East Bay Insiders

The March Primary in the East Bay provided a few surprises. We break down the biggest races. East Bay Insiders Podfather Matt Santos sits in as guest and recording engineer, and recalls Steve Tavares' first foray into politics, among other embarrassing tidbits, and we reminisce about our first-ever live recording.

The first-ever East Bay Insiders LIVE was a smashing success! We sat down in front a live studo audience with Alameda County Democratic Central Committee candidate and former Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor at Awaken Cafe in Oakland. Loren laid out his vision for Oakland, the Alameda County Democratic Party, his views on ranked choice voting, the recalls, and a few jabs at current Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's job performance.

The March Primary is around the corner. Don't forget to vote! Alameda County District 5 supervisorial candidate Ken Berrick joins the program to talk about his plans for the county--fixing Santa Rita Jail, caring for children, and helping Oakland. Later, we break down the big March Primary races in Alameda County, along with predictions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is tired of the mayhem on the streets of Oakland and the East Bay, essentially sending in the troops and taking over the district attorney's office. We break down the unprecedented moves with Alameda County District 5 supervisorial candidate Chris Moore. Later, the boys dish on "Super Dan," Vegas' mayor telling the A's to go home, campaign commercials, and the anonymous article slamming Supervisor Nate Miley.

Alameda County Democrats went berserk earlier this month, now their brethren across the aisle are trying to match their lunacy. Is there something in the water? A Hayward school boardmember made an incendiary comment toward a staffer, Rep. Eric Swalwell's opponent releases attack ad, BDS movement joins Gaza conversation in the East Bay, plus much more!

It was a wild first two weeks of 2024. Alameda County Democrats held a meeting that evoked a skit on Saturday Night Live, a judicial candidate undermined his own impartiality, and Vicki-Sparkle-Titz joined our political lexicon. We kickoff the new year with analysis on the demise of the Democratic Central Committee, legislation banning tackle football for kids, Libby Schaaf's return, and the Board of Supervisors primary races, and more.

The first annual Insidey Awards, already the least prestigious honor in Alameda County politics, makes it debut. Tune in for the best and worst performance by an elected official, best hair, and mayor of the year, among other categories, including the ultimate honor, Quote/Rant of the Year. We also chat up the Oakland Police situation and Gaza resolutions. Happy New Year!

The long wait is over. Shawn Wilson makes his triumphant return to the podcast. He has a new title and lays out his first directive as the podcast's president of code compliance, censorship, and content filtering. With the filing deadline for the March Primary past us, we preview the big races for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and State Senate. Merry Christmas and thank you for spending time with us this year.

Oakland has a population of more than 400,000 and most of them will be listening to find out if Oakland raconteur Seneca Scott said anything about him. Scott joins the podcast for a second time and had plenty of barbs ready for Oakland progressives. He also recounted recently saving a woman from being robbed while shopping in Oakland. Plus, our big announcement.

In part two of our discussion with former East Bay Assemblymember Catharine Baker: President Trump was not the reason why she lost re-election in 2018. "Candidates are responsible for either winning or losing their campaigns," Baker said, but "Trump was the single most dominant issue in my race." Her 16th Assembly District, she added, is the poster child for why Republicans across the country are losing support in suburban districts. Plus, more.

Former East Bay Assemblymember Catharine Baker joins the podcast for a lengthy discussion on the lack of civility in local and national politics, and how we can fix the problem. Baker served from 2014 to 2018. She is the last Republican elected from the East Bay to serve in the state Legislature. Baker, now a member of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, also gives a lesson in government transparency. Look for Part 2 of the discussion on Monday!

East Bay labor leader Doug Jones of SEIU-UHW dishes on the Alameda County labor movement, including insights in the big 7th State Senate primary race, and helps us understand the dire state of safety net hospitals in Hayward, Alameda, and San Leandro, and what may come next.

From unceded Ohlone land, Steve Tavares and Dan Mendoza welcomed Justin Berton, former director of communications for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, to breakdown current Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's first state of the city address, and other issues facing the city. Later, the latest developments in the recall of Alameda County DA Pamela Price.

A U.S. Senate appointment could shake up the East Bay's primary election in several ways. Castro Valley school boardmember Mike Kusiak makes a cameo appearance while bearing empanadas, and Lee Thomas returns a co-host. We discuss Sen. Dianne Feinstein's passing, the epic rant by Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas, and how DA Pamela Price should handle the recall threatening her first-year administration.

You're not going to sleep tonight after listening to the platinum episode of the East Bay Insiders Podcast. Steve Tavares, Dan Mendoza, and guest co-host Lee Thomas visit Joe's Pho in San Leandro. Lee gives his take on San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen being placed on administative leave. We tackle the astonishing news in Oakland that city officials dropped the ball on millions in state money to combat retail theft; an update on the DA Pamela Price recall, Barbara Lee seeking endorsements, plus an update on labor negotiations with co-host Shawn Wilson

Happy Labor Day Weekend! There's labor strife within the East Bay Insiders. Don't let the happy talk fool you. This week we delve into Oakland's 9-1-1 response-times; the real power behind the Oakland A's stadium lease issue; more on the DA Pamela Price's recall; Fremont's mayoral race; and the benefits state Sen. Aisha Wahab will receive for carrying Gov. Gavin Newsom's constitutional convention resolution.

Assemblymember Alex Lee got caught playing with the bad kids in the neighborhood, and the recall effort against Alameda County DA Pamela Price is almost in full-swing. From downtown Pleasanton, the East Bay Insiders chat about 16- and 17-years old voting in school board elections, a glimpse inside the Alameda County Republican Central Committee, and much more!

We clear the air with insights on Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's pay raise controversy, an analysis of possible recall campaign strategies for and against Pamela Price, Jennifer Esteen's chances against Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley; Holy shirts, rent control, and more!

It's post 4th of July, but the East Bay Insiders still have some fireworks to be lit. Shawn Wilson joins the show while on vacation in Hawaii. Some local cities are beefing with Alameda County. We look Hayward's lawsuit against county social services and how staffing shortages may be fueling rising discontent and dangerously poor service levels, and much more!

A's, crime pays, and Oakland's problems were created by you, Alameda County cities - the Oakland mayor's impact fee idea. Our correspondent reports back from the U.S. Conference of Mayor, Madame DA Pamela Price's latest moves, and the debut of the 30-second speed round (We didn't grasp the 30-second part).