On the 51A at 9:20am on 10/22. I wasn’t sure what to do so I gave it to the bus driver, please contact AC transit or DM me if you need any more details. I took a photo of the bus number for reference as well.

Jay B. asked me to share the transcript of the Police Chief giving us all his POV on our city council-members in action. So I did one better. Always here for you, Jay.

I've heard so many times that "nobody cares about what happened years ago."

Well, these distinguished Alamedans beg to disagree. They cared, as do I. And, my hope is, there are more people who want to stand up for ethics and standards than there are those who want to deflect and excuse.

Again, the point many of us are trying to make is that you don't have to be convicted of a crime to have engaged in misconduct.

This isn't just about what's legal. It's about knowing right from wrong. It's about ethics, judgment, and the public trust.

Some of us believe what happened was absolutely disqualifying. As the architect put it, how do we tell our kids that bullying is wrong when we tolerate it from our elected officials?

And the costs to Alameda were enormous: damage to morale, the city's reputation, its ability to recruit, and more than a million dollars in financial costs. The city even paid $17,000 toward her legal fees. Yet where is the accountability?

Here's a question for the law professor: If nothing improper happened—if it was, as she repeatedly insists, "just a meeting"—why retain attorneys charging $650 an hour?

And let's not forget what this was fundamentally about: selecting the best possible fire chief for Alameda.

I remember a father speaking passionately about his 17-year-old daughter and his concern that political pressure was taking precedence over finding the person best qualified—not the union choice, but the best qualified— to protect his daughter. That's a paraphrase, but his point was powerful.

I'm not anti-firefighter. Far from it. But I am concerned about the influence of union money and political power over decisions that should be made in the public interest. Even then-Assemblymember Rob Bonta was reportedly involved in pressuring the city manager.

Here's a radical thought: let's hire (and elect) the very best people…mayors, city managers, fire chiefs, and then let them do their jobs, unobstructed.

Just got a SMS for a candidate for AUSD. I have never consented for these political messages, ever. The fastest way to not vote for a candidate is one that their campaign has zero respect for the voters they try to court.

Bad Form.

It ends at 430pm not 445pm

Burma Superstar has signs up that they are closing early because of a planned power outage. Anybody know anything about this?

We have a baby and a toddler and my husband got a job in SF so we’re looking into moving to either Oakland or Alameda!
We spent a year living in the south bay and tried really hard to make friends. We joined run clubs, went to library events, city events, etc, and made tons of acquaintances but no one really wanted to (or had time to) hang out outside of these spaces.

As we look to settle down, the absolute most important thing for us is forming a community. So we would love some insider insights on a couple things:

1. Apartment complex suggestions where kids are frequently playing outside with each other.

2. Some perspective on difficulty/ease of forming a community in Alameda.

TIA!

Here are some issues I think Alameda voters should look into before deciding whether Amos White is the right person to represent them on City Council.

Campaign Finance and Accountability

1. Unpaid Campaign Expenses: An August 2026 collection notice from the city listed $3,827.66 in outstanding candidate-statement printing costs from his 2020 campaign. This was only recently paid, but only after his debt became published.

2. Missed 2018 Filing Deadline: Amos missed a candidate filing deadline in 2018 and was not able to run for office. Amos blamed city staff instead of taking responsibility.

3. 2026 Campaign Finance Disclosures: Amos missed the September deadline to file required campaign finance statements. This is a pattern of a candidate who consistently misses deadlines and legal reporting requirements, and never apologizing or taking responsibility for his missteps.

Policy Positions and Past Decisions

4. Opposed the Pro-Housing Measure Z in 2020: Amos opposed removing Alameda’s racist charter restriction on multifamily housing. For someone who claims to be the only renter in the race, his words and actions do not seem to be aligned.

5. Against Wellness Center for Homeless Seniors: Many associates of Amos' have alleged that he opposed the proposed wellness center for homeless seniors because it was "politically controversial." Doing the humanitarian thing should never be controversial, and as an elected leader, you have to have the courage to lead. Amos does not have this courage.

6. Against Police Reform: During the George Floyd/Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Amos White was often seen in local marches and speaking out. However, he came out opposed to police-reform commissions that were formed out of these protests. Again, his words and actions do not seem to be aligned.

7. Housing and Tenant Protections: There are no records of Amos White speaking in support of rent control and tenant protections. Amos never published his position on Measure K in 2016, despite running for office just 2 years later. Amos failed to secure the endorsement of the Alameda Renters Coalition, despite being the only renter in the race. In addition, his endorsement page lists many NIMBY individuals who led the fight against the 2020 Pro-Housing Measure and the 2016 rent control ballot Measure K.

Leadership and Transparency

Ultimately, Amos White’s words and actions don’t appear to align. He presents himself as a progressive, yet his record raises serious questions about his support for progressive causes, including police reform, multifamily housing, and care for homeless seniors. His endorsement page should also give voters pause: the support of numerous well-known NIMBYs seems at odds with the progressive image he promotes. These aren’t minor differences in style; they go to the heart of what kind of leadership Alameda needs. Voters deserve more than progressive rhetoric. They deserve a consistent record of standing up for housing, vulnerable residents, accountability, and meaningful reform. We should judge candidates by what they’ve actually done, not simply by how they describe themselves.

Bunch of sirens, they were passing relatively slow, not like racing somewhere. Anyone else hear it? Any idea what this was about?

In a white Honda (7xxxx ...) with a blue Alameda sticker.

This car was turning right onto South Shore Center, but sped through the stop sign barely stopping.

If it wasn't you, please ignore!

My husband had a tooth pulled recently and oral surgeon called in an order at Alameda Kaiser pharmacy of hi dose Ibuprofen, antibiotics, and Vicodin. Husband is anti-narcotics unless absolutely necessary, and wasn't planning to take the Vicodin. (He even turned down morphine when was recently in the emergency room due to extreme pain from something else. Morphine was even already in the needle ready to go in the IV and he refused.) So now that he is healed up from the tooth he got ready to put the narcotics away and showed me that he didn't take any. Well, there's only 7 in there, and the bottle says 8. The container didn't have a sealed liner. No one else in the house, I didn't take them, and he's anti drug and swears he didn't take one. So I'm mystified. Curious if anyone else has had missing narcotics from the pharmacy at Alameda Kaiser.

The gobfather?

REAP Climate Center and Bay Beehives are hosting a Honey Harvest Festival this weekend! If you love bees, honey or have an interest in beekeeping you can't miss this event.

What to Expect

🥗 Harvest Potluck
We’ll kick off the festival by gathering around the table for a community potluck celebrating the abundance of harvest season. Bring a favorite dish, snack, something from your garden, or another treat to share if you’re able. No need to bring something to participate—there will be food to share!

🍯 Honey Spinning & Extraction
See how harvested honeycomb is uncapped and spun to extract the last honey of the season, and learn about the process that takes honey from comb to jar. The bees themselves are settling in for the season, so we won’t be opening or working in the hives during the event.

🐝 Bee 101 with Bay Beehives
Melissa from Bay Beehives, REAP’s on-campus beekeeping partner, will share an introduction to honeybees, hive life, beekeeping, and the colonies that call REAP home.

🌼 Native Bee Activities
Learn about the many important pollinators beyond honeybees and get hands-on building homes for native bees.

🪱 Vermicomposting Workshop
Meet some of REAP’s hardest-working decomposers! Learn how to grow and tend a healthy worm population, care for a vermicomposting system, and harvest worm castings to return nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

🌱 Explore REAP
The campus will be open throughout the festival. Wander around our living laboratory, see what’s growing, visit the chickens and sheep, and learn more about the projects, people, and practices that make up REAP.

You can sign-up for workshops on-site. Sign-up will be available first come, first serve.

Hope to see you there!

Well, it’s that time of Halloween where the local teenagers start stealing stuff. Every year something goes missing, but it’s also pretty frustrating and makes me want to stop decorating.

Around 1:20 AM a younger male wearing a hood and mask walked by my house and then circled back a minute later and stole the 500W LED black light.

Looks like this year’s thief was planning it as they were masked and hooded, also walked by several times

If you see this: Just put it back on the steps

Is there a street or block in alameda that kids can view decorations ?

I think alameda has a decent consensus on the key issues.

But I’m wondering what are the biggest disagreements between candidates that would create a genuine conflict in voting in a real life policy situation?

He’s backed by the Alameda County Democratic Party, Alameda Labor Council, Alameda Firefighters Local 689, Building Trades Council, East Bay YIMBY, Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Michele Pryor, Councilmember Greg Boller, AUSD Board President Ryan LaLonde, Trustee Carrie Hahnel, and State Senator Jesse Arreguín.

Learn more about Tyler and his vision for Alameda:

https://savageforalameda.com/

While Thushan is (quite literally) running while he runs for City Council, I'm riding the bus.

Alamedans, I've spent the past couple of months listening to your thoughts and concerns about transit, and taking plenty of buses myself in, to, and from your fair city.

From Alamedans, I've specifically heard that there are needs for bus-ferry connectivity, school transit support (particularly for the Otis temporary campus), transit planning and communication around tube closures, and a return of the OX. If elected, I cannot promise that I can do all of those things, but I can promise that I will listen to your needs and escalate them through the board through properly agenda'd meeting items, participation in interagency committees, and other relevant mechanisms.

I'm running to be your representative on the AC Transit Board of Directors on a platform of reliability, affordability, and agency transparency. You can read about my platform, background, values, and priorities at valenciaforactransit.com

I hope to earn your vote!

PS: Please vote Yes on RTM. Public transit is a public good and, right now, it needs our investment: years of covid-era grants have expired, the Trump administration's cut back on transit funding, and costs have generally risen. While this measure is estimated to cost your household about $100 a year (assuming $20k annually in taxable spending): that is far, far less than you would spend on additional gas due to heavy automobile congestion.

I do not want BART to stop running at 9 pm, I do not want transbay bus service to be weekday-only, and I do not want the decrease in service quality that would accompany public transit becoming a means-of-last-resort. And I would love to begin a term representing you in a context in which AC Transit has sufficient funds to restore service, and isn't immediately forced to make 16% cuts in service.

Hey, it’s me, Thushan Amarasiriwardena. I’m running. Literally! That’s me on the Fourth of July parade route, and I’m running for Alameda City Council… for YOU.

Your ballots should have arrived. I made this video to highlight the things I hear Alamedans want tackled and what I'm prioritizing to hopefully earn your vote.

The best part of running for office is the conversations. I’ve been door knocking, 1:1 coffees, walk and talks, from Bay Farm to Alameda Point, asking and hearing from hundreds of Alamedans what they want. (To be fair, so have nearly all the other candidates. I appreciate how most of us are really hitting the pavement.)

Hundreds of conversations later, I see a lot of overlap on what’s worth tackling:

• Longtime residents worried about getting priced out
• Empty storefronts sapping vibrancy from our downtowns
• Unsafe streets and cars going too fast
• Rising water and rising insurance bills

These are solvable. I’m running to solve them.

I think it’s important you know where I stand and what my ideas are, so I’ve put them in writing. Here are the bullets. My full platform, focused on reasonable solutions, is at:

http://thushanforalameda.com

Read it, poke at it, compare it with everyone else’s, tell me where I’m off, and where you agree.

Storefronts – Streamline the permitting process to make it easier to open and maintain small businesses → thushanforalameda.com/fast And on the other end, we need to introduce a muscular commercial vacancy tax, to spur landlords to do the right thing and rent out the space. Every dollar of these taxes will be reinvested downtown

Street safety – Ensure we build safer street design to walk, bike, and drive across our Island, while keeping traffic moving.

Housing – Meet our housing goals and support our rent-stabilization program. Alameda already makes developers invest in the town: they put $10 million toward the Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal, built a $35M seawall on the northern waterfront, and every new project must include affordable homes and transit mitigation (often Clipper passes). With public housing money so scarce, overlaid with complex funding paths, this is a critical pillar to ensuring we make enough housing for Alamedans.

Public safety and Flock – Staff public safety properly and push for more community policing methods like walking beats to increase connections with the community. And we need to make sure the tools don't trade away our civil liberties for mass surveillance (Flock is wildly problematic to keep).

Climate adaptation – We're facing rising sea levels and insurance rates, and need to tackle that with climate adaptation like seawalls, pumps, and marsh restoration. We have a solid plan in the works for Bay Farm that we need to build, along with repairing our streets and invest in emergency infrastructure. I'm enthusiastically voting yes on Measure L (and yes on M and N).

Harbor Bay Landing – Revive it, so Bay Farm residents can do their critical errands locally. Our city needs to be proactive about these things, not get to this point. We should do it by collaboratively setting goals with residents, and ideally welcome a local developer who knows the community’s needs and sees success in delivering it.

Alameda Point – Bias towards selling properties to fund infrastructure improvements. Attract more great job-producing companies who want to put roots down, and spark a hub of innovation. To boot, it will make for a broader tax-base beyond homes. Inject life by making arts and entertainment a critical component (Radium performing arts center).

AI Data Centers – The Point should be filled with jobs and people. Data centers employ few and would be poor use of our land (and we don’t have the grid capacity to support it). Instead we should attract science, green, and marine-tech companies that build things and hire from PhDs to machinists. We have a number of companies showing the way on that already.

Money in politics – I’ll push for ranked-choice voting and public financing of local elections, cutting the corrosive impact of money in politics. I practice it today: I cap donations at $500 and take none from anyone with expected business before the Council.

My whole career is focused on making things work better for the people who use them. At The Boston Globe. At my education app startup that Google acquired. At the White House/U.S. Digital Service during the Biden era, making the IRS faster and easier for you. Same instinct every time: listen first, then build.

I’m an immigrant from another island, Sri Lanka, so I know how much great places can shape a life. I want Alameda to be a place where luck is made. A home you can afford. Streets and downtowns that bring you closer to your neighbors. A place where its straightforward to start and maintain a businesses.

My goal on government: I want a government that runs so well you trust it to do more.

If elected, I’ll bring a curious, pragmatic, and data-informed voice to City Council. I’ll focus on turning good ideas into visible results, keep you up to date on progress, and keep neighborly friendliness in city politics.

I’d be honored to earn your vote, and to keep running for you long after November 3.

Your neighbor,

Thushan Amarasiriwardena

We are a looking at a Limestone with Forest Edge Rivian, does anyone have one they would like to show us to take a look at? We are specifically looking to see what the interior looks like.

Thank You

I saw this posted on Peeps and thought it was worth sharing here as well. This is an email sent from Mayor Ashcraft to some constituents that asked her about her support for Malia Vella for mayor:

Good Morning __ ____________ ,

Thank you for your email asking why I have endorsed Malia Vella to be Alameda’s next Mayor. After serving as Mayor for the past eight years, and as a City Council Member for six years before that, I care deeply about the progress Alameda has made, and the leaders who will shape its future.

Let me first explain why I am not supporting Tracy Jensen for Mayor. Having served with Tracy on the City Council these past four years, I believe she lacks the temperament and judgment to lead our city. Here are two recent examples:

On April 29, 2026, the City Council met for a special closed session, requested by City Council Member Greg Boller, to further review the proposed contract for our new City Manager Gerry Beaudin. This is a very important contract because the City Manager is, essentially, the CEO of the City. While I cannot share specific details of that confidential meeting, shortly after the meeting began, Tracy walked out without explanation. Council Member Boller texted to ask her to return, but she refused.

As a result, the remaining four City Council Members discussed and finalized the City Manager’s contract without Tracy’s input.

The second troubling incident occurred at the May 5, 2026 City Council meeting when the council was discussing department requests for the FY 2026-27 budget. Police Chief Nishant Joshi had asked for funding to hire four new police officers for APD, which is understaffed. The 5/5/2026 Staff Report explained his request:

“Staff is requesting this funding to bring the department’s total number of budgeted police officers from 72 to 76 FTEs. The department will prioritize staffing up its Patrol unit so response times should quicken with the additional staff, providing a timelier response for those impacted by crime.”

Tracy made a motion to reduce Chief Joshi’s request by half, and authorize only two new police officers. When I asked Tracy to explain her motion, she replied that we could use the savings for something else, but offered no examples. Fortunately, no other Council Member seconded the motion so it failed, but I found Tracy’s impulsiveness and disregard for public safety concerning.

With regard to Malia, I have spoken with her at length about the circumstances that resulted in the 2019 Grand Jury investigation. I am satisfied that Malia is wiser and more mature than she was at that time, and am impressed with her accomplishments since leaving office. They include serving in an executive role at the California Department of Education, and currently, working with a company that developed a technology to help struggling students become proficient readers.

Additionally, during the eight years I served with Malia on the City Council, I was impressed by her ability, and willingness, to collaborate with other Council members to reach a compromise that also addressed their concerns. During my 14 years in local elected office, I have not observed this essential quality in the other two mayoral candidates.

I hope you find this information useful.

Best regards,

Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft

Mayor, City of Alameda

Hey neighbors, if any of y’all are hobbyists in salt and freshwater I’m selling some tanks and other misc supplies because I need to downsize!
Also if you’re in alameda I can deliver for a fiver if you don’t have a car ❤️

20g long imaginitatium with lid- $15
OG ad:
https://www.petco.com/product/imagitarium-black-long-framed-glass-aquarium-20-gallon-3966812
(Doesn’t come with lid lid is sold separately for $15)

3g cube imaginitatium -$10 (no lid!) good for shrimps!!
OG ad:
https://www.petco.com/product/imagitarium-frameless-cube-glass-aquarium-3-gallon-3966821

6g cube imaginitatium with lid- $15
OG ad:
https://www.petco.com/product/imagitarium-frameless-cube-glass-aquarium-6-gallon-3966783

Saltwater bacteria seeded Live sand and rocks-$8- (probably like 5lbs worth of sand and ~3lbs of rock.
These have been in the 20g for a while while i cycled thinking about who I wanna put in it but I honestly have 6 running tanks and need to stop adding more to my plate lol my house in too crowded already. I haven’t been dosing ammonia for a week or so, so I can also give you a little bit of filter media from a running tank to help you kickstart ❤️

For freshwater baddies i also have plant trimmings i can hook you up with for $1 since I gotta trim anyway :) xoxo

Also willing to negotiate on price cuz this hobby is expensive and am happy to hook up a fellow hobbyist ❤️🐟🐠

tl;dr: I miss having local folks who are thoughtful and share a lot of information about local politics and events. Lauren Do and Steve Tavares (EB Citizen then, EB Insider now) spoiled me in the mid-to-late 2000s all the way through to recent times. Y'all did us a solid and I can't thank you enough. ❤️❤️

Every election, we have a bit of a family caucus, where the several voters in our household walk through the candidates and issues together, talk about what we know, research what we don't, and each come to our conclusions about how we each want to vote. Sometimes we vote the same, sometimes not. I like the extra perspective I get, and it's often changed how I'd vote on something.

Usually takes 2-3 hours, and it always has us spending a pile of time on the internet, with sites like Ballotpedia (election, state props, county measures), California and Alameda County voter info guides, Alameda League of Women Voters events, campaign websites, etc. This time, I also found myself revisiting Lauren's blog, Steve's former site, as well as Mike McMahon's site from back in the day to remind myself of candidates' prior activities, issues, and generally what was going on at the time.

So this is a little bit an homage to Lauren and Steve, a little bit "here's easy links to go learn things", and a little bit "hey, get informed and go vote!"

Last year we were able to buy maps for everyone participating in the house decorating contest- I havent seen anything about it this year though? Anyone know if its a thing this time?

After announcing that I was suspending my campaign because I had not filed the correct paperwork by the deadline, Reddy Jensen asked to meet with me about the Alameda Animal Shelter. Reddy’s human companion is Tracy Jensen who is also running for mayor.

Just as a reminder, I was running for the mayor seat because of the condition of the animal shelter building as described in the City’s facilities evaluation report. The report gave the shelter building an “F” meaning it is “not recommended for intended use” due to “constrained space and aging facilities.”

Reddy indicated that he was also a rescue and that his HC was well aware of the conditions at the shelter and had mentioned it at several council meetings and at a number of forums. He said that she had worked to get the Veteran’s Building upgraded and her experience with that project would be useful in getting improvements at the shelter now.  The projections for a new shelter are five to seven years away. In the meantime, city staff, FAAS staff, and a bunch of volunteers would continue to use a one toilet bathroom built in 1984. Not acceptable!

After affirming my commitment to getting at least some upgrades to the animal shelter, I believe that Reddy’s HC is the best person to make that happen. Therefore, I am endorsing Tracy Jensen for the top spot on the Alameda City Council. I hope that all of my supporters whose top issue is improving the conditions at the shelter for our canine guests will consider supporting Ms. Jensen.

Please check out her website to learn more about her positions on issues important to Alameda residents.

https://www.tracyforalameda.com/

Before beginning this week’s report, I want to thank everyone that emailed my human companion the addresses of houses that were decorated for Halloween. I have a great list to keep me busy, but can always use more suggestions, especially if you live on the west end of Alameda.

In my travels this week, I realized that some of these decorated yards are better appreciated during the day rather than at night. So, I revisited some of the locations to see if they looked better in the light of day.  I also decided that it might be easier on the feet of my readers to group the yards by geographical area. This week, I am featuring the exhibits on Sherman Street. Park your car at the corner of Central Avenue and Sherman Street and head towards the bay. Most of the elaborate displays are in the 1200 and 1300 blocks, but there are additional ones in the1700 blocks as well.

I put together a single video that features many of the yards, and I backed it with a music track from Robert Cray. The song I picked  .  .  .  “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” of course. Please take a few moments to enjoy it and be sure to plan a visit to Sherman Street during the day or night or both.

There were two installations that I thought merited their own individual video. The first was a full symphony orchestra set up on the lawn in front of 1252 Sherman Street. As I walked by, I distinctly hear the spirit of Glenn Miller conducting this orchestra in a performance of “In the Mood.”  Stop by and let me know if you hear it too.

The second amazing exhibition is located at 1301 Sherman Street and has become an Alameda mainstay and a must see on everyone’s list of viewing. I was going for Oingo Bongo’s “Dead Man’s Party” as the musical accompaniment, but my human companion suggested we use the Creedence Clearwater Revival’s version of “I Put a Spell on You” and save OB’s tune for the next reel.

And speaking of musical accompaniments, there is going to be a live music concert on Sherman Street from 6 PM to 8 PM by Friends of Ken band. I gotta

JUST AS A REMINDER:  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/