I wrote a while back that, at the very least, you can say in Barbara Lee’s behalf that she’s never been involved in a scandal. But that’s no longer true. Since Loren Taylor’s campaign released facts about Lee’s paid travels when she was in the Congress, questions are now being raised that suggest Lee was the biggest grifter in the House of Representatives for years.

I must admit, Loren Taylor has been an emotional roller coaster for me. I wrote earlier that, while his approach to the issues leaves much to be desired, I’d hoped that, once in office, with his intelligence and beneficent spirit he would find the confidence to do the right things. What are those right things? If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know.

At some point we’re going to have to get serious about retail theft. We all know that it’s a terrible problem, but the news that makes the T.V. on the nightly news is just the tip of the iceberg.

Matt Mahan, the San Jose mayor, is an ambitious politician. Only 42 years old—the same age as JFK when he ran for President--he’s telegenic and articulate, and could easily be a future California Governor or Senator. Mahan is not going to do anything stupid, like supporting a candidate who goes down to defeat. So when he endorses Loren Taylor for mayor of Oakland, it’s because the Democratic establishment has concluded that Taylor will win.

It may be true, as Barbara Lee’s latest attack ad alleges, that five years ago Loren Taylor voted to defund the Oakland Police Department. There were so many procedural votes at that time that it’s possible some omnibus legislation got Taylor’s vote and OPD defunding was part of it. But these procedural votes are never final and mean little. What is certain is that, when push came to shove, Taylor did not vote to defund OPD. The all-important vote came on June 24, 2021, during a contentious City Council meeting on the upcoming budget. Nikki Bas, then Council president, along with Carroll Fife “spearheaded the push to defund the Oakland Police Department,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Loren Taylor voted against that initiative.