Originally posted at East Bay Citizen.
By Steven Tavares.
Maybe elected officials in Oakland should think about taking public transportation?
On Monday night, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan had her car vandalized in front of City Hall, said her spokesman. Quan’s vehicle sustained one broken window, but nothing was stolen, said Sean Maher. Quan attended a community meeting in the Oakland Hills Monday night when incident occurred.
Quan’s political rival, Councilmember Larry Reid spilled the beans Tuesday afternoon during a Community and Economic Development Committee meeting. The tidbit was squeezed between a rant over enticing business development to Hegenberger Road and the perception among many, he says, that Oakland is too dangerous to visit. “Even my mayor had her car broken into last night,” Reid said.
The act of vandalism is quickly becoming a badge of honor for Oakland mayoral candidates. Last December, Joe Tuman, a university professor running his second bid for the mayor’s office this year, also had his automobile vandalized in Oakland. It was the second occurrence, he says, in the previous six months. Tuman used his poor luck to his advantage by parlaying it into a fundraising vehicle.
For Quan, the incident is an unfortunate development for her re-election bid, which rests on convincing voters Oakland is in a state of economic renewal and lowering crime rates.
Coincidentally, Quan and Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent passed out free steering wheel locks last Saturday at Clinton Park in Oakland.