Davka Days

( Getty / The Atlantic) The country continues to struggle through the Trump regime's destruction American democracy , even during the semiquincentennial . At the same time, two of the architects behind the rise of modern American fascism, Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell are finally dead. Trump is likely to die soon too . After all, 80 year-old demented bigots fueled by diet coke, fast food, and obsessive social media habits aren't exactly known for their longevity. And given the current polling around the upcoming midterm elections showing widespread anger over utterly predictable corruption and incompetence by the regime, it's clear that rightwing control is facing a period of fragility. All of this has got me thinking more about the need for a new reconstruction era and what it should look like when this national nightmare finally ends. If it ever ends. American fascism didn't start with Trump and there are plenty of acolytes willing to sell their souls for pow...

(Sophie Park for The New York Times) My thoughts on Graham Platner are basically the same as Professor David Schraub . Yes, Platner was obviously terrible and the first red flag was his Nazi tattoo. Which is partly why many were attracted to him. Yes, he's being a selfish fool by trying to demand concessions for dropping out after being revealed as a rapist. Which is what someone picked by anti-establishment leftists would do. But I want to emphasize that a lot of you, especially allies from Our Revolution, Indivisible, Pod Save America, and other progressives are pretending that y'all weren't zealously pushing this man on the Dems from day one! Platner wasn't the fault of the Democratic establishment. He wasn't the pick of Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries or the DNC. Their support was tepid and reticent, even after he became the presumptive nominee. No, this was the fault of the anti-establishment crowd who (like with Fetterman) completely failed to listen to those...

"Those quotations were really quite obscure. Anyone can see that he is a very well-read man." — Barbara Pym One of my hobbies is collecting quotes. Proverbs, aphorisms, book passages, lines in a magazine, unknown statements, and anything else worth quoting. They're profound pieces of wisdom that have shaped me as a person since I started my collection as a teenager. Now, I have over 1,100 quotes, as well as a collection of words, phrases, law, rules, and related references. You can check them out for yourself. Perhaps my favorite thing about collecting quotes, is that whenever I can't think of anything else to read, or if I need inspiration, or when I want to seek solace, or during times of confusion and struggle, I have access to over 3,000 years of the collected knowledge of all humanity already curated for me to rely on. I think if more people felt this way, the world might be a better place.

As your local advocate and community organizer, I'm here to bring you the only comprehensive guide for San Leandro voters, election after election . I'm here to help you decide what to vote for (or against) along with reasons and receipts. This will be a long post, so buckle up! I'm starting with the local San Leandro measure, then the county races, then the local judgeships, then our federal district, then the state offices. If you're strapped for time, you can find the TL;DR version just below and then check out the details further down at your leisure. NB: this does not include any candidates that are uncontested and so won't be on your ballots, but feel free to reach out if you'd like information about them too. *** City of San Leandro Measure F: Yes County of Alameda District 3 Supervisor: Write-In Member, Board of Education, 4th Trustee Area: Aisha Knowles County Superintendent of Schools: Alysse Castro District Attorney: Pamela Price Judicial Offices Sup...

We finally have some much needed moral clarity from someone in a position of city leadership, albeit on a volunteer basis. This past Wednesday at its regular monthly meeting, Bob Bailey, Chair of the Community Police Review Board, issued the following statement on a recent police scandal involving Shaquille Coleman , an unhoused individual who was assaulted and kidnapped by SLPD before being dumped miles away in Oakland. His comments also debunked a simultaneous "scandal" alleged about SLPD Chief Averiett .  *** " Public statement from Bob Bailey @ April 15, 2026 CPRB Meeting As has been noted, the CPRB was unable to place on our agenda for discussion concerns about the ABC TV News stories about SLPD that were aired the week of 3/30 because it is a confidential personnel matter. I am choosing to speak on the matter as an individual member of the CPRB representing the community. My remarks do not speak for the CPRB as a whole. But I believe they are consistent with the ...

Untitled (1968) by Rothko If I were If I were a month, I'd be mid-July when seawater meets a desert wind If I were a day of the week, I'd be Thursdays If I were a time of day, I'd be the dead-man's hour between two and four AM If I were a planet, I'd be Pluto If I were an animal, I'd be a chinchilla If I were a direction, I'd be left as all hell If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be an old leather reading chair If I were a liquid, I'd be Mexican Coke If I were a gemstone, I'd be a blood-red ruby If I were a tree, I'd be the tallest sequoia along the coastal mountain-range If I were a tool, I'd be duct-tape If I were a flower, I'd be the Bakawali flower that only blooms once in a year If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a sunny-day with white clouds like pillows If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a rust-stained saxophone If I were a color, I'd be darkest blue If I were an emotion, I'd be melancholic If I were a fru...

( By Owen Gent) I'm a Jew who believes in the right of Jews to self-determination in our ancestral homeland . I'm also a Jew who believes in the right of Palestinians to self-determination in their ancestral homeland . I don't see either of these two stances as contradictory but rather mutually affirming.  I reject bigoted and extremist definitions of the labels, and increasingly the various movements, surrounding this conflict. I've struggled (from my relatively privileged place in the diaspora) to support peaceful, mutual coexistence, when so many on all sides are deeply invested in a status quo they paradoxically admit is unjust and untenable. I've also struggled to connect with more people who have a shared reality of the conflict and shared values around ending it. But even after a lifetime surviving virulent antisemitism while the world burns, I have hope. A hopeless hope against hope because the only alternative would be to lay down and die. Well, fuck that....

( Photo credit here  by artist Lia Tin) As American fascism continues its steady stride across the world , I'm back again with your regular roundup of warnings and strategies. This is especially important as the Trump regime has explicitly said it will attempt to interfere with and, if possible, even cancel midterm elections in America . So, what is San Leandro doing? Well, the City Council is still fighting amongst themselves, even as they face a deadline to fill an the seat vacated by former District 2 Councilman Bryan Azevedo. The usual suspects  from among our bottom barrel roster of local leaders are out campaigning  for the chance  –  but not from the voters. No, they'll need the vote of the very City Council currently flailing in dysfunction .  That leaves it to the people, per usual, to step up to protect our democracy. So let's talk about how you can get involved right now to build a better San Leandro. Because no one else is going to do it and t...

(Addie Kitchen, grandmother of Steven Taylor, says she wants the case to go to trial. Credit: Emilie Raguso/The Berkeley Scanner) Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson is moving to dismiss the charges against former San Leandro Police Department officer Jason Fletcher for the murder of Steven Taylor. The decision follows years of delay and negligence around this case as members of local and state law enforcement rallied to prevent Fletcher from facing trial by a jury of his peers. Even as judges repeatedly   rejected  attempts to toss the case. Notably, there's also evidence of illegal collusion between current and former members of the DA's office to help Fletcher's defense, headed up by infamous attorney Michael Rains, who regularly defends police officers found to have engaged in misconduct and brutality . Whether there will ever be justice for Steven Taylor and the Taylor family is now deeply uncertain. But we do know that it's likely Fletcher wi...