.Miley Says No ‘Cherry-Picking’ of Cherryland

Supervisors Said He Is Not Opposed to Hayward Annexing the Unincorporated Area

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley told a neighborhood group in Cherryland earlier this month that they should consider a still-formative proposal for Hayward city officials to study the feasibility of annexing their incorporated area.

I’m not opposed to annexation, but that’s not my call,” he told members of the Cherryland Community Association on Oct. 9. “The county has no dog in this fight.”

But Miley warned that he would not support Hayward raiding Cherryland’s more desirable areas, as has occurred in the past in other parts of unincorporated Alameda County. “I won’t allow cherry-picking,” Miley said. “It’s all or nothing.”

Members of the community group, however, had mixed feelings toward the idea of annexation, especially after first hearing of the proposal just days after the Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved the formation of a municipal advisory council for the 69,000 total residents of Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Ashland, and Hayward Acres. Similar councils exist in unincorporated Castro Valley and Fairview.

Members of the Hayward firefighters union, along with Hayward Councilmember Aisha Wahab attended the neighborhood meeting with hopes of receiving the group’s support for a forthcoming council referral that, if approved by the Hayward City Council, will formally direct Hayward’s city staff to study annexation.

The genesis of the idea to absorb Cherryland and its 15,000 residents into Hayward had previously been murky, but appears to have come from the Hayward firefighters.

Andrew Ghali, president of the Hayward firefighters union, said the idea for annexation was sparked recently following an impromptu conversation with a Cherryland resident.

But some members of the group appeared jarred by the lack of prior consultation about the proposed referral. “We don’t want another city to come here and tell us what to do,” Cindy Torres, vice-president of the Cherryland Neighborhood Association, snapped. Others feared Cherryland would lose it identity if annexed by Hayward.

Miley, who represents Cherryland, along with a large swath of unincorporated Alameda County, said there was little harm in the neighborhood association supporting the preliminary referral. One reason, he told the group, is annexation is an extremely long process that could ultimately end with a public vote.

If Hayward leaders ultimately take steps toward annexing Cherryland, they are then required to file its plans with the Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission, which has authority over municipal boundaries and jurisdictions.


BART Board Official’s Embarrassing Gaffe

John McPartland, the BART board director who once received a concealed weapons permit to protect himself from upset constituents, metaphorically shot himself in the foot after offering cringe-worthy comments to an attorney, who is female. The exchange occurred as the BART Board of Directors was presented with a report for a proposed ban on panhandling at its stations.

McPartland, who represents the Tri-Valley, Castro Valley, and a portion of Hayward on the BART board, apparently believed he was giving a compliment to the African-American woman who testified on the panhandling item. “Very articulate,” he said of the speaker. “If you are a law student, then you’re doing great. If you are not, you should consider it.”

When somebody notified McPartland that the speaker had previously described herself as a staff attorney for the ACLU, he replied, “She’s already a lawyer? Oh, okay.” McPartland paused and added, with embarrassment, “Doing great.”

The sequence of events was first reported on Twitter by San Francisco transit activist Chris Arvin.

Conner later made light of McPartland’s comments on Twitter. “Guess I took the right path though,” she quipped about the board director’s career guidance.

Meanwhile, the controversial proposal to ban panhandling at BART stations appears stalled. Oakland BART Board Director Rebecca Saltzman wrote on Twitter shortly after the meeting that her colleagues’ comments suggest a majority of the board does not support moving forward with the proposal.


Former Oakland
Councilman Arrested

Former Oakland Councilmember Wilson Riles, Jr.  was arrested last Thursday following an altercation with Oakland police officers. The incident occurred at the city’s Planning and Building Department and was precipitated by a 911 call from a city employee, according to the city.

Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick called for an internal affairs review of the arrest, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley declined to file charges against Riles.

Riles, who served on the Oakland City Council from 1979-1992, said the arrest was unjustified and told KPIX that the officers gave no indication they were going to arrest him before throwing him to the ground and handcuffing him.

Riles has had a long-standing disagreement with the city over a sweat lodge located on his property. Riles’ wife is of Native-American descent.

He was charged with suspicion of battery against a police officer and booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.


In Other News …

Richmond and Oakland were ranked, respectively, as the twelfth and thirteenth cities with the highest financial distress in the state, according to a report issued Thursday by the California state auditor. Oakland topped the list as the most financial at risk when it comes to future pension costs and funding set aside to pay other retirement costs. … Oakland city officials and members of its two largest labor unions — IFTPE Local 21 and SEIU Local 1021 — agreed to a tentative contract agreement, the East Bay Times reported. Prior to the announcement, the unions were set to ask its members to authorize a strike. … Oakland’s six-month adaptive bike-sharing pilot program was created out of the Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Next City reported on how the program is helping those with other body types get around town. …

The Kindcade Fire has now burned more 74,000 acres in Northern California. Although progress has been made in containing the wildfire, the return of high winds on Tuesday has firefighters worried. … Did it happened again? PG&E told state regulators that a transmission line malfunctioned in the vicinity of the still-blazing Kincade Fire near Geyserville, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. …

A number of new statewide rent control are set to become law on Jan. 1. Calmatters reported there is growing evidence that landlords are rushing to evict tenants ahead of the new year. … Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley urged Alameda’s city attorney to release the controversial secret recording of Alameda Councilmembers Jim Oddie and Malia Vella made by former City Manager Jill Keimach, the East Bay Times reported. The recording roiled City Hall two years ago. … With nearly five months until the March primary, Sen. Kamala Harris is still struggling to gain support in her own state, KQED reported. Sen. Elizabeth Warren leads the field with 28 percent, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Harris is fifth with just 8 percent. …

Ice cream-stuffed donuts have arrived. The Daily Cal reported that the San Francisco-based ice cream shopMilkbomb has opened a location in downtown Berkeley. … Blue Bottle Coffee is moving its roasting operation out of Oakland’s Jack London Square to Sacramento. … All is good on Warriors Ground, at least, for the time being. The Warriors beat the Pelicans, 134-123, for their first win of the season. The win came after two dreadful losses to open the season. … Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown died Tuesday, ESPN reported. Brown was 78. Brown personified the team’s dominance in the 1970s and his interception touchdown return in Super Bowl XI was immortalized by NFL Films.

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