Mayor

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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Fourteen years after the Alameda Naval Air Station was closed due to budget cuts, city of Alameda and U.S. Navy officials announced Thursday that the Navy has agreed to transfer the 918-acre site back to the city at no cost.

Speaking at a news conference at the site, which is now known as Alameda Point, Mayor Marie Gilmore said, "This is a momentous occasion" and "is truly a watershed day for the city."

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Gallant and Highsmith were controversial figures in Alameda, especially over development plans at Alameda Point, the former Navy base.

Some credited the pair with standing up to Orange County developer SunCal, which wanted to build a 12,000-resident community on the point. The city had a contract with SunCal, but voters were resoundingly opposed to the plans, defeating a pro-development measure in February by 85 percent.

In July, the council voted to not renew SunCal's contract. SunCal was the second developer to part ways with the city over Alameda Point.

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Election filings show that SunCal, or Argent Management if you prefer, spent $3,400 to paint each mayoral candidate and current vice-mayor Doug deHaan and city council candidate and current mayor Beverly Johnson in a negative light.

The developer seemed more worried about Jean Sweeney winning a council seat as it spent $8,000 to dissuade voters from voting for her. If you take the amount spent as a worry meter, SunCal was very worried that current councilman Frank Matarrese would take the mayor's seat.

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Gilmore, Bonta and Tam – who spent much of their campaign vigorously denying charges they’d bring former Alameda Point developer SunCal back to town if elected – said they believe their election shows that voters wanted positive leaders and that they were unwilling to bend to fears that the developer could return.

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SunCal (Argent Management) tries to hide shady dealings, just not very well

The cute Post-it note on Sweeney's check added a personal touch. "Good luck," the note read. But there was nothing personal about these checks. Despite the Oakland postmark and the Alameda return address, these checks came from the Southland — from Irvine to be exact. That's right; Irvine the home of SunCal (and, if you are na?ve enough not to be aware, at the very same address, Argent Management, which is apparently SunCal's new name.)

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Checks, hit pieces, phony addresses taint campaigns

It arrived in the mail and looked innocent enough: a check from Argent Management for $250. "Good luck," the attached Post-it Note read. The return address on the envelope said that the check came from Carrie Bruckes, a local supporter who lives at 750 Atlantic Ave. right here in Alameda.

Wait a minute: 750 Atlantic Ave.? Where's that? A visit to the address showed it was nowhere at all. Carrie Bruckes? Who's she? A look through the phone directory and a quick search on Google turned up no one at all.

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Matarrese and Johnson have said publicly that they believe SunCal is behind the attacks, saying the company’s former chief operating officer, Frank Faye, threatened to get involved in the election if they didn’t vote to keep SunCal on as master developer after their exclusive agreement to negotiate a development deal with the city expired in July.