News and Blog – Cassidy for San Leandro

In this time of continued state budget cuts to our schools, let’s celebrate the successes our community has achieved in modernizing and renovating San Leandro’s schools.   This Thursday, April 1st, at 3 p.m., come celebrate the opening of the beautiful expansion of the library at San Leandro High School, made possible through the passage of Measure B in 2006.  Stephen was at the forefront of the successful Measure B campaign, and supported allocating funds for the high school library. More details on the celebration are available here.

Update: Photos from the dedication ceremony. Additional photos on are the Stephen Cassidy for Mayor of San Leandro Facebook page

Interim Superintendent Cindy Cathey welcomes the community to the dedication ceremony.

Librarian Roxanne Ansolabehere cuts the ribbon for the opening of the new extension.

During her comments, librarian Roxanne Ansolabehere thanked Stephen for his assistance in seeing the library extension was part of Measure B.

Stephen with Leroy Smith, Measure B Co-Chair, at dedication of new library extension.

On Thursday, March 25th, the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 2nd Annual Monte Carlo Night for San Leandro schools. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Keep Music Rockin’ Foundation, San Leandro Education Foundation and San Leandro Sports Foundation.

There will be a hosted bar, appetizers & gaming chips to start your evening of play. Tickets are available at the door for $75 for one person or $100 per couple. You can RSVP by calling the chamber at 510.317.1400 or email Debi Vandiver at debiv at sanleandrochamber dot com.

Time:  6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Location:  Grandview Pavilion, 300 Island Drive, Alameda

Please join the many members of our community along with the doctors and nurses from San Leandro Hospital on Monday, March 22nd, at 5:30 p.m. for a vigil for the hospital.  We will be sending a strong message to Sutter Health and Alameda County  not to close our emergency room.

In addition, I attended the Eden Township Healthcare District meeting last Wednesday night and supported the request by Director Carole Rogers that her fellow Director Dr. Rajendra Ratnesar step down due to an actual and fundamental conflict of interest.  Dr. Ratnesar served as the chief medical officer of Eden Medical Center in 2008 when he voted to ratify an agreement that gave Eden Medical Center, which is controlled by Sutter Health, control over Eden Hospital and San Leandro Hospitals.  Sutter Health and Eden Medical Center are now defendants in a lawsuit by the Healthcare District asserting that the 2008 agreement is void and unenforceable due to the conflict of interest of Dr. Ratnesar and other directors.

As noted in the East Bay Citizen:

San Leandro mayoral candidate Stephen Cassidy went further and told the board if Ratnesar did not resign, his case should be referred to the state’s attorney general’s office for investigation. “This has gone on far too long,” said Cassidy.

Update March 22, 2010

We had a strong turnout at the vigil.  I had the opportunity to talk to several physicians, nurses, lab workers and members of the community.  The importance of keeping San Leandro Hospital and its emergency room open cannot be overstated.  Safe, high quality medical care is critical to the well-being of every community. Allowing the hospital to close would result in delayed response times and needless suffering for San Leandrans.

A touch of Ireland will be coming to San Leandro on Friday, March 19^th at the Alta Mira Club from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.  Just two days after St. Patrick’s Day, the fundraiser will feature music from the band Spirit of Ireland, a wonderful assortment of desserts, Irish coffee and a performance of Irish dancing.  Children are welcome.

Update March 21, 2010:  We had a great time meeting old and new friends at the celebration.  Here is a photo of Stephen with the girls that danced at the event.

A message from Tim Holmes, campaign manager of Cassidy for Mayor 2010:

Many know me as an active participant in our city, as former neighborhood association president, as San Leandro Community Action Network founder ), or as owner of Zocalo Coffeehouse.

I write because San Leandro is in a serious financial crisis due to grave errors of judgment by our leaders. Our city was overspending even before the recession. In just three years, they’ve racked up $21 million in deficits, draining our city’s reserves from over $20 million to under $4 million. We cannot continue down the path to bankruptcy, a path set by incumbents Tony Santos and Joyce Starociak.

I strongly believe Stephen Cassidy is the best candidate for Mayor. He has the knowledge, the experience, and the will to do what’s necessary to make our city financially stable  Because of this I’ve agreed to be his campaign manager. I don’t make this decision lightly and wouldn’t do so unless I was sure he can win.

Stephen offers the opportunity to support a candidate who understands, and has the political will, knowledge, and desire to solve our problems. He understands that a city lives and dies by the quality of its schools, that millions in deficit spending is untenable, and that the community must be involved in setting the direction of San Leandro.

Stephen with School Board Trustee Morgan Mack-Rose and Tim Holmes.

Stephen’s campaign is run entirely by volunteers who live in San Leandro and the majority of his donors are San Leandrans. This contrasts with his opponents whose big-money fundraisers with unions and developers have been anything but local. Between out-of-town political consultants and expenses, they’ll likely end up spending over $75,000 each.

I ask you to join me in ending the status quo, turning from our path to bankruptcy, and supporting a change in leadership for San Leandro. Learn more at cassidyforsanleandro.com.