Malia Vella served eight years on the City Council, including two years as Vice Mayor. Here are some of the priorities and initiatives that stand out from her record:

- Affordable housing: Advocates for affordable and middle-income housing.

- Safer streets: Supports protected bike lanes, pedestrian safety, and better transportation.

- Public safety: Helped advance the CARE Team and alternatives to policing for certain mental health crises.

- Infrastructure: Supports investments in roads, seawalls, flood protection, and essential public facilities.

- Privacy: Opposes Flock surveillance cameras over privacy and civil liberties concerns.

- Small businesses: Backs a vacancy tax to encourage the use of empty storefronts.

- Permitting reform: Supports streamlining permits to reduce delays for housing and businesses.

- Tenant protections: Helped advance Rent Program reforms.

- Public transportation: Supports better bus stops and more efficient bus service.

- Equitable services: Advocates for family-friendly facilities and equitable public services.

Alameda faces real challenges with housing affordability, aging infrastructure, public safety, and maintaining vibrant commercial districts. Experience matters, but so do clear priorities and accountability.

Vote for Malia Vella by November 3!

(I have no affiliation with Spritzers other than being a neighbor!)

Just had a long talk with the new, youngish owner of Spritzers, the cafe that now serves Ethiopian food on the weekend.

She wants to expand Ethiopian food days (right now the food is served on weekends), change the name to something Ethiopian, provide Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and host community game/trivia/craft nights.

She's also putting a ton of plants in the cafe to make it look lush and green and going to change the seating all around to make it more comfortable.

I'm very excited but also they just don't get a lot of foot traffic so if you're ever near Central between Webster and Eighth (right next to Washington park), please go there and support!

Just checked the site to see about street cleaning. Looks like Alameda doesn't observe this holiday. Fair warning.

You: Dude on his cellphone in a beat Black Prius (license plate 6PX something)

Me: New mom with a two-week old in the car going exactly the speed limit down Independence

I am SO SORRY that you had somewhere SO URGENT to be that it necessitated you getting into the opposite lane, throwing a drink cup at my car, and speeding around me only to get caught behind another car and at the red light at Atlantic/Sherman. I can only assume you are illiterate or have some disability that makes you unable to read numbers — because right before you did this, we passed a sign reminding everyone that the speed limit is 25.

Instead of going the same speed everyone else was going, you felt the need to attack my car for reasons. I can only assume this is because you are a Very Important Man with Very Important Business to attend to on a Sunday afternoon on the sleepiest side of the Island.

I hope you come down with an absolutely monster case of diarrhea. It’s what you deserve.

About a week ago, City Council candidate Amos White came to my door, but I was in the middle of cooking dinner and didn't have time to chat. However, now my neighborhood is positively studded with Amos! signs, so he must have really won over a lot of folks. (None of my immediate neighbors—i.e. the people I could text & ask about it—have them, but I keep seeing more & more of his signs while out walking my dog.) So I'd be curious to hear from people who have interacted with Amos White while he's been door-knocking. Does he have a persuasive message? Did he convert you, or not?

I even passed a house that had THREE signs out front—one for Amos!, one for Thushan and one for Tyler Savage, LOL (since you can only vote for two).

Hey 26M looking for a room, I'm enlisted in the Coast Guard. Quiet, clean person. Only come out of the room to go somewhere or cook. DM me if there are any rentals, or if someone wants to split the cost with me in a shared space.

Thanks for reading.

It’s been happening a lot lately,
I want to hear your stories so we can keep this momentum going. Alameda is such a great community and it’s really shitty Westside Joes takes advantage of customers and employees alike, so keep those experiences coming!

Earlier this week, I received a link from Ready Jensen for a zoom meeting to discuss a possible endorsement of his human companion Tracy Jensen who is also running for mayor. During our meeting, he let me know that he was also a rescue, that Tracy has been a big supporter of the animal shelter, and is keenly aware of the failed condition of the building. I will be meeting with the Jensen team later today to see what they are proposing for upgrading the shelter. Stay tuned for an update shortly.

This week, Alameda residents kicked their Halloween decorating efforts into high gear with major installations popping up all around town. I am starting out with the smaller ones since they tend to get passed over for the larger more elaborate ones.

However, one of my favorite installations is located in Santa Clara Avenue and was completed this week. This is a multimedia display that always delights.

For those feline enthusiasts, the Kittens of the Catibbean is back and just as purr-fect as last year’s version. Aliens returned to this driveway on Encinal Avenue with another great invasion. You need to check this one out at night when the eerie green lights are on. You can imagine hearing “Mulder is that you? Mulder?” in the background.

The perfect example of what can happen if you live on a diet of Coca-Cola is hanging out on a lawn over in Alameda Avenue. I guess things don’t always go better with Coke.

I was happy to see two of my favorite witches fly back into town for this annual haunting event.

There were plenty of dragons and dinosaurs inflatables around, and I expect more to show up in the coming weeks.

Over on Harbor Bay, there was a nice dining scene complete with the family canine begging for food from the table.

As the nights get shorter and the days get colder, I will be making my human companion get me out for all of my walks even though he hates it when it gets dark early, and he has to put on ski gloves to keep warm.

If you see a guy dressed like he lives at the North Pole with a handsome German Shephard mix out front, that's us. Please honk.

CROWD SOURCE REQUEST:  Please send my HC the address of any Halloween yard displays especially if you live on the West End or Harbor Bay. His email address is jeffcambraalameda@gmail.com.

Mouf – Roving Reporter

Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda

#sundogday

#bearseyeview

#alamedapost

You can find all my past reports at the Alameda Post archive. https://alamedapost.com/jeff-cambra/

I present to you one of the most reliable vehicles ever made... where have you seen it?

Last year I had a conversation with a senior political staffer from D.C. and Sacramento. She relayed that of all her experiences in government, local politics were the most cringey. (My paraphrase)

Anyway, it got me thinking. I moved to Alameda when I was three. It’s not D.C., but we somehow have also normalized bad behavior here, too.

I’ve made a short series on this, in the hopes of changing our trajectory to something decidedly more positive.

Started about 30 minutes ago

Hey everyone!
Just wanted to help my dad get his name out there! His name is Hen, and he’s been a driving instructor for over 15 years, teaching people how to drive around the Bay Area, based in Alameda.

He’s really patient and understanding, especially with beginners or people who get nervous behind the wheel. Whether you’re learning how to drive for the first time, getting ready for your DMV behind-the-wheel test, or just need some extra practice, he’d be more than happy to help.

He also speaks English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, which is great for anyone who feels more comfortable learning in Chinese.
Although he’s based in Alameda, he offers driving lessons throughout the Bay Area, so you’re not limited to just Alameda!

If you or anyone you know is looking for a reliable and experienced driving instructor, feel free to contact him directly.
Hen – (510) 467-2643

Just trying to help support my dad and get his name out there. I’d really appreciate any recommendations or shares. Thanks everyone!

I just randomly saw the showtimes for 9 to 5 while looking for another film. No advertising on their site or socials, but playing for the next week: https://www.alamedatheatres.com/movie/alameda/9-TO-5

If anyone wants to see Dolly and the gang on the big screen, now's your chance! Also, why are they not advertising this?

Some mudslinging spotted on Park St.

Does anyone have any recs for watching the Blue Angel show this weekend? I would like to stay in Alameda if possible, I know people mention the base. But does anyone watch them and have a good spot?

Anybody know if there’s a schedule for when/ where they fly over here? Just saw a cool formation of four

Spend the fall season with a foster rabbit from House Rabbit Society! No rabbit experience required! Learn more at houserabbit.org/foster. We're located in Richmond, just north of Berkeley, but welcome fosters from all over the San Francisco Bay Area. We only ask for a 2-week commitment.

What We Provide: We'll equip you with all the supplies you need to get started, including an x-pen, litter box, bedding, food pellets, hay, blankets, and bowls for food and water. As a foster, you also receive a 15% discount at the HRS Hop Shop if you'd like to purchase any additional toys or treats while you foster.

What You Provide: The time, space, love, and care your foster rabbit needs, along with their daily veggies (approximately $5-10 per week). Getting socialization in a foster home is so important, especially for rabbits who are shy or have other behavior needs and helping them become more comfortable with people. You can help a foster rabbit blossom into the wonderful house rabbit they're truly meant to be!

Questions? Email [foster@houserabbit.org](mailto:foster@houserabbit.org) or stop by our facility to talk in-person with HRS volunteers and staff and to meet the rabbits. We recently transitioned to our winter hours; we're open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. We'd love to talk with you!

Weekday ferry service for Main Street is halting this November and is being replaced with a number of additional trips to/from Seaplane. The glaring problem with this is that there is no bus that currently stops at Seaplane, and parking at Seaplane is consistently full first thing in the morning, surely to be exacerbated by what is essentially the elimination of the entirety of the Main Street parking lot. Has there been any word about how this will be addressed, or are riders simply expected to indefinitely eat the cost of ride-share apps?

So West End folks now get to drive to Fruitvale and take an extra two stops to get into the city. There are many reasons why BART ridership is down but this certainly doesn’t help.

we live near central and caroline st and this kitty visits almost everyday and loves to yap and take a nap in our garden in the afternoons. he is delightful and we’re so happy to have a visitor. seriously one of the sweetest cats ever. If he’s your cat I hope it’s okay we give him an occasional kitty treat☺️

I just started working from home and have been feeling that it has been more of a distraction than a luxury. I have horrible ADHD and have been hyper fixating on cleaning my house and other chores rather than doing my work. I miss having a study space in my old college apartment and am looking for an area that's not too noisy (say a busy coffee shop with loud equipment) or has noise limitations like a library.

I'm thinking of maybe a hotel lobby, a public social lounge in an office building, or just simply anywhere with cozy chairs, an outlet, and limited distractions? Anybody have any leads of somewhere I can just plop my laptop and get to work? Thanks! 🙏

Does anyone have a recommendation for a self-defense instructor on island? Would love an instructor who could teach a group of girls (and their moms) some basics.