East Bay Insiders

Progressive icon Barbara Lee is Oakland's next mayor. How did Lee hold off Loren Taylor's upstart campaign, and how will she tackle the city's pressing issues? Like Oakland, Pleasanton is facing a significant budget shortfall. So why were Pleasanton officials so fixated on orange signage at a gas station? Horse racing is a thing of the past at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, and why was Shawn Wilson so persistent about wrapping up this episode?

Oakland's special mayoral election is suddenly a close race. We break down what Barbara Lee and Loren Taylor need to do to win on April 15. Later, the behavior of elected officials at taxpayer-paid conferences and the incidient involving a San Leandro councilmember. Plus, a segment on Oakland Councilmember Kenny Houston; and Shawn's late 80s rap knowledge.

While Oaklanders are figuring out who will be their next mayor, Interim Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins sat down with us for coffee in a wide-ranging interview. Jenkins, who also serves East Oakland's District 6 council seat, chatted about juggling two big jobs at once, the upcoming budget process, his optimism about the Coliseum deal, a casino by the airport, his background as a county staffer, and telling his son a tall tale about dropping 60 points in a basketball game.

Shawn Wilson was overjoyed to be back in his hometown of Hayward. At our live recording at historic Buffalo Bill's Brewery, Shawn came loaded with Hayward trivia and some friends. Cat Man, Mayor Mark Salinas and Councilmember Julie Roche stopped by before we chatted with State Sen. Aisha Wahab. The first-term state senator discussed her plans for Bay Area transit consolidation, Fremont's camping ban, and housing, her signature issue.

Recalled Alameda County DA Pamela Price is starting a podcast. Meanwhile, the newly appointed DA takes the reins. What does she need to do to stabilize the DAs office? Barbara Lee keeps making unforced errors. We take a look at recent polling that shows her support is dropping. Fremont wants to focus only on local issues. We talk about cats.