A second cannabis dispensary is coming to downtown Hayward. A conditional-use permit was granted Tuesday night to Jiva Life for a retail establishment at the former Hayward Fishery restaurant on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and C Street. Hayward officials… Read More ›
Francisco Zermeno
Hayward City Council election preview: A new hope
Let’s begin by mentioning Hayward, with a diverse population of roughly 140,000, needs district-based elections. Although this council is clearly diverse– three Latinos, one Afghan American, for example- there is little diversity of opinion. The Hayward City Council, despite being… Read More ›
Hayward: Salinas, Marquez melt down following attacks on their records
Earlier this month, Hayward Councilmember Elisa Marquez and Mark Salinas – two of three incumbents seeking re-election this November – flashed moments of anger and disdain toward their more progressive opponents when challenged about their respective records. In one exchange,… Read More ›
East Bay’s Top 10 November races to watch
Alameda County Supervisor District 1 This race has already been the East Bay’s most punishing for months. The Alameda County race for District 1 supervisor pits candidates from both halves of the roughly equal east county and Fremont district. Amazingly,… Read More ›
Large, energized field of candidates in Hayward
The field of 13 candidates this November, includes three incumbents, and a field of newcomers baptized by Hayward’s dramatic push to the left stoked over the past two years by progressive Councilmember Aisha Wahab and an energized coalition of young… Read More ›
Hayward: Zermeño apologizes for previously saying ‘Police Lives Matter’
Hayward Councilmember Francisco Zermeño apologized for diminishing the Black Lives Matter movement by previously using derivatives of the phrase, such as Latino Lives Matter and Police Lives Matter. The statement was made through social media accounts connected with Zermeño’s re-election… Read More ›
Hayward officials ‘regrettably’ delay minimum wage increase for six months
Workers earning a minimum wage in Hayward will not receive a previously promised $2 an hour raise for, at least, another six months, the Hayward City Council decided on Tuesday. A majority of the council, some voicing regret for delaying… Read More ›
After talking to, Hayward council members rescind support for charter school candidate
After receiving push back from some local labor unions, Hayward Councilmembers Elisa Marquez and Francisco Zermeno pulled their endorsement of Janevette Cole, a candidate for the Alameda County Board of Education whose campaign is supported by charter schools. Marquez told… Read More ›
Márquez, Zermeño back charter school candidate for county Board of Education
UPDATE – After talking to, Hayward councilmembers rescind support for charter school canddiate. A surprising number of elected officials on the Hayward City Council and Hayward school board are backing a candidate for the open Alameda County Board of Education… Read More ›
Hayward moves toward $15 an hr minimum wage by 2022
Hayward is nearing an increase in the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022, one year earlier than the state-mandated increase set for January 2023. The direction made by the Hayward City Council Tuesday night during a work… Read More ›
Why Hayward’s most fervent anti-smoking official was cut out of council’s vaping referral?
The three Hayward councilmembers who proposed regulations on flavored tobacco and vaping products last month are each up for re-election next year. Hayward Councilmembers Al Mendall, Francisco Zermeño, and Elisa Márquez will undoubtedly use any new restrictions on teenage vaping… Read More ›
Hayward is spending $75,000 for Robocop that yielded zero citations during one-year pilot program
Hayward officials extended a $75,000 pilot program for a surveillance robot that has roamed a parking garage across the street from City Hall for the past year. But while Hayward city staff argued the white, bullet-shaped robot had successfully decreased… Read More ›
Hayward is preparing to join the list of cities snuffing out teen vaping
Over the past year, East Bay cities such as Oakland, Richmond, Livermore, Alameda, and San Leandro have moved toward some type of restriction on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including those used for vaping. “We have all seen it… Read More ›
As housing crisis rages, Hayward aims to build only 74 homes on 37 acres of prime land
A 37-acre parcel of hillside land near Cal State East Bay in Hayward, long ago envisioned by CalTrans as part of a freeway extension, moved closer to development on Tuesday, but not without concerns the future neighborhood will cater to… Read More ›
Grief and outrage: Gonsalez family urge for independent investigation of killing by Hayward Police
Overflow council audience erupts in anger after Hayward Mayor Halliday tells them to see the matter from the police officer’s POV.
Hayward settles dispute with SEIU over illegal wage cuts, will repay workers $2 million
The Hayward City Council’s decision in 2014 to place an across the board 5 percent wage cut on over 300 of its city employees, roiled the labor movement and for years poisoned the relationship between City Hall and its workers…. Read More ›
HAYWARD: Aisha Wahab sworn-in as first Afghan American elected official in U.S.
With heartfelt words, defiance, and a vow to stay true to her values, Hayward Councilmember Aisha Wahab was sworn-in Tuesday night, becoming the first Afghan American elected official in the United States. “I ran because I believed the people of… Read More ›
Hayward council lashes out as councilman blames them for ruining downtown
Salinas, who is running for mayor this fall, called the City Council opportunistic for welcoming the cannabis industry into Hayward