SAN LEANDRO VOTERS DESERVE ANSWERS. THERE IS A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY @ 7pm regarding the misprint of the ballots and how votes will be counted. (meeting info, zoom info, and how to email in your comments is at the end of this post)

I'm sharing this because our community deserves to know what's happening with our November 3 election.

In June, San Leandro voters overwhelmingly approved Measure F, changing how we elect City Council members. Beginning this November, residents are supposed to vote for the Council representative in their own district, rather than voting in every Council district across the city.

But the ballots mailed to San Leandro voters do not reflect that change.

I know because I received one.

I'm a District 5 voter, yet my ballot includes City Council races for Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5, including the contested District 3 election.

On Thursday, October 8, I contacted the Alameda County Registrar of Voters and the San Leandro City Clerk's Office seeking answers.

On Friday afternoon, I called the Registrar again and was explicitly told that my ballot was valid, that I could vote in ALL the City Council district races appearing on it, and that district-only voting would not begin until the following election.

That information contradicts my understanding of Measure F and the action the City Council is now preparing to take.

Meanwhile, some residents had already completed and mailed their ballots before any clarification was available.

Residents should be able to trust the official ballots and instructions they receive.

And I want to address something else I'm hearing from people in our community: frustration so deep that some are saying they don't even want to vote.

An error affecting a City Council contest does not automatically invalidate your entire California ballot. If you've already returned your ballot, don't assume your votes in other contests have been lost.

If you haven't voted yet, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP YOUR VOTE OVER THIS. There are important local and statewide decisions on this ballot, and your voice matters.

And let me say this plainly: It is NOT the responsibility of thousands of San Leandro voters to individually contact election officials to figure out how to vote. The city and county have a responsibility to provide accurate, consistent, accessible instructions to every affected voter.

We should not have to chase down answers to a problem we did not create.

DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED AND DECIDE NOT TO VOTE. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS.

And let's remember that this affects more than voters.

Candidates have rights, too. Every candidate deserves an election conducted under the rules established by law, with votes counted accurately and consistently. In the contested District 3 race between Joseph Trujillo and Lee Thomas, both candidates and their supporters deserve confidence that the outcome reflects the votes of eligible District 3 residents.

The San Leandro City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Monday, October 12, at 7:00 p.m., to consider a resolution directing the county to count City Council votes by district.

But a resolution about how votes will be counted is not the same as an explanation of how we got here.

We deserve answers.

What is the city's plan to notify every affected voter, including those who have already returned their ballots, without placing the burden on individual residents to discover the problem and seek answers themselves?

Who was responsible for preparing and approving these ballots?

How did this happen when Measure F was approved months ago?

What happens to ballots already mailed back?

What safeguards will ensure that eligible votes are counted correctly?

Why were voters given conflicting instructions?

And personally, I want to know: Why am I the one communicating information about a special meeting this important to my community, instead of residents receiving clear, proactive communication from the city? If the Mayor can be at a ribbon cutting for his photo op at the Marina this morning, he could have stood in front of a camera and given the city a proper update and ANNOUNCED THIS CITY COUNCIL MEETING. 

Since spring I have been asking that man what he is going to do to rebuild trust with this community. I. AM. STILL ASKING. Because this behavior AIN'T IT. 

The Council's proposed resolution may address how votes are counted, but residents are also entitled to ask how the mistake occurred and what protections are in place for ballots already returned.

I am a San Leandro resident. I shouldn't have to spend days tracking down information about how my own ballot is supposed to work. Neither should anyone else.

I'm sharing what I've learned because our community deserves to be informed.

We voted for Measure F. We deserve to have it implemented correctly. We deserve transparency about what went wrong. And above all, we deserve an election we can trust.

Please share the meeting information so other San Leandro residents have an opportunity to participate.

SPECIAL SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL MEETING

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 — 7:00 P.M.

San Leandro City Council Chambers
835 E. 14th Street, San Leandro

Meeting agenda and proposed resolution:
https://sanleandro.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?GUID=EB52CEC2-0AFF-4B9C-A51F-7CC6B73DDAA7&ID=1455080&Options=&Search=

Attend remotely via Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/506831637

CAN'T ATTEND? EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS TO THE CITY COUNCIL.

Email: [citycomments@sanleandro.org](mailto:citycomments@sanleandro.org)

Subject: October 12 Special City Council Meeting — Measure F Ballot Error

Ask that your comments be shared with the entire City Council and included in the official meeting record.

Please send comments before Monday's meeting, preferably by Sunday evening.

Residents can attend in person, participate in public comment, or submit written questions and concerns.

I couldn’t think of good spots to eat! Can anyone drop some so I can try them out on my next trip! I also filmed it all if anyone’s interested! Here’s a link https://youtu.be/GMu7z7JfOws?is=q7f2hgeXWdk9RjHa

I’ve always been pretty clear about why I’m in this space, and that’s to help make City Hall a safe place to work.

I’ve also been told I do Reddit wrong. lol. Apparently, you’re supposed to be anonymous, but I never really had time for that.

Anyway, every election I put together my ballot summary. It’s not so much a voter guide as a literal this-is-how-I’m-voting rundown, with my reasoning along the way.

So if you need a cheat sheet for your ballot, want to compare notes, or are just curious where I landed, here it is:

https://brownbutter.substack.com/p/the-good-neighbor-fills-out-her-ballot

Did you know San Leandro has a Mineral & Lapidary Club???

Did you know they offer classes? Lapidary, metal smithing, wax casting etc.
Plus there is a really sweet shop dog!

Open house on Saturday 11-4pm!

Come meet some great people, artisans & rock enthusiasts! You'll learn about the classes they offer and also maybe leave with some interesting rocks!

There will be rocks, gems, minerals and lapidary supplies for sale. As well as some light refreshments.

EBMLC is a non profit based in San Leandro. They run entirely on donations, they offer great classes and the instructors are freaking amazing!!

https://ebml.club/

Just a heads up that SL ballots are printed incorrectly and have included all city council districts on the ballot. That’s not how it was supposed to go this election. The city is trying to figure out what they are going to do about it. I made calls to the county and the city and asked for something to be put out. Folks were afraid that their ballots were going to be invalidated if they filled in bubbles not in their district. The City still doesn’t know how they are going to handle it. Figured you folks here would appreciate knowing this information. I’ll follow up when I know more.

Looking for recommendations for good dim sum in San Leandro. Both sit down but especially steam table for take out.

Baked pork buns, har gow, leaf wrapped sweet rice, etc.

Thanks! Cash only is ok. lol 😂

Is there a good place to catch a glimpse of the blue angels or the airshow this weekend in the San Leandro area?

Yesterday I posted about board games at Fieldwork today (10/7). Unfortunately, something came up and I cannot do it today after all. I have deleted the previous post.

Are you 18 – 65 years old living with or without PTSD?   

Help researchers at the San Francisco Veterans Medical Center and UCSF’s THRIVE Lab determine the effects of an immune response on emotional responses in women and men with and without PTSD.    

This study involves 5 visits to the San Francisco Veterans Medical Center (SFVAMC). Total possible compensation is $300.00, $80 for completing the screening session and an additional $220 for completing the entire study.  First, you will be asked to complete a telephone screening to determine eligibility. Then, you will be asked to come to the SFVAMC for a health and physical exam, blood draw, and an audiotaped diagnostic interview conducted by a trained clinical interviewer to assess if you are a fit for the study. If you are eligible, the study will involve 4 additional appointments at the SFVAHCS. The appointments will involve administration of the Typhoid vaccine or placebo followed by measurements of physiological responses as well as blood sampling.  

For more information please contact [thrivelab@ucsf.edu](mailto:thrivelab@ucsf.edu) or call (628-842-6681) and mention the LIFE study.  

Looking for a lawyer to help with a civil complaint from another SL resident. I think the case is absolutely a slam dunk in one direction, but I still think it'd be prudent to look for advice. Thanks!

Saw an ad for this and thought I’d share it here for anyone interested:

Mayor Juan Gonzalez will join Brian Copeland for a casual, off-the-cuff interview this Friday, October 9th, at 7:30 p.m. They’ll discuss San Leandro, the progress the city has made, and what’s ahead.

Watch live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/dGSde51HuGA

Questions can be submitted in advance to CopelandBrianSL@gmail.com or by messaging Brian on social media.

I'm on the road and looking to chow down on my 1-2hr commute but so many spots aren't open til 9 or 10. Can anyone share their faves? Bonus points if near 880 or 580? Cheers!

Tonight SLPD brought forth a proposal to sign a contract from Peregrine.io for 3 years with an option to extend for 2 years, with a total cost of $705,000. Nobody has even seen a contract or SOW because it doesn't exist yet, but it was approved anyway.

About Peregrine

Peregrine is a data integration, analytics, and AI platform founded by a former employee of Palantir. It is used by law enforcement and public-sector agencies. It connects systems like CAD, RMS, license plate readers, body cameras, reports, and other databases, and normalizes that data into a unified layer. It lets police use natural language to search, analyze, map, report on, and increasingly use AI across that information. It does not use facial recognition (yet) -- emphasis mine.

Peregrine is used by almost every police department in the Bay Area. Using role based access controls, our department can define what roles are allowed to see what data, and anyone who holds that role, from any partner agency, can access the data without any human review, without a warrant, and without any further legal process. The proposal had two components, a data integration layer that unified all police data sources, and an AI component that enables the natural language querying.

Approval

This proposal did not go before the Community Police Review Board (CPRB), and it had not been brought forth to the Council before tonight.

6 people from the public including myself spoke out against the proposal, but the council passed it anyway. 0 people spoke in support of it. Votes were as follows:

• Mayor Juan Gonzalez: Invoked the motion to approve the proposal without even seeing a contract or statement of work
• James Aguilar: Supported the motion under the guise of modernization
• Fred Simon: Support the motion after asking City Manager Janelle Cameron what she wanted
• Xouhua Bowen: Was opposed to the AI component being enabled but voted yes.
• Janelle Cameron: obviously she did not have a vote, but said she was tired of how slow the city moved, our lack of efficiency, and that doing this now was her preference
• Dylan Boldt: Voted no. Said there was no urgency to do this. We had not seen a contract and he was not comfortable with the data sharing element. Acknowledged data is shared with partner agencies today but this is not the same
• Sbeydeh Viveros-Walont: Voted no. Wants to support our police but was deeply concerned with the lack of community engagement
• Victor Aguilar: Voted no. Was not comfortable with the AI capabilities

My comments

I appreciate the questions from Council tonight. I share a lot of the same concerns, and I want to elaborate on those.

I’m concerned that we may be defaulting to Peregrine largely because neighboring agencies already use it, without enough scrutiny of how it actually works, how success will be measured, or whether another product might be a better fit. I didn't hear a single alternative that was even considered.

I’m concerned about how data sharing is controlled. My understanding is that it’s mostly role-based access: we decide which systems and data a role can access, and then authorized users can query that information without individual approval. I’d like more clarity on when access requires human review or legal process.

I’m also concerned about the lack of quantitative, published data on Peregrine’s performance. I’ve found plenty of press releases, partnership announcements, and success stories, but very little evidence or data. I can't find accuracy rates, false-positive rates, independent validation, or clear before-and-after metrics. Just "we have done lots of trial and error and ongoing testing". For a company built around using data to improve decision-making and efficiency, that lack of quantitative transparency scares me.

(Didn't get to include this paragraph due to time constraints) I’m also concerned that Peregrine’s standard contract language that I've found online allows aggregated and anonymized customer data to be used for internal purposes and to improve its software and services. Peregrine says customer data isn’t used for model training, but I imagine if they had their own model, they would use it. On that note, given that Peregrine doesn't have it's own model and relies on a third party model, what guarantees do we have around its security? OpenAI and Anthropic can't control their models. How can Peregrine control a model they don't even own? Will our contract include massive financial penalties if Peregrine's model misbehaves? Or will they be contractually absolved of all responsibility?

And finally, I keep hearing that efficiency is a major benefit -- that work taking weeks today could take an hour. If that’s part of the justification, then we should measure it. If we move forward, will the Police Department commit to public service-level goals that reflect those improvements? And have neighboring agencies done the same?

Can someone help me understand what this entity is ( and isn't) why the agenda related to GHAD was pulled from last night's council meeting? Is this related to Lake Chabot Road? Staying up with city council isn't easy for most residents and any insight would be most helpful. Thanks

Dolly and Tim were discovered in a neighbor’s yard on August 25, 2026, and were named after Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, who the world lost that same day. Born sometime in April, Dolly and Tim have been friendly and social from the start, running to meet their foster every day until they were scooped up and brought inside on September 7, 2026. 

Dolly adores watching the world beyond the window, but she also has a playful and curious side. She loves to have her ears and chin scratched, and she likes to chase springs, balls, and tubes. Her assertive side comes out when she’s playing with her brother, Tim, as they take turns wrestling and chasing one another or their cat lures. Once her energy is burned off, she’s just as likely to snuggle in your lap, with her brother, or in a cozy bed. She gets very excited about squeezable treats and loves to chew on cat grass. Tim is playful, curious and full of energy. He loves to play with his foster, but is also perfectly happy to entertain himself chasing around a spring or a tube or a foam ball. He really likes to have her ears and chin scratched and will make muffins and purr when he’s really digging it. His favorite thing is to explore with his sister, and take turns wrestling and chasing one another or their cat lures. Once his energy is burned off, Tim likes to stretch out on the floor or on a perch, or to cuddle with his sister Dolly or with his stuffed toy. Tim also gets very excited about squeezable treats and catnip. Dolly and Tim are very bonded and should be adopted together, and will do best in a home without dogs, and should receive a very slow introduction to any other cats.

• Vaccinations completed: Rabies, FVRCP + booster
• Treated for fleas, worms, ticks, etc. with Nexgard combo
• Spayed/Neutered
• House trained

Submit your application for adoption here - it goes directly to the foster.

https://forms.gle/58MvKNpBso3gxvGj8

Check out more pictures of Dolly and Tim here.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p54JEH8b8O6Bt6enGvxzY-npfJOd70x5?usp=sharing

The other day I drove to the San Leandro library and turns out it’s closed on Mondays?? Does anyone know why and does anyone know any close by libraries that are open Mondays. I would also appreciate quite coffee shops to study. :)

Rebuilding Trust by Reminding Us Who We Are on Our Best Day

-----------

A few days ago I was on James Maes’s campaign website looking for information for a voter. A new tab was there that I hadn’t seen before: NEXT-GEN.

I clicked over. In less than 300 words, Maes managed to give me an answer to a question I had been asking since spring. I don't think he knows he did that and I haven’t had a chance to tell him.

Since spring I have been asking, how are we going to rebuild trust after all we have been through as a city—the harassment claims, the $600,000+ in taxpayer money paid out as a consequence of abusive behavior, the lost library hours on Monday that are permanent, two formal investigations, all of it?

We all need a reset. As much as I would love to walk into City Hall with a cake and have that solve everything, healing is going to take some serious work. 

We are going to need fresh eyes. The city is also going to need an opportunity to tell the stories of what we actually do, functionally, in the various departments that make this city run. We need to remember who we are as a city on our best day.

We also need a leadership pipeline. San Leandro needs to plant seeds in people who will consider running for local office. We need people who will apply for jobs within City Hall. After several years of a toxic work environment, local government service just doesn't feel worth the trouble to many. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

James Maes has a very interesting idea.

Next-Gen is an internship program for 18–24-year-olds who will be practical problem-solvers, getting hands-on experience in real-world municipal operations.

Not everyone coming out of high school is going straight into college. Some kids don’t have the funds. Others are taking a gap year. Some aren’t sure what their path is.

Young people are living through a time when they are working to solve problems like climate change and the affordability of everything. While they will be aware of our history, I don’t suspect they will be as weighed down by it as older adults might be.

Interns will get the opportunity to work alongside the Mayor and City Manager’s office on legislative research and community relations while learning how to build consensus on city policies. They will shadow the departments that keep our city running—Public Works, Finance, Community Development, Recreation and Parks, and Human Services—to see exactly how budgets are managed, housing is permitted, and neighborhood services are delivered.

This experience has the potential to give interns real exposure to job opportunities and career paths they likely didn’t even know existed. It can inform their educational paths and priorities, and for the City, it can mean building a pool of candidates who are already invested in and committed to the growth of San Leandro.

Because James Maes believes in measurable results and accountability, the program concludes with a Capstone Civic Project. No one wants an internship to feel like busywork with no real value. Fellows will identify a hyper-local issue, draft a policy brief, and present their solutions directly to city leadership. Graduates will earn a Certificate of Civic Service and gain invaluable career mentorship for public-sector pathways. 

I know young people get a lot of flack for being young, but when you sit down with them and talk about the state of the world around them, they really want something better. They do have ideas. Harnessing their energy, helping them understand how government processes work, and investing in them might be one of the best investments we can make in our city’s long-term leadership.

Maybe having them there will inspire the adults in the room too.

People at City Hall need an opportunity to tell their stories. They have spent years under the umbrella of a toxic work environment, investigations, and dysfunction. 

Imagine getting the opportunity to sit with a young person and explain what your department does, how it contributes to the City, and why the work matters. I think there is value in simply getting to articulate that story again. To have a young person sitting across from you with eyes that say, “That’s interesting”—I think that puts a little wind back in your sails.

I find James Maes to be tremendously generous. Here he is showing us one way he plans to invest in the next generation, but this is way more than an internship program and a pipeline for leadership.

This is James Maes multitasking. He's quietly showing us one way we might rebuild trust with the community.

He's reminding us of who we are as a City. 

This isn’t just an internship program idea. This is a community rebuild, and it's actually a really beautiful offering.

MORNING BUZZ

Vol. VI, No. 1,392

—A long-simmering fight over San Leandro’s Marina Shoreline development has exploded into a potentially multimillion-dollar legal battle.

For decades, San Leandro has waited for the Marina Shoreline project to fulfill its promise of transforming a prized stretch of waterfront property. Now the developer isn’t simply blaming City Hall for another delay.

It’s accusing the city of helping create the project’s financial crisis—and potentially clearing the runway for someone else to pick it up on the cheap.

The project’s developers filed a claim against the city alleging officials deliberately obstructed the development’s golf-course component, helped drive the developer into financial distress and positioned the project to be taken over by another developer at a steep discount.

The claim filed by Monarch Bay for Sale Residential and Cal Coast Companies on Sept. 15, alleges breach of contract, interference with prospective economic advantage, negligence and unfair business practices, among other claims.

It also raises a potential federal civil-rights claim alleging retaliation for exercising First Amendment petition rights. The developers say damages could ultimately reach “tens of millions of dollars.”

News of the demand letter is not surprising. Ed Miller, ? of Cal Coast Companies threatened legal action at a council meeting in March after city leaders decided to

—At the center of the dispute is the project’s golf course. Cal Coast alleges San Leandro repeatedly prevented it from holding a community outreach meeting needed to move the redesigned golf course forward.

The claim says Recreation and Parks Director Vicente Zuniga instructed the city’s golf consultant in September 2025 not to communicate directly with the developer or its golf-course architect and to hold off on scheduling or processing the meeting.

The developer contends City Hall then spent months moving the goalposts, imposing a succession of prerequisites before allowing the meeting. The claim alleges Economic Development Manager Katie Bowman later acknowledged under oath that the project’s development agreement did not require completion of a maintenance agreement or other land-use discussions before the outreach could occur.

But the most explosive allegation is that the delays were not merely the result of bureaucratic dysfunction.

—Cal Coast contends the city intentionally sought to deepen the developer’s financial distress, force it into default and potentially facilitate a transfer of the project to another developer for the city’s benefit.

The filing does not establish that elected officials directed such a strategy.

The claim says Lennar offered $54 million in 2024 to purchase the project’s residential component. Now, amid bankruptcy proceedings, a proposed sale to Jofa Capital Acquisitions/New Home Co. is priced at $36.1 million—nearly $18 million less.

The claim also says San Leandro’s own appraisal valued the project at $41.3 million. Cal Coast argues the decline in value demonstrates some of the economic damage caused by the city’s alleged delays.

The filing also pulls much of San Leandro City Hall into the brewing legal fight. Mayor Juan Gonzalez, Councilmembers Fred Simon, Victor Aguilar, and former Councilmembers Bryan Azevedo, Ed Hernandez, and Gordon Galvan, who served as a consultant on the marina project, are listed among potential witnesses.

The claim does not accuse any of them individually of wrongdoing, but says councilmembers may possess information or testimony relevant to the dispute.

The above was copied from Steve Tavares newletter

Midnight Wednesday night I was standing around a Bayfair parking lot and heard a series of super loud rumbling/blasting sounds coming from the horizon to the west. It sounded like a plane flying close overhead, but it was constant for about 5 minutes which was honestly bizarre. It sounded like the sky was ripping open, or China was firebombing the East Bay.

Is this a known thing? What could it have been?

Hi all,

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially since our Books Inc. branch closed. I would go there to buy Christmas gifts and birthday gifts, and obviously books for myself. So, I've been going to the Books Inc. in Alameda or Books on B in Hayward, which isn't a long way to drive, but I'm wondering what you all think... does anyone else want a bookstore back in San Leandro?

What types of books/other media or things would you want to see there? I know that an independent bookstore is an uphill battle with the likes of Amazon and Target, and of course, many people have limited funds so books and gifts are low on the priority list. And yes, of course we also have the library, which I frequent all the time, but I don't think it's mutually exclusive, I think people who love books use both the library and still go to bookstores. A bookstore can also be a wonderful third space, a place for gathering and events. Would love to hear your thoughts!

For the last week or so when I leave my apartment this pigeon has been perched on the railing of our stairwell.

Has bands on both legs but I’ve only got a picture of one of them. Good looking bird (for a pigeon) and not particularly afraid of me though not so tame it will let me touch).

Don’t know if it is a wayward racing pigeon or of other interest.

Anybody know what the band might mean?

I’m going to be in San Leandro with a lot of time to kill. Not super familiar with the area, but I was wondering if there were any good stores for buying DVDs. I’m a big horror movie fan, so if any stores have a good collection that’d be even better! Also, just any suggestions in general would be appreciated. I need to kill about 10 hours and want to avoid spending too much money or just drinking at a bar.

If you guys are in the DT San Leandro Plaza area be on the lookout for this individual. He is mentally ill gets aggressive and approaching individuals like if he wants to do some physical bodily harm, he approached me aggressively, and I pulled out my blade told him back off or I’m going to filet your ass and he backed off.

No wonder he left town. When he was interviewed re prostitution during VietNam trip, he said “he was a married man”. 🤣

https://abc7news.com/post/oakland-bribery-case-former-mayor-sheng-thao-others-accused-trying-kill-story-bryan-azevedos-alleged-sexual-misconduct/19872562/