The Marinade with Lee Thomas

Former San Leandro Councilman Lee Thomas discusses the state of the city with public figures while dining on backyard barbecue from GrilleeQ.

San Leandro City Council candidates Dylan Boldt and Ed Hernandez 08/22/2024

San Leandro City Council candidates Dylan Boldt and Ed Hernandez San Leandro City Council candidates Dylan Boldt (District 6) and Ed Hernández (District 2) chat about their campaigns with Grillmaster Lee Thomas over GrilleeQ applewood smoked bone-in chicken thighs, grilled tomatoes and asparagus, and longanisa. The candidates share their thoughts on reducing crime, road repairs, district elections, development at Bay Fair Mall and San Leandro Marina, and spurring the local economy. This episode is sponsored by Realtor Louis Heystek. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/32688392

San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averiett 08/08/2024

San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averiett San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averiett is on the beat. She shares a meal with Lee Thomas over GrilleeQ tri-tip, hot links, grilled squash and zucchini, and blueberry corn muffins. Averiett, an East Bay native, chats about crime, poor public safety legislation, the need for more police in San Leandro, and morale at the department. This episode is sponosred by Dylan Boldt for San Leandro City Council. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/32494687

San Leandro school boardmember Leo Sheridan 08/01/2024

San Leandro school boardmember Leo Sheridan San Leandro school boardmember Leo Sheridan, a 'Dro native and possibly GrilleeQ's #1 customer, visits his old friend Lee Thomas for BBQ short ribs, bacon-wrapped shrimp, and corn on the cob. Leo chats about the successul passage of $400 million in school bonds over the years, the effects of the pandemic on San Leandro students, what students eat at the cafeteria, the dearth of residents interested in running for the school board, and his version of a Santa Maria tri-tip. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/32379937

San Leandro Councilmember Sbeydeh Viveros Walton 07/25/2024

San Leandro Councilmember Sbeydeh Viveros Walton San Leandro Councilmember Sbeydeh Viveros Walton tries to snag some of Lee Thomas's culinary secrets over GrilleeQ Cali thighs, bacon-wrapped shrimp, asparagus, and multigrain rice. Sbeydeh discusess her background, tensions betwen residents and city hall, housing, and her governance style. This episode is sponsored by Borja Plus digital marketing. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/32301712

San Leandro Boys & Girls Club CEO Kim Pace 07/18/2024

San Leandro Boys & Girls Club CEO Kim Pace Kim Pace, CEO of the San Leandro Boys & Girls Club, dines with Lee Thomas over GrilleeQ smoked salmon on a cedar plank, longanisa, corn on the cob, and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Pace chats about the state of the Boys & Girls Club, helping the city's youth, and how the organization is funded. And if you're wondering, she's not running for political office. This episode is sponsored by Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Aisha Knowles. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/32190992

San Leandro Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen 07/11/2024

San Leandro Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen Season 4 Premiere! San Leandro Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen, a BBQ extraordinaire in her own right, chats about her first term on the council and the challenges facing the city with Lee Thomas and some GrilleeQ pulled pork, longanisa, and smoked mushrooms. This episode is sponsored by East Bay Realtor Louis Heystek. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/32094172

Alameda County Firefighters Local 55 Union President Sean Burrows is eating good in the firehouse 08/11/2023

Alameda County Firefighters Local 55 Union President Sean Burrows is eating good in the firehouse The Alameda County Fire Department covers San Leandro. Local 55 union president Sean Burrows sits down with Lee Thomas for the biggest GrilleeQ spread ever! Dino ribs, longanisa, Korean short ribs, plus two muffins - blueberry and honey cornmeal - along with an experimental bacon-wrapped pickle. Sean chats about the benefits of The 'Dro partnering with county fire, why the switch was made, Local 55 participating in the political process, recruitment struggles, and much more. This episode of The Marinade is brought to you by Lane Mortgage. For more info, visit lanemtg.com. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/27719250

Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez wants seconds 08/04/2023

Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez wants seconds Nobody loves GrilleeQ barbecue more than Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez. She cleaned her plate before we started recording! The new sheriff dishes on reforming the sheriff's department, civilian oversight, military equipment, and answering to her mom when any police officer acts badly. This episode of The Marinade is brought to you by San Leandro Realtor Louis Heystek. For more info, visit /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/27655830

Fran Robustelli and her city manager homies 07/28/2023

Fran Robustelli and her city manager homies San Leandro City Manager Fran Robustelli sits down for a GrilleeQ brisket sandwich, smoked tri-tip, bacon-wrapped shrimp, and blueberry cornbread muffins. "This is over-the-top," Robustelli said. Robustelli talks about having seven bosses (councilmembers), running the day-to-day business of the city, getting hired in the middle of a pandemic and a high-profile police shooting, her "city manager homies," and an update on the San Leandro Marina. This episode of The Marinade is brought to you by San Leandro Realtor Louis Heystek. For more info, visit /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/27589596

Bob Bailey's appetite for bringing police accountability to San Leandro 07/21/2023

Bob Bailey's appetite for bringing police accountability to San Leandro Bob Bailey, the chair of San Leandro's new Community Police Review Board (CPRB), joins Lee Thomas for a GrilleeQ lunch of grilled chicken Cali thighs, bacon-wrapped shrimp, grilled corn on the cob, smoked peaches, and blueberry cornbread muffins. Bob details what the CPRB does, how it was created, ts future in San Leandro, and his unique background in police accountability. This episode of The Marinade is brought to you by Lane Mortgage. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/27527328

Public Works Director Debbie Pollart is fixing for some tri-tip 07/14/2023

Public Works Director Debbie Pollart is fixing for some tri-tip What does public works do? San Leandro Public Works Director Debbie Pollart, yet another BBQ aficionado at City Hall, answers this question and others with Lee Thomas over a spread of GrilleeQ hickory-smoked tri-tip, mushrooms, blueberry cornbread muffins, and grilled peaches. In short, Pollart's department maintains the city's important infrastructure. About all those potholes: they're not all under the city's jurisdiction, so stop complaining! And all you ever wanted to know about city trees. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/27463059

Housing provider and repeat GrilleeQ customer Tom Silva 07/07/2023

Housing provider and repeat GrilleeQ customer Tom Silva Southern Alameda County housing provider Tom Silva is a polarizing figure in San Leandro, but hear him out. Lee Thomas chats with Tom over GrilleeQ smoked salmon on a cedar plank, citrus-marinated Cali chicken thighs, and Burmese garlic noodles. Tom lays out the housing landscape in San Leandro, the city's limited housing stock, the stark financial difficulties for residents to buy property, and his belief state leaders will not push housing regulations outside of transit centers, and more. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/27393693

A meaty conversation about community development with Tom Liao 03/19/2023

A meaty conversation about community development with Tom Liao San Leandro Community Development Director Tom Liao, a BBQ connoisseur, discusses the city's need for market-rate housing, business development, the status of its vaunted fiber-optics loop, and San Leandro's infamous snub from Trader Joe's over GrilleeQ's smoked brisket, chicken thighs, asparagus, and a blueberry muffin. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/24472866

Mike Katz-Lacabe and the greatest brisket ever 10/08/2022

Mike Katz-Lacabe and the greatest brisket ever San Leandro historian, community activist, and former school board trustee Mike Katz-Lacabe chats with Lee Thomas over a delicious GrilleeQ brisket. Katz-Lacabe covers the city's surveillance cameras, police, schools, politics, and San Leandro's "All-Star" city council team. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/26149008

Police Chief Abdul Pridgen's first year in San Leandro 10/01/2022

Police Chief Abdul Pridgen's first year in San Leandro San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen recaps his first year heading the department, moving to San Leandro, surveillance cameras, and his plan for retaining officers and recruiting the next generation, in a wide-ranging conversation with Lee Thomas over GrilleeQ short ribs, BBQ shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, and smoked peaches. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/24576438

Cornfed Iowa native Deborah Cox digs the salmon 09/16/2022

Cornfed Iowa native Deborah Cox digs the salmon San Leandro Councilmember Deborah Cox, born and raised in Iowa, sits down with Lee Thomas. "I'm meat and potatoes all the way," Cox said. Nevertheless, she loved GrilleeQ's cedar plank roasted salmon. Over lunch, Cox talks about governing during the pandemic, losing touch with her colleagues during Zoom meetings, and the city's quick economic turnaround. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/24402327

Louis Heystek on ribs: 'Are you going to finish that?' 09/09/2022

Louis Heystek on ribs: 'Are you going to finish that?' Former San Leandro school boardmember and current city commissioner Louis Heystek tore through GrilleeQ's smoked ribs in this week's episode. "Are you going to finish that?" he asked host Lee Thomas, "My meat inventory is very low." Heystek is also a local Realtor and former politcal consultant. He chats about concerns for the housing market in San Leandro, and candidate outreach in the city's fall election. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/24325755

Labor Day with Liz Ortega and beef back ribs 09/02/2022

Labor Day with Liz Ortega and beef back ribs Alameda Labor Council leader Liz Ortega joins Lee Thomas for a special Labor Day lunch with BBQ beef back ribs, "screaming" shrimp, and r mushrooms. The 20th Assembly District candidate talks about her role in the local labor movement, Howard Terminal, and leading unions during a pandemic. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/24248637

Lisa Jackson says the kids are doing alright; Lee's big announcement 10/29/2021

Lisa Jackson says the kids are doing alright; Lee's big announcement Youth advocate and educator Lisa Jackson headlines the season finale of the The Marinade with Lee Thomas (there will be a Season 2 in early 2022!). Lisa dines on GrilleeQ salmon smoked on a cedar plank, longanisa sausage and blueberry cornbread muffins. She says students need to feel connected to their community, and there needs to be more city investment in youth programs. Plus, Lee makes his big announcement! /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20976074

Rob Rich on the state of affordable housing in San Leandro 10/22/2021

Rob Rich on the state of affordable housing in San Leandro San Leandro housing advocate Rob Rich discusses the affordable housing scene in the city with Lee Thomas over a GrilleeQ lunch of short ribs, grilled tomatoes and asparagus, and (very) hot links. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20915690

David Stark takes a trip to Pork-ville 10/15/2021

David Stark takes a trip to Pork-ville East Bay real estate expert David Stark joins Lee Thomas for a smorgasbord of GrilleeQ pulled pork, chicken thighs, asparagus, smoked mushrooms, and blueberry muffins. Stark says government has a big role in increasing housing supply, and not much will happen until a jobs and housing imbalance is alleviated. Ultimately, the change needed won't come until residents agree to live differently, he said. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20826335

Morgan Mack-Rose talks 'Dro biz and short ribs 10/09/2021

Morgan Mack-Rose talks 'Dro biz and short ribs Morgan Mack-Rose, the executive director of the San Leandro Improvement Association, chats with Lee Thomas over GrilleeQ short ribs, grilled squash and tomatoes, and hot links, about her ideas for a more vibrant downtown, and the need for city officials to be more ambitious in their vision for San Leandro. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20760590

San Leandro police union chief advocates for more cops, more tri-tip 10/01/2021

San Leandro police union chief advocates for more cops, more tri-tip San Leandro Police Officers Association President Mike Olivera tells Lee Thomas that the city needs more cops, and the rise in crime is "worse than I've ever seen in 22-plus years on the force." Amid rumors of a GrilleeQ burger, generous portions of juicy tri-tip, Portobello mushrooms and corn on the cob is on the menu. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20670443

San Leandro school trustee and foodie Peter Oshinski gives Lee an A+ 09/24/2021

San Leandro school trustee and foodie Peter Oshinski gives Lee an A+ A good tri-tip should be medium rare, says Lee Thomas's guest this week, San Leandro school trustee Peter Oshinski, who is also a former culinary instructor. While dining on GrilleeQ tri-tip, smoked mushrooms, and corn on the cob, Peter talks about the school district's early response to the pandemic, and how he thinks students will adjust to the lost classroom time. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20569967

Surlene Grant says the shrimp is 'screaming' 09/17/2021

Surlene Grant says the shrimp is 'screaming' Surlene Grant is the first African-American to sit on the San Leandro City Council. She discusses with Lee Thomas the resistance she felt following her appointment and election to the city council, the future of Black representation in San Leandro, and reparations. On the menu: BBQ chicken, "screaming" shrimp, and corn from GrilleeQ. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20501525

State of BBQ with San Leandro Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter 09/09/2021

State of BBQ with San Leandro Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter San Leandro Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter sits down with Lee Thomas to discuss the state of the city, her legacy and today's special, BBQ chicken thighs, shrimp, and corn on the cob. /episode/index/show/themarinade/id/20414333

The Marinade with Lee Thomas

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