Dear Editor:
The cliffhanger collision between Connie Chan and Scott Wiener is perhaps the most glaring example of two factions of the Democratic party, fighting for dominance. Wiener is unabashedly pro builders’ industry, corporations, and tech; while Chan calls for more local control and input. She has run a campaign shunning corporate PAC money; Wiener has fundraised up a storm from powerful corporate and tech donors.
But the chasm-like split in Bay Area politics, and specifically in the East Bay, has become so pronounced in only the last two decades, or so. Previously, voters tended to vote straight ticket; in the East Bay, most Democrats were also progressive, but battles erupted in Berkeley and Oakland over who wasn’t progressive enough.
It wasn't until races like the one pitting Wilma Chan against Lonnie Hancock for the State Senate in 2008, where each raised $800k or more, that it became clear to me something else was going on—donations weren’t from friends and family in small amounts, but big donors with big agendas.
Hancock won, helping to usher in the Development Democrat wing of the party, along with her husband, former Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, controlling local offices in Oakland and Berkeley, city councils, and legislative offices. In that same election, the like-minded Nancy Skinner jumped from the East Bay Regional Park District Board to the Assembly.
With the impossible-to-ignore population of homeless, and the conventional wisdom of a "housing crisis,” Democrats like Hancock, Bates, Skinner, Buffy Wicks, Wiener, etc. continue to espouse de rigueur progressive politics (pro-choice, gay marriage, civil rights, etc.), but also unapologetically rake in contributions from developers and builders.
The problem is further aggravated with the permanence of the political class, like a prix-fixe menu with no selection. Musical chairs: Sheila Jordan handed off her council seat to her friend and near neighbor in Rockridge, Jane Brunner, both were protégés of Don Perata. Politicians may be termed out of some seats, or grew weary of them, but then are parked in other positions—their motors idling, waiting to be slotted in. Skinner only now is being termed out of the Senate and Assembly.
Lateefah Simon waited patiently on the BART board until her friend Barbara Lee retired from Congress to become Oakland Mayor. (Lee had been an aide to Ron Dellums, who held the seat in Congress for decades before becoming Oakland Mayor.)
Simon faced no serious primary opposition, running before nearly anyone knew who she was, or her positions. In office, she’s notable for her determinedly low key and reticent stance, shunning the spotlight.
Where did Wicks come from? What did she stand for, except she made hay with the photo of herself with President Obama in the pre-gilded Oval Office.
And, where did Zac Unger come from? Although, apparently, he wanted a council job paying $114,243, on top of his jobs as fireman and union leader, with overtime pay, totaling $439,980 in 2024 (according to Transparent California.) Making over $550,000 a year, at those oxygen-depleted heights, no wonder Unger seems so wobbly on contentious land use issues. He opposed putting Measure EE on the ballot, which “prohibits councilmembers from engaging in outside employment or business that would interfere or conflict with their duties” (a direct quote from the County of Alameda voter information guide booklet).
Much like Project 2025 and the policy agenda provided by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, the U.C. Berkeley Planning Department has relentlessly and effectively promoted high-density housing and development in general, and curbing impediments.
Zoning is “racist,” nimbys are reactionaries, and Ezra Klein has made YIMBY cool. The tenor of this True Believer worldview was evident at the recent Rockridge Community Planning Council general meeting, with unsettling vehemence and dogmatism by the board and their adherents
Becky O’Malley, in her farewell (sadly) Berkeley Daily Planet essay, complained that Berkeley residents are uninformed on local politics, they brag they get all their news they need in the New York Times. The permanent political governing class here benefits from the lack of scrutiny. “D” is enough behind their names; Green candidates have trouble breaking though, although many write them in as a form of protest. (Their election guides are excellent and thoughtful.)
The dearth of independent journalism, historical memory, and community volunteerism overwhelmed by paid lobbyists and opportunists has devastating consequences. We lurch from crisis to crisis, reinventing the wheel. So, when new and/or younger activists wonder why the Oakland Planning Commission is a developer “rubber stamp,” with unfilled vacancies besides, it’s hard not to sound pessimistic or dated when one reminds them the last Oakland Mayor who appointed community advocates to the commission was Elihu Harris.
Jerry Brown, the ultimate shape-shifter, was Trumpian in his quest for power and relevancy. He was determined to rise like a phoenix back into elected office, undermining community groups and networking coordination all in the name of bringing 10k residents (read Yuppies) to downtown Oakland, as part of his aggressive, pro-development posture. We’re still living inside his vision, his scenario.
And, like Gertrude Stein, he left Oakland in the dust, when the going got good!
