UPDATE: As of 10 a.m. this morning varying numbers of appointments for Berkeley residents COVID vaccinations are available at the Curative Inc. site at the Golden Gate Fields parking lot.
UPDATE, 9:30 pm, Feb.4: Curative Inc. is offering a total of 336 vaccination appointments on Friday and Saturday.
A Berkeley source reports that the city has now acquired several thousand additional doses, so anyone who hasn't gotten an appointment should keep trying. . However at press time there are no Sunday or Monday appointment slots on the web site.
Unfortunately, as of 10:45 today the website map maintained by Curative Inc shows that they have no more appointments for seniors over 75 to get CORVID-19 vaccinations in cars at a Golden Gate Fields parking lot. The site was only accessible to those able to register online with computers or smart phones and had automobiles. No provision has been made for those who are not online or for those who have no way to get there (except for disabled people who were offered transport by the Easy Does It agency for $15.)
The City of Berkeley has a limited number of COVID vaccine appointments for Berkeley residents over 75 available this weekend. Sign up at http://curative.com/sites/24551/. More details, including how to arrange for transportation to an appointment, are below in the City of Berkeley press release.
[Editor's Note: The Curative website shows on only 1 slot on Friday and 7 on Saturday as of 11 p.m. on Feb. 3, with a total of 406 remaining slots over 4 days. There is apparently no provision for seniors without online access to sign up for slots.]
| COVID-19 Vaccine appointments available for those 75 and over: Feb. 5-8 Drive-through site coordinated by City of Berkeley Berkeley and Alameda County residents who are at least 75 years of age can sign up for one of a limited set of drive-through COVID-19 vaccination appointments starting on Friday Feb. 5. These vaccinations, which are being coordinated by the City of Berkeley at a site in Albany, align with state guidelines and target the ages most vulnerable to hospitalization and death as a result of COVID-19 disease. These appointment-only vaccinations are available for people seeking their first dose. Curative Inc., the vendor, will add those with appointments into their notification system for second appointments. The vaccinations will take place Feb. 5 through Monday Feb. 8 at the site, which is at the foot of Buchanan Street near the Albany Bulb. Make your appointments online: COVID-19 Vaccination Appointment Form, Friday Feb. 5 – 8. This form will ask you for basic demographic information to confirm your eligibility for an appointment. You will receive a confirmation email with the date and time of your appointment. Transport option for Berkeley seniors, disabled For Berkeley residents who need physical assistance with mobility to get to the site, a ride service supported by the City can help some people get to their appointments for a $15 fee. Once you have an appointment time, check your eligibility, register for services, and schedule a ride by contacting Easy Does It at 510-704-2111. Easy Does It will ask health screening questions to ensure the rider safety and the safety of the driver. Personal protective equipment is worn by drivers, and face coverings are required of riders. |
An ordinary envelope, like many ads I get in the mail, arrived at my door. On opening it, here is a credit card with my name on it. Is this a scam? NO! It is my $600 stimulus money from Mr. Trump’s treasury department.
The five pages of enclosed instructions in English told me that I must call a number to activate it, I cannot give it to anyone else, that I can use it in an ATM, and fees will be charged for using it. It costs $5 for a Bank Teller Over-the-Counter Cash Withdrawal, plus $2 for ATM withdrawals and $.25 for a balance inquiry on an ATM that is not an ALLPOINT brand—whomever heard of that one?
And if you do not speak English,
“Translations of this Agreement that may have been provided are for your convenience only and may not accurately reflect the original English meaning. The meanings of terms, conditions, and representations herein are subject to definitions and interpretations in the English language.”
This appears to have been issued by MetaBank®,
“Your Economic Impact Payment Card (EIP Card) contains the money you are receiving under the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020 or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The EIP Card is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service as part of the US Debit Card Program. Now that you’ve received your Card, here’s how to activate and start using it.”
Questions:
Who receives interest on the funds until the cards are cashed?
Who keeps the money that is not cashed?
Whose pockets were lined?
If you have a problem, you cannot sue but must go to arbitration.
What are your chances of winning in arbitration? Guess.
From MetaBank’s Annual Report:
“Completed negotiations with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service ("Fiscal Service") to disperse a second round of Economic Income Payment ("EIP") stimulus payments through the distribution of prepaid cards. The Company began distributing cards under this authorization January 4, 2021. Total revenue for the first quarter was $111.5 million, an increase of 9% compared to $102.1 million for the same quarter in fiscal 2020.”
The company’s revenue increased by $9.4 million in the first quarter of 2021.
“EIP Program Update”
“The Bank is serving as the sole Financial Agent for distributing prepaid debit cards used in the EIP program. The Company's Payments division, in collaboration with Fiserv and Visa, is proud to have provided a safe and secure mechanism for individuals, including the underbanked, to receive their stimulus payments. Under the first round of EIP, approximately $6.42 billion in stimulus payments on 3.6 million prepaid cards were mailed to individuals across the United States. The total balances remaining on the first round of EIP cards were $605.1 million as of December 31, 2020 and $569.2 million as of January 20, 2021.
On December 27, 2020, the U.S. Congress, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”), directed the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) to distribute a second round of EIP via the U.S. Treasury to persons in the U.S. eligible to receive them. The Bank entered into an amendment of its existing agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service ("Fiscal Service"), under which the Bank will act as a Financial Agent to Fiscal Service in connection with the provision of prepaid debit card services to disburse a portion of the EIP payments to eligible recipients via Bank-issued prepaid cards.
Under the second round, the Bank disbursed approximately $7.10 billion of EIP payments, with initial payments having begun January 4, 2021. The total balances remaining on the second round of EIP cards were $5.80 billion as of January 20, 2021.
While the EIP Program's impact to earnings is expected to be slightly positive, it continues to temporarily have a significant impact on cash and deposit balances, leading to a reduced NIM along with a corresponding impact on the Company's leverage capital ratios. In conjunction with the Program and its balance sheet impacts, the Bank was granted temporary exemption from its requirements to maintain minimum regulatory capital leverage ratios by the Officer of the Comptroller of the Currency due to deposits received as part of the EIP program. The influx of EIP deposits is not expected to have any material impact on the Company's risk-weighted capital ratios.
The Company is working with other banks to transfer deposits off-balance sheet in an effort to relieve the impact of the substantial influx of deposits related to the second round of EIP.”
So whom does the stimulus benefit? I got $600. MetaBank got $7.10 billion of EIP payments. Go figure.
The California Teachers Association has told Governor Gavin Newsom that the union wants schools in counties with high Covid-19 infection rates to remain in distance learning for 100 days so the state can develop a more aggressive plan to slow the spread of the virus and have all school staff vaccinated.
"We need a clear and coordinated state, county and local plan that puts the health and safety of our communities first and does not take shortcuts toward the path of opening schools in person," union leaders stated in a letter Wednesday to Newsom . "To do otherwise will continue the 'yo-yo' effect we warned of last summer and this fall -- opening schools, only to then close them because we failed to have the necessary layered protections and asymptomatic testing in place."
To make that happen, the union is asking the governor to keep all schools in counties in the purple, or widespread, tier of the state's tracking system in distance learning during the 100-day period. Counties in that tier have more than seven cases per 100,000 residents or have more than 8% of test results positive over a seven-day period.
The union also is asking for enforcement of health orders and workplace regulations and increased Covid-19 testing.
The letter challenges the governor's plan to begin reopening schools to some students next month. His "Safe Schools for All" incentive plan has also drawn criticism from school superintendents.
This is not the first time the union has called for enhanced safety precautions and vaccinations for school employees to reopen schools.
But the letter does come as school districts across the state have been struggling to figure out how to vaccinate their staff with an unpredictable vaccine supply and lack of statewide coordination of vaccinations.
Although teachers and other school employees are included in the next phase (Phase 1B) of the state's vaccine rollout they are not being vaccinated in many California counties, which are still vaccinating healthcare workers and nursing home residents in Phase 1A.
Timing for vaccinating teachers and school employees depends on how a county health department decides to prioritize vaccines within Phase 1B, which also includes everyone 65 and older, agriculture and food workers and emergency service personnel. There is no guidance that puts teachers at the top of that group.
In the letter the union recommends that schools be considered for vaccination clinic sites, calling them familiar, convenient and trusted locations that can play an important role in vaccinating people in the community. Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner has also asked that schools in the district be designated as official community vaccination centers.
The governor's plan would give school districts $450 to $750 per student if they offer in-person instruction to students in transitional kindergarten through second grade by Feb. 15 and third- through sixth-grade by March 15. Districts that start a month later can get $100 less. Districts would need to have comprehensive health and safety plans in place, including COVID-19 testing.
In its letter, the union says it has concerns about the timeline for implementing the plan and the use of Proposition 98 dollars for school safety, but is committed to reopening schools.
President Joe Biden's COVID relief package is in line with the union's requests to the governor and would be needed to fund all the necessary safety precautions required in order to return to school, said Claudia Briggs, union spokesperson. Vaccinating teachers is also a key part of Biden's plan to reopen schools.
The American Rescue Plan will provide the resources schools will need to protect students and teachers in order to reopen, including ventilation, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, during a virtual meeting hosted by national teachers unions Thursday.
"So not only, when you have the public health measures of masking, better ventilation, better spacing, but if we can get them (school staff) vaccinated as quickly as possible, that would hopefully get to the goal that we all want," Fauci said.
My last note from the book How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt is, “Democracy is a shared enterprise.” Haven’t we learned that over the last four years (and some of us would say over the last twelve)? We can’t just vote and then tune out, of course. Most of us were unable to tune out during the last four years with Trump continually sucking up media attention, news banners, notes filling our email boxes, social media posts and endless worrisome conversations with friends and family. It is nice to have a break, but even now that brief peace seems to be slipping away. And all of this brings me to this week’s summary of what happened and a bit of what is ahead.
“Democracy is a shared enterprise” is not just for national politics it is for local city politics too. If we don’t watch and participate, the hope of affordable housing at the BART station projects will slip away. Look at this coming week’s Measure O Bond Oversight Committee Special meeting at 6 pm on Wednesday:
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Measure_O_Bond_Oversight_Committee.aspx Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/93950296629.
If the Measure O funds are assigned to BUSD-Sponsored Educator Housing then there won’t be Measure O Funds to contribute to affordable housing at the BART stations and that will give the gentrifiers a huge boost in South Berkeley.
The Council Agenda and Rules Committee at 3 pm on Monday is the next step in getting rid of those pesky Commissions that push forward measures that the Council and City Manager would much prefer to ignore.
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/Policy_Committee__Agenda___Rules.aspx
Of course, there are those commissions and commissioners who use the easy path not to include other represented groups and needs, in other words other commissions.
The Planning Commission put forward their plan for eliminating parking minimums for new buildings and establishing parking maximums without ever including the Disability Commission or the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission. Their plan was adopted by Council on Tuesday.
The Disability Commission was essentially shut down by the City Manager, and the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission has been severely restricted in meeting since March 2020. These two Commissions should have been included in the Planning Commission discussion and now the Council’s decision process regarding parking requirements, and now the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission is trying to figure out how to track what the Planning Commission is doing.
All this illustrates the siloing of city management, functions, and staff. One would think that city staff that support the boards and commissions could contribute to cross pollination of ideas from one segment of the city to another, but that doesn’t seem to be a priority. It is so much easier to shut discussion down.
I finished off the week by attending consideration of the Santa Fe Right of Way as a potential new park meeting on Saturday morning. This wasn’t given any special attention in my Activist’s Calendar, but I had hoped that at least one attendee had seen the post from my calendar. Every once in a while I receive an email that my efforts to post City meetings is appreciated, but I wonder every week if the time spent creating the calendar is worth the effort if no one reads it. The Community Calendar is useful, but in the six years I have been tracking City meetings there are always at least one commission meeting and usually several that are missing. https://www.cityofberkeley.info/communitycalendar/ The mere fact that it is so difficult to track what is happening with Berkeley City meetings is why I started this effort.
There were a few more things that happened at city meetings this last week. Igor Tregub stated at the Peace and Justice Commission that the Mayor was proposing to combine the Peace and Justice Commission with the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission.
The City Council Budget & Finance Committee heard the staff presentation and public comment on the Property Tax Measures and Restore Tax Equity by changing the taxed square footage through a comprehensive verification process. This issue has been going on for months.
Mayor Arreguin certainly got testy with the public during the meeting, and went after Councilmember Harrison in an attempt to stop her from further commenting on the issue and making suggestions for the future. Harrison didn’t stop talking. Hopefully she can find the bandwidth to put forward the needed measures, i.e. at least correcting under-measured livable space when the property is sold.
There are too many meetings running simultaneously to catch everything, and we need to keep an eye on WETA (Water Emergency Transportation Authority) and the BMASP (Berkeley Marina Area Specific Plan). There will be a presentation on February 16th to Council. The suggestions for revenue and activities at the meeting on Thursday were all pretty mundane and unimaginative. I have an idea for revenue, kicking out those G—awful restaurants on the Bay and giving those to several of the talented chefs in the area. I’ve eaten at the two restaurants in the Marina three times and it was three times too many.
This is a little shorter today as the personal to-do list is stacking up. There will be more next time and I will fill you in on my reading. I am almost done with The Back Channel by William J. Burns, whom President Biden tapped for the CIA.
And you can send comments to me at kellyhammargren@gmail.com.
Now that the Democrats have control of both houses of Congress, citizens have high expectations that Dems must do what is necessary to solve the many crises we have been left with, after too many years of Republican control. To avoid the mistake from Obama's presidency, the FILIBUSTER MUST BE ENDED.
If the 60% supermajority filibuster remains, trump's Republicans will assure gridlock. Democrats must not make the mistake of playing defense - worrying about what happens if Republicans regain the Senate in 2022 without the filibuster in place. Now they have a majority; NOW is the time to play offense.
Majority rule is 50% plus one. 60% is flat-out undemocratic. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 22, that a supermajority is poison. Rather than encourage cooperation, the filibuster "substitutes the pleasure, caprice or artifices of a minority for the regular deliberations and decisions of a respectable majority."
Contact your Senators and especially, Senator Joe Manchin, NOW!
What an incredible brave man. Having narrowly escaped death by a deadly Russian poison, Aleksei Navalny decided to return to Moscow with full knowledge that he would be immediately detained by Kremlin police, face physical abuse or possible death.
Navalny must have been acutely aware that there was little chance of overthrowing the “president for life” Putin militarily. He must have realized that despotic regimes can only be demolished using the moral force of truth.
All positive changes in the world are made by uncommon men of enormous courage like Nelson Mandela who humbled South Africa’s apartheid or Gandhi and brave Sikhs slaughtered by British General Dyer who forced “the sun to set” on the former British empire. Soviet human rights stalwarts Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov and Natan Sharansky accelerated the demise of the former Soviet Union. Their efforts were reinforced by Lech Walesa of Poland and Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia.
Navalny has skillfully used social media to expose Putin and corrupt Russian oligarchs’ opulent life style which has stirred moral outrage among ordinary Russians suffering from the COVID pandemic and economic decline. International pressure demanding Navalny’s release from prison must be intensified. Bravo, Mr. Navalny you a credit to the human race.
The Biden era begins with Democrats narrowly in control of Congress. Some actions can be taken without Republican support. Nonetheless, big change requires the votes of at least a few Republicans. How likely is this?
To answer this question, it's necessary to dissect the current political environment. In the 2020 presidential-election exit polls: 37 percent of respondents identified as Democrats, 36 percent identified as Republicans, and 26 percent as Independents. (94 percent of Democrats voted for Biden and 94 percent of Republicans voted for Trump; 54 percent of Independents voted for Biden.)
In the presidential election, Trump had the support of 94 percent of Republicans. Of the 158 million voters, 57 million were Republicans voting for Trump -- 34 percent of all voters.
Since the election, and the January 6th insurrection, Trump's support has eroded. The latest Pew Research report (https://www.pewresearch.org/
In a recent Washington Post commentary (https://www.washingtonpost.
It's possible to allocate congressional Republicans into three groups --depending upon their devotion to Donald Trump. The first group is the Trump cultists. In the Senate, an example is Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville; in the House of Representatives, an example is California Congressman Devin Nunes. The second group is the "transactionalists;" that is, Republicans who support Trump only when they see it to be their personal advantage. In the Senate, an example is Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell; in the House, an example is House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy. The third group is the "constitutionalists;" that is, Republicans who place following the Constitution over fealty to Trump. In the Senate, an example is Utah Senator Mitt Romney; in the House, an example is Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger.
To understand the near-term prospects for congressional action, it's necessary to factor in the fragmentation of the Republican Party. (Theoretically there's also a split in the Democratic Party between liberals and moderates; I'm ignoring this because, at the moment, Dems are reasonably unified.)
Trump's Impeachment: On January 25th, The House (Democratic) impeachment managers delivered the paperwork for Trump's second impeachment to the Senate. The Senate trial begins on February 8th. It would take 67 votes to convict Trump; assuming all 48 Democratic Senators and 2 Independents voted for conviction, 17 Republicans would have to vote for impeachment. How likely is it that enough Republicans would vote to convict Trump?
A recent survey by the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.
It's a tall order to expect 17 Republicans to vote to convict Trump. Early indications are that only a handful will do this. On January 26th, Republican Senator Rand Paul forced a trial vote, based upon the (erroneous) notion that Trump's (second) impeachment trial was unconstitutional -- since Trump is no longer in office. 45 Republican Senators went along with this. The five that voted agains Rand Paul's motion were a group we might call Republican constitutionalists: Collins (Maine), Murkowski (Alaska), Romney (Utah), Sasse (Nebraska), and Toomey (Pennsylvania). (Note that the transactional Republicans are hiding behind the chimera that Trump's impeachment is illegal.)
Biden Economic Relief Plan: In addition to impeachment, the other major February Senate vote will be on the Biden Economic Relief package -- an omnibus bill that will provide assistance to individuals, businesses, and governments impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. Once again, we can expect that 48 Democratic Senators and 2 Independents will support this. The questions is: how many Republican votes will it get?
I'm assuming there are ay least 10 Republican Trump cultists, who will oppose anything that Biden/Democrats propose. That leaves 40 Republican senators who are somewhat open to Democratic initiatives. I'm going to hazard a guess that there are 10 that will generally go along with their Democratic counterparts: Burr, Collins, Grassley, Lankford, Murkowski, Portman, Romney, Sasse, Scott, and Toomey.
Looking ahead: In 2022, there are four Republican Senate seats that are up-for-grabs: North Carolina (Burr -- retiring), Ohio (Portman -- retiring), Pennsylvania (Toomey -- retiring), and Wisconsin (Johnson). If Trump remains a power in the Republican Party, then he will support Trump cultists to run in North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. (In Wisconsin, Johnson is a transactionaist and ,therefore, will tred softly to retain Trump's support.)
In the majority of contentious House races, Republicans will propose Trump cultists. This means that some of the House seats that Republicans won in 2020, will likely flip to Democratic control. For example, in California Republicans control 11 seats, districts 1, 4, 8, 21, 22, 23, 25, 39, 42, 48, and 50. The Republican occupying CA 25 is Mike Garcia, a Trump cultist -- who won by 333 votes; he should be vulnerable in 2022. Three seats won by transactional Republicans (21, 39, and 48) were won by narrow margins.
Summary: At this stage, we can expect a handful of congressional Republicans to support the Biden agenda. The remainder will stay loyal to Trump and oppose most everything Democrats propose. Capitol Hill won't be in gridlock but on the edge.
How long this situation goes on depends upon the duration of Trump's hold on the Republican Party. This will depend upon three things: First, Trump's access to social media; at the moment he cannot use Twitter and Facebook and, therefore, has no convenient daily way to communicate with his followers. Second, Trump's support from Republican donors; Trump will need money to continue to be the major GOP power -- at the moment he isn't getting support from big donors. Third, exogenous factors such as the status of Trump lawsuits and the state of Trump business affairs; at the moment, Trump looks to be on shaky financial ground but time will tell.
We're all sick of talking about Trump but, for the near future, we're going to have to pay attention to him. His "illness" has infected the Republican Party.
In the past decade and especially in the time of COVID-19 and having had Trump as a recent President--one who continues to influence and ruin the U.S., times have changed, and society has changed. There are a lot more pitfalls built into society, and many of them can cause death. There is not nearly as much forgiveness in the American environment, of behaviors of which people can't make sense. This is despite the surge in racism, in violence, and in other lawlessness in the name of reactionary conservatism, behaviors that people seem to get away with even though being mentally ill and acting inexplicably gets you in trouble.
When the public has a heightened sense of fear, defensiveness, and intolerance, it is a lot harder for a severely mentally ill person to be treated gently or with decency. It seems that society has devolved, causing many people to fall into the black hole of ignorance that resembles a spiritual and social gravity well.
Mentally ill people today must work harder than we once did, just to maintain what little we've got. And if we have our sanity, it says a lot of our ability to be tenacious.
It is more important than it ever was that mentally ill people advocate for ourselves, that we make certain that our condition, whatever it happens to be, is treated--including when treatment professionals try to make it harder for us to receive treatment. In the past, treatment would knock at our door and/or be forced on us. Now, we have to assert ourselves to make the system notice us and give us the care that we need. This is beyond compliance, and this is necessary.
I'm fighting a staph infection in my eyelid, and medical doctors will not take the initiative in helping me get it cured. But also, I am being shuffled between various mental health treatment providers, and I don't always know, from one week to the next, whom I will see.
Additionally, Social Security is giving me a second Continuing Disability Review within six months, as though they forgot that the first one was done or is in progress.
The care and treatment systems are falling apart. Much of this is attributable to the pandemic. But if we are to remain alive and functioning, we have to be determined. It might get easier in the future, or we might have to force it to be better through our own actions.
I don't know what people expect us to do. Maybe there is no one in the position of expecting, and everyone is merely focused on what they need for themselves. You shouldn't personalize neglect; it is universal.
Much of what I've said in the above manuscript is my own experience. but I am sure that I am not alone. Surviving is harder than it was, but maybe if we become stronger through exercising will, it won't seem so hard.
Being mentally ill is not an easy lot, but then neither is surviving during a pandemic, social unrest, and a splintered society. This is what everyone has to deal with, whether we are mentally ill or neuro typical. Mentally ill people are not the only ones having a tough time. Much of the government is out of touch with this. Yet now we've elected a President who does not believe it is a crime to be a good person.
If we want to live, lack of compliance with medication and other treatment is not an option.
Change is really happening in Washington! "Sleepy Joe" Biden has been displaying an alert and affirmative presence that has elevated him to the status of Dream President. Under Der Trump, the phrase "Executive Action" came to mean "regressive, mean-spirited, poverty-promoting, and planet-polluting." Under Biden's pen, the EA-signing ceremonies have become liberating, inspiring, and cause for celebration.
On his first day, Biden hit the ground running (his injured, booted foot apparently healed) and he's been gaining ground with every hour and Oval Office press-op. If he hasn't already set a record for the greatest number of campaign promises kept, he soon will.
In addition to decreeing major reversals of the previous Misadministration's despicable rulings on the environment, public health, and military sales to dictators, Biden is also taking the lead in one of the Democrat's most ambitious—and most needed—challenges: reforming the US Electoral System.
In a sane world, this initiative would unit both parties—including not just those American's who cheer the policies of Obama, FDR, and MLK but all those alienated Trumpublicans who continue to believe the canard that the last US election was rigged.
The first bill before a new Congress always raises a special flag to future hopes. In this case, a well-considered House bill (House Resolution 1) could assuage the fears and concerns of every serious democracy-loving ballot-holder from every political party.
As Adam Schiff explained, H.R. 1 (aka the "For the People Act") "will begin to restore our democracy and strengthen voting rights immediately by making Election Day a federal holiday, establishing national automatic voter registration, ending partisan gerrymandering, requiring disclosure of high dollar donors, and so much more."
Let's hope "so much more" includes retiring the woeful, anti-democratic relic known as the Electoral College.
Getting Around in Style
There's been some new branding in the taxi business. This week, I spotted a vehicle bearing the name "VIP Shuttle." The company's website promises its Very Important Passengers "a great deal of freedom, space and service that is tailored exactly to your needs." Not sure if this includes complimentary snacks and drinks en route.
Which got me wondering: what do the words "taxi" and "taxidermy" have in common?
Nothing but the same string of letters, it turns out. A taxi cab takes its name from the Greek word "taxis," which means paying a tax for a service. But "taxis" also means an "arrangement" of derma, or "skin," for example.
So I guess I'll never see a Yellow Cab stuffed and mounted on my livingroom wall.
Gas-guzzlers Begone!
California's Gov. Gav wants to ban gas-powered cars from the state by 2035. To do this, he wants to massively expand the installation of electric charging stations statewide.
I would hate to see the Big Oil companies wrest control of these electric charging stations and run the network as a new profit center. Would Exxon become Electron?
But there's another option: subsidize the purchase of home-installed storage batteries for electric car owners.
A letter in the January 27 Chronicle suggested another approach—homeowners with storage batteries could become independent entrepreneurs, opening up their driveways to charge electric vehicles owned by neighbors and strangers alike.
Tow Trucks on Steroids
An odd sight on Addison Street. One of AC Transit's hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered buses had broken down. The towing vehicle dispatched to drag the hulkback to the shop for repairs was nearly as large as the bus itself.
Warspeak
The elections are over but the political fund-raising solicitations keep appearing, non-stop. This week, two fat envelopes arrived the same day. One, from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, bore a message on the outer envelope that read: "Gar, I need you to stay in this fight." The second envelope, from gun-control advocate/survivor Gabby Giffords bore the message: "Courage to fight gun violence." (Emphasis added.)
There's something profoundly disconcerting about a message that calls for "fighting violence." That's seems akin to calls to "combat war" or "overpower bullies."
Even Joe Biden is guilty of firing off volleys of warspeak. It was Biden who characterized his presidential campaign as "A Battle for the Soul of America." (Unfortunately, the armed extremists who invaded the Capitol building armed with clubs, hockey sticks, and bear-mace, could happily adopt the same slogan.)
Billions for Bombs, Zilch for Bread
Just saw a great meme from Gulf War Vet and history professor Andrew Bacevich. Prof. Bacevich, a prolific political commentator, recently noted the inequity of: "Firing a $70,000 missile from a $28,000,000 drone flying at a cost of $3,624 per hour to kill people in the Middle East living on less than $1 per day." Bacevich concluded with the observation: "We live in a country where, if you want to go bomb somebody, there's remarkably little discussion about how much it might cost. But then you have a discussion about whether or not we can assist people who are suffering, the suddenly, we become very cost-conscious."
Keep It Golden?
A new TV ad promoting energy conservation shows young students, activists, a boxer, and a basketball team all pushing energy conservation. But it's a bit discordant that no one is wearing a facemask. (Whassup? The human brain can only handle one crisis at a time?)
The TV spot also ends with an incongruous image—the words "KEEP IT GOLDEN" are spelled out in the lights of a San Francisco high-rise. Sure, the lights in the building flicker out just before the ad ends but every other light in every other building in the vast, lit-up cityscape continues to burn brightly.
Lock, Stock and Rain Barrel: Water Is Now a Commodity
A Legacy of Trump Left-overs?
The Donald may be out of The Office but the Trump entourage apparently has plans to re-seize the reins of power. Presidential daughter and Chief Advisor Ivanka Trump has announced a run to unseat Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio. Meanwhile, sister-in-law Lara Trump (married to Eric) has her eyes on a Senate seat in North Carolina. Don Junior's backers are pushing him to run for office in Florida or Montana. Former White House press-hound Sarah Sanders Huckabee has announced her campaign to run for the governor of Arkansas. Meanwhile, Trump's son Barron won't be able to run for president until 2040. (Barron may not have any desire to follow in his father's GOP-steps, however. Trump's disaffected son was a no-show at his father's Farewell Address.)
Trump's Last Resort—Mar-a-Lago
We all know how Donald Trump liked to take long breaks from his empty White House work schedule and knuckle down to the daunting task of hacking divots at his Palm Beach golf resort. Well, the Huffington Post has done the math.
HuffPo notes that Trump "spent the equivalent of 379 years of presidential salary — which he and his supporters frequently boast that he does not take — playing golf." As of December 24, Trump had undertaken no less than 31 tax-payer-paid pilgrimages to his Mar-a-Lago retreat. The cost for these taxpayer-funded jaunts (including security costs for protecting Uncle Scam) amounted to $151.5 million. According to HuffPo, "Trump has already played golf on his own properties 289 times since taking office in January 2017" and, at a cost of $524,221 per game, that factors out to $7.281 per stroke." (Just think, if our paunchy, 322-pound Misleader had suffered a stroke, it could have saved the US Treasury a cool half-million!)
Defund the Despot
UC Berkeley Professor of Public Policy Robert Reich recently made the following suggestion in a MoveOn posting: "Now that Democrats are in power, I've got an idea: Let's defund Donald Trump's presidential pension and divert the funds to reunite migrant children with their parents.
"Trump is no longer the president, and I say that we treat him as though he never was. No $200,000 pension. No million-dollar travel budget. No national security briefings. No respect. Not for someone who led a white supremacist insurrection on the US Capitol, did everything he could to attack Black and brown communities, and trampled on our democratic values."
Did US Attempt to Promote Coup Mobs in Russia?
At the same time the US is in a panic over the January 6 Capitol "coup attempt," it's being accused of trying to stir up an insurrection in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US Embassy in Moscow of promoting unrest by publicly posting details on the time and location of demonstration in support of jailed dissident Alexi Navalny. The information was posted on the official US Embassy website.
"All that coincides with Washington’s provocative doctrinal guidelines to encourage ‘protests in the countries with unwanted governments’," the Foreign Ministry said, adding: "Any attempts of this ‘coverage’ of unauthorized rallies will be regarded as gross interference in our country’s domestic affairs and will lead to a corresponding response."
The US is no stranger to coups. Since 1903, Washington has toppled more than 50 foreign governments—from Afghanistan to Ukraine. Pointing to a recent series of violent insurrections in the US—targeting a government building in Portland, Oregon and a city hall in Bellingham, Washington—the Foreign Ministry claimed that Russia's response to street protests was more civil than crackdowns in the US where "police kill more of its citizens than any other nation." In the first 24 days of 2021, police in the USA killed 70 fellow Americans.
The Russian government also chided the US on the way it responds to street protests. In Moscow, the Ministry claimed, police reportedly issue the following warning: “Dear citizens!...This activity is illegal…We do our best to ensure your safety…Be vigilant and, if possible, leave the illegal event”—while reminding protestors to "maintain social distancing and keep their masks on."
America's Poetess Laureate Steals the Show
For the millions who became instant fans of Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman (who so electrified a nation with her poem, "The Hill We Climb," that she became a best-selling author even before her first two books were published!), here is a video rendition of "Earthrise," another of her poems.
Inevitably, following Gorman's electrifying debut, there were a few dissenting voices among the Hallelujah chorus. Ishmael Reed, one of the country's most esteemed poets, volunteered this assessment of Gorman’s poem:
It was prose. Sorry. Cliché-ridden, too—"belly of the beast," "windswept." Why didn't they choose Nikki [Giovanni], or Sonia [Sanchez], household names among Blacks?
She was chosen by the first lady, who heard her at a poetry reading. We still let others do the shopping for us. Louise Meriwether is as good as [James] Baldwin. She had to solicit Go Fund Me support to help in her recovery from COVID. She's 97, while people who hated Baldwin when he was alive have turned his legacy into profits for themselves.
Oakland poet Jack Foley chimed in:
I think Ishmael's point is that White people rather than Black people were the true audience of this admittedly remarkable young woman. He went on to remark that when he was on the East Coast his white liberal friends told him that everything he wrote was wonderful. Later, he realized that 'a lot of it was bad.' These friends were doing him no service by lying to him about his work. I believe that it's in that spirit that he criticizes Amanda Gorman's work. She was, of course, a wonderful presence at the Inauguration.
Foley reflected further in a poem titled "Inauguration 2021" that contains the following lines:
What’s needed is not recrimination
but a better national myth,
a positive one that will have the right values
rather than the wrong ones. We need
a new story that will allow people
to feel good about themselves
rather than (as many white liberals do)
secretly guilty. We are moving toward it—
Biden’s inaccuracies, the image of the young black woman—
but we’re not there yet.
Ishmael Reed
has been moving toward an image of—his word—
“MultiAmerica” for years.
I think that’s where our hope lies.
Phrases like Black Lives Matter are good too.
Let’s push ethnicity rather than
the phony concept of “white.”
Biden identifies Irish. That’s good too.
[Note: Ethnicity annihilates the concept of white. The phrase "white superiority" is a redundancy: white means superiority.]
The youth poet, Amanda Gorman, loves HAMILTON,
which Ishmael rightly calls
"the plantation owners’ musical."
She overcame a speech impediment, like Biden.
Her, truly, not entirely satisfactory poem
was just a tiny bit street/rap,
an amazing form born from the mean streets of our cities.
She looked great, which was perhaps more important
than the quality of her verse.
Radiant bourgeois young woman. Harvard. Part of the elite.
Intelligent, gifted, courageous without a doubt
and given a task that might defeat even the most
accomplished and canny poet.
People are calling her poem "stunning."
This is perhaps one of the—fictions—of the Biden era,
the arrival of a man
who has promised to tell us the truth.
Only a myth can counter a myth.
Equality
is an ideal
trying to be
a fact.
It's a New Year: Let's Kick Off Our Shoes and Dance!
Worth Noting:
The count of noticed City meetings is 13 and community meetings is 2.
The most consequential meeting of the coming week is the special Council Agenda and Rules Committee meeting at 3 pm on Monday where the discussion, recommendations and action will revolve around the proposal from Councilmember Droste with Co-Sponsors Robinson and Kesarwani to reduce and reorganize the number of commissions. The 14 page proposal can be accessed using the meeting link posted below with the meeting announcement.
Officer elections for all the commissions are held in February (or first meeting thereafter)
The agenda highlights and links for the February 9 Regular City Council meeting follow the weekly calendar.
Sunday, January 31, 2021
No City meetings or events found
Monday, February 1, 2021
Agenda and Rules Committee, 3 pm,
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/Policy_Committee__Agenda___Rules.aspx
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82354172388
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 823 5417 2388
AGENDA: Commission Reorganization, 1. Reorganize existing commissions with goal of 20 commissions, 2. Reorganize so no department is responsible for more than 5 commission, 3. Public Works to no more than 3 commissions, 4. Refer to CM and every council policy committee to agendize at next meeting to discuss commission in their purview and make recommendations to full Council how to reorganize, notify commissions and invite chair to participate. Consider renaming of some commissions, (agenda packet 18 pages)
Children, Youth and Recreation Commission, 8 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Children_Youth_and_Recreation_Commission/
Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/99805552693
Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 998 0555 2693
AGENDA: 8. Summer Programming Offerings/Budget Concerns, 9. FY 21 Workplan
Measure O Bond Oversight Committee - Special Meeting, 6 pm
Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/93950296629
Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 939 5029 6629
AGENDA: 6. Discussion Affordable Housing Development Funds: Ashby and North Berkeley BART and Future Housing Funding NOFAs, 7. Discussion/possible action on Measure O Notice of Funding Availability for BUSD-Sponsored Educator Housing, 8. Workplan,
Personnel Board, 7 – 9 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Personnel_Board_Homepage.aspx
Videoconference: agenda zoom link gives 1-20-2021 date
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85031125164?pwd=SUUwYlBlNXZHbUhGblpSRUhrcDRQUT09
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 850 3112 5164 Passcode: 648929
AGENDA: VI. Update Regarding City Training Program
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
City Council Closed Session, 3 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Agenda_Index.aspx
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983080327
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 829 8308 0327
Agenda: 1. Conference with Real Property Negotiators CM and 742 Grayson Owner LLC, 742 Grayson, 2. Conference with Labor Negotiators, Labor Organizations IBEW, Local 1245, SEIU 1021 Community Services and Part-Time Recreation Activity Leaders, Public Employees Union Local 1,
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Board of Library Trustees, 6:30 pm,
https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/about/board-library-trustees
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86042306505
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 860 4230 6505
AGENDA: III. Information Reports, A. Culinary Tools Update, B. Community Responsive Programming, C. Directors Report
City Council Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment & Sustainability Committee, 2:30 pm,
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84990794047
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 849 9079 4047
AGENDA: 2. Potential Bonding and Funding Opportunities for improving the PCI (Paving Condition Index) of residential streets and creating paving master plan, UNSCHEDULED: 3. Request presentation from Public Works on Conversion of City Fleets, 4. Regulate Plastic Bags, 5. Reduce tax imposed for qualifying electrification, energy efficiency and water conservation retrofits, 6. Recognize Rights of Nature,
Homeless Commission, 7 – 9 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Homeless_Commission_Homepage.aspx
Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/96467108817
Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 964 6710 8817
AGENDA: 6. Presentation Measure P Budget
Planning Commission, 7 – 10 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Planning_Commission_Homepage.aspx
Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/92666989360
Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 926 6698 9360
AGENDA: 10. Public Hearing on Business Support Zoning Amendment Referrals – Amusement Device Arcades
JPA Cities – Tom Bates Fields Meeting, 5 - 6 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/MeasureT1Updates.aspx
Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/93769101050
Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 937 6910 1050
AGENDA: no agenda posted
Thursday, February 4, 2021
City Council Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Committee, 10:30 am,
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84514737810
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 845 1473 7810
AGENDA: 2.a&b. Amending Source of Income Discrimination Ordinance to Establish Enforcement Procedure, UNSCHEDULED: 3. Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) 4. Amendments to BMC 23C.22: Short Term Rentals
Community for a Cultural Civic Center (CCCC), 12 - 1 pm
A website is in process. Email Johncaner@gmail.com to receive meeting announcements and agendas or join BerkeleyCCCC@googlegroups.com to receive meeting notices and documents.
Online (zoom) Town Hall: Race, Equity, and Belonging, 6 - 8 pm
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83833592130?pwd=Y1VBa1Jxd1NsVU1lZTBKTGFFOUIzUT09
Teleconference: 1-888-475-4499 Meeting ID: 838 3359 2130
Public Works Commission, 7 – 10 pm
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Public_Works_Commission_Homepage.aspx
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85307939987
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 853 0793 9987
AGENDA: not posted
Friday, February 5, 2021
No City meetings or events found
Saturday, February 6, 2021
Racism and Policing in the US, 2:30 – 4:30 pm
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=mm#inbox?projector=1
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89552992448?pwd=eTduTmlnVmZEN04rWDd0WGFReTRlUT09
Speakers: Signe Waller Foxworth, Gerald Smith, Melissa Nold, Event Sponsors: Oakland Greens, Bay Area System Change Not Climate Change and the Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party, For more information call 510.465.9414
Sunday, February 7, 2021
No City meetings or events found
___________________
City Council Regular meeting, February 9, 2021
email comments to: council@cityofberkeley.info
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Agenda_Index.aspx
Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85472979547
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 854 7297 9547
CONSENT: 2nd reading 1-5, 1. Amendment to FY2021 Annual Appropriations Ordinance, 2. Amend Berkeley Lobbyist Registration Act, 3. Exempt time for Parkletts and Sidewalk Seating, 4. Reform Off-Street Parking Amend BMC 14 and 23, 5. Authorize goBerkeley Parking Program at All Parking Meters, 6. Ratify (extend) COVID-19 Local Emergency, 8. Amend contract add $500,000 total $1,635,000 thru 12/31/2025 with Claremont Behavioral Services for Employee Assistance Services, 9. Install Banners marking Kala Bagai Way, 10. Reserve $560.000 from Housing Trust Fund for urgently needed housing rehab at Rosewood Manor and Lorin Station Apt., 11. Proclaim February Black History Month and Authorize CM to Fly the Black Lives Matter Flag, 12. Support the Right to Boycott as a Tactic for Social and Political Change – Agenda and Rules Committee (Arreguin, Wengraf, Hahn) recommend no action – not to support, 13. Right to Choose Communications Services Provider, ACTION: 14. Accept CARES Act Funds $891,121and Amendments to spending plan to support housing retention, eviction defense and rehab Rosewood Manor and Lorin Station Apt, 15. Amend Home Occupations Ordinance, 16. Vote of No Confidence in the Police Chief,
_____________________
Public Hearings Scheduled – Land Use Appeals
1850 Arch (add bedrooms) ZAB – 2/23/2021
1862 Arch (add bedrooms) ZAB – 2/23/2021
1200-1214 San Pablo 2/23/2021
Notice of Decision (NOD) and Use Permits with End of Appeal Period
2116 Allston 2/11/2021
1 Orchard Lane (LPO) 2/9/2021
2300 College 2/2/2021
2980 College 2/2/2021
12 Indian Rick Path 2/4/2021
1128 Parker 2/18/2021
1549 Shattuck 2/2/2021
1216 Stannage 2/18/21
1627 University 2/11/2021
2004 University 2/11/2021
LINK to Current Zoning Applications https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications.aspx
___________________
WORKSESSIONS
Feb 16 - BMASP/Berkeley Pier-WETA Ferry, Systems Realignment
March 16 – Capital Improvement Plan (Parks & Public Works), Digital Strategic Plan/FUND$ Replacement Website Update, Update Zero Waste Priorities
May 18 – date open for scheduling
Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations
Cannabis Health Considerations
Berkeley Police Department Hiring Practices (referred by Public Safety Committee)
Ballot Measure Implementation Planning
Pedestrian Master Plan
_____________________
This Summary of City of Berkeley meetings is the available published public meetings that could be found 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
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,
