Just a few random comments before I take the rest of the week off for the holidays:
I hate the thought of Bas being interim mayor. If we had a transparent city government, which we don’t, or an honest press, which we don’t, we might be told what she’s up to. But Bas herself, one of the most secretive politicians we’re ever had, won’t reveal what she’s doing, and as for the Chronicle, Oaklandside, KQED and so on, they don’t care. So Bas can weave her web of misery with no one the wiser.
The Barbara Lee for Mayor train seems to have left the station and is merrily chugging along. I called it “a coup” the other day because that’s what it is. We might as well dig old Ron Dellums up from the grave and let him be mayor. Lee is an unapologetic racist, obsessed with being a Black woman. I really don’t see any difference between people like her and the Ku Klux Klan. Both are racialist radicals whose base is crazy extremists. The last good mayor Oakland had was Jerry Brown, and you never heard him harping on and on about being a White man. He just went to work every day and got stuff done. Lee is playing coy now, claiming she still hasn’t yet made up her mind, but she has. She’s just trying to gin up some excitement.
Over at the District Attorney’s office, the man appointed as interim D.A. when we recalled Price is Royl Roberts. He was her chief assistant. I find it disturbing that there’s been virtually no reporting on him in the last two weeks. I’m sure he’s a nice man, but anyone who worked for Price is NOT okay with me. The Board of Supervisors made Jan. 6, 2025 the deadline for applications for the permanent job. A week later, on Jan. 13, the Board will reduce the list to the final five selections (and we can only hope that process will be transparent). My own preference is Butch Ford, an experienced prosecutor with decades of service in the Alameda County D.A.’s office. When Price vengefully fired him, Brooke Jenkins immediately grabbed him to work for her, in San Francisco.
Wishing you all a wonderful, safe, healthy holiday season.
Steve Heimoff