August 18, 2011
Former San Leandro Mayor Young Closes Campaign Account
Former Mayor Shelia Young had the most active of the remaining campaign committees. Young, who had changed the name of her committee to "Shelia Young for Mayor 2014" in July 2010, gave away all of the $6,608 in her campaign account in the first half of 2011.
Semi-annual campaign statements for active campaign accounts were due August 1, 2011, and are summarized below.
Shelia Young
Former San Leandro Mayor Shelia Young terminated her campaign account on June 15, 2011. Before doing so, Young made the following contributions to empty her campaign account:
- $1,000 to Leadership San Leandro
- $1,008 to SOS Meals on Wheels
- $1,000 to San Leandro Boys and Girls Club
- $1,000 to California Conservatory Theater
- $1,000 to Davis Street Family Resource Center
- $1,000 to San Leandro Education Foundation
- $500 to Oakland Zoo
- $100 to Joyce Starosciak for Mayor
Young's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
San Leandro Police Officers Association Political Action Committee
The San Leandro Police Officers Association Political Action Committee (PAC) reported $2,495 in its campaign account. Contributions included $2,106 from the San Leandro Police Officers Association in six $351 monthly payments. The sole expense was $500 to Joyce Starosciak's City Council campaign.
San Leandro Police Officers Association PAC's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Michael Gregory
Vice Mayor Gregory reported $375.53 in his campaign account at the end of the reporting period with $19,781.26 in outstanding debt. Gregory raised $99 during the reporting period and repaid $1,000 towards a personal loan he made to his campaign.
Gregory's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
David Anderson, who was Gregory's opponent for the District 1 City Council seat in the November 2010 election, terminated his committee in July 2011.
Ursula Reed
District 2 Councilmember Reed reported no money in her campaign account, no money raised, nor spent.
Reed's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Linda Perry
Former District 2 City Council Candidate Perry reported $1,542.48 in her campaign account and $11,250 in campaign debt. Perry had no expenses or contributions.
Perry's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Jim Prola
District 6 City Councilmember Prola reported $3,798.45 in his campaign account and $4,000 in campaign debt from a personal loan to his campaign. Prola had no expenses and contributed $200 to the Alameda Labor Council, likely for the Unionist of the Year Dinner in May.
August 17, 2011
Cash for Cutter and Debt for Lopez in Latest Financial Disclosures
Despite raising less money than her opponent in the 2010 District 5 San Leandro City Council race, Pauline Cutter has money in her campaign account and no debt. Her opponent, Corina Lopez, has more than $23,000 in campaign debt and $161 in her campaign account.
Cutter raised a total of $25,820 for the campaign while Lopez raised $32,567.
Semi-annual campaign statements for active campaign accounts were due August 1, 2011, and are summarized below.
Pauline Cutter
Cutter reported $1,161.55 on hand at the end of the reporting period with no outstanding debt. Cutter's contributions included:
- $500 from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
- $500 from Sheet Metal Workers Local 104
- $100 from Kenneth Perez
Cutter's expenses consisted of $1,510 to campaign manager Louis Heystek for literature and office expenses.
Cutter's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Corina Lopez
Lopez changed the name of her campaign committee to "Corina Lopez for City Council 2018," but otherwise reported no changes from her previous financial disclosure. She had $161 at the end of the reporting period with $23,503 in debt.
Lopez's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Updated 8/17 at 8am and 10:50am: Changed to reflect a name change in Lopez' campaign committee and corrected amount raised by Cutter.
August 16, 2011
San Leandro Mayoral Candidates Fundraise to Pay Off Debt and for Future Campaigns
The latest financial statements from San Leandro's mayoral candidates show that fundraising continued after the 2010 election as candidates tried to pay off campaign debt, usually personal loans that they made to their own campaigns. San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy raised $10,826 during the period from January 1 to June 30, 2011. Former Mayoral candidate Joyce Starosciak raised $6,649 and paid off a $5,000 loan that her company Starotech made on December 28, 2010. Former Mayoral candidate Tony Santos raised $2,202 and closed his campaign account.
Starosciak also closed her Mayoral campaign account and transferred all of its remaining funds to a campaign account for City Council in 2016. Starosciak will be termed out in 2012, but will be eligible to run for the same seat in 2016, just as Santos did in 2000, when he ran for a third term.
There are no campaign contribution limits in San Leandro, so individuals and businesses may contribute any amount of money to local campaigns. Donations of $99 or less do not have to be itemized, but candidates are required to report the source of any donation of $100 or more.
Semi-annual campaign statements for active campaign accounts were due August 1, 2011, and are summarized below. Reports from Lou Filipovich and John Palau were not required since neither candidate raised nor spent more than $1,000.
Joyce Starosciak
For her City Council 2016 campaign committee, Starosciak reported $1,119 in her campaign account at the end of the reporting period.
Significant contributions to her City Council 2016 campaign committee included $300 from Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 and a $900 transfer from her Mayoral campaign account. Starosciak also reported $125 in unitemized expenses.
For her Mayoral campaign committee, Starosciak reported no money in her campaign account and $5,000 in outstanding debt from a loan from her company Starotech.
Significant contributions to her Mayoral campaign committee included:
- $500 from EF Communities, a local developer
- $500 from the San Leandro Police Officers Association
- $200 from Teamsters # 853
- $200 from Michael Pretto
- $200 from Windsor Partners
- $200 from Hayward Fire Chief Craig Bueno
- $150 from former San Leandro Councilmember Gordon Galvan
- $125 from Hayward Councilmember and California Assembly candidate Bill Quirk
- $100 from Simon and Company, the lobbyist for the City of San Leandro
- $100 from Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley's campaign account
- $100 from former San Leandro Police Chief Joe Kitchen
- $100 from San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy's campaign account
- $100 from Shelia Young for Mayor 2014, a campaign account
- $100 from Isabel Polvorosa's San Lorenzo School Board campaign account
- $100 from former San Leandro Councilmember Johan Klehs
- $100 from former San Leandro District 5 City Council candidate Corina Lopez' campaign account
Significant expenses included:
- $900 transfer to Joyce Starosciak City Council 2016, a campaign committee
- $750 to Christine Wise for professional services
- $500 to Mon Cafe for a fundraiser on January 13, 2011
Starosciak's City Council 2016 Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Starosciak's Mayoral Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Tony Santos
Santos reported an ending cash balance of $0 at the end of the period and has terminated his campaign account. Significant contributions included $1,400 from consultant Charles Gilcrest and an $802 from himself.
No expenses were reported, but a loan of $2,600 from Charles Gilcrest and a $3,898 personal loan to his own campaign were reported as forgiven.
Santos' Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Stephen Cassidy
Cassidy reported an ending cash balance of $130 with $1,130 in campaign debt. Significant contributions included:
- $1,180 from Karma and Willian Denyer, a financial consultant at Charles Schwab
- $500 from David Irmer of Creekside Associates
- $500 from Eric Hohmann of Madison Marquette, the company that owns Bayfair Center
- $500 from John Gooding of the Quadric Group
- $500 from Louis Pellegrini of Aladdin Properties (previously reported as with Alameda County Industries)
- $425 from Earl & Charlene Kehret, retired
- $400 from Brad & Kim Nichols, a mortgage broker at Pret Capital Group
- $250 from former District 5 City Council Candidate Corina Lopez and Luis Colon of Pinnacle Vista Technology
- $200 from Anthony Batarse of Lloyd Wise automobile dealerships
- $100 from Allan and Joyce Starosciak
- $100 from Dale and Michael Gregory
- $100 from Hayward Councilmember and Assembly candidate Bill Quirk
Cassidy's expenses included $10,900 to repay a personal loan to his campaign and $100 for a contribution to Starosciak's Mayoral campaign.
Cassidy's Campaign Statement for January 1 to June 30, 2011
Sara Mestas
Mestas reported an ending cash balance of $789 with $357.97 in campaign debt. She reported a $658 refund from the City of San Leandro for her candidate statement and a $658 payment to Chad Pennebaker for rent.
August 15, 2011
First Coffee With the Cops at Main Street Bagel on September 13
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The monthly program was announced by San Leandro Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli on June 30, 2011, at the Town Hall meeting for Council Districts 3 and 4.
Police personnel, including the chief and officers, will discuss neighborhood crime trends, provide crime prevention tips and answer questions.
Similar "Coffee with the Cops" meetings are also in place in Albany, Antioch, San Ramon, and Napa County.
Coffee with the Cops is scheduled for 8am to 9am at Main Street Bagel, located at 1099 MacArthur Boulevard in San Leandro.
August 13, 2011
Parking Lot to Replace First Interstate Building
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| Scaffolding surrounding the First Interstate building |
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| Conceptual view of how the new parking lot and entrance will look |
After being left vacant for 15 years, Chase has filed demolition plans for the former First Interstate Building located at 1639 E. 14th Street between Chase Bank and Pallen's Martial Arts.
According to the August Community Development Update, Chase acquired the building solely to use the parking lot for its customers. Demolition of the First Interstate building will allow Chase customer to enter the parking lot from E. 14th Street and use it during the Downtown Farmers Market, which currently blocks access to the parking lot. The demolition will also allow Pallen's Martial Arts to make changes to the façade of its building and to use the back door as a fire exit.
Although the site is located in the area of San Leandro's Transit-Oriented Development Strategy, it is not one of the 39 "opportunity sites" identified for development through 2030. Instead, it is in an area categorized as "Multi-Use, Infill Opportunity Districts."
During the demolition, the debris will be separated for recycling.
August 12, 2011
California Attorney General Files Amicus Brief Supporting Eden Township Healthcare District
On August 10, 2011, the California Attorney General's office, acting on a request by San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy and San Leandro City Attorney Jayne Williams on behalf of the City of San Leandro, filed an amicus curiae or "friend of the court" brief on behalf of Eden Township Healthcare District (ETHD) in its legal battle with Sutter Health over the future of San Leandro Hospital.
The amicus brief from the California Attorney General argues that George Bischalaney, then CEO of ETHD, and Dr. Francisco Rico, then an ETHD board member, had a conflict of interest because they "… actively guided the District through contract negotiations with two private healthcare entities, Sutter Health ("Sutter") and Eden Medical Center, Inc. ("EMC"), at the same time they were receiving income from one of those entities (EMC)." After stating that "Section 1090 [of the Government Code] provides that an officer or employee of a state or local public agency may not make a contract in which he or she is financially interested." the brief argues that courts have interpreted Section 1090 to require only a financial interest and not a financial benefit for there to be a conflict-of-interest. The brief concludes, "Insofar as the trial court misapplied the law to the facts in this case, the judgment should be reversed."
The request was sent by fax on July 27, 2011, two days after the San Leandro City Council voted to file its own amicus curiae in support of ETHD.
In its own brief, the City of San Leandro described Sutter's argument that "the interest of the district and respondent Eden Medical Center "EMC" were perfectly aligned" as "sheer sophistry." The City's brief states, "…San Leandro Hospital is far from being an underutilized community resource. It is only when the Sutter views this vital community resource through the lens of private economic gain and profitability that shutting it down for an alternate use rises to a 'highest and best use.'"
The City's brief also makes the same argument about the conflict-of-interest of Bischalaney and Rico by stating "…that no person can, at one and the same time, faithfully serve two masters representing diverse or inconsistent interests with respect to the service performed."
The California Nurses Association's amicus curiae brief, filed on August 8, 2011, states that in 2008, while Bischalaney was CEO for ETHD and as CEO and Director for EMC, Bischalaney received a total of $601,865 in compensation from EMC and Sutter-related organizations. The brief also states that Rico was a 56% owner of Alameda Anesthesia Associates Medical Group, which received $2.2 million from EMC/Sutter each year in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
While there is no guarantee that an amicus curiae brief will affect a court's decision, the amicus filed by the California Attorney General, which is responsible for enforcement of government code on conflict-of-interest, is certain to have supporters of San Leandro Hospital optimistic that the trial court decision will be overturned.