Before we get to this week’s news, I have to send a big shout out to the Little River Inn, a beautiful, dog-exuberant spot in Mendocino, where instead of Fourth of July fireworks (which turn our two pit bulls into shaking puppy puddles) we listened to the soothing rhythm of ocean waves and celebrated Skylar’s 12th birthday. The food from award-winning chef Marc Dym, is topnotch (don’t miss Ole’s Swedish hotcakes) whether served to your room or on the outdoor covered patio (dogs are welcome, of course). Just minutes away you’ll find beaches large and small, quaint downtown eateries and shops, the nearby harbor of Fort Bragg, and outdoor activities for beginners or pros. We like taking the dogs canoeing down the Big River — they curl up and go to sleep in the sun while we do the paddling. You’ll see seals, turtles, and even the occasional bald eagle. Back at the Little River Inn, we walked the grassy property under a canopy of trees and saw a family of foxes playing on the golf course. …
Now, to the news.
Last week I connected the dots between California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and his wife, Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, and the now-infamous Duong family. That led me to a sketchy deal involving disgraced Oakland political operative Mario Juarez, where then-Assemblyman Bonta asked the California Energy Commission to award a $3.4 million grant to Viridis Fuels of Oakland. In 2014, Viridis president Juarez sent a letter to Kristina Duong, sister of patriarch David Duong, of California Waste Solutions, describing a partnership “to include use of a six-acre parcel in the North Gateway Area of the former Army Base.” Well, this week the U.S. Attorney’s Office ordered the City of Oakland to hand over myriad records as part of a federal grand jury investigation related to last month’s FBI raids, including those pertaining to “the use or development of the former Oakland Army Base.”
So why is the FBI looking at the army base? In September 2022, Kristina Duong set up a company called Evolutionary Homes LLC, which shares the same mailing address as California Waste Solutions. Juarez is named as an “organizer” of the company in state corporation filings, David Duong as chairman, and Andy Duong as founder. A November 2023 Vietnamese news broadcast about Evolutionary Homes said the company aimed to help solve California’s homelessness crisis by building modular houses. The following month, Juarez introduced himself as “co-founder of Evolutionary Homes” in an interview with the Vietnamese American Business Association, founded and controlled by the Duongs (which, incidentally, hosted a grand birthday party for Rob Bonta). “A lot of government agencies, they’re interested in doing business with us. They’re doing business with us already. And I think it has a lot to do also with the fact that we speak business to government, and we have that level of experience working with government agencies,” Juarez boasted. And where were these homes going to be built? Rumor has it at the old Army base. …
When embattled Oakland mayor Sheng Thao threw an impromptu press conference proclaiming her innocence in the FBI investigation, she stomped onto the stage with a scowl befitting a Gotham villain (The Shenguin, perhaps). She cried, screamed, blamed everyone else, and wondered out loud why the feds didn’t just have a conversation with her rather than knock down the door of the house she shares with her partner, Andre Jones. Well, now that the subpoena has been made public, it is clear that both Thao and Jones are targets of the probe. U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey identified “records of interest” related to the couple, the Duong family, and others connected to the June 20, 2024, FBI raids, including communications related to Jones, all calendar entries or records of the existence of planned or scheduled meetings with Thao or Jones from June 2022 to the present, as well as all documents and communications relating to any appointments to any City of Oakland post or position and all documents or communications concerning the 2022 City mayoral election. It’s clear Thao is in the U.S. Attorney’s crosshairs and, along with facing a recall this November, critics believe Thao should resign. Unfortunately, her arrogance precedes her: during the November 2022 election with her opponent Loren Taylor winning the most first place votes of any candidate, Thao led by just a few hundred votes in the ranked choice instant runoff. Before election officials even called the race, she had changed her Twitter handle to “Mayor Sheng Thao.” With political turmoil and a crime epidemic that makes Gotham look like Disneyland, it’s time for Thao to step aside and let Oakland’s healing begin. …
Another mayoral debate, another silly no-show from current San Francisco Board of Supervisors president and mayoral candidate Aaron Peskin. As he has while ducking out of previous debates, petulant Peskin claimed the group hosting the debate, Stop Crime SF, already endorsed some of his opponents and called the debate “moot.” The group corrected Peskin (they aren’t making endorsements) and fired back, “We were under the impression that you were a candidate for the office of mayor for all San Franciscans. We are so sorry to hear from your letter that is not the case, and that you wish to deny hundreds of voters the opportunity to engage with you in person and thousands of viewers from hearing from you when the debate is broadcast on television and social media.” I couldn’t agree more. Currently Peskin is polling in the middle and appeals mainly to an ever-shrinking older “progressive” base. This was his chance to win over some undecided voters, but apparently those voters weren’t important enough to overcome the Tyrant of Telegraph Hill’s sense of self-importance. You can watch the entire debate here. …
Right now polls show incumbent London Breed and former supervisor Mark Farrell (who served six months as acting mayor in 2018) leading, with Levi’s heir and Tipping Point founder Daniel Lurie close behind. The three frontrunners say they support a fully funded police department and consider public safety a top priority. Breed has to defend her record, which includes creation of The Dream Keeper Initiative, a citywide plan for “reinvesting” $120 million in San Francisco’s African American community. And where is that $120 million coming from? According to her own press release, “Mayor Breed redirected $120 million from law enforcement for Fiscal Years 2020–21 and 2021–22.”
Farrell should have an easier time defending his record. Back when “moderate” was a dirty word in San Francisco, critics referred to Farrell as “the law-and-order guy.” As supervisor, he was head of the Budget Committee for four years, where he was sometimes a lone voice on prioritizing public safety. If elected mayor, Farrell has also promised to replace San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott. According to police sources, morale is lower than it’s ever been, and officers don’t feel supported by Scott, who, those same sources say, keeps a primary home in Los Angeles.
As for Lurie, people are seeing some red flags. In September 2020, while Lurie was still chairman, Tipping Point CEO Sam Cobbs asked donors to give to police reform organizations, many of which were part of the “defund the police” movement. “Today, Tipping Point is doubling down on our belief in elevating others. We are pausing all fundraising and removing our donation page,” Cobbs wrote. “We are asking our donor community to give to the extraordinary organizations that are deeply embedded in this fight, including Ella Baker Center, Equal Justice Society, and PolicyLink.” Tipping Point later included other defund-the-police-focused groups like Black Lives Matter (where executives have since been accused of misappropriating donor funds), All of Us Or None, which advocates to the California legislature to “reduce policing, and limit police officer independence in making arrests,” and Policing Equity, whose CEO Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff is a strong proponent of defunding the police, even making his case on CNN.
Early in Lurie’s campaign, I expressed concern about his choice of longtime antilaw enforcement political operative Max Szabo to lead his campaign. While Lurie told me in an interview that he “didn’t know much about Szabo” (apparently the Los Angeles-based firm he works with “chose him”), it doesn’t set well with me either way. I’ve worked with Szabo as a reporter since before his time as director of communications and legislative affairs for then-San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón (the coauthor of the controversial Proposition 47), where he worked from 2013 to 2019. He then followed Gascón (whom Szabo calls “his mentor”) to Los Angeles, where he worked on his campaign for district attorney there. Personally, Szabo has made political contributions to Chesa Boudin for district attorney, No on H: Friends of Chesa Boudin Opposing the Recall, Re-Elect District Attorney George Gascón 2019, Aaron Peskin for Supervisor 2020, and Hillary Ronen for Democratic County Central Committee 2020. Szabo has been outspoken about his disdain for the police, both on social media and during interviews. In one episode of the Davis Vanguard podcast “Everyday Injustice,” Szabo defends Gascón and Boudin while crowing about his work with the far-left Prosecutor’s Alliance on “criminal justice reform.”
As a veteran reporter on the City Hall front, I know that campaign managers are often rewarded with high-ranking positions in a winning candidate’s administration. Szabo, a San Francisco native, is looking for a way back in — and it certainly won’t be with current District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who has worked with police to arrest and charge drug dealers (something Szabo is against). Since Lurie has never held public office before, he will be more dependent on his staff than others, and that could mean Szabo running the show.
In February, Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami, a 15-year veteran of the district attorney’s office, filed a legal claim against Gascón, Los Angeles County, and Max Szabo, Gascón’s spokesman, for defamation, libel, racial discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The claim alleges Gascon said on a podcast before the election, “Some people will be unhappy and, like, either become internal terrorists or they’ll leave. And I know certainly how to deal with both.” Hatami, of Middle East descent, says calling him a terrorist is racist and discriminatory.
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Updated: July 11, 2024, 12:27 p.m.
