Probably not more than about 35,000 votes have been counted so far in Berkeley. Countywide, turnout as measured by counted ballots is only 38.52% so far, so many more votes remain to be counted.

31,704 votes have been recorded pro and con the Berkeley’s Measure FF tax measure so far, and 31,360 votes for mayoral candidate so far; not everyone casts a vote for every office or measure, but I think generally about 90% or more vote on the local offices and measures considered most important. 65,430 ballots were cast in the 2016 presidential election in Berkeley. This year, the number of votes cast will probably be somewhat lower due to covid and the fact that there are many fewer students in UC dorms and probably more vacant apartments. 79,966 ballots were issued this year; in 2016, there were 83,778 registered voters.

I think a conservative estimate of votes remaining to be counted in Berkeley would be 25,000, though Covid’s impact on the local population makes it more difficult to estimate this year.

Will counting the remaining ballots change any outcomes?

I don’t think so. Mayor Jesse Arreguin, District 3 council member Ben Bartlett, District 5 council member Sophie Hahn and District 6 council member Susan Wengraf are all safely re-elected by large margins. Animal rights activist Wayne Hsiung spent a ton of money running for mayor but only has 23% of the vote so far to show for it. 

In District 2 (Southwest Berkeley), only 3546 votes have been counted for the council seat so far (noon Weds). 11,255 ballots were issue of which 7153 had been returned before election day. I think there is little chance that Cheryl Davila will win as Terry Taplin has 1366 first choice votes (38.5%) to 1014 (28.6%) for Davila so far, with Alex Sharenko with 916 votes (25.8%) Sharenko’s second choice votes are so far overwhelmingly going toTerry Taplin, according to Berkeleyside. If Sharenko edges out Davila for second place as more ballots are counted, I would expect Davila’s second choice votes to go to Taplin. So far the county has not posted any ranked choice voting count online, but Berkeleyside is reporting a preliminary ranked choice victory for Taplin with 63% after votes of fourth place finisher Timothy Carter and third place finisher Alex Sharenko were allocated. 

All five Tenant Convention rent board candidates should win as they led at all times in the counting last night. Leading the slate with 16,733 votes is incumbent Leah Simon-Weisberg, followed by Andy Kelley, Xavier Johnson and Dominique Walker. Mari Mendonca, with 11,368 votes, is the most at risk since she is only 479 votes ahead of Bahman Ahmadi of the landlord slate, which was calling itself Homeowners for Rent Board. The National Association of Realtors Fund spent more to support Ahmadi than it did on the other members of his slate which may explain why he is running more than 2600 votes ahead of the next highest landlord slate member. The margin separating Mendonca and Ahmadi is more likely to grow than shrink. The the more than $136,000 in outside money spent supporting this slate,did not produce very many votes. 

Measure MM, the rent control measure that limits exemptions for ADUs and allows for registration of partially exempt units has a 54% to 46% lead and will pass. Measure HH, the utility tax increase is losing so far 52.5% to 47.5% and further counting is not likely to change to outcome. Probably a case of too many taxes on the same ballot. Voters in Berkeley have approved Measure FF , the firefighter, emergency medical response tax (leading now with 75%) and Measure GG, the Uber trip tax (leading so far with 60%). Alameda County Measure W, which would increase the sales tax is winning countywide 51%-49% and no doubt is winning by a bigger margin in Berkeley. 

Elizabeth Echols defeated Norman LaForce for East Bay Regional Parks director now leading in both Alameda County (65% to 35%) and Contra Costa County. 

In Richmond, Richmond Progressive Alliance endorsed candidates Melvin Willis, Gayle McLaughlin and Claudia Jimenez were leading at the end of the night last night by a comfortable margin in their respective City Council districts. 

Alameda County results can be found here: https://www.acgov.org/rovresults/241/indexA.htm 

Don’t despair about the presidential election. Biden is now ahead in Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan (as of noon Weds.) and if he holds his lead in all four, he wins, even if he doesn’t win Pennsylvania or Georgia. Of course Trump will challenge this. Pennsylvania may also go to Biden as there are a lot of absentee votes to be counted. Early voting stats for PA show that Democratic ballots greatly outnumber Republican ones: 65.5% to 23.4%: https://electproject.github.io/Early-Vote-2020G/PA.html 

Rochelle Nason and Mary Barnsdale have been supporting Norman’s opponent for the East Bay Parks District. Both have indicated their great concern about dogs off-leash. However, dogs, while so important to me and many others, are not the only issue facing our parks. I know the work and the endless hours that have gone into all these issues as I have been deeply involved since 1970 with creating the park that exists on Berkeley’s front porch. As Mayor I led the fight to reform Berkeley’s animal policies from one of killing to one of care, worked to ensure there would be a place for off-leash dogs in our waterfront park, consistently supported off-leash advocates including getting the Park District to stop the use of harmful pesticides at Point Isabel, and I’m currently actively involved in preserving and protecting our irreplaceable natural resources along our East Bay shoreline as safe havens and places of recreation for everyone and the generations to come. To put it simply, I want my grandchildren to catch sight of a Monarch butterfly, see an osprey flying to its nest, as well as walk with their best friend along the shore. 

I have no animosity toward Norman La Force’s opponent or supporters but I don’t like nor understand the divisiveness that is being generated by so much mis-information at a time when the expansion of our beloved McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is sorely threated. Undisputed studies have shown that parks are essential for everyone’s physical and mental wellbeing. No one can deny that all ages today cry out in desperation for the peace that only nature can bring to our daily stress filled lives. Those same studies also point to an economic benefit from our parks. So, why is there such a relentless drumbeat from Nason and Barnsdale? 

Their candidate’s mailer to voters indicates nothing about her vision for our parks. Norman has spent some 38 years facing parks issues without pause. Sure, it has made some local officials and bureaucrats uncomfortable to be questioned, but that’s what happens when proposals are made that involve killing birds, using harmful pesticides, ignoring the presence of toxic chemicals, planning concrete paths rather than earthen trails, creating parking lots and roads and building shopping malls, airports and housing instead of parks. 

There is no dispute that Norman was key in guiding the strategy that resulted in acquiring the land from Santa Fe that was the first step for a park that is hoped will stretch north from Berkeley through the Richmond shoreline. There were decades of listening to hundreds of passionate pleas from off-leash dog advocates, artists, windsurfers, boaters, playing field teams, environmentalists, hikers and bird watchers all demanding conflicting park uses in this new state park. From 1998 (and I have the documentation to prove it), Norman and the Sierra Club supported a set aside for dogs off-leash, but not having the whole park for unleashed dogs because other uses such as setting aside the Berkeley Meadow as a conservation area for the threatened burrowing owl also needed to be accommodated as well. They and the City of Berkeley wanted a compromise that included everyone.  

Then in late 2002 Berkeley was informed by the State that our waterfront park would be designed as a “State Recreation Area.” Sylvia McLaughlin, Norman La Force, Robert Cheasty, the Sierra Club and Citizens for East Shore Parks and the City of Berkeley united to change the designation to that of “State Park.” It was tough going because the State didn’t want to change the classification, but it finally happened so that all the different demands could be accommodated within a vision for a natural area with some recreational uses that would serve all of the people in the East Bay. 

As I said before, it hasn’t been easy, but the journey that took years and years to start from transforming a filled garbage dump, reject a proposed airport, turn down a regional shopping district, to finally become the park we have today, continues without letup. Today, Norman La Force continues that journey to preserve the public’s land at Point Molate into a spectacular park. The City of Richmond has decided that this area with its threatened plant species, butterflies, nesting birds, and off shore eel grass that is so essential to cleaning Bay water and snatching carbon from our fouled air should be developed into around 1,500 units of housing for those with annual income of $200,000 and up! It even involves turning over a small city owned shoreline park to those homeowners! Yes, a lawsuit is necessary – the kind of environmental lawsuit that has won the public so many parks and open space that we need and enjoy today.  

And Norman is also working to clean up the highly toxic chemicals currently flowing into the Bay at the Zeneca shoreline where the City of Richmond recently and unexpectantly felt it necessary to build 2,000 housing units on top of this mass of pollution! Here you can see unrepaired fencing which allows people to wander into an area of radioactive materials!  

Norman is dedicated to cleaning up these problems and that’s why he is needed on the Parks District Board to help us find solutions to these and other problems. In this election only Norman La Force has this record and documented commitment. His opponent is silent, but her election mailer indicates she is supported by the elected City of Richmond officials who support both the development of Point Molate and the Zeneca site. 

That’s why I’m voting for Norman La Force (of Course). It’s not only because I and others will benefit, but the future of my grandchildren and yours that is at stake as well. 

What do you see as the biggest mental health needs of individuals experiencing homelessness?

The most important, unaddressed city need is the need to educate the community, the city staff, and the police that mental illness is best addressed with patience and understanding, with housing and hot food, and will a sense of solidarity and community. The "homeless" population experiencing mental health issues is no different than any other group experiencing mental health issues. The homeless communities which organize together for their own safety are among the best at de-escalating difficult situations and resolving crisis, and should simply be supported. 

What would make the biggest difference in positively improving the mental health of individuals experiencing homelessness?  

Educating the community, the city staff, city leadership, and the police in addition to utilizing the governor's and local resources to simply house people, feed people, and treat them with respect. 

Which barriers do you consider to be the most substantial when it comes to preventing access to mental health services for individuals experiencing homelessness? 

The most substantial barriers preventing access to mental health services for individuals experiencing homelessness is ignorance, which routinely funnels vulnerable people into inhumane systems more concerned with quantification than care. 

What if any are unique entry points or opportunities you are aware of that can be leveraged to deliver or expand mental health services to Berkeley community members who are experiencing homelessness? 

The most efficacious unique entry points or opportunities which can be leveraged to deliver or expand mental health services to Berkeley community members who are experiencing homelessness are the smile you give someone as you pass by on the street, the patience you show them with the time you spend listening, the restraint you show when you exhibit understanding rather than judgement. Community members and city staff at all levels need training, as the loaded assumptions in this survey demonstrate, to re-frame their thinking about people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues. Safe, permanent housing should be the first step, a step the city has embraced only in theory. 

What have you seen work in terms of connecting individuals experiencing homelessness to mental healthcare services? 

What I have seen work best in terms of connecting individuals experiencing homelessness to mental healthcare services is recognizing that a moment of crisis, however public, does not necessarily require "services" at all; not police, not institutional commitment, not over-reaction to a circumstance which most of the time is temporal and will pass if given time to pass naturally. Our community needs to house our people - all our people, rather than leave people to try managing to live on the street. 

What unique resources, assets, or partnerships can Berkeley tap into for this mental health innovation funding opportunity? 

The most appropriate resources, assets, and partnerships can be found in the groups of local Berkeley and East Bay nonprofit communities, religious groups, outreach groups that share food and clothing, models that organize jobs and housing for those in need, and educational groups and schools wishing to assist in taking practical action to unite people who wish to help with people in need of assistance. Most of these groups would require very little assistance to amplify their existing educated as well as innovative approaches to forming caring, trusting partnerships with people who are vulnerable and suffering. In a word, kindness.

Throwing caution to the winds, displaying callous unconcern for fellow Americans, President Trump and the “red brigade” ignored the advice of his doctors and crisscrossed battleground states spreading the deadly Coronavirus to tens of thousands of Americans tightly packed together wearing no masks. Most Americans are hunkered down, afraid and preparing for a long dark winter. Many hospitals have reached capacity. An increasing number of top health care officials are recommending the mandatory wearing of masks to a tone-deaf administration.  

Millions of Americans witnessed a petulant Trump cut short a “60 Minutes” interview with Leslie Stahl begging for soft-ball questions. Waving his arms and clearly embarrassed he was unable to explain his failure to formulate a federal response to the Coronavirus, the failing economy, systemic racism and the failure of ICE to reunite 545 children with their parents. Trump claimed the children were exceeding well cared for in their “cages.” In a last effort to cling to power DJT claims we have “rounded the corner” and “conquered the dreaded virus”. 

Evangelicals who support Trump should reflect on Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing.” I wonder what satanic schemes the Pied Piper of deceit has in store for US citizens when he is defeated in the polls and faces a long jail sentence for his many crimes. 

In a rare moment of honest sell-reflection, Mark Meadows, the president’s chief of staff, stated what is becoming increasingly obvious: “We’re not going to control the pandemic.” 

For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/

There usually are interesting tidbits of information that are gained by attending City of Berkeley meetings that don’t show up in the minutes. That's what An Activist’s Diary reports about, and here's what happened this week:

Item 36 on the September 15 City Council agenda was a Vote of No Confidence in the Police Chief. If you attended that evening, you would recall that Council members talked away the evening on earlier items and then abruptly ended the meeting on time with no extension on the stroke of 11 pm. It seems that some councilmembers and even the Mayor thought that running out the clock made it possible to escape taking a stand on the no confidence vote.

However on Monday Mayor Jesse Arreguin and Councilmembers Sophie Hahn and Susan Wengraf learned, as members of the City Council Policy Agenda and Rules Committee, that they do have to include items not addressed at previous council meetings. That means you will see the Vote of No Confidence in the Police Chief as the last item on November 10^th agenda. Don’t be surprised if you also see the same kind of blathering to run out the clock again. 

Wednesday evening, I chose to attend the Police Review Commission (PRC) over the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission, only to learn today that I missed hearing CM Wengraf’s appointee Robert Flasher make an inane comment during the discussion regarding Grizzly Peak: Just take a tranquilizer and don’t worry, Oakland will burn, not Berkeley. 

It is so disappointing that most commission meetings are not recorded so I could verify first-hand the exact words. It’s easy to record using Zoom. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a heavy hand erasing recordings. That has happened in Berkeley. 

As for the PRC, it was moving along methodically on the Acquisition and Use of Controlled Equipment Ordinance until the committee chair brought up a 1992 Policy adopted by the City Council that “The BPD [Berkeley Police Department] take direct supervisory responsibility for all mutual aid units deployed to the maximum amount allowable by law…advise such units that they will be expected to comply with [BPD] regulations and policies.” Police Chief Greenwood opined that no outside agency would come into Berkeley for mutual aid if they were required to work within Berkeley’s city policy. John Lindsey-Poland pointed out in the PRC October 28 meeting communication that if outside agencies do not abide by Berkeley policies then there is no point in having policies. The entire “hot-potato” issue was left unsettled. This isn’t the first time this threat—that restrictions would mean another police force or the sheriff would never come to Berkeley in an emergency—has been made. Other neighboring cities should be asked if they hear the same when use of force police policy restrictions are before their boards and councils. 

The last scheduled T1 public meeting, on how to spend proceeds from Measure T, the 2016 bond measure, was Thursday evening. As expected there were many requests for funding and several complaints about the proposed location of a new pier and ferry to the marina. The newly formed Civic Center Cultural Community Group described in last week’s Activist’s Diary put in their bid for $1 million to shore up/protect the Maudelle Shirek Old City Hall and the Veterans’ Building from failing due to neglect. 

It seems that the $376,000 paid to the consultants from Gehl for assessment of the aging buildings did not result in an engineering study that would give direction for the preservation of the buildings. All that money went to a grand scheme for redesign of the park, including building a new council chamber, and possible uses of the historical buildings instead of an actual assessment of the structures. In the morning meeting of the Civic Center Cultural Community Group, convened by John Caner of the Downtown Business Association, agreement was reached that council chambers should absolutely not be built in the park. 

The pickleball players were again out in impressive numbers to plead their case for money dedicated to more courts, but not everyone is excited about balls being swatted across nets by people wielding paddles for 12 hours a day. That was the surprise at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. It seems the swatting of balls with paddles is pretty noisy, and a research trip to the pickleball courts at Cedar-Rose proved the complaining neighbors to be correct. The bulk of the Tuesday evening council meeting was devoted to the presentation by city staff on the response to COVID-19. 

The councilmembers were duly impressed by the presentation, Lessons Learned in Organizational Management During Crisis and COVID-19 Response, and we were all reminded of the chaos at the beginning of the pandemic. While impressive numbers were given regarding the low incidence of infection in Berkeley, what was missing according to the statements at the Thursday T1 meeting was that seven city employees whose jobs required them to be onsite in aging city buildings contracted COVID-19. The building at 1947 Center where permit applications are processed was cited repeatedly for poor air circulation, followed by requests for new HVAC (heating ventilation air conditioning) systems to provide safe working conditions. 

Not to deprive management and staff of due credit for their response to the pandemic, important factors in the local low incidence of infection are that UCB is essentially closed with classes online, most Berkeley residents are responsible enough to follow public health guidelines, and most important Trump is nearly entirely rejected by this community. All this aside, no one should take comfort or become careless with the local low incidence of infection. 

COVID-19 is still present, raging across the country and increasing in California. Just yesterday I listened to podcasts predicting that soon we could be seeing more than 100,000 new infections a day. Yesterday tipped the scale with more than 90,000 new cases and today there were 101,461 new cases. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ 

There is plenty to cause concern even if we see Biden and Harris elected. With a new record in southern California and surging infections across the country nearly everywhere, doctors, nurses and therapists can’t fill the gaps by traveling to a single or limited number of hotspots. Many of the drugs needed in the treatment of COVID-19 patients are in short supply and so is PPE. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/podcasts-webinars/episode-29 

And the city’s report, as good as it was in describing how city employees were reassigned, didn’t tell us how our community is surviving –though suffering—with the loss of jobs and businesses.

Growing up on the Left Coast, I was taught about the rise of the Third Reich, World War II, and the Holocaust tragedy. I asked myself, "If the American version of Hitler appeared in the United States, what would I do?" Now I know. 

I was surprised and horrified by Donald Trump's 2016 election win. In retrospect, multiple factors contributed to this: Trump supporters were more enthusiastic than Clinton supporters; Trump took advantage of the weird U.S. electoral college system; Russia aided the Trump campaign; and former FBI director Comey's October 28th letter about the Clinton emails moved undecided voters. Trump benefited from a "perfect storm" of political events. 

I predicted Trump would be a bad President -- because of his mercurial temperament and inability to think strategically. Nonetheless, I thought Republicans would "moderate" him; I believed that GOP officeholders would restrain Trump from exercising his worst impulses. Trump's response to the August 11-12, 2017, Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally woke me up. I saw how deep Trump's racism is and realized how much of a threat he is. And, I understood that Washington Republicans weren't going to stand in his way. 

During the 2016 campaign I joked that Donald Trump was the Republican Party's version of Adolf Hitler. After Charlottesville, I understood that what I had intended as jest was, in fact, the grim reality. 

Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler have a lot in common. (Not their size, Trump is 6'2" and Hitler was 5'9".) Initially, neither was taken seriously; the Hitler and Trump rallies were mocked, as were Hitler and Trump's oratory. Nonetheless, they attracted passionate followings and, over time, developed a "cult" appeal. Hitler and Trump have three things in common: 1. Both preached a deeply emotional brand of populism; they brought hope to the hopeless. When Trump brags that only he can fix a broken government, millions of Americans believe him because they have lost faith in the traditional political system. 2. Both had an openly "racist" message: Hitler advertised his anti-semitism, while Trump pushed his anti-Muslim theme -- later expanding this to people-of-color, in general. 3. Both Trump and Hitler had the support of powerful capitalistic oligarchs (For example, for Hitler the Krupps and for Trump the Kochs); Hitler painted himself as an alternative to communism, Trump paints himself as an alternative to socialism. 

I believe on November 3rd Joe Biden will soundly defeat Donald Trump and be declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Nonetheless,Trump's defeat won't signal that "Trumpism" is dead -- anymore than the death of Adolf Hitler meant that anti-semitism had been vanquished. The rise of Trump, and his iron grip on the Republican Party, is a sign of deep social problems in the United States. In the years to come, the Biden-Harris team, and all of us who supported them, are going to have to come to grips with Trumpism. 

Trump's oligarchs aren't going to disappear after the election: the Adelsons, Devos's, Kochs, Mellons, Mercers, Warrens, etcetera, aren't going to abandon politics. They'll try to retain their power. They won't have Donald as their sympathetic frontman but there will be plenty of other Republicans -- Mitch McConnell -- willing to take their money and promote their anti-democratic agenda. For this reason, a high priority in the 2021 Democratic congressional agenda has to be passage of legislation weakening the impact of big money on the political process. 

Trump's racist supporters aren't going to disappear after the election. The militias aren't going to disappear. The white supremacists aren't going to disappear. Their hate-filled politics of revenge has been emboldened by Trump and the racists are likely to be angry when Trump loses an election they were promised he would win. Biden-Harris supporters must push for a multi-faceted response to this dangerous problem: Actions to confront systemic racism. Common-sense gun control. Curbs on hate speech in social media. Enforcement of existing state laws banning militias. Etcetera. 

Members of the Trump cult aren't going to disappear. They will continue to be resentful. For many of them, Donald Trump is seen as their last, best hope of grabbing a piece of the American dream; they'd lost confidence in most American institutions -- certainly in conventional politics. If the Biden-Harris Administration acts on the social platform they ran on, this will ease some of the anxiety of the Trump cult: universal healthcare, expanded unemployment benefits, a massive federal jobs program, forgiveness of student-loan debt. expanded educational benefits, protection of the environment, etcetera. One of the main challenges for Biden-Harris will be to get members of the Trump cult to believe in science. 

After the election, for a period of several years, Democrats are going to control the White House and Congress. Dems will have an opportunity to enact major legislation that will benefit working families -- Democrat and Republican. This will be a time-consuming process, but the Biden-Harris Administration has a real chance to win over a significant segment of the Trump cult. Biden-Harris will have to work hard on a message of reconciliation -- bringing the country together; moving beyond the politics of greed, hate, and resentment. 

On November 3rd, Biden will win but America's Hitler won't disappear. We'll have to stay engaged. 

If we have goals in life, things that we want for ourselves, the content of our minds should be related to what is needed to reach those goals. To do anything else and to believe it will happen turns the goals into a passing fancy or a pipedream. 

When mentally ill people express a desire to do something and show motivation to fulfill it, it seems that we encounter a lot of pushback. When I was in my twenties and I had four part-time jobs, and was successful in all of them, a violent man in my area decided it was a good time to sucker me into a fistfight. To this day, I don't know whether someone hired him to do this. I do believe the person's action was premeditated. 

(My only reason to participate was, this man was going to be around, and I believed if I didn't face him, I'd be in for many months of being bullied and the need to obtain a restraining order. Since that time, numerous violent people have come after me, and I've learned strategies for evading engagement.) 

The incident immediately changed the content of my thinking from the details of handling work to personal safety, defending myself, and exacting justice of some kind. Eventually I made peace with the individual, yet the damage was done. I was disrupted from my path of work to support myself, and I applied for public benefits. 

(It is not as though this one incident was enough to derail me. I've experienced a series of mishaps whenever I've tried to become successful, most produced by other people.) 

The content of the thinking is determined by numerous factors. The content prevalent in one's environment will have a major influence over the content of thoughts. This is why places of worship and places of mindfulness are kept quiet, peaceful, and austere--it allows an individual to focus on improving the internal content. 

If you are in a psychiatric ward, the environment could often be noisy, with many patients causing ruckuses and being restrained by staff. The patient is forced to take mind-altering and mind-restraining drugs. The patient is given a diagnosis. The level of quietness available in psych wards varies a lot, depending on which ward you find yourself in. One that has some amount of peace and a modicum of kindness among staff, is a valuable place in which to come back to tracking reality, or to find the right medications that relieve severe depression or mania. 

The content of the thinking of a mentally ill person is often a depiction of life 'as a mentally ill person.' That's the "reality" that we've been fed. If we believed we were "normal" the content of thoughts would be vastly different because the assumption used to define who we think we are would be different. 

There are not a lot of perks to being mentally ill. Therefore, many of us have regressed, and take our pleasure in the false flattery of therapists, in fatty, sugary foods we are given (as pacifiers), in sitting around and smoking, and in commiserating with mentally ill peers. For some, this isn't good enough, and many have resorted to use of illicit drugs. 

We can do a lot with shifting the content of thought. Escapism such as reading a novel or watching a movie temporarily shifts the content in the mind. But it doesn't do anything to change the operating system that we use to engage with life. 

A job, school, or volunteer work are fabulous ways to fill the mind with content that was not created by a mental health professional and shoved down your throat along with pills and a tiny cup of orange juice. 

If we can find a personal place to sit, preferably in a comfortable chair, and if we have a notepad and writing implement, we can decide on some alternative thinking we'd like to have. 

Your mind is your property. Claim your mind. 

There is no limit to the things one can invent to fill the space between the ears. A free thinker should be careful to avoid creating something that will cause a malfunction. The definition of 'malfunction', in this case, is open for you to figure out. 

The content of the thinking can be seen as a tree-like growth, the trunk being your basic assumption(s). If you are not at ease with the idea of deciding on your own what to think, don't try it. 

People get their version of reality from contact with other people. If we are isolated, and this can happen even when we are in a crowd, it is easier for the thinking to go off in directions that are not helpful. 

If you spend time among people who you want to emulate, this is not wasted time. If you are often among people who are not doing very well in their lives, this too can rub off on you. 

If you are in a bad mood or have short-term unhappy emotions, look for the most obvious possible thoughts as the ones that could be getting you down. The thoughts about which you have resistance--to pinpoint as the culprits--are probably the ones at fault. 

Shifting content of thoughts potentially can create a tremendous amount of relief from suffering. The content of the mind is a big determining factor in how we are feeling. Other than the content of the mind, a physical injury or illness, or an absurdly bad environment are probably the only things that would normally produce suffering. Thus, if you want to feel better, this is a good way to go. 

If the content of the thinking does not concern jeopardy to oneself, if it does not include concerns of what might happen to oneself or extensions of oneself, but if it instead concerns neutral things, it should not create suffering. 

Shifting content of the thinking--doing this in an intentional manner, is a skill, one that you can teach to yourself. You do not need to see an instructor to learn this. It requires practice. And it is wort doing because once you learn it, it is a tremendous power for good. 

Gun sales are surging across the country and ammunition is sold out as fears of possible social unrest amid the pandemic. Pandemic anxiety has set in. Anxiety has turned to anger in many quarters after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said amidst a Covid-19 surge in 30 states, "We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas.” Of course, those of us paying attention knew that Trump had surrendered to the virus right from the beginning. This is prompting some Americans to turn to firearms as a form of self-protection, a phenomenon not uncommon during a crisis. 

The pandemic has been with us for over eight months with no end in sight. Presently, there are 9+ million Coronavirus cases in the U.S. with 232.000+ deaths. By February 1, 2021, 385,611 deaths are projected. 

The pandemic anxiety is exacerbated by the rise of white supremacy encouraged by Trump; his response to the racial justice movement; right-wing media sources helping Trump spread disinformation about the virus; and Trump’s unwillingness to promise a peaceful transition if he loses the election. 

White Supremacists have long used firearms—and permissive open carry laws—to threaten and intimidate others. The open carrying of handguns is currently permitted in 45 states. Right now, only three states and the District of Columbia prohibit open carry of guns in public places. And only six states and the District of Columbia, generally ban the open carrying of long guns (rifles and shotguns).  

Protestors, some with weapons — protested against the Michigan state stay-at-home order. They were backed by wealthy conservative groups and promoted by Trump. The Michigan Freedom Fund, co-host of the Michigan rally, was funded by the family of Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, regular donors to right wing groups. The other co-host, the Michigan Conservative Coalition, was founded by Matt Maddock, now a Republican member of the state house of representatives. The MCC also operates under the name Michigan Trump Republicans, and in January held an event featuring several members of the Trump campaign. Trump egged the protesters on with tweets calling for protesters to “LIBERATE, LIBERATE" the states from stay-at-home orders aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19.  

Some of the same protesters in Michigan were later arrested and charged in a domestic terrorism conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. 

Trump has a history of encouraging white suprematists. After the violent clashes between white supremacists and anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, Trump said there were fine people on "both sides,” thus equating the two groups. At the first presidential debate, Trump refused to outright condemn the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group, instead saying the group should “stand back and stand by.” The Proud Boys leaders and supporters took to social media to celebrate Trump’s comments with more than 5,000 of the group’s members posting “Stand Back” and “Stand By” above and below the group’s logo.  

In an August 31 press conference, Trump defended Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year old wannabe policeman, illegally carrying an automatic weapon, who killed two protesters in Kenosha and wounded one other. Trump suggested Rittenhouse was just defending himself when he shot one victim in the back. Trump made no mention of Jacob Blake fighting for his life after being shot seven times by a Kenosha policeman in front of his three children. 

Trump’s called Black Lives Matter a bunch of "agitators and thugs.” Clearly, Black lives don't matter to Trump, nor does the unchecked police brutality against people of color. Trump fanned the flames of the unrest over George Floyd’s death by rushing active-duty Army troops to installations outside of the District of Columbia to intimidate protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. Then he staged a photo opportunity holding a Bible upside down in front of St. John’s Church in D.C.’s Lafayette Square. 

Later, without Oregon requesting federal assistance, Trump deployed agents with tactical gear to confront protesters in downtown Portland, Oregon, thereby creating more conflict amid national protests over racial injustice and police brutality against Black Americans. Trump threatened to send federal agents to other cities. 

In April 2020, The Harvard Kennedy School published a research article, The Relation between Media Consumption and Misinformation at the Outset of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in the US. The Article shows that Americans who relied on right-wing sources like Fox News, Breitbart News, One, America News, The Drudge Report or Rush Limbaugh, received misinformation about the pandemic, entertained conspiracy theories and discouraged them from taking concrete steps to protect themselves and others from the virus. Fox News provides Trump and the GOP with a television channel to distribute their “alternative facts” to entertain their loyal followers. To further this symbiosis, Trump looks to Fox News personnel for his staff and advice. 

Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election. Trump said: "We'll want to have — get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very — we'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly. There'll be a continuation.”  

Trump has claimed that mail-in voting will “rig the election” even though mail-in or absentee voting has proven to be a safe and secure means of voting since before the Civil War. With his threats, Trump is really attempting to erode confidence in the legitimacy of the upcoming presidential election. In furtherance thereof, he has asked supporters to watch the polls, raising fears of voter intimidation. About 300 election-related lawsuits have already been filed with more to come before and after the election. 

Instead of more guns, we need a responsible, competent person in the White House. Clearly, Trump is not that person. 

Signs of the Times

I came across an inspiring political yard sign a couple of days ago. Revising a comment Donald Trump repeatedly made about the Coronavirus, the message on the sign's red-white-and-blue stripes read:

And One Day

Like A Miracle

He'll Be Gone

Exploring Electoral Politics for Kids

Mr. Mopp's may be closed for the moment but it's still managing to stay engaged.

The north-facing window is stacked with a wonderful selection books devoted to the promotion of democracy. Here are just a few of the titles (stroll by Mopp's and read them all):

Dr. Suess' One Vote, Two Vote. I Vote, You Vote, Kid President, President of the Jungle, I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, Why We March, Nevertheless, We Persisted, Lillian's Right to Vote, Sofia Valdez: Future President, and Kamala Harris's The Truths We Hold.

One book that's missing from the list is a book-for-adults that explains the mysteries of the Electoral College. In 2016 Hillary Clinton beat Trump by 3 million votes and Trump won the EC. In 2020, Joe Biden is expected to beat Trump by 7 million popular votes but could still lose in the EC. How would you explain such an unfair outcome if you were writing a book for children? Here's a possible title: The Electoral College: An Unfairy Tale. 

One Original Political Poster 

This week marks the first time I've spotted a mayoral candidate's campaign sign that looks like a hand-made poster. There's one on the corner of Rose and Henry and another near the Main PO. The colorful, hand-scribbled placards encourage undecided voters to cast a ballot for Naomi D. Pete for Mayor. Pete hereby wins the contest for the most "hands-on" campaigner. 

One Weird Political Poster 

One way for a voter to make up his/her mind before going to the polls is to go to the poles. Berkeley's wooden power poles—covered with stapled, tacked, and taped flyers—show what social media looked like before the advent of smartphones and the Internet. The poles that line our sidewalks have traditionally served as wooden magnets for political advertisements (as well as signposts for breaking news about yard sales and lost pets). 

Most pole-postings are straightforward promotions for a single candidate but there's one poster that's got passers-by scratching their heads. 

This self-described "Voter Guide on Policing" is supposed to help voters decide among three District 5 candidates for City Council—incumbent Sophie Hahn, followed by challengers Todd Andrew and Paul Darwin Picklesimer. But, instead of listing what positions the candidates support or oppose, the poster lists 1-5 issues. 

At first it looks like the candidates support all-of-the-below. On closer inspection, there is a code before each statement—a check indicates support, an X signals opposition, and a — records ambivalence. It's a confounding presentation. 

Hahn is best-served, with scores supporting and opposing all the right positions. Picklesimer, however, is poorly served. The poster lists only one issue beneath his name: "Hopeful about 50% cut to Berkeley PD budget" and marks the statement with an undecided "—". How can you say someone is undecided about being "hopeful"? (There's no url on the poster so it's authors are a mystery.) 

Faithless Electors: A Nightmare Scenario 

Fortune Magazine broke down how the Electoral College works—and doesn't—by recalling the 2016 contest when seven so-called "faithless electors" cast ballots that, instead of representing their state's popular vote, went to the campaign of the candidate they personally preferred. In 2016, that wasn't enough to swing the election. But in 2020, polls are tight and the stakes couldn't be greater. For a chilling introduction to the dark past of the Electoral College, you can read an article in The Atlantic called "The Electoral College's Racist Origins." 

What If Trump Refuses to Concede Defeat 

If Trump loses the November election and refuses to leave, a democratic majority may have to rise up and mount a massive nonviolent response. The alternative— thanks to Trump's poisonous strategy of division and hate—may risk civil war. 

According to The Daily Kos, one of the groups assembling to take action against a Trump take-over is The Protect the Results coalition. This is a history-making assembly of more than 140 activists groups ranging from Indivisible and the Sierra Club to Public Citizen and Black Lives Matter. Click here to find potential November 4 events near you. In the Bay Area, events are being planned for Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco. Let's hope it isn't necessary. 

Patently Ridiculous 

The morning mail brought an unexpected surprise—a letter that read "Congratulations from Professional Awards of America: Your Patent Has Been Issued!" 

News to me. While "getting a US Patent" is one of the items on my bucket list, I still haven't found the time (or inspiration) to earn one. No deterrent to Professional Awards of America—Serving the Inventor Community Since 1983." 

PAA's mailer came with a folder listing 37 different options to preserve and display one's US Patent—including wall-mounted frames, desk plaques, and transparent acrylic trophies with laser-engraved proclamations and cool, color accents. 

Now that I think of it, I did apply for a patent once. As a peace activist and draft resister during the Vietnam War, I was concerned that the Pentagon might want to draft my son. So when our child was born, my partner and myself used an official US Patent Office certificate to "patent" him. We were required to "verily" declare that we were "the original, first and joint inventors of the invention described herein." I figured that patenting a child as a "unique and original" creation might grant a protected status could be used to keep him off the Pentagon's recruitment list. If the Pentagon ever came calling, I was ready to yell "Infringement!" 

A Hard-to-Notice Notice 

I happened to observe that the skinny, tilting power pole on Hopkins Street near the Monterey Market, is now adorned—thanks to AT&T and the BPD—with both a stovepipe-shaped 4G/5G transmitter and a shiny, new notice. But the notice is hard to notice since it is posted waaaay up near the top of the pole. 

What folks at street level can't read in the unnoticeable notice is the warning that "above this point you are entering an area where Radio Frequency (RF) fields may exceed the FCC General Occupational Exposure Limits." 

The sign also advises passing pigeons that it is important to "Follow safety guidelines for working in an RF environment" and advises curious squirrels to "Keep (1) ft. away from the fronts of antennas." 

And here's an interesting design note: The empty "fill-in-the-blank" space between the words "Keep" and "ft. away" is large enough to accommodate figures up to 999 feet. 

As one Berkeley resident put it: "I understand from the Notice that the FCC IS concerned about the environment in alerting pigeons, other birds, and squirrels of the dangerous equipment they've put up. I'm sure it will be followed soon by regular broadcasts from the pole in bird calls and squirreleze." 

The Trump Crime Family 

With 11 days until the November 3 election, the folks at MeidasTouch media released two videos with the hashtag #TrumpIsPathetic. This "double header" reportedly became "top-trending in the USA," while receiving millions of views. These anti-Trump social-media perps followed up with a third video baring the name ‘Trump Crime Family.’ Herewith: all three: 

Trump Fails to Stall Stahl in 60 Minutes Huff 

After Donald Trump stomped off in the middle of his interview with 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl, he decided to take revenge by posting his own taping of the interview online in an attempt to undercut the forthcoming CBS broadcast. (Here's a link to the 60 Minutes version.) In the tweet that accompanied his pirated release on YouTube, Trump texted: "Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS!" 

So how did Trump's tantrum play out in the only terms he seems to recognize—i.e. ratings? It appears that Trump's attempt to damage 60 Minutes' ratings failed. 

According to YouTube, Trump's truncated posting racked up 199K views (first 2 days) while the subsequent CBS broadcast topped 3.9 million views by day three. 

For more bad news for our ratings-obsessed leader, check out to following tallies: 

• Joe Biden's Final 2020 Ad: 495K (one week) 

• Seinfeld's Newman closes down Trump in new Dem Ad: 848K (2 weeks) 

• Trump's video deposition in his Trump University fraud case: 1.7M (one month) 

• Trump Threatens Saturday Night Live with 'retribution' over parody: 2.4 M (1 year ago) 

• Colin Powell explains why Trump shouldn't be re-elected: 2.7M (4 months ago) 

(But here's a Pro-Turmper Reality Check: The live broadcast of Trump's October 24 rally in Circleville, Ohio claimed 7.3 million viewers.) 

A Fireside Chat or an Open-fire Chat? 

The Center for Strategic Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) describes itself as "an independent, nonpartisan policy research institute established to promote innovative thinking and debate about national security strategy and investment options." CSBA recently sent out a press release announcing that it was hosting a "Fireside Chat with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper." 

Props to CSBA for admitting that it receives support "in the form of government, corporate, and foundation grants and contracts" and for including a list of funders that, over the past five years, have dug in to help support the CSBAs "independent, nonpartisan" work. Here is the CSBA's "independent/nonpartisan" list of supporters: 

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Army Strategic Studies Group, Army War College, Austal USA, Australian Department of Defence, BAE Systems Inc., Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chemring Group, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Department of the Navy, Embassy of Japan, Fairbanks Morse, Fincantieri/Marinette, Free University Brussels, General Atomics, General Dynamics—National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), Harris Corporation, Huntington Ingalls Industries. Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Kongsberg Defense Systems, Inc., L3 Technologies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Maersk Line, Limited. Metron. National Defense University, Navy League of the United States, Northrop Grumman Corporation. Office of the Secretary of Defense/Office of Net Assessment (ONA), Office of the Secretary of Defense/Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (AT&L), Polski Instytut Spraw Miedzynarodowych (PISM), Raven Industries, Raytheon Company, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, SEACOR Holdings, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellows Program, Smith Richardson Foundation, Submarine Industrial Base Council, Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Textron Systems, The Boeing Company, The Doris & Stanley Tananbaum Foundation, The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, United Kingdom Royal Air Force. 

Worth Noting:

What did and didn’t happen in City meetings October 25 – October 29, 2020:

The Agenda Committee learned that items not addressed in Council meetings do have to be rescheduled within 60 days. That means the Vote of No Confidence in the Police Chief will be back on November 10^th. At the Police Review Commission, the Police Chief threatened that holding outside agencies to Berkeley restrictions in policing policies, use of controlled equipment, would mean that outside agencies would never come to the assistance of the Berkeley Police and the Police Chief opined it was not possible to supervise outside agencies as mandated by the Council in 1992. The chair of the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission insisted the meeting must end (and it did) at 9 pm with discussion cut short. Didn’t we just spend days in red flag alerts and aren’t we still in the peak of fire season? T1 Spending: Even people who are warm to the new pier and ferry for Berkeley say the plan puts it in the wrong place. We had to wait until Thursday to learn that seven (7) City employees who work in buildings with poor ventilation contracted COVID-19. The pickleball players begging for more courts are better organized than the neighbors who must live with the noise for up to 12 hours/day of balls being swatted across nets with paddles. The Community group on the Civic Center convened by John Caner (email johncaner@gmail.com to join) opposes new council chambers in the park. We need The Rights of Nature Measure. The birds are still waiting for bird safe glass. And, our Councilmembers need to take a hard look at who is appointed to Commissions representing their Districts. 

What is ahead – a light week in meetings that still fills Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 

Monday – City Council Policy Committee meetings at 10:30 am Public Safety, 1 pm Facilities Infrastructure, 2:30 pm Agenda and rules. 

Wednesday – T1 meetings at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm with handouts not available until after 6 pm Monday, 

Thursday – The Landmarks Preservation Commission 7 pm meeting agenda is so long with 15 items listed that either discussion will suffer or without continuing many items the meeting could run past midnight. 

To be added to the Fair and Impartial [Policing] Working Group email list send your request to TTrachtenberg@cityofberkeley.info 

Sunday, November 1 2020  

Daylight Savings Time Ends 

Monday, November 2, 2020 

City Council Public Safety Committee, 10:30 am, 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/Policy_Committee__Public_Safety.aspx 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84532435256 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 845 3243 5256 

Agenda: 1. Adopt Ordinance add chapter BMC 2.64.170 Regulating Police Acquisition and Use of Controlled Equipment, 3. Introduce Ordinance permanently banning the use of less lethal weaponry, chemical irritants, smoke projectiles, acoustic weapons, directed energy weapons, water cannons, disorientation devices and ultrasonic cannons used by police on civilians, 4. Safety for All: The George Floyd Community Safety Act- Development of a Progressive Police Force, 5. Improving Hate Crime Reporting, and Response, 6. Providing Unhoused Community with Fire Extinguishers. 

City Council Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment & Sustainability Committee – Special Meeting, 1 pm, 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/Policy_Committee__Facilities,_Infrastructure,_Transportation,_Environment,___Sustainability.aspx 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87187693289 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 871 8769 3289 

Agenda: 2. Path to Permanence for Outdoor Dining and Commerce Permits Granted Under COVID-19, Unscheduled: 10 items listed as unscheduled including regulating plastic bags, 4 items on limiting combustion vehicles, street paving, reducing tax for qualifying electrification, just transition to regenerative economy to address climate change, street cleanup and recognizing rights of nature. 

Agenda and Rules Committee, 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm, 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/Policy_Committee__Agenda___Rules.aspx 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87898323220 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 878 9832 3220 

Agenda Planning for November 17, 6 pm Regular City Council meeting: (Only KEY ITEMS Listed) CONSENT: 7. Refer to Planning to rezone parcels to be reclassified to new Adeline Corridor Mixed-Use General Plan rezoned to new Commercial, 1709 Alcatraz, 3404 King, 3244 Ellis, 1717 Alcatraz, 2024 Ashby, ACTION: 15. Closure of the crossing at Camelia/Union Pacific to all traffic, 16. Update General Plan under CEQA to CA SB 743 Transportation Impact analysis replaces Level of Service (LOS) with Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), 17. Amend BMC Title 14 and Title 23 Reform Residential Off-Street Parking, 1. Modify Minimum Residential Off-Street Parking Requirements, 2. Impose Residential Parking Maximums, 3. Amend Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) Permit Program, 4. Institute Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Requirements, 18. Contract $50,000 (10/15/2020- 6/15/2021) with Youth Listen Campaign with Voices Against Violence, 19. Refer to City Manager to incorporate relevant elements of Navigable Cities Framework for Ensuring Access and Freedom of Movement for People with Disabilities into Master Plan, Refer to Public Works and Parks and Waterfront Commission on ways to incorporate Navigable Cities Framework into the work, projects, contracts and policies of Public Works and Parks Recreation & Waterfront Departments, Information Reports: 20. FY 2020 Year End/FY 2021 1^st Quarter, Referred Items for Review: 8. Discussion Regarding Impact of COVID-19 on Meetings of Legislative Bodies, Unscheduled Items: 9. Commission Reorganization (Due 11/30/2020), 12. Implement protocols for City Council meetings on Zoom, (packet 158 pages) 

Berkeley City Council Closed Session, 4 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Agenda_Index.aspx 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83603197143 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 836 0319 7143 

Agenda: Conference with Real Property Negotiators 1761 University owner Rajputana Hospitality Investments, LLC 

Tuesday, November 3, 2020 

Election Day - Berkeley City reduced service day 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020 

Parks and Waterfront Commission special meeting on T1 Phase 2, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Parks_and_Waterfront_Commission.aspx 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/98115617123 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 981 1561 7123 

Agenda: 3. Public Comment on agenda items only, 4. Discussion and potential action: T1 Phase 2 of potential projects 

Parks and Waterfront Commission concurrent special meeting with Public Works on T1 Phase 2, 6:30 – 9:30 pm  

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Parks_and_Waterfront_Commission.aspx 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/95118954827 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 951 1895 4827 

Agenda: 2. Comments from the Public on agenda items only (30 seconds each speaker), 3. Discussion a. goals of concurrent meeting process to make recommendations of T1 Phase 2 Project List projects and phasing to Council, b. Phase 2 Public Process Review – Handouts to be available after 6 pm Monday November 2 on T1 website https://www.cityofberkeley.info/MeasureT1Updates.aspx 

Handouts: Neighborhood group meeting notes, participating commission meeting notes, T1 P2 Large area meeting notes, T1 emails, City staff $53 million project list with phasing recommendations, 4. Next meetings, Nov 11, 12, 19 

Thursday, November 5, 2020 

Civic Center Cultural Community Group, 11:30 am – 1 pm, email the convener johncaner@gmail.com to be added to the list. 

Landmarks Preservation Commission, 7 – 11:30 pm 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/landmarkspreservationcommission/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/91680075456 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 916 8007 5456 

5. Measure T1 Infrastructure Program Phase 2 Information Report 

6. 1 Orchard Lane – Steilberg House – Landmark or Structure of Merit 

7. 1 Orchard Lane – Mills Act Contract application 

8. 2740 Telegraph – Rose Garden Inn – Structural Alteration Permit, 

9. 3031 Telegraph – Demolition Referral 

10. 2317 Channing – Demolition Referral 

11. 2601 Derby – The McGrew House – Landmarks or Structure of Merit 

12. UC Long Range Development Plan Presentation 

13. Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) letter re: UC LRDP 

14. Berkeley’s Civic Center Vision and Implementation Plan 

15. AD HOC Subcommittees and Liaison Comments 

Friday, November 6, Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2020 

No City meetings or events found 

_____________________________ 

November 10 Regular City Council meeting is available for comment,  

email council@cityofberkeley.info 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87207824735 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 872 0782 4735 

CONSENT:1. 2^nd reading amending BMC 2.MOU for Winter Relief Program for Homeless $25,000 from Alameda County, 3. MOU with Fire Fighters Association Local 1227 – 1 yr extension with no changes in compensation, 4. 25 year Lease for 5385 Cazadero Hwy, Cazadero – Performing Arts Camp with 10 yr renew option, 5. Referral Response from City Manager to Include Climate Impacts in City Council Reports, 6. Acceptance of $20,000 grant for utility bill management software analysis, 7. Resumption of Fees at Oregon Park Senior Apartments, 8. Purchase Order $150,000 for (1) 310SL Backhoe Loader, 9. Purchase Order $200,000 for (1) aerial bucket truck, 10. Councilmembers relinquishment of up to $500 to Berkeley Holiday Fund, 11. 4-stops signs at Eighth at Carleton and Pardee, 12. Authorize Installation of Security Cameras at Major Berkeley Arterial Streets Serving as Entry and Exit Points and Request an Environmental Safety Assessment in High Crime Areas, 13. Budget Referral to Reinstate Partial Funding for Gun Buyback Program, 14. Laundry and shower program (already in operation), 15. Refer to CM Resilient Homes Equity Program to provide retrofit improvements to low-income residents, 16. Budget Referral - $20,000 radar speed feedback sign for Wildcat Canyon Road, 17. Consider Fire Safety Options for Fire Pit at Codornices Park, ACTION: 18. Presentation: Report on Homeless Outreach during COVID-19 Pandemic, 19. Resolution accepting Surveillance Technology Report for Automatic License Plate Readers, GPS Trackers, Body-Worn Cameras and Street-Level Imagery Project, 20. Annual Commission Attendance and Meeting Frequency Report, 21. Support Community Refrigerators, 22. Vote of No Confidence in the Police Chief. 

_____________________ 

Public Hearings Scheduled – Land Use Appeals 

0 (2435) San Pablo (group living) – 1/19/2021 

1915 Berryman (Payson House) – 1/19/2021 

1850 Arch TBD – 1/26/2021 

1862 Arch TBD – 1/26/2021 

Notice of Decision (NOD) and Use Permits With End of Appeal Period 

1031 Cedar 11/04/2020 

901 Grayson 11/17/2020 

1009 Heinz 11/9/2020 

2724 Mabel 11/3/2020 

1511 MLK Jr. 11/10/2020 

2795 San Pablo 11/3/2020 

1790 Shattuck 11/4/2020 

1240 Sixth 11/3/2020 

89 Southampton 11/04/2020 

1510 Walnut 11/3/2020 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications_in_Appeal_Period.aspx 

LINK to Current Zoning Applications https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications.aspx 

___________________ 

WORKSESSIONS 

Jan 12 – Update Zero Waste Priorities, Undergrounding Task Force Update 

Feb 16 - BMASP/Berkeley Pier-WETA Ferry 

March 16 – date open for scheduling 

Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations 

Update Berkeley’s 2020 Vision 

Cannabis Health Considerations 

Berkeley Police Department Hiring Practices (referred by Public Safety Committee) 

Systems Realignment 

Digital Strategic Plan/FUND$ Replacement Website Update, 

This Summary of City of Berkeley meetings is the available published public meetings that could be found on Friday of the preceding week and they are important. This does not include the task forces established by the Mayor (those schedules are not available). If anyone would like to share meeting schedules including community meetings to be included in the weekly summary so we can be better-informed citizenry, please forward the notices to sustainableberkeleycoalition@gmail.com before Friday noon of the preceding week. 

To Check For Regional Meetings with Berkeley Council Appointees go to 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Committee_and_Regional_Body_Appointees.aspx 

To check for Berkeley Unified School District Board Meetings go to 

https://www.berkeleyschools.net/schoolboard/board-meeting-information/ 

This meeting list is also posted on the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website. 

http://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html and in the Berkeley Daily Planet under activist’s calendar http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com 

If you wish to stop receiving the Weekly Summary of City Meetings please forward the weekly summary you received to kellyhammargren@gmail.com,