Alameda Councilmember Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft announced Tuesday her campaign for mayor. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL–ELECTION 2018–Touting years of public service along with a record of consensus-building, Alameda Councilmember Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft officially announced Tuesday that she will challenge incumbent Mayor Trish… Read More ›
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Alameda push poll is dishing dirt on potential mayoral, council candidates, but not all of them
ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL–ELECTION 2018–A push poll, suspected by many, to have originated from Alameda landlords’ groups, is probing and testing potential attack lines against a lengthy list of potential progressive candidates for the city’s mayoral and city council elections this… Read More ›
At 11 p.m. sharp, Alameda council meeting abruptly adjourns with no decision on ballot measure
ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILAs the clock inched toward 11 p.m. Tuesday night, Alameda councilmembers not only were concentrating on a decision whether to place a $95 million bond measure on the June ballot, they were also racing against time. The city’s… Read More ›
Alameda delays decision for more license-plate readers after disclosure of vendor’s ties to ICE
A proposal Tuesday night would have allowed installation of fixed-mounted license-plate readers near Alameda bridges and other exit points. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILA controversial proposal to install 13 Automated License-Plate Readers (ALPRs) mounted at fixed points around Alameda’s bridges and exit… Read More ›
Bereft of housing, Alameda City Council sinks 589-unit housing development for now
The Alameda City Council put on hold Tuesday a proposed 589-unit Encinal Terminals project on the Northern Waterfront. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILIn a city that has long resisted meeting minimum state standards for the creation of new housing, the Alameda Council Tuesday… Read More ›
Sandre Swanson, although courted by supporters, says he won’t run for Alameda mayor
Sandre Swanson during an endorsement meeting last year for the 9th state Senate. ALAMEDAAn unsuccessful run for the state Senate last year proved Sandre Swanson is not done with public service. Swanson confirmed Friday that he had strong interest for… Read More ›
Alameda councilman eyes run for mayor: ‘Don’t know if I can win.’
Alameda Councilmember Frank Matarrese ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILSeemingly from the day Trish Herrera Spencer was elected Alameda mayor in 2014, the line of challengers seeking to make her a one-termer began jockeying for position. Nearly three years later, Councilmember Marilyn Ezzy… Read More ›
Amid grumblings, Alameda will evaluate city manager’s performance in closed session
Alameda City Manager Jill Keimach ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL There’s a curious closed session item Tuesday night on the Alameda City Council’s agenda, an evaluation of City Manager Jill Keimach. Curious because her annual performance review isn’t until next March. Sources… Read More ›
A potential Alameda City Charter crisis again flares over mayor’s latest planning board picks
Alameda Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer’s future planning board nominations might face indefinite uncertainty. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILAlameda may be in the midst of a City Charter crisis. Earlier this week, two of Alameda Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer‘s nominations to the influential Planning… Read More ›
City Council support for cannabis in Alameda is building
Alameda Mayor Tish Herrera Spencer ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILThe push for cannabis dispensaries and cultivation facilities in recent years in Oakland and San Leandro has long eluded Alameda where a moratorium has made the burgeoning industry a non-starter in local politics…. Read More ›
Alameda mayor trolls for votes from parents disgruntled over school closing
ALAMEDAElected officials don’t usually weigh-in on controversial subject matter under the purview of another group of officials within the same city. It’s uncommon and almost verboten in local politics. Yet, Alameda’s unconventional Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer did so last week during a highly-charged Alameda school… Read More ›
Alameda City Council approves Just Cause tenant protections; targets actions by rogue landlord
Supporters for Just Cause at an Alameda City Council meeting on Tuesday night. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILAlameda is the latest Bay Area city to add Just Cause protections that restrict landlords from evicting renters without a specific reason. The Alameda City… Read More ›
‘The time for Just Cause is now’: Alameda is poised to enact stronger tenant protections
Alameda renters rallying last fall for greater tenant protections. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILDuring a Alameda City Council meeting in April, island renters thought they were nearing approval for one of their top objectives over the past two years, enacting Just Cause… Read More ›
With a backlog of uninspected buildings, Alameda reinstates dormant Fire Prevention Bureau
ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILAgainst the backdrop of two tragic and potentially avoidable building fires in Oakland, the Alameda City Council approved funding to reinstate a Fire Prevention Bureau that was gutted seven years ago due to budget constraints due to the… Read More ›
‘Just Cause’ eviction protections back on the table in Alameda
Various tenants’ groups rally for changes to Alameda’s rent ordinance at City Hall last Tuesday. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILJust over 48 hours since failing to gain a majority vote in favor of prohibiting Alameda landlords from evicting tenants without cause, a… Read More ›
[VIDEO] You’ve Got Blackmail: Alameda councilman calls out tenant advocate for sending him terse email during meeting
ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILhttps://alameda.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=1954&starttime=20928&stoptime=21224&autostart=0&embed=1 Any parent or police officer will tell you nothing good ever happens after midnight. In Alameda, council meetings like last Tuesday’s, which bled into the early morning hours, went seriously haywire. In this case, when Councilmember Jim… Read More ›
No cause evictions nearly banned by Alameda City Council
Alameda renters groups at a rally before Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILAlameda’s new progressive city council majority fell a vote short early Wednesday morning of banning evictions without cause, an issue hotly-debated by island voters during last… Read More ›
Alameda approves resolution urging investigation of Trump, possible impeachment
A resident offers support Tuesday night for the Alameda City Council’s resolution to impeach President Trump. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCILAlameda’s sharp left turn on the political spectrum continued late Tuesday night with a resolution giving support to Rep. Barbara Lee for… Read More ›
Vella, Ashcraft win Alameda council seats; Daysog loses re-election
Malia Vella, a labor attorney and college instructor, was the first-place vote-getter in Alameda’s City Council race Tuesday night. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL |2016 ELECTION | Going into Election Day, labor and Democratic Party officials believed Alameda City Council candidate Malia… Read More ›
ALAMEDA CITY COUNCiL PREVIEW: A tipping point for Alameda’s future
Clockwise from left: Alameda Councilmembers Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Tony Daysog; Lena Tam, Malia Vella, and Jennifer Roloff are seeking two open seats this November. MEET THE CANDIDATESThis five-person race is led by the incumbents. Councilmember MARILYN EZZY ASHCRAFT was easily… Read More ›
Alameda public safety, labor IE hits Councilmember Tony Daysog hard
An IE backed by, among other labor groups, the Alameda firefighters, sent a negative mailer this week against Councilmember Tony Daysog. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL |ELECTION 2016 |An independent expenditure committee supported by public safety and local labor unions unleashed the… Read More ›
Alameda Councilmember Ashcraft calls out Mayor Spencer’s hypocrisy
Alameda Councilmembers Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Frank Matarrese, Mayor Trish Spencer at a council meeting earlier this year. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL |An Alameda City Council meeting dripping with animosity and confusion reignited controversy over Mayor Trish Spencer’s decision to actively oppose… Read More ›
Five candidates on the ballot for two open Alameda City Council seats
ALAMEDA | The ballot is set in Alameda. Five candidates, including two incumbent city councilmembers will vie for a pair of seats on the Alameda City Council this November. In addition, races for city auditor and treasurer will be in… Read More ›
Alameda City Council places competing rent measure on fall ballot
Alameda renters from the Bay View Apartments at a press conference Monday afternoon at City Hall to oppose the City Council’s rent initiative. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL |Alameda residents will have two rent-related ballot initiatives to ponder this November after the… Read More ›
Alameda mayor opposes rent control measure, while others begin to take sides
Alameda Councilmembers Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Frank Matarrese and Mayor Trish Spencer during a hearing Tuesday on various rent measures. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL |Alameda Mayor Trish Spencer said Tuesday that she unequivocally opposes the tenant-driven rent control initiative now slated for… Read More ›
Proposed fees for funding Alameda’s rent stabilization program find little support
Alameda Councilmembers Jim Oddie and Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft with renters last year. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL |A plan to fund Alameda’s new rent stabilization ordinance through a so-called Renter Program Regulatory Fee fell flat Tuesday night with a majority of the… Read More ›
Did Alameda’s landmark Measure A create the housing crisis of today?
Tenants at risk for mass evictions at 470 Central in Alameda. PHOTOS/Steven Tavares ALAMEDA | MEASURE A | Kofman Auditorium was a historically intriguing site for the city of Alameda to direct a crowd expected to be large and potentially… Read More ›
It’s 3am, do you know what the Alameda City Council is doing? City staff isn’t sure
Alameda Councilmember Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft reviewed the nine-hour Jan. 5 meeting and concluded she looked “punch drunk.” ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL | After more than five hours of public testimony at the Jan. 6 Alameda City Council meeting, Mayor Trish Spencer… Read More ›
Keimach becomes Alameda’s next city manager; mayor inexplicably votes no
Jill Keimach’s four-year contract includes a $245,000 annual base salary. ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL | Alameda named its next city manager Tuesday night, but without the support of Mayor Trish Spencer. In an almost unprecedented move, Spencer was the lone vote… Read More ›
Despite rent moratorium in Alameda, it’s all leading to ballot fight over rent control
ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL | ANALYSIS | It may have taken more than three hours to pin down the details, but Alameda’s immediate 65-day moratorium on rent increases and evictions will keep renters in their places through the holiday season. What… Read More ›