No one has ever accused former Union City councilman Richard Valle, appointed to serve out the unexpired term of disgraced former Alameda County supervisor Nadia Lockyer, of having charisma. But now that he’s “defending” his supervisor’s seat against another disgraced politician—termed out Assemblywoman and convicted shoplifter Mary Hayashi—some Democrats are sounding alarm bells, says
East Bay Citizen’s Steven Tavares:
Valle’s stoic stare and quiet, boy-in-a-library speaking voice, along with an unwillingness to play hard ball politics while his main rival, Hayashi, lobs bombs in his path, is causing concern for many Democrats who think he is not trying hard enough.
Valle, who professes Buddhism, is the polar opposite of Hayashi. Despite being on three years’ probation for stealing $2,400 worth of apparel from Neiman Marcus’ Union Square store (which has banished her), Hayashi is an attack dog who regularly bashes Valle. Meanwhile, she blithely refers to her crime as a “mistake,” has suggested that it was because of a brain tumor that somehow is no longer a health issue for her, and insists she’s the victim of a “smear” campaign.
Politics
