Just last year, California Assembly Member Mary Hayashi was convicted of stealing over $2,000 worth of clothing from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. She made excuse after excuse (she was distracted and forgot to pay for the items, she had a brain tumor) but her movements were observed and filmed from the moment she came into the store, and the story she told the media was clearly a lie. The San Francisco Sheriff’s department has refused to release the tape, but the police report about the incident describes all her movement within the store.
Like many, I thought that was the end of her political career – but the woman has chutzpah and she’s now running for Alameda County Supervisor. What’s worse is that she has a very good chance of winning.
Her opponent, Richard Valle, has been unwilling to bring up her shoplifting conviction. Whether that’s strategic or because it conflicts with his ethical values, I don’t know. There have been nary a public criticism of Mary’s actions by any Democratic officials. Indeed, when the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (ACDCC) interviewed the candidates, I was the only member who asked asked Mary a question referring to her shoplifting. Even then, the question had to be very subtle for the party chair to consent to asking it.
During the discussion period, several ACDCC members praised Valle, but once again none of them was willing to say anything negative about Mary. I was the only one to point out that her dishonesty brings shame to the party. Valle got the endorsement, but that alone won’t guarantee him a victory.
I don’t know why there is such a reluctance among democrats to criticize Mary publicly, but I can guess that it’s because she is still very powerful and has the reputation of being vindictive. Everyone fears the political consequences of becoming her enemy. I understand. As payment for my words, Hayashi made a point of voting for the endorsement of a City Council candidate that’s running against Chris Crow, the candidate I support. She did not cast a vote on most other races.
Finally one group has been willing to bring up the issue of her conviction into the Supervisor race. Mary has received copious campaign contributions from the medical industry and has paid them back by broadening doctor’s monopoly on health issues. This has specially harmed physical therapists, who are now hitting back. They’ve sent out a mailer to registered voters “featuring the convicted shoplifter from Sacramento” with the headline “There is something about Mary.”
And there is.
Not only is Hayashi a covicted thief, she consistently decieved her constituents while she served and collected a high salary while serving. Hayashi was a no show at events she said she would attend and treated her constituents with loathing disrespect. I sincerely hope that the voters in North Fremont, Hayward, Union City and Newark do not vote for Mary Hayashi with enough votes that could elect her to District 2 supervisor seat for Alameda County.
NO, with deliberate planning and concealment, Mary hid the goods in a special bag she had brought with her from home. In any court setting with either judge or jury, she would have been caught in lies if she had tried to claim it was unintentional. In fact, only 10 days ago, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon was on the Ronn Owens show on KGO radio. He was asked by a caller about the facts of the Hayashi case and her claims of it all being a unintentional mistake. District Attorney Gascon said several times that his prosecutors had more than ample evidence to prove Mary Hayashi guilty on all the key elements of the crime. He further went on that one of those elements they were ready to prove was the element of "intent". He indicated between store video tapes of the act and from witness accounts, the act was fully intentional. That is why it is so disturbing when Mary runs around in this election and continues to say she she never intended to steal the $2,450 worth of clothing. She is lying and there is proof of that. No one should vote for her.
Calling Hayashi a thief. Union City, Castro Valley Newark Patch Sites have posted a picture of the sign in their news column.
Mary Hayashi is only a few months into her 2.5 year sentence of court ordered probabtion, after being caught stealing $2,500 worth of clothing. If the voters of Alameda County elect her to this high position, young people will be given a clear signal that adults don't really care about crime or honesty. Worse yet, is that young people will see right through Mary Hayashi's completely unbelieveable excuses. That she now is telling everyone that she never intended to steal the goods, but that she was distracted by her cell phone and just walked out. What Mary Hayashi leaves out from the story is that she DID purchase several items of clothing... worth about $190, the cheaper items,, but she hid all the expensive stuff in a secret bag that she had brough with her into the store empty. Then she filled up the empty Neiman Marcus shopping bag to make it appear she had purchased it earlier at a different cashier. Then she walked out of the store with 2 bags.... paying $190 for one bag, but stealing $2,500 worth of goods in the bag she took into the store from home. Clearly Mary Hayashi planned the entire crime, and went as far to bring with her the extra empty Neiman Marcus bag.
Thanks for the information once again, we were definitely not going to vote for her but the alternative candidates Green and Valle were difficult to decide on. We decided on Green because of his vast experience in government and against Valle for his steadfast support of the Democrat part and his support for Parcel Tax increases. Let's hope all comes out well for the Law-abiding citizens of this county.
The natural inclination is to vote for the candiate of your choice, after eliminating someone like Hayashi on the basis of her criminal conviction. However, at this late date, one has to be pragmatic. I'm not working for either of the other choices, Green or Valle, but apparently Green has never taken this election, or the winning of it, seriously. I live just outside the District 2 boundries, but when I look at the campaign finances of Green I get the idea he is just in the race for the heck of it. I mean, both Hayashi and Valle have raised over $200,000 each. While Green has only raised $12,000 and spent only $8,000 of that. If he was really serious, he would have kicked in at least a few thousand dollars of his own money. So, if one was already decided against Hayashi, yet sees that Green's campaign has given him near zero chance of winning, then to vote for him, only makes Hayashi's chances better. I would NOT be saying that if this were October 5th instead of November 5th, but I have not seen Green put up even a minimal fight for this job. I am mostly afraid that Hayashi is gonna sneak in as Green and Valle carve up the votes. So, as much as a voter might like Green, if he has less than a 1% chance of winning, then I would instead vote in a pragmatic way such as to prevent Hayashi from being elected..
Valle gets his money from the Demo/Union machine that he steadfastly supports. Green changed his stripes to an Independent which reflects his campaign war chest. Your point is that Hayashi ishould be defeated which I believe she will be. The voters can't be that stupid! From what I can gather Hayashi has a big campaign fund which she is just trying to unload. (prove me wrong)
Until she deals with her issues, she's not fit to be in government.
People are forgetting, this is a special election. A candidate can with with only 34% to 37% of the votes cast. Mary only need to fool a bit over 1 in 3 voters. Very possible. Many voters, perhaps most voters, have very minimal knowledge about Mary's crime or her completely absurd excuses. Mary is saying nothing about her crime in her mailers. AND for unknown reasons, her opponents have chosen to not make this HUGE issue a major part of their campaign. Obama or Romney would have used such a issue, Pete Stark or Swalwell would have used it. I'm 100% certain Mary Hayashi would have used such a issue against a opponent. But for some reason, this issue has been only lightly touched on. That is why Mary Hayashi has a very good chance to win. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't talked to the average quiet, minimally informed voter. Tomorrow night we'll see how failing to bring this issue to the voters has worked. But make no mistake, Mary Hayashi is lying to the voters when in interviews and news quotes, she continues to say that she never intended to steal the $2,500 worth of merchandise. She not only intended to do so, as seen in the video tapes and in the police report, but she even brought from home to the store, the very "extra" empty Neiman Marcus bag she used to conceal the goods. Fully planned crime. Full intent. Records prove this.
I'm sorry, but Mary Hayashi left the court room in January and began lying from the day she walked out the door. First she claimed a brain tumor caused her to steal the $2,500 worth of merchandise. Then when this new position of supervisor came open, she suddenly told the Tribune that the brain tumor had nothing to do with her stealing. NO, then she began telling everyone that she never intended to steal anything but she got distracted on her cell phone, and inadvertantly walked out the door. She referred to the crime as a "absentminded error" and a "honest mistake" She made quote after quote saying she really didn't deliberately steal the clothes. However Craig, all along, the facts proved otherwise. That is why she chose to get a plea deal. In court she would have been shown to have fully intended and fully planned her crime. Even without the video tapes the police had from Neiman Marcus, you can read the police report where it clearly shows Mary brought the hidden empty extra Neiman Marcus shopping bag with her from home. Then she was seen concealing the merchandise into that very bag. The bag she carried out the door without paying. Mary has refused to explain why she had the extra bag in her possession. Because it proves her prior planning of the crime. Her full intention to steal. Now she lies about it. A lying criminal.
After all, she was convicted in January, and would be elected in November to a job giving her a $43,000 raise in pay. All with the premission (vote) of the people of her community. Is that really the message you want to send to our young people? Think about that before you vote.
Richard Valle........20,014........36.29% Mark Green..........16,803........30.47% Mary Hayashi........13,165........23.87% Mark Turnquist...... 4,933........ 8.94% Write In.......................236........ 0.43%