Nikki Fortunato Bas, or, as I call her, Nikki Defundo Bas, “avoids mentioning public safety at all costs,” says East Bay Insiders. That’s because Bas, who’s running for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, has been the Oakland City Council’s most vindictive attack dog on the police department, and these days, hating on cops isn’t a good look for an ambitious politician. This, she remains silent when asked anything about crime.

I have a cousin I grew up with, a Vietnam War vet, who’s mad at me because he thinks I’m a leftwing snowflake who’s insufficiently patriotic. I have a friend of more than 40 years who’s mad at me because she thinks I’m too rightwing. Can I possibly be both of these things at once?

Because I’m a reasonable guy, I try to understand the wokes, I really do. Maybe they have a point, I tell myself. Maybe the “root cause of crime” really is racism.

If there’s something the Woke Left hates more than anything, it’s fighting crime, with all that implies: more cops, more aggressive policing, more imprisonments. The Wokes take their commitment to being anti-anti crime almost as a religious vow of faith. You have only to read what Cat Brooks, Carroll Fife and people like them have written. Over their dead bodies, they say in essence, will they allow crime-fighting to become public policy.

Since we’re primarily an anti-crime group, we’re only recommending candidates with direct responsibility for that issue. As conditions in Oakland continue to deteriorate, voting becomes more vital than ever. Many thanks to Jack Saunders, who worked hard on this.