Stephen H. Cassidy

Stephen H. Cassidy is a Democratic politician from the San Francisco Bay Area. He served as Mayor of San Leandro from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2014.

Early life

On May 14, 1964, Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child Cassidy lived in Los Angeles, California, where he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Cassidy was a featured actor on Saturday morning NBC television series Big John, Little John. He also appeared in "Rag Tag Champs," a 1978 ABC Afterschool Special and an episode of the Lou Grant show in addition to performing in multiple television commercials.[1]

Cassidy graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

San Leandro Unified School District

Cassidy first ran for political office in 2004, winning the At-Large seat on the Board of Education of the San Leandro Unified School District.[2]

Upon taking office, Cassidy called on the school board to  build support for a new school construction bond to solve the overcrowding at San Leandro High School.[3]

In August 2006, the school board voted to place a $109 million bond measure, entitled Measure B, on the November 2006 election ballot. Measure B concentrated its funding on San Leandro High School by expanding the campus to address the overcrowding, removing student parking on the main campus to a new, adjacent lot, constructing an arts education center with a performing arts theater, modernizing the Career Technical Education facilities and expanding the school library.[4] Measure B received 68% support from the voters.[5]

As a school board trustee, Cassidy criticized proposals by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to weaken state funding for California’s public schools.[6] Cassidy commented on California ranking at the bottom of all states in spending per student and on the impact of Proposition 13 on California public schools:  “Since the passage of Proposition 13, our schools have been dependent on Sacramento for the lion’s share of their funding. Today, local property taxes contribute less that 25 cents of every dollar spent on public education. No other governmental agency depends upon car washes, bake sales and magazine subscription drives to survive.”[7]

In 2007, Cassidy organized the largest anti-Iraq War protest that occurred in San Leandro. “No president, Republican or Democrat, is infallible,” Cassidy stated at the rally. “When the president is wrong and the lives of Americans are at stake, it is incumbent upon the people in each community to step forward and voice their opposition.”[8]

Cassidy chose not to seek re-election in 2008. After he completed his term on the school board, Cassidy led a community effort to name the new campus next to San Leandro High School for civil rights champion Fred T. Korematsu, who had deep connections to San Leandro.[9][10]

City of San Leandro

In 2010, Cassidy ran for Mayor and defeated Mayor Tony Santos, Council member Joyce Starosciak, and two other challengers.

The 2010 San Leandro City Council election, along with the elections in the Cities of Oakland and Berkeley, marked the first use of ranked choice voting or instant-runoff voting in Alameda County.[11] Cassidy trailed Santos narrowly in the first round of voting but won when the final votes were counted.[12][13]

Cassidy set the goal of San Leandro "becoming a new center of innovation in the San Francisco Bay Area."[14] In January 2011, Cassidy met with Dr. J. Patrick Kennedy, a San Leandro resident, and president and founder of OSIsoft, one of the City’s largest employers.[15] Together, Cassidy and Kennedy "began developing the public-private partnership that would become Lit San Leandro," a high speed, fiber optic broadband network.[16]

In October 2011, the city approved a licensing agreement with Kennedy that allowed the installation of the fiber-optic cables in the existing conduits that circled the city's industrial zone.[17] In 2012, San Leandro was awarded a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to add 7.5 miles to the network.[18][19] The following year, Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, visited San Leandro at Cassidy's invitation and praised the city "as a model for the country" in developing private-public partnerships to create fiber optic networks.[20][21][22] By 2014, the network expansion was completed bringing the total length of fiber network to over 18 miles.[23]

In 2012, Cassidy worked with Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan to save San Leandro Hospital from closure by Sutter Health.[24] At the time, San Leandro Hospital was the sole acute care facility in San Leandro. Its emergency room served 26,478 people annually.[25] The City Council endorsed a plan proposed by Chan and advocated by Cassidy for San Leandro to donate $1 million per year for three years. With other funding, the city's donation was intended to keep the hospital open until it could achieve profitability as part of its transfer to public ownership by the Alameda Health System.[26][27] Cassidy described the subsidy as "an investment that would preserve the hospital's $100 million a year payroll and maintain a local ER in the event of an earthquake or disaster."[28] As of 2018, the hospital remains open and is undergoing a $26.8 million renovation to provide in-patient rehabilitation care.[29]

In 2013, the United States Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution co-sponsored by 18 mayors including Cassidy that called on the federal government to respect state and local marijuana laws and policies.[30] “Voters in states and cities that wish to break the stranglehold of organized crime over the distribution and sale of marijuana in their communities by legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana should have the option of doing so,” Cassidy stated.[31][32]

Cassidy proposed flying the rainbow pride flag at San Leandro City Hall during the same week in 2013 that the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in the cases challenging California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. His action generated publicity in the San Francisco Bay Area and led to the cities of Oakland and Berkeley following San Leandro's lead. Marriage equality is "one of the defining civil rights issues of our day," Cassidy stated. "Flying the flag is a statement by the City Council saying we support marriage equality for same sex couples and that marriage is a fundamental human right that all couples who love each other should be able to enjoy."[33]

Later in 2013, Cassidy, however, suspended a 4-3 decision by the City Council to fly at City Hall on October 1, 2013, the flag of the People's Republic of China to celebrate National Day, a day that honors the 1949 creation of the state by Mao Zedong.[34] Cassidy sided with human rights activists that argued raising the flag signaled the city condoned oppression and abuses by the Chinese government against Tibetans and other peoples.[35] "Those in our community wishing to celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China are welcome to use one of our parks, as are other groups celebrating key dates and events of the nation of their origin," Cassidy said.[36]

Cassidy's outreach to the community including holding for the first time by a Mayor of San Leandro separate town halls for San Leandro's Spanish and Chinese speaking communities with translators.[37][38]

Cassidy did not seek re-election, and endorsed City Council member Pauline Cutter who succeeded him as Mayor of San Leandro.[39]

Post-Mayoral Community Service

In 2016, Cassidy served as co-chair of the Measure J1 campaign in support of a $104 million school construction bond to renovate and modernize San Leandro public schools.[40] Measure J1 received 74.8% support from the voters.[41]

In 2017 and 2018, Cassidy successfully advocated for the San Leandro City Council to recognize Surlene Grant, San Leandro's first elected African-American City Council member. “By dedicating a public location in Surlene Grant’s name, we show that San Leandro acknowledges the racism of its past, embraces its diversity of today, and is a welcoming community for all in the future," Cassidy wrote.[42]

In the November 2018 elections, Cassidy ran unsuccessfully for a director position on the Eden Township Healthcare District Board. He also served as co-chair of the Measure I parcel tax campaign for San Leandro schools, which passed with 75% support.[43]

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References
  1. "Stephen H. Cassidy". IMDb. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  2. "November 2, 2004 General Election Summary Report" (PDF). ACVote.
  3. San Leandro Unified School District. "Board Meeting Minutes from Dec. 4, 2004" (PDF).
  4. "School board puts measure to voters". East Bay Times. 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  5. "Voters give thumbs-up to Measure B". East Bay Times. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  6. "Stephen CASSIDY California is among the nation's lowest in per-pupil funding of schools, with only seven states spending less than California". East Bay Times. 2005-03-08. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  7. "State budget shows leadership failure". East Bay Times. 2005-07-18. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  8. "Protest unites area residents in opposing troop surge". East Bay Times. 2007-01-16. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  9. "San Leandro School to Be Named for Civil Rights Icon Fred Korematsu » Nichi Bei". www.nichibei.org. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  10. "Feds Give Official "Confession of Error" in Korematsu Case". San Leandro, CA Patch. 2011-05-29. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  11. "Count goes on in Oakland, San Leandro mayor races". East Bay Times. 2010-11-08. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  12. "What San Franciscans Need to Know About Ranked-Choice Voting". SPUR. 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  13. "RCV Results Report" (PDF). Alameda County Registrar of Voters. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  14. "Guest commentary: San Leandro has come a very long way in last three years". East Bay Times. 2015-01-14. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  15. "San Leandro builds 'fiber optic loop' in bid to become a high-tech hub". East Bay Times. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  16. City of San Leandro. "Lit San Leandro".
  17. "San Leandro builds 'fiber optic loop' in bid to become a high-tech hub". East Bay Times. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  18. "Federal Grant To Extend San Leandro Fiber Loop". San Leandro, CA Patch. 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  19. "U.S. Department of Commerce Invests More Than $10 Million in 9 States to Strengthen Business Infrastructure and Boost Job and Economic Growth | U.S. Economic Development Administration". www.eda.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  20. "Chairman Praises San Leandro's Fiber Optic Loop | Fiber Optic Maps". | GeoTel Communications. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  21. City of San Leandro. "FCC Chairman Genachowski Celebrating Lit San Leandro". Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  22. "Video: FCC Chairman Praises San Leandro's Fiber Optic Loop". San Leandro, CA Patch. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  23. City of San Leandro. "Lit San Leandro".
  24. "New Agreement for RNs at Reborn San Leandro Hospital". National Nurses United. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  25. "Sutter Health to transfer control of San Leandro Hospital to Alameda County's medical system". East Bay Times. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  26. "Wilma Chan Brokers Deal To Save San Leandro Hospital". San Leandro, CA Patch. 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  27. "Alameda County Medical Center puts together funding deal that could save San Leandro Hospital". The Mercury News. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  28. "City Council Votes To Subsidize San Leandro Hospital; Board of Supes Concurs". San Leandro, CA Patch. 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  29. "San Leandro Hospital to Get Renovations - Alameda Health System". www.alamedahealthsystem.org. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  30. "US Conference of Mayors Tells Feds to Respect Local Marijuana Laws | Marijuana Majority". marijuana-majority.com.s133485.gridserver.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  31. Knowles, David. "U.S. Conference of Mayors tells Obama to keep hands off their pot... laws - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  32. "Mayors agree to push for state control of pot policy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  33. "Rainbow flag to fly over San Leandro City Hall during Supreme Court hearings". The Mercury News. 2013-03-19. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  34. "Calif. mayor suspends plan to fly Chinese flag". Northwest Asian Weekly. 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  35. "San Leandro to fly flag of People's Republic of China". The Mercury News. 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  36. "San Leandro mayor halts plans to raise China flag Oct. 1". East Bay Times. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  37. Aldana, Natalia (2012-03-08). "San Leandro Mayor Creates Dialogue with Latino Community". The Pioneer. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  38. "Mayor Cassidy Answers Questions From Chinese Residents". San Leandro Bytes. 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  39. "San Leandro city election: Cutter leads mayor's race". East Bay Times. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  40. San Leandro Unified School District. "Board Meeting Minutes from Dec. 6, 2018". Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  41. "San Leandro Unified School District, California, Bond Issue, Measure J1 (November 2016) - Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  42. "San Leandro honors its first African-American council member". East Bay Times. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  43. "San Leandro Unified School District, Measure I, Parcel Tax (November 2018) - Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
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