Comments on: Who’s the developer candidate for District 3?

By: bwo

bwo — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:56:59 +0000

…trouble is that the folks that believe twisted logic and campaign lies do not read blogs. this information needs to reach a much wider audience through fliers and posted notices. if sean sullivan is the “developer’s candidate”, then perhaps nancy nadel is the “criminal’s candidate”…

By: Ralph

Ralph — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:08:57 +0000

i think what would bother me more is a candidate who did not have the support of real developers. oakland needs development and if developers think a particular candidate can bring the changes necessary to promote development then i am all for that candidate. if Mike G of Signature is behind sean then i will sleep a lot easier. Signature has committed to revitalizing Oakland and if residents think that is a bad idea, I would suggest that start a compound in Montana.

san francisco has it straight development is good. everyday i hope bart to work and there is no shortage of construction in soma.

By: V Smoothe

V Smoothe — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:25:36 +0000

I would hope that anyone reading the donor list and the answers to subsequent questions in the comments would reach the conclusion that this whole exercise is somewhat pointless. I’ll answer questions if people want to ask them, but I would much prefer we focus on what the candidates have to offer District 3, based on both their platforms and their records.

By: Max Allstadt

Max Allstadt — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:29:18 +0000

This is so inane. Really, who the hell is going to do anybody any substantial favor for 600 bucks? I mean really, let’s envision the following conversation in a council member’s office:

Developer: Hi there Mr./Ms. Councilmember. I really need this plot of land re-zoned so I can build condos on it and make a 4 million dollar profit.

Councilmember: Well, I’m not so sure it’s what’s best for my district…

Developer: Remember that 600 bucks I gave you for your campaign last year?

Councilmember: Oh yeah, silly me, I forgot I was forever in your debt. Consider the rezoning a done deal. Do you want fries with that?

Seriously, what the hell? The entire premise of this “issue” is ludicrous. V, why focus the comparison when the initial accusation was the silly part.

I mean if Sean or Nancy cared enough about money to be bought, don’t you think their cars would be a little nicer?

By: V Smoothe

V Smoothe — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:09:53 +0000

I state clearly in the post that I am including real estate investment and property management in the list. If Matthew Hallinan were to be removed from Nancy Nadel’s list, then by the same logic, we’d have to remove Caldecott Properties from Sean Sullivan’s list.

By: dto510

dto510 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:46:48 +0000

EBALDC builds market-rate units as well as “affordable” housing for “moderate-income” families, and has multiple city contracts to manage and develop property. Mr. Hallinan is an heir to a real estate fortune, owning a very large amount of property in San Francisco. They are just as much a part of the real estate industry as everyone else on these lists. If we are to make distinctions between developers, the disclosure forms make it clear that Sullivan is favored by local developers, and Nadel by out-of-town developers.

By: Ms. Blue

Ms. Blue — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:16:08 +0000

RE: Developer money

Matthew Hallinan is not a developer. He manages this property. He is a longtime progressive activist.

Lynette Lee is a NON-PROFIT developer. EBALDC builds housing for low income Oakland residents.

By: V Smoothe

V Smoothe — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:14:53 +0000

Sean Sullivan reported $10,769 total in the period from November 10, 2007 to January 31st 2008 and $8,124 total in the period from February 1st, 2008 to March 24, 2008, bringing his total to $18,893. Nancy Nadel reported $19,656 in the period from January 1, 2008 to March 17, 2008 (again, all the information I have for her). So that would make the proportion:

Sean Sullivan: 26.99%
Nancy Nadel: 28.75%

Once again, Nancy is a little higher, but the difference is basically negligible. Developers give money to City Council races. Developers are more involved in City politics than the average person, so they’re more likely to get involved in the race, and since they tend to have a lot of money, they can afford to give more. I will also point out that what’s in the interest of a developer is not so simple as votes of yes or no on a project, most of which don’t even go to the City Council. Issues like crime, for example, are of particular concern to developers because they aren’t going to be able to sell houses if people are afraid to live in them.

22% of Nancy Nadel’s total donors are from District 3, 38% of Sean Sullivan’s are. I could go on with donor math until the cows come home, but as I said before, I really don’t feel that donations are the best way to judge a candidate. I really do encourage everyone to attend the All Candidates Forum on Sunday night if they can. And there will be more forums in May, which I will publicize when their time comes.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:37:39 +0000

Just curious about what proportion of each candidate’s money has come from developers. Do you have those numbers?

By: Chris Kidd

Chris Kidd — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:22:18 +0000

So V is the nefarious “tool” of some evil developers? Then tell us, oh omniscient ip.69.22.123, is she an investor in deals to come? Is she a consultant to their super-duper-evil construction plans? Is she a property owner who’s looking to develop her land into a high-profit vehicle? Please, rational minds want to know!!

Is it so hard to believe that people might actually think direct investment can help improve a city? Agree or disagree with her (and I have my share of disagreements), it’s irresponsible and close-minded to just insist that everything she does is to further the machinations of some shadowy-backroom-developer. It only shows the bigotry and narrow range of your views if you think that someone who disagrees with you is just the puppet of someone else.