I am revisiting this subject and this opinion, as I addressed the topic a few years ago. It is hard to write pieces that are not time-sensitive without repeating a subject some of the time, since I've been writing this column for more than ten years.

The "Work Ethic" that many people espouse, as a way to believe they are an acceptable person, is often punishment of self and others. Life has a lot more to it than work. And if we can't enjoy life, what is the point in doing work? 

An important exception to the above is where a person doesn't mind work, likes their work, or loves their work. On the other hand, when work is seen as a bitter thing that we must do to be acceptable, it qualifies as self-punishment. 

Internalizing a work ethic is a way of bludgeoning ourselves with guilt emotions and with standards that we constantly aren't doing enough. It is a way of denying ourselves self-acceptance unless we live up to a standard of punishing ourselves with enough drudgery. 

Mentally ill people should not be applying this to ourselves, and family members should not be verbally assaulting us with these ideas. We do not get a free ride. We collect disability because of a psychiatric impairment, a condition of the brain that for most people, does not bring any fun into our lives. 

When the Republican party wanted to give people a "back to work bonus" I was thinking I ought to get a bonehead position that I could tolerate for a short time, in order that I might collect this. On the other hand, if such bonehead work did turn out to be something I could tolerate and do, I might stay with it. Yet, such an idea punishes those who can't find anything, and promotes the myth that work makes a person acceptable. 

I will add that, socially, people are judged by what they do for a living. If you go to any type of social gathering (which hasn't happened as much during the pandemic) the first question people will ask is, "what do you do?" This creates a massive social barrier to people who are mentally ill and unemployed, or who are doing something unskilled. 

According to most employers, supervisors, and old men in armchairs, work, by definition, is hard, that's why it is called "work" and not something else. 

I certainly can understand that when people are running a company, small or large, they do not want their employees working at fifty percent of their capacity. Employers pay people because they are trying to make their company profitable, which makes a living for the employer and gives a pittance to the employee. Employers will usually try to get as much work as they can from their employees while paying them as little as they can. 

Yet the above is not universal. Some hire skilled workers and want employees on whom they can depend. They value their employees and want to pay them what they're worth. 

The above is the ideal, and it is a different attitude than that of oppressive employers who, ironically, instigated the formation of unions. Employees a century ago were subject to slave labor, and the unions were a big step toward stopping that treatment. (This is secondhand knowledge, the source being an audiotape of my grandmother not very long before she passed. She was a seamstress when young.) 

However, today's 'work ethic' isn't comparable, and often it is merely psychological self-bullying. 

If we have a psychiatric disability, it is harder to do things that most people assume everyone can do. People in the mainstream seem to have extremely limited understanding of the difficulties with work that many disabled people may have. If a disabled person doesn't "measure up", it becomes yet another way of being separated from the non-disabled. 

I have effectively given up on conventional employment. My understanding of what is needed to maintain a job came late in life, enough so that I'm past a window of opportunity to become affluent that seems to exist in people's late teens, twenties and thirties. Hypertension and other problems related to age and to being heavily medicated for decades, and the fact that I missed college, preclude working in any substantial way; I will be poor unless I write something that has massive popularity--I'm not ruling that out. 

It is less work to change how we view life than it is to change external circumstances. Therefore, I've decided I'm an acceptable person, disability, poverty, and all. 

---

Jack Bragen is a commentary, self-help, and fiction author.

President Joseph Biden Jr’s.administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy its thornist will be its relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). How it handles issues of trade, security and human rights will either allow both countries to hammer out a working relationship or pull the US into an expensive--and unwinnable--cold war that will shelve existential threats like climate change and nuclear war. 

The stakes could not be higher and Washington may be off on the wrong foot. 

The first hurdle will be the toxic atmosphere created by the Trump administration. By targeting the Chinese Communist Party as the US’s major worldwide enemy, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo essentially called for regime change, which in diplomatic terms means a fight to the death. But while Trump exacerbated tensions between Washington and Beijing, many of the disputes go back more than 70 years. Recognizing that history will be essential if the parties are to reach some kind of detente. 

This will not be easy. Polls in the two countries show a growing antagonism in both people’s views of one another and an increase of nationalism that may be difficult to control. Most Chinese think the US is determined to isolate their country, surround it with hostile allies, and prevent it from becoming a world power. Many Americans think China is an authoritarian bully that has robbed them of well-paying industrial jobs. There is a certain amount of truth in both viewpoints. The trick will be how to negotiate a way through some genuine differences. 

A good place to start is to walk a mile in the other country’s shoes. 

For most of human history, China was the world’s leading economy. But starting with the first Opium War in 1839, British, French, Japanese, German and American colonial powers fought five major and many minor wars with China, seizing ports and imposing trade agreements. The Chinese have never forgotten those dark years, and any diplomatic approach that doesn’t take that history into account is likely to fail. 

The most difficult--and dangerous-- friction point is the South China Sea, a 1.4 million square mile body of water that borders South China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Borneo, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines. Besides being a major trade route, it is rich in natural resources. 

Based on its imperial past, China claims ownership of much of the sea and, starting in 2014, began building military bases on island chains and reefs that dot the region. For countries that border the sea, those claims and bases threaten offshore resources and pose a potential security threat. Besides the locals, the Americans have been the dominant power in the region since the end of World War II and have no intention of relinquishing their hold. 

While the South China Sea is international waters, it makes up a good deal of China’s southern border, and it has been a gateway for invaders in the past. The Chinese have never threatened to interdict trade in the region--a self-defeating action in any case, since much of the traffic is Chinese goods--but they are concerned about security. 

They should be. 

The US has five major military bases in the Philippines, 40 bases in Japan and Korea, and its 7th Fleet--based in Yokosuka, Japan--is Washington’s largest naval force. The US has also pulled together an alliance of Australia, Japan, and India--the “Quad”--that coordinates joint actions. These include the yearly Malabar war games that model interdicting China’s sea-bourne energy supplies by closing off the Malacca Straits between Malaysia and Indonesian island of Sumatra. 

US military strategy in the area, titled “Air Sea Battle,” aims to control China’s south coast, decapitate the country’s leadership, and take out its nuclear missile force. China’s counter move has been to seize islands and reefs to keep US submarines and surface craft at arm’s length, a strategy called “Area Denial.” It has also been mostly illegal. A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration found China’s claims on the South China Sea have no merit. But to Beijing the sea is a vulnerable border. Think for a moment about how Washington would react if China held naval war games off Yokosuka, San Diego or in the Gulf of Mexico. One person’s international waters are another’s home turf. 

‘The tensions in the South China sea go back to the Chinese civil war between the communists and nationalists, in which the Americans backed the losing side. When the defeated nationalists retreated to Taiwan in 1949, the US guaranteed the island’s defense, recognized Taiwan as China, and blocked the PRC from UN membership. 

After US President Nixon’s trip to China in 1972, the two countries worked out some agreements on Taiwan. Washington would accept that Taiwan was part of China, but Beijing would refrain from using force to reunite the island with the mainland. The Americans also agreed not to have formal relations with Taipei or supply Taiwan with “significant” military weapons. 

Over the years, however, those agreements have frayed, particularly during the administration of Bill Clinton. 

In 1996 tensions between Taiwan and the mainland led to some saber rattling by Beijing, but the PRC did not have the capacity to invade the island, and all the parties involved knew that. But Clinton was trying to divert attention from his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky and a foreign crisis fit the bill, so the US sent an aircraft carrier battle group through the Taiwan Straits. While the Straits are international waters, it was still a provocative move and one that convinced the PRC that it had to modernize its military if it was to defend its coasts. 

There is a certain irony here. While the Americans claim that the modernization of the Chinese navy poses a threat, it was US actions in the Taiwan Straits crisis that frightened the PRC into a crash program to construct that modern navy and adopt the strategy of Area Denial. So, did we nurse the pinion to impell the steel? 

Trump has certainly exacerbated the tensions. The US now routinely sends warships through the Taiwan Straits, dispatched high level cabinet members to Taipei, and recently sold the island 66 high performance F-16s fighter bombers. 

In Beijing’s eyes all these actions violate the agreements regarding Taiwan and, in practice, abrogate China’s claim on the breakaway province. 

It is a dangerous moment. The Chinese are convinced the US intends to surround them with its military and the Quad Alliance, although the former may not be up to the job, and the latter is a good deal shakier than it looks. While India has drawn closer to the Americans, China is its major trading partner and New Delhi is not about to go to war over Taiwan. Australia’s economy is also closely tied to China, as is Japan’s. Having trade relations between countries doesn’t preclude them going to war, but it is a deterrent. As for the US military: virtually all war games over Taiwan suggests the most likely outcome would be an American defeat. 

Such a war, of course, would be catastrophic, deeply wounding the world’s two major economies and could even lead to the unthinkable-- a nuclear exchange. Since China and the US cannot “defeat” one another in any sense of that word, it seems a good idea to stand back and figure out what to do about the South China Sea and Taiwan. 

The PRC has no legal claim to vast portions of the South China Sea, but it has legitimate security concerns. And judging from Biden’s choices for Secretary of State and National Security Advisor--Anthony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, respectively--it has reason for those concerns. Both have been hawkish on China, and Sullivan believes that Beijing is “pursuing global dominance.” 

There is no evidence for this. China is modernizing its military, but spends about one third of what the US spends. Unlike the US, it is not building an alliance system--in general, China considers allies an encumbrance--and while it has an unpleasant authoritarian government, its actions are directed at areas Beijing has always considered part of historical China. The PRC has no designs on spreading its model to the rest of the world. Unlike the US- Soviet Cold War, the differences are not ideological, but are those that arise when two different capitalist systems compete for markets. 

China doesn’t want to rule the world, but it does want to be the dominant power in its region, and it wants to sell a lot of stuff, from electric cars to solar panels. That poses no military threat to the US, unless Washington chooses to challenge China in its home waters, something Americans neither want nor can afford. 

There are a number of moves both countries should make. 

First, both countries should dial down the rhetoric and de-escalate their military deployment. Just as the US has the right to security in its home waters, so does China. Beijing, in turn, should give up its claims in the South China Sea and disarm the bases it has illegally established. Both of those moves would help create the atmosphere for a regional diplomatic solution to the overlapping claims of countries in the region. 

The cost of not doing this is quite unthinkable. At a time when massive resources are needed to combat global warming, countries are larding their military budgets and threatening one another over islands and reefs that will soon be open sea if climate change does not become the world’s focus. 

 

---

Conn Hallinan can be read at dispatchesfromtheedgeblog.wordpress.com and middleempireseries.wordpress.com 

 

 

On February 4, the Democrat-led House voted 230 to 199 — 11 Republicans voted with the Democrats — to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene from her two committees — the Budget Committee, and the Education and Labor Committee — citing the “conduct she has exhibited," including her history of trafficking in racism, anti-Semitism and baseless conspiracy theories, along with her support for online comments encouraging violence against Democratic officials prior to taking office.  

Ms. Greene claims she has Trump’s “full support.” 

While condemning “the conduct she has exhibited,” House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy made clear that the Republican Party did not intend to punish her.  

Unfortunately, Ms. Greene is not a Republican aberration but rather just one of the many faces of the Trump Republican Party. Rep. McCarthy recently made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, or as journalist Charles P. Pierce called it, the "Holy Shrine of the Golden Commode.” During the visit did McCarthy receive any marching orders concerning Ms. Greene?

Padilla's Bill Would Make the West Coast Oil-Free!  

On February 3, Team Padilla, the activist bloc working with our newly minted US Senator, Alex Padilla, sent the following message: "Since taking office, President Biden has taken on the fight against climate change by taking bold, historic action. President Biden has signed executive actions to suspend new leases for natural gas and oil development on federal lands and waters, and created a commission focused on green jobs and environmental justice. But there’s even more we can do!" 

And here's what Team Padilla has in mind: a bill called the West Coast Ocean Protection Act to "permanently ban oil and gas drilling in federal waters off California, Oregon, and Washington." 

Padilla is co-sponsoring the WCOPA and needs the signatures of 10,000 "citizen co-sponsors." Just click the following link to become a citizen co-sponsor.  

Cash into Trash and Money to Burn 

According to a recent report on KCBS, the Federal government destroys more than 7,000 tons of worn-out currency every year. Is that even possible? Sure is! We pay the Federal Reserve big bucks to operate 28 "cash-processing facilities" that shred tens of millions of worn-out bills. Most of the wilted bills are transformed into compost and home insulation, but the Fed's Los Angeles facility burns tons of minced money in local power plants that provide enough electricity for 20,000 homes. 

Minimum Wage Woes 

Speaking of devaluing our nation's currency, let's take a look at the Minimum Wage. 

According to the US Department of Labor, the first federally mandated Minimum Wage was instituted on October 24,1938 and it guaranteed workers a lawful wage of . . . twenty-five-cents-an-hour (or two bucks a day). 

A year later, the Federal Minimum Wage (FMW) was hiked to 30 cents-per-hour. Six more years passed before the next adjustment raised the FMW to 40 cents-per-hour. An American worker's pay didn't hit $1/hour until 1956. 

Over the course of 82 years, the FMW has only been raised 28 times. 

The last time the FMW was hiked (to $7.25) was in 2009—more than a decade ago. (According to Raise the Minimum Wage, "more than 40 cities and counties have raised the minimum wage locally since 2012." Colorado currently requires a $12 hourly wage.) 

Since the FMW topped a dollar in 1956, the rate of inflation has soared by 852%. Adjusted for inflation, the current hourly wage should be $9.52. The sad truth is that the inflation-adjusted value of the "minimum wage" has been in steady decline ever since it was introduced. 

Who Gets Most of the Pentagon's Money? Not the Soldiers 

The Pentagon has no such worries. In 2018 (while workers' wages remained frozen at 2009 levels), the DOD's billion-dollar budget was increased by 5.53%. In 2019, while workers wages remained frozen, the DOD's budget swelled by 7.22%. 

In 2020, the Pentagon was handed nearly $20 billion in additional cash. There wasn't much of a "trickle down" benefit for workers, however, because around half of the entire military budget "cascaded down" into the coffers of the weapons industry—folks like Raytheon, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman. Meanwhile, the Pentagon's adjusted pay for its own employees (aka "soldiers") was boosted by 3.1%—"the largest [increase] in a decade." 

Oh, What a Relief It Is

In his online blog, Former US Labor Secretary, current UC Prof. and progressive agitator Robert Reich reveals "How the Richest 1 Percent Came Out Big Winners in the Covid Relief Bill." Reich notes how: "Hidden in the bill combining Covid relief and government spending is a cool $200 billion in tax breaks. An estimated $120 billion of those tax breaks will go to the richest 1 percent of Americans. 

"Those giveaways include: 

— A $2.5 billion break for racecar tracks 

— A $6.3 billion write-off for business meals, i.e. the “three-martini lunch” deduction 

— A new provision under the Paycheck Protection Program that allows forgiven loans to also be tax-deductible, giving businesses the ability to 'double dip' into the program 

"The bill also creates an independent commission to oversee horse racing—at the behest of Mitch McConnell.  

"There’s no question about it: This pandemic has both revealed and exacerbated our already staggering economic inequality.  

"Republicans didn’t blink twice when they handed out $6.3 billion in tax breaks to their wealthy corporate backers, but when it came to getting direct relief to struggling Americans, $600 was the best they could do. Their priorities couldn’t be clearer." 

Fight the Impulse 

A fund-raising letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren that recently arrived in an envelope bearing a request to "stay in this fight," contained a letter that used the word "fight" no less than 11 times. Instead of complaining about politicians' habit of comparing politics to a barfight, I thought I'd send the Senator a list of 10 words that could be use instead of the word "fight." How about: campaign, struggle, organize, contest, contend, challenge, endeavor, engage, overcome, and, of course . . . , persist! 

Barbara Lee's Fighting Words 

Our militarized culture continues to salt our lingo with verbal land-minds. In a recent fund-raising letter, Rep. Barbara Lee noted: "it’s important we find time to rejoice because we beat the odds by electing Jon Ossoff and Rev. Warnock, flipping the Senate, and making Mitch McConnell minority leader (Yes)! Now, with a Democratic White House and Congress, we have an unprecedented opportunity to enact the transformational change we’ve worked long and hard for." 

And then Rep. Lee added: "Republicans have shown us that they will stoop to any low — including inciting violence — to maintain power. We must be prepared to fight back when those challenges come our way." 

But a call to "fight … violence" risks escalation. As Dr. King taught, we need to overcome. 

The Women Are Coming … And Leading 

 

How a Pope Besmirched Mary Magdalene 

Like many Christians, I grew up believing that Jesus had befriended a former prostitute named Mary Magdalene. So I was surprised when I read the Epilog to Magdalena, author/adventurer Wade Davis' epic celebration of the signature river that courses through the nation of Colombia. As Davis points out, Mary Magdalene was falsely accused of carnal cavorting. The actual prostitute was another Biblical Mary. 

The source of the confusion was Pope Gregory (590 A.D). Pope Greg apparently misread the scriptures and confused two of the New Testament's Marys. (And we thought Popes were "infallible.") The mistake endured for 1,400 years and wasn't corrected until 1969 when Vatican II officially confirmed that Mary Magdalene was not the sinful Mary of Luke 7:36-50. 

It turns our there are three different Marys in the Scriptures (not counting Mother Mary). No wonder the Pope got confused. The gospels have an account of Mary of Bethany (the sister of resurrected Lazarus) anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping his toes with her hair. (Luke 10:38-42; John 11; John 12:1-7.) But there also is a Biblical account of a third sinful Mary who washed the savior's feet in Simon's house. 

For six centuries, pop culture wrongly identified Mary Magdalene as a sex worker. In medieval paintings, the modern musical Jesus Christ: Superstar, and Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ, Mary Magdalene was depicted as a reformed prostitute. But it was a chaste and virtuous Mary who traveled with Jesus and his disciples, who attended the crucifixion, and who was the first to see the resurrected Christ. (Luke 8:2; Mark 15:40; John 20:11-18.) 

Postscript: It's possible that the third Mary's "sin" may not even have involved prostitution. Biblical scholars note that prostitution was only one of several misbehaviors that led to women being scorned. Other "sinful" practices included "adultery, debt, and being married to someone with a dishonorable occupation"—such as a tax collector. 

A Punishing Pastiche for Pastis 

In his latest edition of the Hightower Lowdown, progressive pundit Jim Hightower, wrote that his favorite cartoon strip is "Pearls Before Swine" by Stephan Pastis. 

Lawyer-turned-cartoonist Pastis is known for (among other things) staging elaborate puns. 

In a recent strip, one character (Pig) tells another (Rat): "Our library added a whole new Indian wing. It has Indian prose and Bollywood movies starring Aamir Khan, Shar Ruch Khan and Salman Khan." Another character (Goat) arrives and asks: "You guys talking about the new library? What do you think?" To which Pig replies: "It has prose and Khans." 

A while back, I sent Pastis my attempt at matching one of his longer, more elaborate Sunday Puns. It went as follows: 

Panel 1: Pig is seen lacing up a pair of running shoes. 

Rat: "Hey, Pig. What's up?" 

Panel 2: Pig: "Saami, my friend from Lapland, just invited me to run a mile with him."
Rat: "But, pig, you're no runner." 

Panel 3: Pig: "Not a problem. Saami offered to strap me to a belt around his waist. It's a weight-training exercise. I won't have to do a thing." 

Panel 4: [Sign-box: "An hour passes. . . ." Pig returns, looking disheveled.] 

Rat: "Pig! You look awful. Did you run your mile?" 

Pig: "No. There was a problem…." 

Panel 5 

Rat: "What happened?" 

Pig: "My Lapp's lap collapsed before my laps elapsed." 

Last Panel: [Rat holding baseball bat over Pastis' head.] "Let's call that a lapse of judgment." 

What If Israel Occupied Berkeley 

A satirical literary meme inspired by The Onion has been circulating via email—and it's being quickly updated for every locality it lands in. The version I received—ostensibly a report from Charlottesville VA—was sent by author, journalist, and radio host David Swanson. The following faux news version has been revised for Berkeley readers. It begins with an unsettling headline: 

Israel Begins Building Settlements In Downtown Berkeley 

In a move that shocked and angered city residents, including families that have called the area home for centuries, an increasingly bold Israel announced Tuesday that it had begun building settlements for its citizens in downtown Berkeley, CA.  

“Our High Planning Committee has approved 1,200 new Israeli homes in Berkeley’s central business district and will soon move forward with plans to expand into the nearby UC Campus and West Berkeley neighborhoods as well,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who confirmed that Peoples Park would soon be demolished to make way for brand-new Israeli subdivisions.  

“We will also be taking measures to protect these new settlements by building a barrier wall alongside the 580 freeway, which can only be crossed by those holding an Israeli passport. In addition, we’ll have IDF troops patrolling all of Berkeley to keep the peace, and any American resident charged with a crime will be tried in our military courts.”  

In his cover letter, Swanson (who serves as executive director of World Beyond War and is a campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org) noted: "At press time, the US government had pledged to provide Israel with an additional $3 billion in military aid to help the nation defend its new territory." 

Drain the GOP Swamp: Sedition Edition 

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC proudly confirms that "Home Depot is the latest corporation to announce that they are suspending PAC donations to Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and all the other Republican traitors who voted to overturn our democratic election." (The PCCC is promoting its campaign by placing "EXPEL" billboards in Texas and Missouri, respective home states of Cruz and Hawley.) 

Judd Legum, the Popular Information reporter whose research inspired the PCCC's #DrainTheTraitors campaign, notes that it's "hard to overstate how significant this Home Depot move is. They are an extremely conservative company. The fact that it is moving to create distance between itself and these Republicans shows how toxic they are right now." 

Since the launch of the #DrainTheTraitors campaign, more than 60 mega-corps have halted PAC donations to Cruz, Hawley, and the other 145 turn-coat Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election. 

Unrelenting pressure—from phonecalls, letters, emails, and tweets—have had an impact. Amazon, Comcast, Disney, Pfizer, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, and others who have "suspended" PAC donations to Trump-allied Republicans. Universal Music Group, Intel, Charles Schwab, Exelon, and Holland & Hart have announced they will permanently halt PAC donations to the Treasonous Trumpublicans. Hallmark has taken an extra step and is demanding a refund of all past donations! 

Click on #DrainTheTraitors to see which corporations have stopped bankrolling the would-be coupsters. 

Flushed from the White House and Facing Impeachment #2 

A Parting Parody from Founders Sing 

 

Worth Noting:

We are looking at a very long weekend for City employees with Thursday as reduced service day, Friday as Lincoln Birthday Holiday and Monday, February 15 is President’s Day Holiday.

While these summaries get quite long, please note that not every agenda item is listed, the link is given if you want to dig in for more detail. The Council Agenda Committee Monday and Regular meeting on Tuesday evening take up a lot of space. Zoning Applications that have been approved and are in the appeal period are at the very bottom of this long list. If you wish to see my comments from attending the City meetings of the previous week, go to the Activist’s Diary in the Berkeley Daily Planet, www.berkeleydailyplanet.com

If you have a meeting you would like included in the summary of meetings, please send a notice to kellyhammargren@gmail.com by noon on the Friday of the preceding week. 

 

Sunday, February 7, 2021  

No City meetings or events found 

Monday, February 8, 2021 

City Council Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Committee, 10 am, 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/Policy_Committee__Health,_Life_Enrichment,_Equity___Community.aspx 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81065589979 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 810 6558 9979 

AGENDA: 2. Sustainable Food Policies – Support Vision 2025, 3. Resolution Requesting CA State Legislature to condemn racial injustice and police brutality 

Youth Commission, 5 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/92796336311 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 927 9633 6311 

AGENDA: 10. Summer Programs/Summer Jobs, 11. Discussion with BUSD Trigger Warning Policies with BUSD Board President Ty Alper, 12. Discussion with members of Berkeley International High School Leadership and Black, Indigenous and People of Color Support Committee, 13. Discussion Sex and Consent Education, 15. Discussion Drug Harm Reduction, 

 

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/89989073676 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 899 8907 3676 

AGENDA Planning for 2/23/21 Regular Meeting: CONSENT: 2. $210,000 for Mildred Howard Sculpture Commission, 4. Contract add $564,480 and extend 3 yr to 6/30/24 with Jackson & Coker for Lums Tenens Psychiatrists, 5. CA Community Housing Agency (CalCHA) Middle Income Rental Housing Program – authorize CM to enter purchase option agreements with CalCHA for middle-income rental housing, 6. Contract add $118,610 total $820,937 and extend to 6/30/22 with NextGen Health Care Information System for Electronic Health Records, 7. Contract add $77,050 total $102,025 with RevolutionCyber to develop policies and procedures for City’s Data Safety Program, 8. Contract $530,000 with Presidio Network Solutions, LLC, 3/1/22-6/30/22 for network equipment hardware, software and installation, 9. License Agreement Patpatia & Assoc for 125-127 University, 10. Lease Agreement with Patpatia & Assoc for 125-127 University, 11. Contracts $150,000 each with Interface Engineering, Inc and Salas O’Brien Engineers for On-call Citywide Electrical Engineering Services, 12. Contract add $3,556,756 total $11,089,951 and extend to 12/31/22 with LAZ Parking LLC to manage City-owned off-street parking facilities Telegraph Channing, Oxford & Center Street Garage, 13. PO $468,700 with Pape Machinery for 1 John Deere 644L Hybrid Wheel Loader, 14. PO $1,200,000 4 Tractor Trucks, 15. Refer to City Attorney to finalize ordinance to prohibit us of City Streets for Operating, Parking or Idling Combustion Vehicles by 2045, 16. Refer to City Attorney to finalize ordinance to prohibit sale of Gasoline, Diesel and other carbon-based transportation fuels by 2045, 17. Oppose new US Base Construction in Henoko-Oura Bay of Okinawa, 18. Initiate Just Transition to a Regenerative Economy to Address Climate Emergency FITES recommends vote of no action, 19. Virtual Holocaust Remembrance Day Event, ACTION: 20a. Appeal 1850 Arch, 20b. Appeal 1862 Arch, 20c. dismiss appeals, 21. Service Animals Welcome Training, 22. Amend BERA to prohibit Officeholder Accounts, 23. Resolution to establish temporary committee (3 Councilmembers 3 Open Government Commissioners) to make recommendations relinquishments and grants from councilmember office budgets, 24. Create and Support an Adopt an Unhoused community program, 25. Budget and Finance Committee recommended no action on Property Tax Equity Measure and for Councilmembers Harrison and Bartlett to submit item on broader policy issues, 26. Allocation Measure P Funds to Lease and Operate Supportive Housing Project “Step Up Housing” at 1367 University, 27. Report and Recommendations fro Mayor’s Fair and Impartial Working Group (report is 194 pages), 28. Refer to CM to study Financial Feasibility of Municipal Housing Development Pilot Program, 29. Refer to CM to study CalCHA affordable housing financing program to support issuance of tax-exempt bonds for affordable housing for low, moderate and middle-income Berkeley families, 30. Budget referral $11,000 to work with Community Climate Solutions to support climate action, 31. Resolution to End Exclusionary Zoning in Berkeley, 32. Quadplex zoning – allow for dividing up existing homes into 4 units, allow for housing developments with up to 4 units to be approved ministerially (without review of ZAB). INFORMATION REPORTS: 33. Short Term Referral Quarterly Update, 34. Anti-Displacement Initiatives, 35. FY2021 Public Art Plan and Budgets, 36. CEAC 2021 Workplan, 37. HAC 2021 Workplan, REFERRED ITEMS for Review: 8. Impact of COVID-19, 9. Systems Realignment Proposal, 10. Amend/Regulate Officeholder Accounts, UNSCHEDULED: 11. Commission Reorganization, (Packet 832 pages) 

 

Ashby and North Berkeley BART Community Advisory Group (CAG), 6 – 8 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/bartplanning/ 

Videoconference: http://bit.ly/Berkeley-BART-CM2 or 

https://zoom.us/j/97935684068?pwd=T1ZYK2VnNGwvMFp4WGsyREFtQ0lEdz09 

Teleconference: 1-888-475-2299 Meeting ID: 979 3568 4068 Passcode: 872131 

AGENDA: 2. Planning Process Overview and Updates, 3. Presentation of Draft Vision and Priorities, attendees are encouraged to watch four informational videos related to Housing, Building Form and Density prior to meeting link https://www.cityofberkeley.info/bartplanning/#CM_2 

 

 

 

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 

City Council 

Closed Session, 4 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84931232767 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 849 3123 2767 

AGENDA: 1. Property Negotiations 125-127 University, 2. Anticipated Litigation arising from 1/19/2021 referral to City Attorney and CM to draft emergency ordinance to guarantee hazard pay of $5/hr for grocery store workers, 

 

Regular meeting, 6 pm 

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: 2^nd 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, 

 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board – IRA/AGA Registration Committee, 5 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/rent/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/91250138724?pwd=V1F2Y2RIdGM4aGJxQTlneExPeFdqUT09 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 912 5013 8724 Passcode: 503922 

AGENDA: 5. Initial Lease agreements that contain higher rents for certain months and lower rents for others, 6. Possible recommendations for amendments to Berkeley’s Tenant Protection Ordinance 

 

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board – Outreach Committee, 5 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/rent/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/92395563551?pwd=Rjc4QklBZllLQWxmbDhtUDZSbDdaUT09 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 923 9556 3551 Passcode: 117033 

AGENDA: 6. COVID-19 Impacts on Landlords and Tenants, 7. Eviction Moratorium, Measure MM Outreach Materials, 9. Small Property Owners resources for COVID Relief, 

 

Commission on Disability, 5:30 – 9:30 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88629045193?pwd=ZlNEYjU3VmtqK0tBdjRnMHc5L1d1dz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 886 2904 5193 Passcode: 427894 

AGENDA link is not opening 

 

Homeless Commission, 7 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/96645301465 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 966 4530 1465 

AGENDA: 6. Recommendation for FEMA monies to be used for motels to house the homeless, 7. Supportive housing for homeless at People’s Park, 9. Recommendations regarding incorporating homeless persons who are victums of crime in City hate statistics, 10. Recommendation to regarding Council to refer to staff to evaluate a ballot measure to adopt a residential vacancy tax, 11. Property transfer tax to be placed on the ballot to fund housing for the homeless, 

 

Independent Redistricting Commission, 6 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/redistricting/ 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84387403826 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 843 8740 3826 

AGENDA: 2. Selection of 5 At-Large Independent Redistricting Commission Members and 5 at-large alternates, 

 

Housing Advisory Commission – Special Meeting, 7 – 9 pm 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/Housing_Advisory_Commission/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/95678461912 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 956 7846 1912 

AGENDA: 6. Possible Action Housing Trust Fund Predevelopment Loan Applications, a. 2024 Ashby (St. Paul AME), 1708 Harmon (ECOGIC-Ephesians Church of God in Christ), 7. Affordable Housing Development Funds at BART Station Areas, 

 

Police Review Commission, 7 – 10 pm, 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87070468124 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 870 7046 8124 

AGENDA: 9.b. Update on transition to new Police Accountability Board, 10. Recommend to Council importance of starting development of rules and regulations governing operation of incoming Police Accountability Board with input from PRC and Community, b. Tow fees subcommittee recommendation to refer tow fees to Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and close complaint and dissolve subcommittee, 

 

Parks and Waterfront Commission, 7 – 9 pm 

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

Videoconference: not posted 

Teleconference: not posted Meeting ID: not posted 

AGENDA: link is broken, secretary R Miller is working on fixing it over the weekend. It should be fixed by Monday at the latest. 

 

Thursday, February 11, 2021 

City Reduced Service Day 

 

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. 

 

Zoning Adjustment Board, 7 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/zoningadjustmentsboard/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/94429336573 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 944 2933 6573 

AGENDA: 2. 1241 Ashby – continue to March 11, 2021 ZAB meeting, 

3. 31 Florida – enclose 2^nd story covered balcony within a non-conforming front yard setback on a property that is non-conforming for lot coverage in hillside overly – staff recommend approve 

4. Presentation by Justin Horner on Zoning Ordinance Revision Project (ZORP) and appointment of 3 ZAB members 

 

Friday, February 12, 2021 

Lincoln’s Birthday Holiday – City Holiday 

 

Saturday, February 13, 2021 

Berkeley Neighborhood Council, check for meeting link and agenda https://berkeleyneighborhoodscouncil.com/calendar/ 

 

Sunday, February 14, 2021-Valentines Day 

No City meetings or events found 

_____________________ 

 

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 

570 Colusa 2/22/2021 

1205 Cornell 2/22/2021 

1720 Delaware 2/16/2021 

2440 Grant 2/23/2021 

1901 Marin 2/23/2021 

2220 McGee 2/23/2021  

1 Orchard Lane (LPO) 2/9/2021 

917 Page 2/23/2021 

1128 Parker 2/18/2021 

86 Rock 2/22/2021 

1216 Stannage 2/18/21 

2740 & 2744 Telegraph 2/16/2021 

2600 Tenth 2/11/2021 

1627 University 2/11/2021 

2004 University 2/11/2021 

2113 Vine 2/16/2021 

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 

Feb 16 – 1. BMASP/Berkeley Pier-WETA Ferry, 2. Systems Realignment, 3. Presentation: Report on Homeless Outreach during COVID-19 Pandemic 

March 16 – 1. Capital Improvement Plan (Parks & Public Works), 2. Digital Strategic Plan/FUND$ Replacement Website Update, 3. FY 2021 Mid-Year Report and Unfunded Liabilities Report (tentative) 

May 18 – (tentative) – 1. Bayer Development Agreement, 2. Affordable Housing Policy Reform 

 

Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations 

Cannabis Health Considerations 

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

Update Zero Waste Priorities 

Civic Arts Grantmaking Process & Capital Grant Program 

_____________________ 

This Summary of City of Berkeley meetings is the available published public meetings that could be found and they are important.  

 

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/