State Sen. Steve Glazer said SB 1149 is not intended to fix the pension crisis, but not make it any worse. 7TH STATE SENATE DISTRICTA bill that gives new state workers a choice between the standard defined benefit pension plan… Read More ›
unions
First-time Hayward council candidate Matt McGrath is attracting attention
Hayward council candidate Matt McGrath retired as a Hayward department head in 2014. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | Hayward has a dearth of prospective candidates at all segments of its city government, but one may have been hiding all these years… Read More ›
Oakland City Council opposed MTC-ABAG ‘hostile takover’ because Schaaf would have voted for it, says Kaplan
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is the city’s representative on MTC. MTC-ABAG | The proposed merger of two influential regional agencies has been likened by some as a hostile takeover. The quickly drawn up merger by Steve Heminger, the head of… Read More ›
Glazer immediately takes hold of the narrative in special State Senate race
Just weeks after joining the SD7 special election, Steve Glazer is already grabbing the headlines. STATE SENATE | DISTRICT 7 | Steve Glazer, a former consultant to Gov. Jerry Brown, failed to advance past the June primary last summer in… Read More ›
‘This is an Act of War’: Hayward Imposes Five Percent Pay Cut on City Workers
Hayward City Manager Fran David, right, is seen by the union as one of the city’s hard line advocates for imposition. HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | LABOR | The city council of Hayward, a city once known as the most union-friendly… Read More ›
Hayward Looks to Impose Pay Cuts on City Union Workers
Hayward city employees striking in front of City Hall last August. PHOTO/Steven Tavares HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | LABOR |Ten months after contracts for nearly 300 Hayward city employees expired, the City Council may decide Tuesday night to unilaterally impose its… Read More ›
Moderate Democrats Vying for the 16th Assembly District Find Much in Common
ELECTION 2014 | ASSEMBLY | 16TH DISTRICT |It wasn’t too long ago that Contra Costa County’s wealthy 16th Assembly District was a pinkish shade of red. Termed out Assemblymember Joan Buchanan is credited for turning the Lamorinda district blue, but… Read More ›
The Skinny: Hayward City Council Preview, Jan. 14, 2014
Hayward City Council Preview777 B StreetTuesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.[FULL AGENDA HERE] Twitter hashtag: #haymtg.Twitter handles: Francisco Zermeno @FranciscZermeno; Mark Salinas @hwdcouncilman; Al Mendall @AlMendall >>> REASON TO FILL OUT A SPEAKER’S CARDMORATORIUM ON SMOKE SHOPS City staff recommends issuing… 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 ›
Prola Says He’s Not In The Mix For San Leandro Mayor
Councilmember Jim Prola SAN LEANDRO//2014 ELECTION/MAYOR | San Leandro’s most liberal city councilman says he is not interested in running for mayor next year. However, if the city’s notorious Mayor Stephen Cassidy upsets him, he might change his mind. “I… Read More ›
Sutter Health’s Epic Fail
HEALTH CARE | It seems San Leandro Hospital got out from under the thumb of Sutter Health in the nick of time. The California Nurses Association on Tuesday harshly criticized the hospital provider for potentially putting patients at risk when… 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 ›
Striking Hayward City Employee Hit By Van While Picketing
Paramedics tend to Hayward city employee Jerry Schilling after he was struckTuesday morning by van while picketing. PHOTO/SEIU 1021 HAYWARD//STRIKE | Just hours after 280 Hayward city employees began a three-day strike Tuesday morning, a picketing worker was hit by… Read More ›
East Bay Assembly Trio Criticize BART For Faulty Wage Numbers
ASSEMBLY//BART STRIKE | East Bay Assemblymembers Rob Bonta, Nancy Skinner and Bill Quirk were critical of BART management for misstating the true average wages of train operators and station agents. During testimony Wednesday before the Board of Inquiry ordered by… Read More ›
Bonta’s First Bill Signed Into Law Gives State Workers A Raise
Asm. Rob Bonta PHOTO/Steven Tavares) ASSEMBLY 18 | Assemblyman Rob Bonta’s first bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown contains a 4.5 percent raise for SEIU Local 1000, one of the largest blocs of union labor in state government representing over 95,000 workers. The new three-year… Read More ›
The Patch Mowed Over
SUNDAY COLUMN | Once upon a time a major media corporation believed hyperlocal was the key to journalism’s revival. AOL and then the Huffington Post put this belief in Patch. The idea was good, except Patch wasn’t hyperlocal, it was… Read More ›
Cassidy’s Metamorphosis In San Leandro Continues
To show how public employees were living high off the hog, Cassidy slyly took no salary during the first six months in office. SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL | Just a few months ago, San Leandro’s Stephen Cassidy was known across… Read More ›
NLRB Sides With Oakland Airport Workers Harrassed For Union Activities
OAKLAND AIRPORT//LABOR | The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has found that multiple restaurants at Oakland International Airport violated federal labor laws, including firing employees for trying to organize a union, interrogating workers about union activities, and cutting the hours… Read More ›
Swalwell’s War Chest Sees An Increase In PAC Donations
CONGRESS 15 | Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign coffers saw a huge bump in donations in the first financial quarter of his career in Congress topping off at a whopping $262,000 with $171,839 from individual contributors and the other $90,954 from Political… Read More ›
Union Workers At Pleasanton Country Club Agree To New Contract Nearly Three Years After Contentious Lockout
LABOR | Food service workers at Pleasanton’s tony Castlewood Country Club, locked out for nearly three years, finally have a new contract. Unite Here Local 2850, the labor union representing 45 cooks, servers, and bartenders at the club announced the… Read More ›
Pleasanton Country Club May Have To Pay Dearly For Illegally Locking Out Union Staff
LABOR | An administrative judge for the National Labor Relations Board has ordered Pleasanton’s swank Castlewood Country Club to reimburse union staff locked out for over 2 years up to $3.4 million in back wages and benefits stemming from what the… Read More ›
Quirk’s Fundraising Lead Shrinks While PACs Seek To Replenish Campaign Coffers
Bill Quirk, Dr. Jennifer Ong ELECTION’ 12//ASSEMBLY 20 | As their campaign coffers dwindle, both candidates in the 20th Assembly District are increasingly turning to statewide political committees to fortify fundraising in this surprisingly costly campaign for Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi’s… Read More ›
In The 18th Assembly District, The Tide Is Rapidly Turning Toward Bonta
ELECTION ’12//ASSEMBLY 18 | Last Jan. 30, the California Nurses Association, one of the state’s most powerful labor unions endorsed Peralta Community College Trustee Abel Guillen for the 18th Assembly District. “Abel’s record of improving access to quality health care… Read More ›
Valle Appointed District 2 Supervisor; Replaces Nadia Lockyer
ALAMEDA COUNTY//REPLACING LOCKYERJune 10, 2012 | Nearly a week after a deadlocked vote to replace Nadia Lockyer allowed for further political horse trading, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed former Union City Councilman Richard Valle to fill the… Read More ›
After Controversial Stalemate, Supervisors Leaning Toward Valle Over Apodaca
ALAMEDA COUNTY//REPLACING LOCKYERJune 9, 2012 | The presumptive favorite to win appointment to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, appears to have become the victim of political skulduggery and labor union backroom deal making. When the board meets early Monday… Read More ›
Bonta Also Using Connections To Reap Benefits From Outside Donors
ELECTION ’12//ASSEMBLY 18 NOTESMay 31, 2012 | Alameda Vice Mayor Rob Bonta may be well on his way to winning the California primary in the 18th Assembly District, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t laying the early groundwork for the November general… Read More ›
Hayward Erases Much Of Its Budget Deficit With Help From City Employees
HAYWARD//CITY COUNCILMay 15, 2012 | Hayward’s $14 million budget shortfall became much more manageable last week after its city employees agreed to salary cuts that will lower the funding gap to $4.5 million. The City Council will discuss erasing the… Read More ›
Cassidy Says Respect For Public Employees Is Not Based Upon Dollar $igns
SAN LEANDROApril 3, 2012 | It’s no coincidence San Leandro city employees are beginning to voice opposition to Mayor Stephen Cassidy and his treatment of city worker by lobbing words like “respect” and “dignity” as he continues to drive some… Read More ›
Labor Calls Out Hayward For Strong Arm Bargaining Tactics
HAYWARDMar. 28, 2012 | Representatives for city employee unions in Hayward took the unusual stance of publicly shedding light on what they charge is the city’s attempts to force them under threat of layoffs to accept steep cuts in wages. Employees… Read More ›
Fundraising Reports In 18th Assembly Show Unions, Special Interests Flexing Muscles
ASSEMBLY 18Mar. 26, 2012 | For months, the only news coming from the three major candidates for the 18th Assembly District was a raging torrent of emails, tweets and proclamations trumpeting the latest round of endorsements, mostly from local labor… Read More ›
