True public resource

Good lord, in the column of “it’s never going to end is it?” the Alameda Magazine is running a sympathetic piece on the plight of the Carnegie Innovation Hall’s implosion.

Highlights:

Sturtz laid the blame for his withdrawal with Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and city council members who, in September, after he’d had five months of negotiations with city staffers, required insurance and added a project labor agreement to the lease agreement.

Five months of negotiations with City Staff, not with the City Council.  Last I checked, it takes a super majority of four to approve a lease of City property.  It’s a shame that the CIH folks didn’t know that otherwise maybe they would have been more prepared for the actual process of working with the City.  I mean, I’ve seen second story additions on private homes take longer than five months, so I’m not really sure if this is supposed to make us feel sympathetic to CIH.

Collaborate and listen

And just so we’re also clear on what Trish Spencer’s role on the City Council was, it was not to actually try to get any real policy decisions pushed forward — with the exception of cannabis of course — from the transcript:

I mean, if anyone had asked anyone that sat on the School Board with Trish Spencer they could have echoed the same sentiment: that Trish Spencer is not collaborative.  So why she wants to return to the City Council to just be someone to gum up the works is beyond me.  But I suppose for some people, that’s the whole point of wanting Trish Spencer on the City Council.  To gum up the works.

That’s what she said

The funniest part of the Keimach transcript was this part in the chit chatty section about  then Mayor Trish Spencer:

Shortage of staff

It should come as no surprise that the Alameda Police Department is having trouble hiring.  Not that there is anything wrong specifically with the Alameda police department, I just imagine that going into policing is not at the top of a lot of wish lists for kids these days the way that it used to be.

On tonight’s City Council agenda there will be an item to consider to amend an existing policy to recruit current police officers working in other cities to come to Alameda.   I mean it’s all fancied up in language like “lateral recruitment” but it’s really just an attempt to poach police officers from other cities.   And because other cities are currently doing it, it’s not going to be enough for Alameda to advertise that it’s slightly less crime ridden than its neighbors to be appealing enough.

From the staff report:

I’ll know

What a way to ring in the holidays!  The City Council will be considering an agenda item to establish a policy to not grant legal fees if a City Councilmember “knowingly” violates the City Charter.

“Knowingly” is going to be a tough road to resolve, but *shrug*.   From the staff report:

The Policy provides: “No Council member nor City staff member shall be entitled to reimbursement from the City for legal or other fees incurred as a result of such person’s knowing violation of the City Charter, an applicable criminal statute, or an applicable ethical code of conduct.  “Knowing” is an expression of general, not specific, intent and a person knowingly commits a violation by intentionally engaging in the proscribed conduct; however, it is not required that the person intends to violate the law or an ethical code of conduct, or knows that the conduct is proscribed.   The City Council, excluding than any City Council member who has a conflict of interest concerning such reimbursement, may decide whether the City Council member or City staff member requesting or seeking reimbursement knowingly committed the violation or delegate such decision authority to the City Manager, the City Attorney or appointed Special Counsel.”

Happy Thanksgiving

Nothing for this week, enjoy your holidays.

National Horror Story: look to your duty

SCHIFF: “What we’ve seen is far more serious than 3rd-rate burglary of the DNC. What we’re talking about here is [withholding] of aid to an ally at war. That’s beyond anything Nixon did… the real difference is between the [Watergate] Congress & this one. Where is Howard Baker?” pic.twitter.com/wSpWNeM5T6

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 21, 2019

 

Lacking pizzazz

So if you didn’t see the post yesterday afternoon, the transcript AND audio is out.   I’ve listened to it AND I’ve read the transcript.  I may have followed along with the transcript while listening.   And my first impression is: that was a huge letdown.

I mean, I guess I expected more fireworks and smoking guns and maybe a bigger shakedown, but it was just: meh.  The transcriptionist managed to butcher every single spelling of every name.  The redactions were done pretty perfectly to convey that we’re missing very little of the nut meat of the conversation.

I guess the big red flag for Malia Vella and Jim Oddie was when Jill Keimach started in with this after the small talk and the “why we’re here conversation”:

I mean, who talks like this in a normal conversation that is not being overheard or taped?

It’s out

Audio and transcript.

National Horror Story: nothing matters to Trump-world

My Republican colleagues suggest that since Trump’s Ukraine scheme failed, since someone blew the whistle and the aid was ultimately released, that it doesn’t really matter if he tried to bribe a foreign power with military aid.

The Constitution says otherwise. pic.twitter.com/0V3OdIhU3r

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 19, 2019

The big moment.

Tim Morrison confirms that the Trump Administration conditioned military aid on launching an investigation into Trump's political rival, Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/GWoWOnUZXi

— Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) November 19, 2019

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