Big deals and big meals. "Recovering" former San Leandro Councilmember Pete Ballew joins the season finale of The Marinade for a hearty conversation over lamb chops, 10-hour smoked beef ribs, and longanisa sausage. Ballew reflects on his eight years of public service, sharing candid thoughts on ethics at City Hall, the challenge of generating new revenue, and his outlook on the city’s future. “The 89-9 has a built-in distrust of government,” Ballew says, using his trademark nickname for San Lean...
Aug 01, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 32
Hours of marinade went into this week’s episode. San Leandro Superintendent Mike McLaughlin served up some lessons for Lee Thomas while dining on GrilleeQ’s smoked pork belly bites, grilled longanisa, smoked chuck roast, and blueberry cornbread muffins. In a plain-spoken and candid interview, McLaughlin discussed the successful passage of school bond measures—and how the district follows through. “We make sure we do it right and on budget,” he said. Also in the episode: housing for teachers, wha...
Jul 25, 2025•40 min•Season 5Ep. 31
East Bay Municipal Utility District Boardmember Jim Oddie, who represents parts of San Leandro, join Lee Thomas for GrilleeQ Cali chicken thighs, all-beef hot links, grilled zucchini, blueberry cornbread muffin, and a glass of crystal clear EBMUD water. Oddie, also a former Alameda councilmember, talks about the big change from city business to overseeing the region's water supply. You don't need to buy bottled water! East Bay MUD has the best-tasting water, Oddie said. Also, the district's prep...
Jul 18, 2025•32 min•Season 5Ep. 30
Shelia Young, the former San Leandro mayor and current elected member of the Oro Loma Sanitary District sits down with Lee Thomas for GrilleeQ tri-tip, grilled zucchini, and blueberry cornbread muffins. Shelia explains the role of the Oro Loma district in San Leandro; hot takes on the current roster of councilmembers; lack of mentorship in local politics; and skepticm about voters passing an infrastructure bond next year. "I wish I was still the mayor," she said. This episode of The Marinade is ...
Jul 11, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 29
Sara Ubelhart, owner of San Leandro's beloved Zocalo Coffeehouse, joins Lee Thomas for GrilleeQ's applewood smoked chicken thighs, longanisa, grilled corn, and honey cornbread. Sara rose from the ranks of barista to owner of the neighborhood coffee shop on Bancroft Avenue. She chats about Zocalo's unique place in San Leandro politics, support for small businesses amid an influx of national brands, and the process for roasting Zocalo's coffee, among other topics. This episode of The Marinade is s...
Jul 04, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 28
San Leandro City Manager Janelle Cameron joins the The Marinade for a hearty lunch of GrilleeQ tri-tip (she asked for BBQ sauce!), grilled asparagus, all-beef hot link, shrimp, and blueberry cornbread. Cameron dishes on San Leandro's hottest topics: the marina project, a potential bond measure for roads, and district elections, among others. Plus, big news! Grilleeq is now trademarked. This episode of The Marinade with Lee Thomas is sponsored by Fayeso Design. For more, visit faesodesign.com...
Jun 27, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 27
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.
Aug 22, 2024•56 min•Season 4Ep. 26
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.
Aug 08, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 25
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.
Aug 01, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 24
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.
Jul 25, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 23
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.
Jul 18, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 22
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.
Jul 11, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 21
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 ...
Aug 11, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 20
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 https://www.compass.com/agents/louis-heystek/...
Aug 04, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 19
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 Sa...
Jul 28, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 18
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. lanemtg.com
Jul 21, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 17
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....
Jul 14, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 16
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....
Jul 07, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 15
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.
Mar 19, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 12
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.
Oct 08, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 14
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.
Oct 01, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 13
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.
Sep 16, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 11
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.
Sep 09, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 10
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.
Sep 02, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Youth advocate and educator Lisa Jackson headlines the season finale of 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!
Oct 29, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 8
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.
Oct 22, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 7
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.
Oct 15, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 6
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.
Oct 09, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 5
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.
Oct 01, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 4
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.
Sep 24, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 3
