The East Bay’s reputation for progressive activism is as solid as they come, but one influential county Democratic leader thinks it could do even better. Alameda County Democratic Party Chair Robin Torello recently told the party’s Central Committee that she wants to see every city in the county take up liberal items like sanctuary city policies, higher minimum wages, and stricter rent control.
That’s all fourteen cities—not just ultra-liberal enclaves like Berkeley and Oakland, but also a swath of less progressive cities in the eastern portion of the county like Dublin and Pleasanton.
As the East Bay Citizen’s Steve Tavares notes, that would be a steep hill to climb. But there are room for inroads. In the coming year, for instance, he expects a major focus on Hayward which is behind on issues like minimum wage increases and rent control despite a significant number of Latino and union residents.
Read more at the East Bay Citizen.