San Leandro Focus

Love craft beer? There is a small but mighty city in the East Bay I want to introduce you to. It's called San Leandro.  You have to come visit us this weekend (Sat. Aug. 26th). Both Drake's & 21st Amendment are hosting celebrations.   For details visit http://sanleandronext.com/two-exciting-brewery-events-this-weekend/ And while you are in town, also stop by Cleophus Quealy .

San Leandro City Council July 1, 1998, with its first African American member Surlene Grant. The national news can be so disheartening. Hatred and prejudice against African Americans, Muslims, Jews, immigrants and transgender persons (to name but a few groups), while always present, are like types of cancers that have metastasized across America this year. Let’s act, right here in San Leandro, to change this storyline. Specifically, I support the effort to name a public plaza or other location in honor of former City Council member Surlene Grant. This proposal was first raised by community leader Bernard Ashcraft and advocated by former City Council member Ursula Reed at several City Council meetings in 2016. The first African American elected to the San Leandro City Council, Grant’s election set an important precedent, opening the doors of City Hall to persons historically disenfranchised. Today, the majority of City Council members are persons of color. Grant spearheaded...

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is proposing a far-reaching bill that would both legalize marijuana at the federal level and encourage states to legalize it locally through incentives. Adult recreational marijuana use will be legal in California next January, and a majority of states permit use of medical marijuana. Over 30 million Americans regularly use cannabis.  Why are we still criminalizing its use at the federal level?  I support this new legislation .

Flags are deeply powerful symbols. I flew the LGBT Pride Flag at San Leandro City Hall during the US Supreme Court arguments over marriage equality to show San Leandro's support for the full recognition of the rights of LGBT persons. Our action led Oakland, Berkeley and other cities to follow San Leandro's lead.  Today, transgender persons are under attack by President Trump. To show solidarity with the transgender community the Dolan Law Firm , the law firm that I work at, is displaying the Transgender Pride Flags. Far too many transgender persons have suffered pain and emotional turmoil from being marginalized and treated unfairly because of their gender identity.

Here is a message I sent to friends and neighbors on why I'm supporting Measure B and request that they do so too:   I have always believed that strong schools make for a strong city. But from serving as Mayor of San Leandro, I came to appreciate fully that the safety, prosperity and quality of life in San Leandro are firmly linked to the quality of our public schools. San Leandrans have benefitted tremendously by financially supporting our local schools. Overcrowding at the   high school was eliminated, a beautiful theater used by students and the community was opened, and necessary seismic upgrades were completed.   School bond measures, however, can only be used for the construction, renovation and modernization of school facilities. To generate local funds to attract and retain quality teachers, support core academic programs and reduce class sizes, school districts in California have only one option: a parcel tax. That is what San Leandro has done.  ...