week has been in the hospital since Oct. 9 following emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer. PHOTO/Steven Tavares ASSEMBLY | DISTRICT 18 | Candidate David Erlich is hoping to serve… Read More ›
GOP Assembly Candidate Says Oakland City Council Meetings Are Like a Zoo
Assembly candidate David Erlich, right, during a forum last May, referenced the Oakland City Council as a zoo at another forum Oct. 8 in Alameda. PHOTO/Steven Tavares ASSEMBLY | DISTRICT 18 | San Leandro Assembly candidate David Erlich is an… Read More ›
East Bay Assembly Matchups Set for the Fall Have Bipartisan Flavor
Catharine Baker in AD16 has the best shot among East Bay Assembly Republicans in November. ASSEMBLY | Who says the state’s jungle primary muscles out other political parties in November? Four of the five East Bay Assembly contests this fall… Read More ›
Primary Questions: AD-18 Preview
Assemblymember Rob Bonta and David Erlich. THE CANDIDATES Two years ago, Democrat Rob Bonta participated in one of the most grueling races in the East Bay. He fought off two strong opponents to win the primary and then continued the… Read More ›
Bonta, GOP Challenger Disagree Along Partisan Lines
Assemblymember Rob Bonta addresses a candidate’s forum Tuesday evening in Alameda as challenger, David Erlich looks on. PHOTO/Steven Tavares ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | Until Tuesday night, San Leandro electrician David Erlich had never taken center stage in a political… Read More ›
A Phantom Menace Lurks on the Outskirts of True Blue Alameda County
AD18 Conspiracy Theory | Circumstantial Evidence in CA17 | Is Wieckowski a Master Debater? CHAPTER 10 | Last Friday, Hayward Assemblymember Bill Quirk became one of the first local elected officials to acknowledge the looming purpling of the East Bay… Read More ›
Moneyball: First Quarter East Bay Campaign Finance Reports
CAMPAIGN FINANCE | STATE SENATE DISTRICT 10 Mary Hayashi still holds a 4-to-1 money advantage over Assembly Bob Wieckowski in the five-person State Senate 10th District race. Hayashi reported a cash balance of $690,733, as of Mar. 17, according to finance… Read More ›
Abel Guillen puts on his Running Shoes; Declares Run for Oakland District 2 Race
Abel Guillen, left, during a candidate’s forum in 2012. Guillen announced Wednesday he’s running for the Oakland City Council and with the endorsement of his former opponent Rob Bonta, right. PHOTO/Shane Bond OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | DISTRICT 2 | Abel… Read More ›
Guillen Showing Strong Interest in Oakland’s District 2 Seat
Abel Guillen ELECTION 2014 | OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | Peralta Community College District Trustee Abel Guillen may add his name to the list of candidates considering a run for the Oakland City Council District 2 seat being vacated by Council… Read More ›
Bonta’s Second Try for Distributing Condoms in State Jails Passes Assembly
ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s first attempt to expand the distribution of condoms to state inmates in order to fight the impacts of high rates of sexually-transmitted diseases failed last October when Gov. Jerry Brown sidestepped… Read More ›
Nearly 90% Of Bonta, Quirk’s Donors This Year Are Unions, Special Interests
Asms. Rob Bonta and Bill Quirk. ASSEMBLY//CAMPAIGN FINANCE | East Bay Assemblymembers Rob Bonta and Bill Quirk both won election to the Legislature last year. While Bonta quickly moved to the top tier of Democratic legislators in the lower house, Quirk… Read More ›
Guillen Crashes The Bonta Assembly Dems Caucus Slate
DEMOCRATS | The 12-person Democratic Party convention delegation from the 18th Assembly District was envisioned to be a group solely under the imprimatur of Assemblyman Rob Bonta. In fact, 11 of the 12 men and women selected last Sunday in Alameda… Read More ›