No Jibber Jabber Brian Lawrence

Conversation with Carlyn Obringer about Concord, housing, Naval Weapons Station and her race for Supervisor.  

Courtney Masella-O'Brien returns to talk with me about how MUSD has reached an agreement to return to the classroom. Highlights include:

- What were the major bargaining points for the unions?

- How quickly are they returning?

- What is the hybrid schedule? 

Keisha Nzewi returned to talk about her new role on the MDUSD Board. We covered school reopening, equity, systemic racism and what it is like to be a new Board member. She is smart, passionate and giving a voice to groups that have often not been heard. It was great to have her back for another conversation.

San Francisco schools have it all going on  right now- trying to get kids back in the classroom, being sued by the City Attorney, an antagonistic relationship with Mayor London Breed, renaming schools- the list goes on. Gabriela Lopez became President of the Board last month and she is not backing down at all. Added bonus- we talk a little baseball. 

Here in the East Bay, Contra Costa is working to get people vaccinated and reopen businesses. Supervisor Karen Mitchoff shared some unfiltered opinions on Governor Newsom, Mayor Breed and Contra Costa's own District Attorney Diane Becton.

Dan works for CTA and is part of the bargaining team for MDEA (MDUSD union). He is a long-time educator in our District and has deep ties to MDUSD. Furthermore, he is a parent in our District and I know he sees the challenges of Distance Learning up close. I respect that he is so committed to the safety and protection of his members, but he also wants to get kids back in the classroom.

"We are coming back"- direct from Dr. Clark when I asked him about returning students to campus. We dug in to the timelines and what has to happen for us to move forward- it is not an easy task. I know he is also absolutely committed to getting kids back in the classroom and doing it safely.

Willie Mims is a local activist who is well known to elected officials throughout Contra Costa County- he keeps them on their toes. He is a powerful combination of passion and knowledge. We talked about Kamala, Harris, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, statehood for DC and a whole lot more.