Correction/Retraction

On December 6th, the Tattler erroneously reported that existing Emery School Board member Barbara Inch was endorsed by the resident advocacy group Residents United for a Livable Emeryville when she ran for that office in 2016.  In fact Ms Inch was not endorsed by RULE at that time or since.  Officially that group did not weigh in on the 2016 Emery School Board election.  After Board candidate Cruz Vargas refused to interview with RULE for their purposes of choosing candidates for endorsement, the group didn't request to meet Ms Inch and subsequently no candidate was picked for that office that year.
After receiving tips that the December 6th Tattler story was inaccurate, we reached out to several RULE members who had memory that Ms Inch was endorsed but a checking of internal RULE documents showed Ms Inch was never actually endorsed.  Ms Inch it should be stated, remains popular with many RULE members regardless.
The Tattler got the false information for the story from two RULE members who's memories were inaccurate.  We apologize for the mistake and have corrected the December 6th story.

Alameda County Certifies November Election: RULE Sweep

Election Certified:

RULE Wins Emery Unified School District Board Majority

Councilwoman Martinez Takes Historic 49% of vote

Alameda County Registrar of Voters certified the results of the November 6th elections today, officially confirming the majority takeover of the Emery School Board by the Emeryville resident advocacy group Residents United for a Livable Emeryville.  The election of RULE School Board candidates Brynnda Collins, Sarah Nguyen and Susan Donaldson on November 6th makes RULE endorsed Board members now a majority.  On the City Council front, RULE candidate and incumbent Dianne Martinez sailed to victory with 49% of the total vote; the largest in modern Emeryville history with 3182 votes, representing the largest number of votes ever garnered by a candidate for elective office in Emeryville history.

The historic election cements RULE's power in Emeryville with a popular total RULE backed City Council and now a new super majority RULE backed power base at the School District.  In 2016, RULE crushed the election with the sweep of it's candidates John Bauters, Ally Medina and Christian Patz, shutting down the anti-RULE business backed contenders and turned the previous simple majority into a five for five 'RULE bloc' totality on the Council.  This November's election RULE sweep notably makes the seat of existing School Board member Cruz Vargas the last lonely holdout for the anti-RULE minority in all of Emeryville.

Equally unparalleled in Emeryville history is the fact that RULE has never missed even one call.  Every single candidate or ballot initiative measure (like last June's Measure C the affordable housing bond) RULE has endorsed has passed; a remarkable perfect record dating back to RULE's inception and the election of Councilwoman Jennifer West in 2009 who handily beat her contenders (anybody remember Frank Flores for City Council?). Anyone considering running in two years for the seat now occupied by School Board member Cruz Vargas might want to take to heart the last ten years in Emeryville election history.

NOTE TO READERS:  This story originally contained an inaccuracy and the Tattler issued a retraction on December 8th.  The retraction can be viewed HERE. 

Asterisks represent RULE candidates
as well as election winners

Sarah Nguyen, Brynnda Collins, Susan Donaldson Win School Board Race

School Board Election Breaks for 

RULE Candidates

RULE Backed Incumbent Council Members
Dianne Martinez & Scott Donahue Also Win

With all five precincts reporting tonight but the election results not final, the hotly contested Emery School Board race appears to have swung for two change agent candidates Sarah Nguyen and Susan Donaldson with 1149 and 781 votes respectively or 29% and 19% of the total vote.  Incumbent Brynnda Collins who also can claim victory,  garnered 1123 votes or 28%.  Losers Katy Brown and Ken Bukowski are taking up the rear at 654 and 225 votes representing 16% and 5% respectively.  The three winners are all endorsed by the resident activist group Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE) as well as the Democratic Party of Alameda County.

The City Council race is breaking as expected tonight with RULE backed incumbents Dianne Martinez and Scott Donahue winning with 1471 and 1191 votes reflecting 49% and 39%.  Ken Bukowski came in at 319 votes or 10 %.

RULE Endorses Three for Emery School Board

Emeryville's longstanding progressive resident advocacy group Residents United for a Livable Emeryville today announced their endorsement of Sarah Nguyen, Susan Donaldson and Brynnda Collins for Emery School Board in the November 6th election.

With the School Board endorsement, RULE now fills out their picks for Emeryville for the 2018 campaign season having endorsed Dianne Martinez and Scott Donahue for City Council earlier.
The three School Board candidates have also garnered the endorsement of the Democratic Party of Alameda County as well as the entire Emeryville City Council.  Ms Collins , the only incumbent of the three, is currently president of the Emery School Board having been selected by the Board in 2017 to fill in for a vacating member.
The three School Board candidates are not running as an official slate but campaign watchers have noted they appear to be collegial among themselves and have been appearing together at campaign events in town.
RULE vetted and selected the candidates in an interview process conducted at their posted meeting on Saturday.

RULE: Resident Activist Group Supplants Chamber of Commerce as Premier Emeryville Power Base

RULE Sweeps Election

Historic Council Majority Shift

Residents In, 

Developers/Businesses Out

News Analysis/Opinion

As ballots are being finished counted in the Emeryville election just passed, one organization, the community activist group Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE), has emerged as the clear representative of the resident's interests here having endorsed every winner: both winning Council seats, all three School Board seats, and the hotly contested Measures U&V.  RULE even endorsed a winning candidate only tangentially connected to Emeryville; new State Assemblyman elect Tony Thurman, giving RULE a perfect record of winning endorsements this year, a proverbial run on the table.  But even as the historic election clearly shows how RULE has been prescient, its finger on the pulse of Emeryville,  the organization has been under attack recently, derided as somehow nefarious; made up of "anti-developer ideologues" and a "foaming-at-the-mouth radical left wing organization", charges notable for how far removed they are from the reality of the election outcome.

2009 Rule Sponsored
Town Hall Meeting
More than 100 showed up for
a Community Benefits Agreement
at the Bay Street Mall expansion proposal.

The election results make it clear, what RULE wants the average Emeryville resident wants and that is to create a livable town for ourselves.  And that makes RULE about as center of the road as it gets.  Despite all the name calling, the charges of being too left wing, too radical, RULE as it turns out is only left when viewed from the perspective of the non-voting Chamber of Commerce and their developer/business proxies.  RULE, the election tells us, is left wing radical only insofar as average Emeryville residents are left wing radicals; only as left and radical as wanting a nice place for residents to live in is left and radical.

So why the uptick in all this anti-resident, anti-RULE hostility?  We think a little post election light shining on RULE and its relationship with its would be countervailing force of the Chamber of Commerce is in order.

RULE members themselves are clear about who RULE is and its role in the conflict between the two competing camps, "Emeryville has always been controlled by people who don't live here.  Developers, corporations, big business have run roughshod over the city for decades, with the blessing of the city's top planners and managers, who don't live here, the leaders of our Chamber of Commerce, who don't live here, and a City Council that puts business interests before everything else," said Lillian Schroth, RULE co-founder and editor of The Secret News.  "RULE is about changing all that.  RULE's goal is to put the power in the hands of the people, the residents, where it belongs."

Modern Emeryville has been shaped in a cauldron with these two competing adjunct powers: the exclusive Chamber of Commerce, representing business/developer interests versus the open to all and democratic RULE, representing the resident's interests.  The two groups interface with City Hall by helping elect City Council members of their liking and by lobbying for policy friendly to their interests.  This twin-pole power sharing relationship has been up until now, asymmetrical; the Chamber of Commerce has permanently elected and held the critical three vote majority of Council members and as a consequence has had far more clout in shaping our town, with RULE only serving to elect a stubborn minority of resident friendly Council members over the years.  This condition delivered us the town as it is and it's responsible for our reputation of being a developer and business friendly locus.

The asymmetry is manifest in both our built environment and in our municipal code.

RULE co-sponsored the
Woodfin Hotel boycott 
A march stretched from the
hotel to City Hall, the largest protest
in Emeryville history.

Most of what you see when you look around Emeryville is the constructed expression of the will of the Chamber/developer nexus; the low slung suburban style shopping malls, the all rental studio and one bedroom drive-in drive-out apartment buildings and the lowest ratio of park and open space to residents of any city in the East Bay.   As of now, there is very little that can be identified as RULE delivered infrastructure; a park here, a locally serving worker owned bakery there, some funny purple signs and lines of paint on asphalt directing bicycles.

The power of the Chamber of Commerce is also manifest in Emeryville's municipal code with it's extreme deference to developers and businesses.  One only needs to look to our radically business friendly tax code to see this; business impact fees set so low that residents have to take up the slack in the form of City Hall subsidies, to ultra low business license tax rates, to our unprecedented and regressive business tax cap which allows Emeryville's biggest business to pay at an even lower rate (at the expense of our smaller businesses).

But all this, as they say, is about to change (business taxes already have begun to change).

After this last election day, the long-standing paradigm of an entrenched and strong Chamber of Commerce business/developer advocacy and a marginal and weak RULE resident advocacy has been flipped.  With RULE having secured a 3-2 majority on the Council in the election, Emeryville will now be governed by progressives for the first time in its 118 year history.

RULE has never had the money to fund their candidates like the Chamber of Commerce has but RULE does have the advantage of representing what the residents actually want.  The Chamber always has a heavy lift convincing residents of their 'trickle down' theory of resident benefit; the idea that if we put developers in the drivers seat, let them have their way, somehow it'll all work out to our advantage.  It's the "win-win" argument so often promulgated by the developers.  Nice things, things the residents want "won't pencil out" they say but bear with us, it'll end up as a "win-win".  After the November 4th election, the lift to make that sound reasonable just got heavier for the Chamber of Commerce.

RULE endorsed
Councilwoman Jennifer West
Joined RULE members at
the Woodfin Hotel protest

First They Ignore You...

For years RULE operated at the margins, winning a Council seat here and there, hosting a town hall meeting, pushing for a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with Bay Street mall developer Madison Marquette.  Slowly the group became emboldened as it chalked up victories.  This year, RULE finally shifted and employed the tactic used to great advantage virtually every election by the right wing; the slate of candidates.

The shift is not something those on the right have taken lightly. The blog the E'Ville Eye, normally content reporting on Emeryville boosterism, restaurants and posting crime statistics, took the opportunity during the election to discredit RULE, panning the idea of a slate, implying it's somehow nefarious and out-of-bounds.  RULE's shift to running a slate of candidates, what blog editor Rob Arias saw as an outrage, was enough for him to tell his readers to voluntarily give up one of their votes on election day.  Mr Arias suggested his readers "bullet vote" for non-RULE candidate John Bauters to counter the RULE slate of Dianne Martinez & Scott Donahue.  Readers were urged to give up their own agency by relinquishing their franchise in order to help Mr Bauters.

In his zeal to discredit RULE, Mr Arias went as far as to tacitly charge the group with fraud because he has determined RULE is not really a community activist group but rather a clandestine Political Action Committee (PAC), a money dispersing political organization that is required to register with the State.  Mr Arias' charge against RULE is baseless but it's interesting to note that the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce actually does operate a PAC known as EmPAC that bundles campaign contributions for City Council candidates favorable to developers and businesses.

The stories piled on from the E'Ville Eye before the election made RULE seem secretive, too anti-developer and too radical for Emeryville.  Mr Arias finally revealed his pro-developer stance when he warned his readers of anti-developer "ideologues" loose in Emeryville, something Mr Bauters, who calls himself a pragmatist, surely is not: "This election may represent the end of what I've referred to as 'The Developer Era' of Emeryville politics, an era divided by ideologues that contend our city has sold out to developers ...[versus] self described pragmatists that think it was a necessary measure to rebuild our city..." Mr Arias said.  That would be unrealistic and dogmatic ideologues with their heads in the clouds that want to build a livable city for the residents versus the common sense pragmatists who believe it's best to put the developers in the driver's seat and let the good tidings trickle down.  The use of the pejorative word "ideologues" by Mr Arias suggests the end of the" developer era" paradigm he describes would be represented by the election of the RULE slate of Martinez/Donahue he suggests, leaving Emeryville unable to rebuild, as it needs to do.  
It would appear Rob Arias is none too fond of RULE.  Indeed, one anonymous source told the Tattler, "Rob wishes RULE would just go away instead of [the retiring] Kurt Brinkman." The anonymous source acknowledges the distinction between RULE and Councilman Brinkman, who is on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce. 

Early in the election, RULE was a topic of discussion City Council candidate John Bauters had with the Tattler.  Asked why he hadn't sought out RULE, a community activist group that ostensibly would dovetail with his pro-community empowerment and progressive views, Mr Bauters said, "I was told by several people RULE is a foaming at the mouth radical leftist organization" and he explained that's why he has stayed clear of the organization.

RULE  Co-Founder
Judy Timmel
We represent the views 
of many residents.

RULE co-founder Judy Timmel isn't buying that assessment.  Speaking to the mainstream nature of RULE as revealed by the election, she told the Tattler, "Progressive values are the norm, not the exception in the East Bay.  It doesn't make sense that RULE would be portrayed as radical when we represent the views of so many Emeryville residents."

The right wing in Emeryville has long trashed RULE, albeit with greater intensity recently.  We know why they do it.  They do it because they're afraid of RULE.  They do it because RULE works for Emeryville resident's interests, not developers or businesses.  RULE serves as a vexing counterpoint to the right wing 'trickle down' meme.  Like the right wing elite everywhere, they want to keep the charade of the illegitimacy of people power going as long as they can because it's so profitable for them to do it.  They had a very good run in Emeryville.  But now it's developers/businesses out & residents in- sorry guys.
The results of the last election has increased the legitimacy of the resident part of the Emeryville political calculus and put all claims of RULE's illegitimacy to rest. 

Merriam Increases Spread Over Dwin; Is Count Over?

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters did not release updated vote counts around 5 PM yesterday, as had been their practice, and instead apparently worked late into the night in order to release new totals after 1:30 AM this morning. One candidate that spoke to the County was told that the count is now over, but the Tattler has not been able to confirm this and the County website does not yet indicate that the results are official. If this does represent the final count, Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE) endorsed candidate Donn Lee Merriam has increased his 8 vote lead from yesterday to a 23 vote lead over incumbent Miguel Dwin. It thus appears that the School Board election will be a RULE sweep with John Affeldt, Christian Patz, and Donn Lee Merriam.

RULE Survey: Emery School Board Candidate John Affeldt

Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE), a public citizens activist group that works for Emeryville resident empowerment, interviewed all four candidates running for the Emery School Board in the November 4th election.  Below, the Tattler presents the first in a four part series presenting the Emery School Board candidates participating in the RULE survey.  The four will be highlighted in alphabetical order, running every other day in the Tattler (or thereabouts).

Emery School Board Candidate John Affeldt

John Affeldt is currently an Emery School Board member, appointed to the position in July 2012.  This will be Mr Affeldt's first time facing Emeryville voters in a School Board election.  The voters are to pick from three of the four candidates running.  Here are John Affeldt's answers to the RULE survey:

1. What is your view of charter schools? How should the District respond to any applications it might receive to create a charter school within District boundaries?

Any applications received must be reviewed objectively according to the statutory requirements.  My personal view of charters is that they best function as pockets of experimentation to generate innovative practices which can then be taken back for use in the traditional public school setting.  Such was the original intention behind charters when they were originated in the early 1990’s as a result of advocacy from the American Federation of Teachers.  I do not see charters, as some do, as an alternative to the public school system.  Charters have not been good at creating sustainable systems of schools that have successfully been able to educate “all comers,” particularly all the low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities that public schools accept.  As for Emeryville in particular, we are small enough that we ought to be able to experiment and innovate within the traditional public school model.

2. What, in your view, is the primary mission of the District?

The primary mission of the District is the same one that is in our State Constitution and which I have fought to enforce as an education advocate statewide for the last 23 years:  to provide every child with an education that provides them with the opportunity to participate successfully in our economy, in our democratic and civic institutions, and in our diverse society. 

3. As an individual trustee, how would you want to interact with

teachers? Would you want to meet with teachers as a group, individually, and if so, how frequently? Or would you primarily rely on the superintendent or public Board meetings to communicate with teachers?

As a board member, I have regularly engaged in conversations with teachers that I know and see on a day-to-day basis in classrooms, in the hall, or at School site council meetings.  I have responded positively to every invitation I have received from teachers for after-hours meetings, be it for beers at Lanesplitters, a retirement party, or a ball game.  Where necessary, I have reached out to teacher leadership to keep communication lines open.

4. What is the appropriate role of standardized tests? How would you use the scores? Should scores be used to evaluate the performance of

administrators or teachers?

Standardized test scores are an important but imperfect indicator of student growth in learning.  Important judgments about students, teachers, or schools should not be based solely on standardized test scores.  Rather, any such judgments should be based on multi-dimensional, holistic evidence of student, teacher, or school performance.  I have been a supporter of California’s recent shift away from a test-centric accountability system to a more multi-dimensional one.  See a blog I wrote (http://edsource.org/2013/california-moving-away-from-washingtons-corporate-education-reform/36465#.U8rjxmK9KSM) and a list of principles I helped draft as part of the 100-member national Coalition for Teaching Quality which I helped form.  Principle 3 addresses teacher evaluation. (http://www.publicadvocates.org/sites/default/files/library/principles_to_ensure_student_access_to_fully_prepared_and_effective_teachers.pdf); also see generally www.coalitionforteachingquality.org. 

5. In recent years the District has fired or reduced the hours of some

staff in favor of outsourcing school services such as the breakfast and

lunch programs. When is it appropriate to outsource an existing school

service? What factors should guide these decisions?

The primary factor is always what is in the best interest of our students’ education.  Board members need constantly to analyze how the District can best maximize students’ educational opportunities.  Food service, for example, is a cost that is not fully covered by federal and state funds and by students who pay for meals.  Thus, the cost of meals “encroaches” on the District’s general fund and the educational programs we provide.  In order to maximize our instructional services, it has made sense to look to less expensive alternative ways to provide high quality, nutritional meals to our students.

6. What role should a Trustee play in District fund-raising from

businesses, non-profits, and grant-making institutions?

Board members can play an effective role in serving as a cheerleader for the District; this can include raising funds from outside entities like businesses or foundations.  I have reached out to foundation funders that I know on the District’s behalf where appropriate and have participated in helping to brief a funder on the District’s vision and programs.

7. The District controls three properties. How should it allocate

resources amongst these properties? Assuming the completion of the Emeryville Center of Community Life (ECCL) in 2016 and the use of the San Pablo Avenue site for K-12 instruction and administrative offices, what should the District do with the Anna Yates and Ralph Hawley sites?

Before I joined the Board, the Ralph Hawley site was designated for 0-5 preschool educational activities by the Board.  As such it is currently housing a very strong YMCA Head Start program.  The precise use of the current Anna Yates site is still under consideration.  Some of the ideas that I have heard floated include post-secondary job-training programs, housing County Office of Education teacher training programs, additional after-school and recreation program space and a future K-3 or K-5 site should the ECCL site become over-subscribed down the line, among others.  The District and the City have appointed a Task Force largely made up of community members to make recommendations regarding the future possible uses for the Anna Yates site and of the current Rec Center site post-ECCL.  That work has currently been put on hold while the City considers its priorities.  However we precisely proceed, the vision should be one in which we utilize all three sites to support the broader educational needs of our whole community, from preschool through to K-12 and beyond, if possible.

8. Should Emeryville schools receive contributions directly, or should they be managed by a third party?

Whatever maximizes support for the District and our students.  It seems, for example, that the Emery Ed Fund has often been an effective conduit for increasing business and at times foundation support for the District.  If a funder prefers to contribute directly to the District and that can be accomplished effectively, then that route makes sense.

RULE Endorses Candidates for Change on School Board

Patz, Merriam, Affeldt: In

Dwin: Out

The resident activist group Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE), has endorsed two new comers, Christian Patz and Donn Merriam for Emery School District Board of Trustees as they seek election in the November general election.  The group also gives an endorsement nod to incumbent John Affeldt while leaving aside the other incumbent Miguel Dwin.
  Three seats are up for election and the endorsement vote by RULE shows a desire to effect change for Emery. The rejection of long time incumbent Miguel Dwin combined with the approval of Mr Patz and Mr Merriam represents the maximum dissatisfaction with the School Board possible given that three choices are available to voters in a field of four candidates.
Board member Christian Patz was temporarily appointed by a vote of the Board in the spring to replace outgoing member Josh Simon. November 4th will be Mr Patz' and Mr Merriam's first time facing Emeryville voters.