Howard Kerr, a former San Leandro councilmember who led the effort to implement speed bumps in the city, and later served as a member of the Oro Loma Sanitary District for 29 years, died Jan. 2. He was 96. “Howard… Read More ›
san leandro
Public records requests are going up in San Leandro, and so are costs
San Leandro City Clerk Leticia Miguel said a rising number of public records requests are taxing her office. Following passage of AB 1421, which opened up access to video footage and records related to police officer-involved shootings and police misconduct,… Read More ›
Power shut-offs also impacted San Leandro with police overtime costs
San Leandro’s response to two power shut-offs by Pacific Gas & Electric last October was suboptimal, but the city ultimately learned from its early mistakes, city officials said. The pair of power shut-offs, which occurred in the northeastern area of… Read More ›
San Leandro’s early cannabis tax revenues look promising, but there’s a push to lower the rate
San Leandro’s early projections that the cannabis industry would bring roughly $500,000 in new annual tax revenues have largely failed to materialize. One big reason is the inability of its three permitted cannabis dispensaries to actual open shop. Last January,… Read More ›
San Leandro mayor is asking for a pay raise
San Leandro Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter wants a pay increase equal to three times that of her council colleagues. Cutter, who is in her second term as mayor, wrote a letter to the city highlighting in great detail why the… Read More ›
‘San Leandro personified’: City names park after former Mayor Santos
The process for construction of Grover Cleveland Park in San Leandro during the 1980s and early 90s was an arduous task for then-councilmember Tony Santos. Now the park located in the Davis Street-West area of San Leandro will now be… Read More ›
San Leandro to rename city park after former Mayor Tony Santos
Almost immediately after the passing of former San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos last April, city officials began contemplating how to honor the long-time public official who served 18 years on the City Council spread across three decades. On Monday night,… Read More ›
San Leandro tenants group is organizing citizens-driven ‘fair rent’ ballot initiative
While East Bay tenants activists have changed the political landscape in recent years in Oakland, Alameda, and Hayward, by forcing stronger housing protections, their achievements have largely sidestepped implementation in San Leandro. A newly formed San Leandro tenants group is… Read More ›
San Leandro: Incumbents up for re-election help vote down restrictions for becoming vice-mayor
Last fall, San Leandro Councilmember Deborah Cox sailed to re-election. The result was expected in a race that again displayed the power of the incumbency. But some believed Cox had another notable advantage during last year’s election cycle after being… Read More ›
Did San Leandro learn its lesson? City gives forgivable loan to Boys and Girls Club
The last time the issue of a large city-backed forgivable loan came before the San Leandro City Council, the financial future of a beloved non-profit was in doubt, followed by a sexual misconduct scandal that made headlines because of rendezvous… Read More ›
San Leandro: Commission denies Aguilar’s fence modification request. Will he appeal City Council?
A controversial request by San Leandro Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr. to approve a fence he constructed without a permit was denied by the San Leandro Planning and Board of Zoning Commission last week, setting up the possiblility of a contentious… Read More ›
San Leandro: Cannabis tax rate may stay put for another year
San Leandro’s cannabis industry has failed to gain a foothold nearly four years after approving its first medical cannabis dispensary. The first dispensary to open, actually the third permit given by the city, only opened earlier this year. Three years… Read More ›
San Leandro Fencegate: Aguilar attacks Thomas’s character in social media post
A few hours after San Leandro Councilmember Victor Aguilar, Jr. was grilled last Thursday night by a planning and zoning commissioner who took umbrage with his attempt to secure a zoning variance for a fence he constructed without a permit,… Read More ›
San Leandro official knew his own fence was illegal when he criticized council opponent’s fence
Victor Aguilar, Jr. was already eyeing a rematch for the San Leandro City Council in 2018 when incumbent councilmember Lee Thomas got caught up in a unsubstantiated scandal that he used his influence as an elected official to receive city… Read More ›
San Leandro to finalize new regulations on mobile home rents, short-term AirBNBs
A pair of consequential ordinances bringing new housing protections to San Leandro will be finalized Monday night. Both navigated a lengthy vetting process to get to this point and each was approved by the San Leandro City Council on May… Read More ›
San Leandro accepts federal grant for drone without specific policy for its use
San Leandro accepted a nearly $32,000 federal grant that will allow its police department to purchase a drone. The San Leandro City Council, however, did so despite the city not having a specific drone policy. The lack of a policy… Read More ›
San Leandro may reset cannabis tax schedule
In early 2017, the San Leandro City Council approved a tiered schedule for taxing cannabis sales that gradually increases to eight percent by 2021. But as San Leandro’s tax rate is set to increase from six percent to seven percent… Read More ›
San Leandro adds just-cause to proposed mobile home rent ordinance
San Leandro councilmembers asked city staff last March to go back to drawing board and improve a proposed mobile home rent ordinance. On Monday night, San Leandro will make a second attempt at passing what is now a beef-up ordinance… Read More ›
ALCO Fire holiday card incident underscores department’s lack of diversity
A holiday card created by Alameda County firefighters depicting people in tradition Chinese attire created a fire storm of criticism from local leaders, activists, and elected officials last week, but the incident also underscores a woeful lack of diversity within… Read More ›
San Leandro short-term rental ordinance to ban non-hosted AirBNBs
A short-term rental ordinance returns to the council after a work session last December that favored limiting hosted short-term rentals, commonly known as AirBNB or VRBO rentals based on the popular websites, to 120 days a year and continuing a… Read More ›
San Leandro council committee to seek ways to honor former Mayor Santos
Just hours after receiving news of the passing of former San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos Monday night, the City Council took the first step toward finding a suitable way to honor him for posterity. “We are grateful for his legacy…. Read More ›
San Leandro: Rosy fiscal outlook includes small budget surplus next year
A new financial consultant, a good economy in San Leandro, and a little bit of old-fashioned belt-tightening is bringing a small surplus to the city for the upcoming fiscal year, according to an early budget presentation to the City Council… Read More ›
Tony Santos, former San Leandro mayor who sought to break city’s bonds of segregation, dies at 86
Tony Santos, a former San Leandro mayor, stalwart progressive and friend of labor, who lead the once-segregated city toward a more equally diverse future, died Monday afternoon. He was 86. Santos had been in declining health for months and passed… Read More ›
San Leandro: Council committee paralyzed over Wells Fargo contract
San Leandro city leaders are caught firmly between the desire of some councilmembers and progressive activists to completely divest from Wells Fargo, and a lack of viable options to replace the troubled institution as the city’s banking services provider.. Nearly… Read More ›
San Leandro: Staff favors contract with Wells Fargo, despite past protest
Since 2016, Wells Fargo Bank has been an angry touchstone among progressives because of its unscrupulous business practices and support for the Dakota Access Pipeline. The latter triggered a number of East Bay cities to seek divestiture from Wells Fargo… Read More ›
San Leandro questions whether its red-light camera contract is a good deal
In the run up to the San Leandro City Council’s decision Monday night to renew a 14-year-old contract for red-light camera services, a few elected officials were alerted to the website HighwayRobbery.net. The no-frills site created by an activist who opposes… Read More ›
San Leandro mobile home ordinance put on hold; park owners offer moratorium on rent increases
After San Leandro mobile home owners, many seniors with limited means, spoke Monday night of suffering harassment by their mobile home park owners, along with fears of retaliation, the San Leandro City Council voted to continue an agenda item that… Read More ›
San Leandro: Unopened dispensaries get deadline; council moves toward allowing adult use cannabis
San Leandro dispensaries say medical cannabis-only sales put them at a serious economic disadvantage against adult use stores.
San Leandro is showing interest for allowing retail adult use cannabis
San Leandro city staff is also recommending an expiration date for its two unopened permitted dispensaries.
San Leandro councilman: ‘I’ve got garbage on my mind,’ in addition, to potential opponent
San Leandro’s District 2 City Council election is essentially two years away, but two likely candidates are already talking trash in an odd, passive-aggressive standoff being played out in the city’s weekly newspaper. In 2016, Ed Hernández defeated Bryan Azevedo… Read More ›
