HAYWARD | ELECTION 2016 |For years in Hayward, the school board has been labeled dysfunctional. More precisely, the real criticism is they fight too much. With a little more precision: they fight too much in public. The attack line is… Read More ›
Michael Sweeney
Hayward school board president tells obtrusive city council to ‘stay in your lane’
Hayward school board President Lisa Brunner scolded the City Council Tuesday night. HAYWARD | Relations between the Hayward City Council and its school board has been sour for years, but recent contentiousness between the two government bodies spilled out in… Read More ›
Union spent $140k to get Hayward’s Measure C on ballot; city’s old guard balks at labor’s intrusion
Some of the 13,000 signatures SEIU Local 1021 submittted last January to the Hayward city clerk. HAYWARD | MEASURE C | It’s one thing for a group to file a local ballot measure and other to fund the fees and… Read More ›
A Farewell To Michael Sweeney, The Man Who Made It Easier To Cover Government
One of the few occasions when I was attempting to surreptitiously keep an eye on former Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney’s public dealings, otherwise known as a photo bomb. PHOTO/Natalia Aldana Michael Sweeney ended three non- consecutive terms as Hayward’s mayor… Read More ›
Halliday Takes the Helm in Hayward
Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday takes the oath of office Tuesday night. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | Hayward said goodbye to one mayor and welcomed a familiar face. Mayor Barbara Halliday took the oath of office Tuesday night and urged residents to… Read More ›
Hayward City Council to Forego Pay Raise; Swear-In New Mayor Tuesday
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | At least, the Hayward City Council puts its money where its mouth is. As the city continues its hard line against some of its public employee labor groups, the Daily Review reports, the new City Council will… Read More ›
Halliday Wins Hayward Mayor’s Race; Peixoto Re-Elected to Council, Lamnin Finally Breaks Through
Barbara Halliday: Hayward’s mayor-elect HAYWARD | Councilmember Barbara Halliday is the next mayor of Hayward after winning a clear victory Tuesday night over fellow council members Mark Salinas and Francisco Zermeno. Councilmember Marvin Peixoto also won re-election to the City… Read More ›
Primary Question: Hayward Mayor
Clockwise from the top: Councilmembers Barbara Halliday, Mark Salinas, Francisco Zermeno and Hayward businessman Rakesh Kumar Christian. THE CANDIDATES All three major candidates are also sitting members of the Hayward City Council hoping to replace three-time Mayor Michael Sweeney, who… Read More ›
The Case for Taxing Property Owners Who Leave Their Storefronts Empty
SD10 Republican ‘Splintering’ Dems | Superintendent Candidate’s BF? | Forum Changes Working CHAPTER 12 | There’s a book making waves among economists named Capital in the Twenty-First Century. In part, the tome by Thomas Picketty rising in influence since its release… Read More ›
Departing Mayor Sweeney gave to Halliday, Salinas Campaigns, not Zermeño
Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney: no invite, no donation. HAYWARD | MAYOR | Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney made small contributions to the campaigns of two of the candidates hoping to replace him this June, but not the third, who like the… Read More ›
Over One-Third of All Hayward Mayoral, Council Contributions this Year are Loans
Mayoral candidates Barbara Hallida, Mark Salinas, Francisco Zermeno. HAYWARD | CAMPAIGN FINANCE | Candidates for mayor and the City Council in Hayward reported campaign contributions totaling over $47,000 during the first quarter of this year. However, according to campaign finance reports,… Read More ›
Intriguing Hayward Mayoral, City Council Races Set for June Election
City employees picket Hayward City Hall last August. CAMPAIGN 2014 | HAYWARD | It’s been eight years since Hayward had a competitive race for mayor. In 2006, Michael Sweeney topped Brian Schott and subsequently won re-election four years later against… Read More ›
Hayward Tries to Kick the Habit with ‘Timeout’ on Tobacco, E-Cigs Business
A woman with a version of an e-cigarette. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | HEALTH | It is too easy to buy a pack of smokes in Hayward, says city staff, and the number of e-cigarette retailers and hookah lounges in the… Read More ›
2013 Year In Lists: Best/Worst Dressed East Bay Politicians
BEST Rebecca Kaplan 1. Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland councilmember>>> Who would have ever thought the East Bay politician who made the simple vest the rage of council couture could top herself, again? Gone is the vest, for the most part, and… Read More ›
Best East Bay Political Quotes Of 2013
2013 YEAR-IN-REVIEW | Two thousand and thirteen was destined to fail as an eventful year. Following the tumult and sheer craziness of 2012, East Bay politicians stayed out of trouble, but the slowly improving local economy may have offered an… Read More ›
Hayward’s Lingering Labor Dispute Is Really About A Lack Of Leadership
Hayward City Council, left to right, Mark Salinas, Francisco Zermeno, Mayor Michael Sweeney, Al Mendal, Barbara Halliday, Greg Jones, Marvin Peixoto. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL//LABOR/ANALYSIS | To the casual observer the continuing labor strife between Hayward and its city employees might… Read More ›
Hayward Moves Ahead With Regulations On Free Food Sharing
Portuguese Park on C Street, one of the sites of free food sharing events in Hayward. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL//FOOD SHARING | Despite an uproar Tuesday night from homeless advocates over the Hayward City Council’s attempt to regulate outdoor food sharing… Read More ›
The Poor And Hungry Could Face Limited Access To Free Food Vendors In Hayward
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL//HOMELESS | Charitable groups that feed the poor in Hayward may soon be required to gain city approval and secure costly food handling permits from the Alameda County Health Department. Some Hayward downtown businesses and city officials say the… Read More ›
Halliday Becomes Third Sitting Council Member To Run For Hayward Mayor
Hayward council members planning a run for mayor include, encircled, Mark Salinas, Francisco Zermeno and Barbara Halliday. Mayor Michael Sweeney, center, will not seek re-election, while Councilmember Al Mendall said last week he has no interest in running. ILLUSTRATION/Steven Tavares… Read More ›
Labor Negotiators For Hayward City Employees Accuse City Of Threatening Layoffs
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL//LABOR | A three-day strike by Hayward city employees last month did nothing to persuade city officials to return to the bargaining table, while union negotiators accused the city of threatening layoffs if their demands for wage cuts… Read More ›
Richmond’s Foreclosure Plan Yet Another Cry For Help At The Local Level
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin is just the latest voice in the East Bay railing against government inaction over the past five years. LEGISLATURE/FEDERAL GOVT | Those in high finance decry the gambit being employed by Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin as underhanded…. Read More ›
Halliday To Make Mayoral Announcement By End Of September
Councilmember Barbara Halliday HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | The wide-open mayoral race in Hayward already has two sitting council members formally announcing their intention to replace Mayor Michael Sweeney next year. Now, a third may be poised to enter the intramural… Read More ›
Sweeney’s Departure Next Year Leaves A Wide-Open Mayoral Race In Hayward
Two terms is enough for Michael Sweeney. HAYWARD//2014 ELECTION/MAYOR | Two weeks ago, when striking city employees in Hayward mocked Mayor Michael Sweeney for taking a vacation while they stood outside City Hall demanding a new contract, long-time observers uttered a… Read More ›
Tough Talk As Hayward City Employees Hunker Down
Striking Hayward city employees assemble in front of City Hall Tuesday evening. PHOTO/Steven Tavares HAYWARD//STRIKE | Members of the Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, the same labor union involved in the dispute with BART management, say Hayward officials have… Read More ›
Hayward City Employees Prepare For Three-Day Strike
Striking Hayward city employees set to picket in front of Hayward City Hall starting Tuesday. HAYWARD//STRIKE | In Hayward, the confluence of an uncompromising city manager, a complacent City Council and city employees hoping for relief following three years of… Read More ›
Hayward Poker Club Gets Approval For Expansion; Mayor Disagrees
The Palace on Mission Boulevard. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | The Palace Poker Casino has called Hayward home for nearly 60 years. Its current location at the end of Mission Boulevard near the bustling Jackson Street is too small for the… Read More ›
Hayward On! Zermeño to Run for Mayor
HAYWARD//MAYOR 2014 | Hayward Councilmember Francisco Zermeño had a surprising announcement Monday afternoon. He’s running for mayor in 2014. Zermeño’s announcement was unexpected considering that little talk has been heard of him eyeing the mayor’s seat belonging to Michael Sweeney. In a… Read More ›
Shockingly Low Attendance Rates At Hayward Schools Found To Be Incorrect
Hayward’s Jackson Triangle between Jackson St, Mission Blvd, Harder Rd. HAYWARD//EDUCATION | The Hayward Neighborhood Promise project report presented to the city council last month was vastly incorrect in its initial calculations concerning attendance and graduation rates in the Jackson… Read More ›
Hayward Finds Sobering Stats Signalling Trouble For Federal School Grant
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL//EDUCATION | In Hayward’s impoverished Jackson Triangle neighborhood, just 16 percent of ninth graders attended class on a daily basis and just 34 percent of seniors at Tennyson High School graduated last year, according to a report this… Read More ›
Alameda County, Coliseum Needs To Quit Undercutting Its Sports Assets
PHOTO/Mark Salinas-Facebook SUNDAY COLUMN | We hear quite a bit about shopping locally from our public officials and supporting commerce in Alameda County, but when it comes to one of the biggest and most popular assets in the region, the… Read More ›