Oakland Mayor's Race: Oakland Black Clergy group endorse Harland over Perata

UPDATE: Group has no endorsement according to Don Perata supporter Oakland Pastor Joe Smith.

Don Perata 

At an 11 AM Tuesday morning meeting at The Good Hope Missionary Church on Foothill, of some of the top black clergy in Oakland and the Bay Area, a group loosely called (as in there's no website for them) "The Bay City Pastors Union" endorsed Oakland Mayoral Candidate Greg Harland over the much better known former State Senator and Oakland Mayoral Candidate Don Perata.

Why?

Because, from an unnamed source, Don Perata reportedly said the wrong thing to a pastor who happened to be a high-ranking chairperson in the group. Greg Harland was there, and while he didn't expect it, he enjoyed the fruits of Perata's error.

The problem was that Don Perata was the invited speaker where Harland was in the audience and came at the behest of a friend. A reportedly surprised Perata barely shook Harland's hand.

Greg Harland

Perata spoke for 45 minutes. Harland, who was in the audience but recognized by one of the members of the group as also running for Mayor of Oakland, was invited to speak after Perata. Harland said to the group that since he wasn't the invited speaker, he would just say a few words. He talked for "about 30 seconds" according to the source.

After the talk, the group, which was originally set to back Perata, switched their choice to Greg Harland.

What does this mean? From the perspective of this space, the days are long gone where an African American group will sit down and just endorse a well-known elected official because he or she has a name or is a Democrat. Harland may be inexperienced at politics, but he's a nice, thoughtful, and very humble person.

Don Perata is a friend and always has been. But that doesn't stop this blogger from calling it as he sees it. Don's got to work for every vote in the Oakland Mayor's Race, and as if no one ever heard of him before. We're in a period of time where people, for various reasons, collectively seem to enjoy the fall of the powerful and well-known.

Unless that person's considered "one of the people."

Stay tuned.