Hayashi, Zapata Top Week In Review

The bizarre saga of Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward) eclipsed the appointment of new San Leandro City Manager Chris Zapata last week as politics surged to the forefront of attention.

There was when Hayashi's attorney explained away her no contest plea on shoplifting charges by suggesting that a benign brain tumor may have affected her judgment when she walked out of a Neiman Marcus store with $2,445 worth of unpurchased clothing.

An overwhelming majority of think she should either resign her Assembly seat or be expelled by her colleauges. Hayashi does have some supporters. If haven't yet cast a vote, .

New City Manager Starts Jan 30

Thursday night the San Leandro City Council ended a year-long hunt by as City Manager. For the last seven years Zapata held that same title in National City, near San Diego. He will start work the end of the month. Patch will publish an interview with Zapata on Monday.

In other stories:

The owner of the warehouse who rented out his space for the "tatoo party" in October that was followed by a triple murder to operate in San Leandro. An appeal to the city council is likely.

Patch from "Lunch Bucket Paradise," a novel by East Bay writer Fred Setterbeg based on his experiences growing up in Washington Manor. Look for the next installment Wednesday.

If you missed it, go back and read the about the people whose names grace Davis Street and Estudillo Avenue. Local history writer Cindy Simons promises a second installment in February.

Finally, Patch used to look back at crime trends in 2011, and locate the city's crime hotspots. Alas the trend is up, though not sharply. The southeast quandrant of San Leandro, which includes Bay Fair Mall, is most crime-prone.