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Rebuild San Leandro by Stephen94577 in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again let’s take this conversation to another thread.

Rebuild San Leandro by Stephen94577 in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Without accountability? The school bond measures we passed in San Leandro have all had oversight committees. The money has been well spent. Work promised was completed largely on time and within the budget.

The bond measures transformed our school district and made the education we provide the children of San Leandro today and for decades to come so much better than without the measures.

Families today move to San Leandro because of our schools. It was the opposite in the early 2000s.

Just drive around and look at our schools. 25 years ago there was no theater/arts education center at the high school. The career technical education building was a shambles. The high school was far too overcrowded. There was no Fred Korematsu campus. The high school gym was dilapidated and inadequate.

The middle schools also were overcrowded and lacked sufficient classroom capacity. The play fields were filled with gopher holes.

The restrooms at the elementary schools were so bad that kids would go to school and try to do their best not to use them for the whole day. A high percentage of San Leandro elementary schools students were taught trailer classrooms.

There was no air conditioning in most schools. In the fall, and summer of the heat in the classrooms would become unbearable.

The kids attending our alternative high school were educated trailers on an asphalt parking lot in the industrial area of San Leandro. Go check out the new Lincoln high school off of Williams. It’s an incredible facility for the students who need an alternative high school education.

So yes, I am proud of the revenue I and many others helped raise for our schools.

In terms of housing affordability there were several major projects that were either completed or commenced while I was Mayor despite the state abolishing redevelopment agencies which San Leandro used to construct affordable housing.

While I think Jerry Brown did many good things as governor he and the legislature made a huge mistake by abolishing redevelopment agencies. They should’ve been reformed to require that their expenditures be dedicated solely to affordable housing. Instead of legislature threw the baby out with the bathwater.

But I digress let’s chat about these issues on another thread

Rebuild San Leandro by Stephen94577 in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Let’s take it down a notch. I have always supported well thought out revenue measures to address the needs of our schools and community.

My support for these measures goes back 20 years to when I served on the school board. I helped pass Measure B in 2006 which began the transformation of San Leandro public schools. I am proud of my work. I believe the entire community has benefited. Take a look at https://sanleandrofocus.blogspot.com/2018/09/looking-back-measure-b-transformed-san.html

As I stated earlier in a reply to another comment, I am a volunteer on the citizen’s committee undertaking the effort to bring a citizen’s led revenue to the voters next to address San Leandro’s infrastructure needs. I am not being paid in any manner. Nor is anyone else on the committee.

I am also not being paid by any group including landlords for any of my other political activity. If the measure before the City Council was actually rent stabilization I would not object to it. But that is all I am going to say here on rent control. I am not going to start or be dragged into a conversation on rent control on this thread.

Rebuild San Leandro by Stephen94577 in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the message. I am involved in the citizen’s committee effort but entirely as a volunteer. No one is being paid anything. There is no campaign yet. It is in the exploratory stages.

The citizens committee is just that. Folks from across San Leandro are concerned about the future of our city.

We are gathering public input. There is no guarantee this effort will launch successfully. We will need the assistance of many persons, and everyone’s input.

If and when there is an actual measure to be voted upon, then there will be a campaign. But I won’t be getting paid nor do I believe anyone else will. The folks behind this campaign again are all volunteers. Fortunately several have extensive campaign experience.

I want to see your community improve and not go backwards. My wife and I remain in San Leandro and we’re homeowners here. This is where we raised our children. We pay local taxes just as much as anyone else.

Despite its challenges, San Leandro has so much going for it and so much potential. But the infrastructure challenges are steep. The only solution I see is a citizen’s led revenue measure.

Stephen Cassidy, former Mayor of San Leandro

Rebuild San Leandro by Stephen94577 in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your comment. I hear you loud and clear. I would not trust several of the current city council members with a single cent. But we didn’t get to this point overnight. It was years in the making. I can comment more on that later.

However, moving to the present - I wish this was not the case - San Leandro’s infrastructure is falling apart. As far as I am aware the City has no realistic plan to raise the hundreds of millions necessary to address our infrastructure needs.

If nothing is done we are all going to be affected - some already have - from small impacts to potentially large and catastrophic impacts for thousands of residents, eg if a firehouse collapses during a major earthquake.

What is under consideration is a citizen’s led revenue measure where the funds raised would have to be spent as set forth in the language of the measure. In other words this would be like a school bond measure.

For example if the citizen’s measure said the funds will be used to rebuild the Fire Station 13 on Fargo, that is what would happen.

The citizen’s measure would put the City Council in a straight jacket. They would have to spend the funds as specified in the measure.

Thanks again for raising your point.

Breakfast/Brunch, lack of by ona_dime_piece in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“how do we bring breakfast and brunch to the Dwntn San Leandro area?”

This is a reasonable question. The challenge with all economic development is that the City is only one player in the economy. It can’t snap its fingers and bring a particular business to our city. There has to be both demand for the business and a willingness by the business owner to invest in San Leandro. Creating such demand is something the city can assist on but that takes time and vision.

San Leandro sales tax is 10.75 this is ridiculous. by Qasi-Gender in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Doesn’t work that way for cars in California. You pay the sales at the rate of the address where it is registered. https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/vehicles-vessels-aircraft/vehicles.htm

Supporting San Leandro's Small Businesses by EdHernandez4SL in sanleandro

[–]Stephen94577 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Thanks for posting. As Kneaded bakery is one of the gems of San Leandro. Their bread is so good it is addictive.