Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won 93.3% of the vote in Berkeley, or 93.7% if write-ins are not included. Donald Trump and his running mate received 4.0%, up from 3.2% in the 2016 election. -more-

The appalling incompetence of California’s state housing agencies was recently a top story in the mainstream media. Documented in “California’s Housing Agencies,” a report issued on November 17 by State Auditor Elaine Howle, the dereliction includes the loss of $2.7 billion in bond money that could have funded affordable housing.

What the mainstream press mentioned only in passing, if at all, is that the report also issues a broadside attack on local land-use authority.

Contending that “[l]ocal opposition to housing development has long been a major obstacle in California’s efforts to provide affordable housing,” and that “state law and state oversight are not strong enough to ensure that cities and counties are doing their part to facilitate the construction of affordable housing,” the Auditor urges the state to

• create a statewide appeals board to rule on local housing decisions;
• condition local funding for transportation and other non-housing uses on local housing development;
• establish a statewide requirement for inclusionary housing in a local jurisdiction that has already met its goal for housing in the above-moderate-income category but not for affordable housing—which is to say, most jurisdictions;
• increase the existing default densities of 10 to 30 units per acre for affordable housing;
• “streamline”—meaning, no public process—approvals of “all eligible affordable housing projects;” and
• authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to implement and enforce these and other draconian measures.

The auditor also urges that the provision of affordable housing rely less on “significant state resources” and more on “local and private investment.” The idea is preposterous. Local governments don’t have the money to build housing; and private developers won’t build below-market-rate housing because it can’t yield the returns on investment that they and their lenders demand. Are these recommendations embodied in bills introduced after the Legislature reconvened on December 7, and in the budget that Governor Gavin Newsom will propose in January? -more-

Last Monday I walked to the mailbox. When I returned the path to my apartment was blocked by a crew of six or seven people wearing yellow "Downtown Streets" vests. I paused behind the crewmember directly in front of my only way forward and when he turned my way I saw he was wearing a mask - under his chin. Most of the crew, I realized, was doing the same. Masks under the chin, around the neck, below the nose, etc., and as he came closer I said could you please put your mask on?

He went from zero to sixty in a second, shouting "get your bitch-ass out of here, just keep walking." I was shocked, and just stood there dumfounded as he kept circling away and then back toward me without a mask, shouting that I was a white bitch. Another mask-free crew member joined him in saying I had no business being there, that I should get the eff out of there, that it was none of my business, that I was a bitch. One of them said that I should be wearing a mask, although I was fully masked. I asked who was their supervisor and they pointed out Pamela Frazier, who told them to watch their language, but took her mask off to do it. They kept insisting that I had no right to be there, that it was none of my f-ng business, etc. Pamela Frazier sat in a motorized chair as if this were routine.

I wasn't just being blocked from re-entering my home of over thirty years. I was paying for this learn-to-take-profanity-and-like-it program-- as are you if you're a Berkeley taxpayer. Although my District 1 Representative's aide speculated that private merchants had hired the crew, in fact the City of Berkeley is paying $225,000 to contract with a San Jose-based company to sweep leaves and litter, "abate graffiti", and perform "poster and advertising removal" according to a September 15, 2020 Consent Calendar item bumping them an additional $870,304. This program apparently makes sure that when you take a brief moment during the pandemic shutdown to mail a letter you'll get a shower of profanity, a face-full of irate aerosol from a mask-free crewmember, and a chance to watch your constitutionally protected fliers and community notices torn down by the city, who despite repeated reminders, still hasn't figured out that first amendment thing. -more-

"Everything was done in strict compliance with applicable law, under the advice of counsel and tax experts," said Alan Garten, the Trump Organization's general counsel, as quoted in the NYTimes (Manhattan D.A. Intensifies Investigation of Trump, Dec. 11, 2020).

That mantra is used to defend a man whose taxes and financial dealings are under investigation for fraud. That is the mantra for a self-proclaimed billionaire who is reported to have paid only $750 in taxes in some years, and nothing at all in other years. Although he may have stepped over the line of legal activity, clearly, it indicates a genius in ability to work every possible loophole for his personal advantage. -more-

Indian farmers are angry with Prime Minister’s Modi’s policies of neoliberalism and inequality. Hundreds of thousands marched in New Delhi demanding repeal of new laws that maintain agricultural products at historic lows. This is a complete betrayal of promises made to famers in the 2014 election.

In a bid to win over farmers, Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said in its 2014 general election manifesto that all crop prices should be fixed at a minimum of 50% higher than the production costs. In 2016, Modi promised to boost the country's agriculture sector with a target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022. Agriculture is the main source of income for more than half of India’s 1.3 billion people. Many farmers are no longer able to maintain a living wage and have been driven into bankruptcy and suicide. An estimated 250 million workers participated in the strike making it the largest strike in the world. Police beat back peaceful demonstrators, many in their late sixties and seventies, with lathes and water cannons in the freezing cold weather.

This comes as COVID rages through India, which has reported more cases than any country in the world outside the United States. India’s working class endorsed the demands of the farmers. -more-

A deafening silence by the western press greeted the brutal murder of Iranian scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Strangely absent from the reported killing was the word “terrorist”. Fakhrizadeh was the fifth scientist to be (allegedly) assassinated by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Not even a murmur of outrage was reported in the western press following these brutal crimes. -more-

Like most of you, I cannot wait until Donald Trump leaves the White House and the daily onslaught of Trump "news" ceases. Unfortunately, while Trump will move on to the netherworld, the political madness will continue. The most difficult 2020 election lesson is that Trump is not the cause of Republican insanity, he is its symptom.

In the 2020 election, more than 74 million Americans voted for Donald Trump. They chose crazy.

It's a deeply disturbing fact that millions of Americans voted for Trump. A fact that's important to consider, because Trump will disappear but Trumpism will persist. Many Trump voters will continue to support Republican irrationality.

Many pundits disparage Trump supporters; call them stupid, deplorable, or worse. I believe the most apt characterization of MAGA devotees is desperate. Trump supporters feel hopeless and have grasped Trump as a "lifesaver." -more-

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that what happens to an individual is her choice, meaning that being forced to carry a fetus to full term violated a person's inalienable right do decide what is to happen to her body. Another way of saying it is, "Keep the government out of my (her) womb."

Forcing an individual to take psychiatric drugs could be seen analogously to anti-abortion laws that were struck down under the Supreme Court ruling. Forcing an individual to take psychiatric medication against his or her will could be seen as a basic violation of human rights.

But it is more complicated than that. To force medication on someone, often they are first judged incompetent. This means that a mental illness has wiped out an individual's ability to make a rational decision. That's one point in which the forced medication differs from Roe v. Wade. -more-

In 2012, then President Barack Obama by Executive Order the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA often called “Dreamers”), giving young unauthorized immigrants the right to seek work permits and deportation relief through the DACA program.

On September 5, 2017, with a stroke of a pen, Trump phased out over six months unless Congress stepped in with its own plan for these childhood arrivals, but gave the Republican-controlled Congress until March 6, 2018 to replace it. Trump promised to sign the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (Dream Act) that would have granted legal status to certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and went to school here. -more-

Damn You, Autocorrect!

I noticed the SF Chronicle has posted an online list of holiday special events. One of the options garnered special attention owing to a Chron typo. A "Holiday Cookie Demo" featuring Charlie Farriér of Crumble & Whisk is set to screen at 5:30 PM on December 15. But the addition of a single letter makes the event sound a bit friskier than intended. The Invite line reads: "Join Crumble & Whisky."

Why You Can't Be a Christian and a Capitalist

A note, in passing, to the bottom-line prophets of the Prosperity Gospel: “No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve both God and money." — Matthew 6:24-28.

When the World Is in Tatters, Look to the Heavens

NBC has come up with some good news for our wretched, cloistered times.

If you're looking for "a bright spot in a dark year," just circle December 21 on your calendar and prepare to lift your gaze to the sky. On this Solstice Night—the first day of winter and the longest night of the year—the planets Jupiter and Saturn will appear to merge into a single, brilliant "Christmas Star"—a sight not seen in 800 years.

The last time this planetary conjunction was visible in the night sky was in 1226—a year that marked the deaths of Louis VIII (the Lion King) and St. Francis of Assisi. -more-

Despite all the legal scholars saying that the Texas lawsuit was frivolous without merit, I still worried. It was a relief to receive the news that the Supreme Court dismissed the latest bid to overturn the November 3 election. The mere fact that 17 attorneys general and 126 congressional Republicans signed on to the Texas suit should give all of us pause. A closer election could be the end of what is left of this democracy.

On page 352 in Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste, she quotes Taylor Branch, historian of the Civil Rights Movement, “If people were given the choice between Democracy and Whiteness, how many would choose Whiteness?” The answer is staring at us.

On July 14, 2020, the Berkeley City Council passed the Omnibus Motion on Public Safety. This motion was to put into action policing reform in Berkeley. It follows by two years the release of the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) Report of disparate treatment of Blacks in Berkeley.

I fully expected Councilmember Bartlett’s proposal to develop a progressive police academy, called the George Floyd Community Safety Act, to fill the entire City Council Public Safety Committee meeting Monday morning, but the item was withdrawn as too expensive to pursue in this economy. The next item, the Ordinance Regulating Police Acquisition and Use of Controlled Equipment, was continued, with the City Attorney reviewing the ordinance before the next meeting in January, bringing the meeting to a quick end.

The two unscheduled items from previous Councilmember Cheryl Davila were left in abeyance. Her successor Terry Taplin had said prior to the meeting that he did not wish to advance provisions for less lethal weaponry and fire extinguishers for homeless encampments. It is not surprising that dealing with the controversial issues of tear gas, pepper spray, disorientation devices, etc. was left unscheduled, but it is unfortunate that a discussion of providing fire extinguishers is not coming forward. The total acres of land consumed in wildfires (over 4 million acres - 9,279 fires) in California in 2020 was more than double the previous record. This should make everyone receptive to considering all avenues to reduce fire risk. At least Fire Chief Brannigan was invited to the January Safety Committee meeting to provide information on evacuation plans. -more-

Worth Noting:

City Council Winter Recess is almost here beginning December 16, 2020 thru January 18, 2021.



What’s Ahead

Monday – Council is voting on the annual appropriations Tuesday evening. The last review by the Budget & Finance Committee will be at 9 am Monday. The Disaster and Fire Safety Commission is meeting at 7 pm to review the proposed amendments to the off-street Parking Zoning Ordinance.

CAG (Community Advisory Group for BART developments) meets at 6 pm

Tuesday - It is unlikely Council will get through all the action items on the December 15 City Council Regular 6 pm meeting agenda unless the meeting is extended to run past midnight. All the Councilmembers and Mayor will be tired from a steady run of meetings beginning at 3 pm.. Let’s hope Mayor Arreguin decides early on what should be postponed until January so we don’t have to hang on until 11 pm to get that announcement. Budget Items 42 and 43 and the loan forgiveness 44 all need to be addressed before recess.

Wednesday – The Planning Commission, 7 pm is holding a hearing on the baseline Zoning Ordinance and will be voting to adopt the Adeline Corridor Plan that was modified by Council on December 8.

Thursday – The Community for a Cultural Civic Center meets at noon. Email Johncaner@gmail.com to receive meeting announcements and links. This is an open community group – all are welcome. The Design Review Committee meets at 6 pm.



Sunday, December 13, 2020

No City meetings or events found

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