Citywise: Rebecca Kaplan won't challenge Jean Quan for mayor of Oakland in 2014

Conventional wisdom was that the winner of the City Council death match between Rebecca Kaplan and Ignacio De La Fuente would take on Mayor Jean Quan two years from now.

But Kaplan, 42, said this week that if Quan chooses to run for re-election, she won't try to unseat her, even if she disposes of De La Fuente.

"I'm still the youngest person in the building. I'm not in a hurry," she said.

Kaplan added that she thinks she'd be a stronger candidate in the 2018 mayoral election, since Quan would be barred from seeking a third term. She also said that it was more important for her to focus on building coalitions on the council and in the community.

De La Fuente, who lost two previous mayoral bids, would have run against Quan had the recall effort succeeded. Most council watchers expect him to run against Quan in 2014 if he ousts Kaplan in his bid for the at-large seat, but De La Fuente said he hasn't decided whether to challenge Quan.

Meanwhile, after taking a few extra days to think things over, Oakland's police union has endorsed De La Fuente for the council seat representing the entire city.

The union didn't immediately endorse in the race. It has had issues with both candidates, including a recent flare-up with Kaplan over an alleged statement comparing officers with discipline histories to abusive priests who get moved from parish to parish.

But after holding a town-hall meeting with De La Fuente this week, the

union gave him its endorsement, saying it saw him as a leader.

Quan forced to talk about monitor allegation

Quan didn't postpone her most recent scheduled deposition with attorneys seeking to place Oakland's police department under federal control, but the seven-hour proceeding Monday didn't go entirely smoothly.

Quan said she shouldn't be compelled to answer questions relating to City Administrator Deanna Santana's allegation the police department's federal monitor made sexual advances against her.

The stalemate forced attorneys to call a federal magistrate, who denied the city's request for a protective order precluding Quan from discussing the topic.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins said in his ruling, released Friday, that, among other things, the questions being asked of Quan were relevant.

"At bottom," he wrote, "a deponent -- even a mayor -- does not get to choose the questions she wants to answer."

San Leandro to open new parking garage

San Leandro's rebuilt downtown parking garage will open by Nov. 12, after two years of reconstruction.

The four-story structure, built by Webcor Builders, has 395 parking slots, compared with 246 in the old one. Parking is free on the first floor, which has 24-minute and two-hour slots.

The second and third floors are reserved for permit parking; the fee is $70 a month for a reserved space and $45 a month for an unreserved parking permit.

The top level is for daily parking, with a $2.50 per day fee. The fee is being waived until the end of the calendar year to encourage employees to park in the garage and leave the spaces near businesses for customers, said Cynthia Battenberg, city business development manager.

The $10.5 million garage was paid for with development agency funds. The two-level garage it replaces, which was built in 1973, did not meet seismic or Americans With Disabilities Act guidelines, Battenberg said.

The garage is between Estudillo and Callan avenues, just east of East 14th Street. The San Leandro Chamber of Commerce will have its office in the southwest corner of the structure, facing Estudillo.

Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_21655798/citywise-rebecca-kaplan-wont-challenge-jean-quan-mayor?source=rss

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