In the aftermath of the recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, drone warfare is being touted as the latest breakthrough in military technology, a “magic bullet” that makes armored vehicles obsolete, defeats sophisticated anti-aircraft systems, and rout entrenched infantry.

While there is some truth in the hype, one needs to be especially wary of military “game changers,” since there is always a seller at the end of the pitch. In his examination of the two major books on drones--Christian Brose’s “The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare,” and Michael Boyle’s “The Drone Age”--military analyst Andrew Cockburn points out that the victims of drones are mostly civilians, not soldiers. While drones can take out military targets, they are more commonly used to assassinate people one doesn’t approve of.A case in point was former President Trump’s drone strike that killed Qasem Solemani, a top Iranian general, a country we are not at war with. 

In just the first year of his administration, Trump killed more people--including 250 children--with drones in Yemen and Pakistan than President Barack Obama did in eight years. And Obama was no slouch in this department, increasing the use of drone attacks by a factor of 10 over the administration of George W. Bush. 

Getting a handle on drones--their pluses and minuses and the moral issues such weapons of war raise--is essential if the world wants to hold off yet another round of massive military spending and the tensions and instabilities such a course will create. 

That drones have the power to alter a battlefield is a given, but they may not be all they are advertised. Azerbaijan’s drones--mostly Turkish Bayraktar TB2s and Israeli Harpys, Orbiter-1Ks, and Harops--did, indeed, make hash of Armenian tanks and armored vehicles and largely silenced anti-aircraft systems. They also helped Azeri artillery target Armenians 

positions. But the Azerbaijanis won the recent war by slugging it out on the ground, with heavy casualties on both sides. 

As military historian and editor of the Small Wars Journal, Lt. Col Robert Bateman (ret.) points out, drones were effective because of the Armenian’s stunningly incompetence in their use of armor, making no effort to spread their tanks out or camouflage them. Instead, they bunched them up in the open, making them sitting ducks for Turkish missile firing drones and Israeli “suicide” drones. “While drones will be hailed as the straw that broke the camel’s back in this war,” he writes,”Azerbaijani success is also attributed to good ol’ fashioned mechanized infantry operations that took territory, one square kilometer at a time.” 

Turkey has made widespread use of drones in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, and they again have played a role on the battlefield. But Turkish drones have mainly been used to assassinate Kurdish leaders in Iraq and Syria. Last April a Turkish drone killed two Iraqi generals in the Kurdish autonomous zone of northern Iraq. 

In July 2020, Turkey deployed drones in Syria to block an offense by the Damascus government against Turkey’s allies in Idlib Province, but failed to stop President Bashar al-Assad’s forces from reclaiming large hunks of territory. In short, they are not always “game changers.” 

The selling point for drones is that they are precise, cheap--or relatively so--and you don’t have a stream of body bags returning home. But drones are not all- seeing, unless they are flying at low altitudes, thus making it easier to shoot them down. The weather also needs to be clear, and the area smokeless. Otherwise what drones see are vague images. In 2010 a US drone took out what it thought was a caravan of Taliban trucks carrying weapons. But the trucks were filled with local peasants and the “weapons” were turkeys. The drones incinerated 23 civilians. 

Nor do they always live up to their reputation for accuracy. In a 2012 test, the Air Force compared a photo of a base taken by the highly touted Gorgon Stare cameras mounted on a Predator drone and the one on Google Earth. The images were essentially identical, except Gorgon Stare cost half a trillion dollars and Google Earth was free. “In neither,” says Cockburn, “were humans distinguishable from bushes.” 

Drones have killed insurgent leaders in Syria, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan with virtually no effect on those wars. Indeed, in the case of Afghanistan, the assassination of first tier Taliban leaders led to their replacement by far more radical elements. The widespread use of drones in the US war on drugs has also been largely a failure. Drug cartels are bigger and more dangerous than ever, and there has been no reduction in the flow of drugs into the country. 

They do keep the body bag count down, but that raises an uncomfortable moral dilemma: If war doesn’t produce casualties, except among the targeted, isn’t it more tempting to fight them? Drone pilots in their air-conditioned trailers in southern Nevada will never go down with their aircraft, but the people on the receiving end will eventually figure out some way to strike back. As as the attack on the World Trade towers and recent terrorist attacks in France demonstrate, that is not all that hard to do, and it is almost inevitable that the targets will be civilians. Bloodless war is a dangerous illusion. 

Drones certainly present problems for any military. For one thing, they are damned hard to spot. Most are composed of non-metallic substances, like Kevlar, and they have low heat signatures because their small motors run on batteries. Radar doesn’t pick them up and neither do infrared detectors. The Yemen-based Houthis drones that hit Saudi Arabian oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais in 2019 slipped right through the radar systems of three anti-aircraft networks: the US Patriot system, the French supplied Shashine surface-to-air-missile system, and the Swiss Oerlikon 35mm radar directed cannons. 

Those drones were produced on a 3-D printer supplied to the Houthis by Iran. 

Drones also raised havoc with Armenia’s far more capable Russian-made S-300 air defense system, plus several other short and medium range systems. Apparently the drones were not detected until they struck, essentially obilerating Armenia’s anti-aircraft system. 

The Russians claim that they beat off drone attacks on their two bases in Syria, Khmeimim Air Base and the naval base at Tartus, with their Pantsir air defense system.But those drones were rather primitive. Some were even made of plywood. Pantsir systems were destroyed in Nagorno Karabakh, and Turkish drones apparently destroyed Pantsirs in Libya. 

The problem is that even if you do detect them, a large number of drones--a so-called “swarming attack” similar to the one that struck the Saudis--will eventually exhaust your ammunition supply, leaving you vulnerable while reloading. 

The US is working on a way to counter drones with directed energy weapons, including the High Energy Laser Weapons System 2, and a microwave system. At a cost of $30 million, Raytheon is building prototypes of both. President Biden’s Defense Secretary, Gen. Lloyd Austin (ret.), formerly served on the company’s board of directors. 

If drones rely on GPS systems to navigate, they can be jammed or hacked, as the Iranians successfully did to a large US surveillance drone in 2010. Some drones rely on internal maps, like the one used in the US Tomahawk cruise missile. It appears that the drones and cruises that hit Saudi Arabia were running on a guidance system similar to the Tomahawk. Of course that makes your drone or cruise missile autonomous, something that raises its own moral dilemmas. The US is currently working on weapons that use artificial intelligence and will essentially be able to “decide” on their own what to attack. Maybe not “Terminator,” but headed in that direction. 

Drones are enormously useful for a range of tasks, from monitoring forest fires to finding lost hikers. They are cheap to run and commercial prices are coming down. Turning them into weapons, however, is not only destabilizing, it puts civilians at risk, raises serious moral issues about who bears the cost of war, and in the long run will be very expensive. Drones may be cheap, but anti-aircraft systems are not. 

India and Pakistan are in the middle of a drone race. Germany is debating whether it should arm its drones. Mexican drug cartels are waging war against one another using drones. 

An international convention on drone use should be on any future arms control agenda. 

As of February 25, 2021, 43 Republican-controlled states have together introduced over 250 bills to restrict voting access after the 2020 election. On March 5, 2021, the Democrat-controlled House responded by passing House Resolution 1 (H.R.1), the For the People Act of 2021.  

H.R.1 is a sweeping expansion of federal voting rights aimed at countering G.O.P. attempts to clamp down on ballot access. It would impose new national requirements weakening restrictive state voter ID laws, mandate automatic voter registration, expand early and mail-in voting, make it harder to purge voter rolls, restore voting rights to former felons, and restrict partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts. The Senate must find a way to pass H.R.1.  

In addition, the Senate needs to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act (VRA), passed by the House. Enacted in 1965, the VRA prohibits racial discrimination in elections. But the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby v. Holder gutted Section 5, a key part of the VRA. Section 5 required state and local governments with records of voter discrimination to preclear voting changes with the Justice Department to ensure the changes were not racially discriminatory, which stopped many discriminatory provisions from taking effect. This cleared the path for states to pass a slew of laws that disenfranchise voters and discriminate against voters of color. 

All this talk about bipartisanship is a lot of bunk. Let's face it, the Republicans don’t want Biden to succeed. If Democrats don’t want their agenda landing in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legislative graveyard, they will have to eliminate or modify the Senate filibuster rule. What’s at stake? -- keeping Democrat control of the House and Senate in the mid-term elections on November 8, 2022.  

Unfortunately, it is not clear the Senate Democrats have the 50 votes plus the vice president’s vote to eliminate the filibuster rule; Senators Joe Manchin (D.WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D.AZ) have defended the filibuster as part of what they assert is a longstanding Senate custom.  

Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2018 and founder of the voting rights group Fair Fight, proposes tweaking the filibuster rule to allow major voting rights legislation to pass with a simple majority; this may appease Senators Manchin and Sinema. 

The cure for political dysfunction is majority rule.

Most of us who experience a severe psychotic disorder must be medicated--this is non-negotiable. However, medication isn't always enough. Despite being well medicated, some level of delusions may persist in our minds. To help deal with this, albeit imperfectly, there are cognitive methods that can be used. By the same token, cognitive methods, by themselves, are not enough to do away with a severe psychotic disorder. Regardless of how skilled you are in correcting delusions through a cognitive technique, medication is the foundation on which you're building. 

Medications can be fine-tuned in conjunction with a prescriber. The prescriber could be a psychiatric nurse practitioner or an M.D. psychiatrist. There may also be one or more other types of education and licensing that allow a professional to prescribe medication. The point is that you work with that person, and you bring up thoughts about which you have some doubt. Keeping secrets makes everything more difficult. And not sharing with anyone about what is eating at you can cause internal wounds to fester. 

If you have thoughts you somewhat doubt, it helps to speak about them. This is not like going to church and sitting in a confession booth. You are not there to admit to all your supposed wrongdoing and be forgiven. It is about therapy, and it is about getting some relief. And it is also about using someone else's mental resources to augment your own in the battle against psychotic symptoms. 

The first step to deprogramming a delusion is to acknowledge that a specific thought you're having is questionable. If a thought has a lot of emotional charge to it where you feel a need to have it, or if it obsessively frightens you, either one of these will reinforce a delusion. And if either of the above are true, it is more likely that a thought is in fact a delusion. This is because delusions are reinforced by the emotional mechanisms in the brain. I have observed this. 

If a thought or a perception is emotionally neutral and does not trigger or get triggered by an emotion, the likelihood is better that it is an accurate thought and not a delusion. 

The second step in deprogramming a delusion is where you amplify in your thinking the concept that the thought is questionable. This is not accomplished by yelling at yourself. Instead, it is done with intent focus. Concentration, not forcefulness is the way to do this. 

If you have decided that a thought is probably a delusion, yet it persists in your thinking, you've achieved more than half the battle. All that remains is repetition of the mental exercises. When you initiate the deprogramming of a delusion, your subconscious will probably work on your behalf and will help your delusional thought to stop occurring. 

If a mental health consumer has too many delusions, it might be too difficult to address them with cognitive methods, without also increasing the dosage of antipsychotic or adding a second one. The author, yours truly, takes exceedingly high dosages of two antipsychotics. Without high enough antipsychotic, the brain may not be getting what it needs. 

Jack Bragen is author of "Instructions for Dealing with Schizophrenia: A Self-Help Manual," "Jack Bragen's 2021 Fiction Collection," and other books.

At Your Service: It's No Secret

Every president since Woodrow Wilson has been given a Secret Service code name. The best part of this practice is that the code names never remain secret. First ladies also get a Secret Identity. Here's a short list: JFK (Lancer), Jackie (Lace). LBJ (Volunteer), Lady Bird (Velvet). Nixon (Searchlight), Pat (Starlight). Ford (Passkey), Betty (Pinafore). Carter (Lockmaster or Deacon), Rosalynn (Lotus Petal or Dancer). Reagan (Rawhide), Nancy (Rainbow). GHWB (Timberwolf), Barbara (Snowbank). Clinton (Eagle), Hillary (Evergreen). GWB (Tumbler), Laura (Tempo). Obama (Renegade), Michelle (Renaissance). Trump (Mogul), Melania (Muse). Biden (Celtic), Jill (Capri).

Does it look like Trump may have insisted on choosing his own codeword? Had I been in charge of the Secret Service's secrets, I would have dubbed him "Agent Orange."

Does an Ex-Prince Still Earn Royalties?

Wondering about the status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry and Megan are now residents of the US but, despite their breach with Britain's Royal Family, Harry is still referred to as "Prince Harry." (Protocol only requires that he forfeit being addressed as "Your Royal Highness.")

Harry's full name is His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex. Technically, he doesn't have an actual surname and "Harry" is a nickname. His given name is "Henry." During his childhood and his service in the British Army, he was known as "Harry Wales" (after his father, Charles, the Prince of Wales). He also could have used the names "Harry Montbatten-Windsor" or "Harry Sussex." Adding to the confusion, the couple's firstborn is named "Archie Harrison" (as in "Harry's son").

And here's another puzzle. When a prince becomes king, his wife becomes queen. But when Princess Elizabeth became Queen, her husband remained a Prince. Where's the equity? 

The Full Measure of Tomfoolery 

This just in: According to the Ministry of Arcane Measurements, it takes four nitwits to make a half-wit but it takes just two half-wits to make a total fool. 

QAnon: It's Worse than We Thought 

Chronic Inflation 

The San Francisco Chronicle recently sent out a notice that my subscription fee would be dropping from $154.70 to $103.20. Good news? Nope. 

When I took a closer look, I discovered the Chron's billing period has been reduced from 13 weeks to just 8 weeks. So that's a $1 increase for each billing period—or an extra $8 a year. The Chron's new billing statement also notes subscriptions can now "include up to eight premium editions per year," which will mean "an additional $6.00 in the billing period when the product publishes, and will result in shortening the length of your billing period." 

Furthermore, the Chron reveals it "is starting a separate transportation charge" for home delivery "in some cases, the transportation charges may exceed the advertised subscription price. In those cases, the transportation charges will be limited to the actual subscription cost." 

PG&E's Shoddy Power Pole Repair Draws Stares 

Last year, I filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) pointing out that the power pole at the end of our block was leaning so badly that there was no slack left on some of the cables. The powerlines to one home were stretched so tight that it looked as if the powerlines were holding up the pole—instead of the other way around. 

The PUC agreed and ordered PG&E to replace the pole. 

On Tuesday, March 4, a repair crew arrived and chainsawed the old pole into several pieces for removal prior to installation of a new wooden pole. But instead of rewiring the mess of wires, cables and related gear from the old pole, the contractors simply saved the 8-foot-long section of the original pole with all the wiring attached and simply bolted the weathered leftover to the side of the new pole. 

What a time-saving move! It saved so much time that the work crew left shortly after 2PM instead of working from 9-5 as their posted street alerts read. 

So now we've got this unsightly remnant dangling overhead looking like a cross between a crucifixion and an electrocution. It's time for another letter to the PUC. 

Biden Proves He Really CARES 

Democrats in the House rightfully raised a happy chamber-rattling ruckus following passage of Joe Biden's massive economic relief package. It marked quite an accomplishment for the second month of the Biden-Harris Era. But the Workers World Party was in no mood for partying. 

According to the WWP, working families are bummed that the promised $15 minimum wage goal was knocked to the ground and extended unemployment benefits were whittled back from $400 to $300. The WWP justly groused that two-thirds of US workers are barely making ends meet while a handful of sticky-fingered billionaires have thrived during the COVID pandemic. In fact, the WWP grumbles, US billionaire wealth has increased by $1.3 trillion since the start of the pandemic while "the super rich increased their wealth by over 40%." 

This reminds me of the old platitude: "Trickle-down Economics will never work as long as there are a bunch of sponges at the top." 

Raise the Wage or Rise the Rage 

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) recently wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post that debunked the argument that wage hikes depress economic growth. Here's an excerpt: 

"Three years ago, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and I introduced the Stop Bezos Act, which would have forced large companies such as Amazon to repay the federal government for subsidizing their inadequate wages. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Establishment fearmongers insisted that if these companies paid a higher wage, they’d have to eliminate thousands of jobs. Instead, when Amazon raised its minimum wage to $15 in response to our legislation, competitors raised their wages as well, while Amazon saw record job growth, doubled its number of employees and pushed their market cap past $1 trillion." 

Banknote Footnote: In October 2020, the residents in Geneva, Switzerland, voted to raise the local minimum wage to $25 an hour. 

Introducing the Ultra-Wealth Tax 

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-PA) and Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) have introduced a bicameral share-the-wealth plan that's got the oligarchs trembling in their Gucci Horsebit Suede Loafers. 

Jayapal explains: "During this devastating pandemic, the rich have only gotten richer and the wealthy have watched their profits skyrocket. 46 new people have even become billionaires during COVID-19. It’s unacceptable to have a country where the ultra-wealthy are raking in millions while working people are suffering. But right now, the richest 1% own 35% of America’s wealth." 

The solution? The Jayapal-Warren Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act. 

"While this new tax would only impact the top 0.05% of households (if your net worth is below $50 million, you won’t pay a cent!), it would bring in $3 trillion over 10 years. That’s COVID relief, health care, infrastructure, education, transitioning to renewable energy, affordable housing, and so much more." 

The new law would narrow the racial wealth gap, help level the economic playing field, and ensure that the wealthiest finally begin to pay their fair share. For more information, click here. 

What Would Ike Do? Look What Ike Did!  

If you think the Jayapal-Warren Ultra-Wealth Tax is too rad, consider what the top tax bracket was during the Dwight Eisenhower presidency in the 1950s. Under Republican "Ike" Eisenhower, the tax rate on the top one percent of wealthiest Americans was a whopping 90 percent. (A historical fact that has given rise to a campaign button that reads: "I Like the IKE Hike. 90% for the Top 1%.") 

27 Progressive Dems Tempted by the Lure of War Bucks 

It's no secret that mounds of money work dark deeds in the halls of Congress. But imagine the shock of discovering that more than half of the 58-member-strong Democratic Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) had been caught taking campaign cash from the country's biggest weapons manufacturers. 

According to an investigation by the Security Policy Reform Institute, 27 card-carrying members of the CPC have been pocketing thousands of dollars while casting votes to ensure massive Pentagon spending on—among other things—weapons and death. 

A leading Big War company like Lockheed depends on renewal of Pentagon contracts for 70% of its yearly income. That explains, in part, how 17 Congressmembers were found to have accepted $20,000 or more from War Industry lobbyists between 2017-20. While seven of the solons soaked up six-figure sums, the list of Progressive Reps who danced with the Demon was topped by Adam Smith (D-WA), who racked up an eye-popping $749,985 in Big War gratuities. 

Naturally, the peace watchdoves at CODEPINK were aghast and quickly went to work calling out the pro-war regressives in the CPC who had supposedly sworn to "rein in bloated Pentagon spending." If you promise to fight Pentagon waste and then accept a campaign check from Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop-Grumman, and/or General Dynamics, you've got a "conflict of interest because you have an interest in conflict." And, sure enough, a study of voting records revealed that one-third of the Reps who were on Big War's payola wagon never cast a vote opposing Pentagon funding. On the other (cleaner) hand, CODEPINK saluted the nine CPC members who voted against Trump's National Defense Authorization Acts 100% of the time. These peace heroes are: Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Oman (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). 

Think That's Bad? This Is Worse 

Three months ago, CODEPINK raised another cry after a report from the investigative website, Sludge, revealed that progressive Representative Ro Khanna's wife Ritu was heavily invested in the Pentagon's murder machine. Sludge revealed Mrs. Khanna "owns approximately $376,000 in stocks in Boeing, Honeywell, Huntington Ingalls, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and United Technologies." Despite his wife's pro-war portfolio. Rep. Khanna has consistently refused to support funding military action against Iran. 

The military currently consumes half of the nation's discretionary spending. The Pentagon's FY2021 appropriation nearly topped $700 billion. (The Center for International Policy has estimated that the actual total cost of all military-related spending in 2019 approached $1.254 trillion.) 

In an expose published on January 13, 2020, Sludge released the names of 51 members of Congress "and their spouses" whose investments in the War Industry's top 30 corporations ranged between $2.5 and $5.8 million. According to Sludge:" Eighteen members of Congress, combined, own as much as $760,000 worth of stock in Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor." 

According to Sludge, nearly a third of the members of the Senate Defense Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee "own stocks in top defense contractors." Members of the committee include Sen. Dianne Feinstein (whose millionaire spouse had $650,000 invested in Boeing) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (with $348,998 invested in Honeywell, Boeing, Raytheon, and United Technologies). Feinstein's office issued a response claiming that the senator "has no involvement in her husband's financial and business decisions." 

Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have a solution: their Ban Conflicted Trading Act would forbid Congressmembers from buying, owning, or selling weapons industry stock and would ban them from serving on corporate boards. 

Sounds of Silence: The Fraught Future of Radio 

Is broadcast radio fated to go the way of print-journalism? Across the country, daily newspapers and weeklies have been resorting to major lay-offs to keep the lights on while television and Internet-based news providers siphon up the majority of the economy's advertising dollars. 

Now things are starting to look bleak for the future of radio. 

Who's to blame? Well, let's start with Tech Mogul and Social Disruptor Elon Musk. Back in 2017, rumors began circulating that Musk had plans to remove radio receivers from his Tesla EVs and offer a $2500 "infotainment upgrade" that would replace AM/FM and Sirius XM broadcasts with video streaming and Musk-approved content provided exclusively by something called the "Tesla Arcade." 

In a grim elegy titled "Technology, Tyranny and the End of Radio," Roger Lanctot, the associate director of Strategy Analytics Global Automotive, lamented: "Once again, Silicon Valley is asking us to surrender one thing in exchange for another. Yesterday it was our privacy. Today it is the radio. Tomorrow it will be our freedom." 

And so, on the 80^th anniversary of the FCC's licensing of KALW as the first FM station west of the Mississippi, Car and Driver confirms that the Tesla Model 3 no longer offers AM reception. (BMW removed AM radios from its 13 EV models in 2014.) 

The National Association of Broadcasters is alarmed by the growing possibility of a "radio-less future." 

Nevada Invites Corporations to Create Their Own Governments 

Disaster Strikes Northern Cal Media Building 

Last year, the founder of Reader Supported News wrote subscribers with the news that he had been twice forced to flee his home in the urban-wilderness-interface owing to a contagion of extreme wildfires. Ironically, the nearly scorched journalist's name happens to be … Marc Ash. 

This week, another note arrived from Ash, explaining that he was once again a climate-chaos refugee: 

[M]y home/office is in Northern California in a still-redwood-forested area. It’s beautiful, but it’s also risky. In addition to the now yearly wildfires that threaten the area, the forest itself can make living there hazardous. Last Friday night at around 10 pm, just after I had gone to bed, the top 1/3 of a large redwood tree snapped off in the wind and sent thousands of pounds of trunk and branches crashing down onto the roof of my house. Luckily, no chickens or humans were damaged when the tree fell. 

This memo was posted by RSN two days before a massive rainstorm pelted the region, compounding Ash's misery—as this follow-up message noted: 

The RSN HQ is being torn apart to save it due to extensive water damage. All the furniture was moved out and now the walls are being torn down. A demolition crew is on its way. According to an update from RSN: Managing Editor Angela Watters is going to be taking over the fundraising duties. Please give her your support. She’ll need all she can get." (As will Marc. Both can be reached at Reader Supported News, PO Box 2043, Citrus Heights, CA 95611.) 

Worth Noting:

A very full week ahead

Monday – City Council Agenda and Rules Committee at 2:30 pm item 8.b. lists Recommendations from Mayor Arreguin regarding impact of COVID-19 on Commissions/Boards, however, there are no recommendations found in the 410 page meeting packet, The committee is expected to take up Reorganizing of Commissions,

Tuesday – Special City Council meeting at 6 pm,

Wednesday – Council FITES Committee at 2:30 pm takes up plastic bags ordinance and Paving Master Plan,

Thursday – Design Review Committee at 7 pm will have preliminary preview of 600 Addison a R&D construction project. The project plans to be presented on March 18 are different from the plans presented to the Parks Commission on March 10.

The March 23 City Council agenda is available for review and follows the list of city meetings.

Mayor Arreguin announced there will be a special meeting on March 25 at 5 pm on a variety of zoning changes. No details are available or posted for the public.

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, March 14, 2021

No City meetings or events found 

Monday, March 15, 2021 

CCCC Arts Hub (Veteran’s Memorial Building) meeting at 12 – 1 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82042256729?pwd=QTl3VkRrOG1RMEZVbHNYYXY3WFhKQT09 

Agenda and Rules Committee at 2:30 pm  

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87391137500 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 873 9113 7500 

AGENDA: 2. Agenda Planning for March 30 Regular City Council Meeting CONSENT: 3.Police Accountability Board Ordinance amendment for member LOAs and council-approved alternative commissioner. 4. $24,063 Contracts extended to 6/30/2021 for Center For Independent Living, Pacific Center, & YEAH, 5. Amend Contract add $30,714 total $878,142 with Covenant House – YEAH, Mental Health Services Act Fund, 6. Designate City Labor Negotiators 1/1/2021-12/31/2021, 7. Aide Letter Agreement: Public Employee Union, Local 1/AFSCME Council 57 authorizing 80 hours of additional emergency paid sick leave (EPSL), 9. Amend and extend ERMA to 12/30/2021 $80,000, 12. Amend contract add $147 total $402,961 and extend to 6/30/2024 with Tyler Technologies for Open Data Portal’s Hosting Services, 11. Contract add $235,000 total $852,200 and extend to 6/30/2023 with TruePoint Solutions for Accela Professional Services, 12. Contract add $68,440 and extend 6/30/2023 with Verint Systems for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Maintenance, 13. Contract add $76,906 total $141,906 to 6/30/2023 with NextRequest for Public Records Act (PRA) Response Software, 14. Contract add $25,000 total $100,014 extend 6/30/2022 with CBF Electric & Data for Wi-Fi Installation, 15. Contract add $200,000 total $249,500 extend 6/30/2023 with Gray Quarter, Inc. for Accela Professional Services, 16. P.O. $512,000 for Protiviti Government Services: Using GSA for Professional Services thru 6/20/2022, 17. Add $42,000 total $146,400 contingency $42,800 with Lind Marine to remove derelict and abandoned vessels from Berkeley Marina, 18. Utility Agreement $720,000 for sewer line for future fieldhouse restroom at Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex, 19. Add $70,000 total $295,400 and extend 12/31/2023 with Street Level Advisors for Development Fee Feasibility Analysis, 20. Budget Referral two Trash Cans on 7^th and 9^th and Allston Way, 21. Budget Referral Police Foot/Bike Patrol in West Berkeley, Beats 11-16, 22. Budget Referral Stop signs at Dwight and California, 23. Budget Referral New Project Coordinator to implement Electric Mobility Roadmap and Climate Initiatives, 24. Support AB 20 Corporate-Free Elections prohibits businesses from making campaign contributions to candidates for elective office, 25. Support AB 37 requiring vote-by-mail ballots to all voters for every election, ACTION: 26. Hearing Bond Financing for 2870 Adeline (Harriet Tubman Terrace Apt) 27. Ordinance permanently banning less lethal weaponry – Council Safety Committee forwarded with negative recommendation for Council to take no action, 28. Providing Unhoused with Fire Extinguishers Council Safety committee qualified positive recommendation to consider fire extinguishers and other fire prevention tools such as wool blankets, 29. Recognize the Rights of Nature qualified positive recommendation to place obligation on City not residents, 30. Letter to Google requesting inclusion of commercial truck routes on google maps platform, 31. Hearing refer to Disability Commission on East Bay Paratransit and Transportation Needs of Berkeleyans with Disabilities, 32. Commit City of Berkeley to a Just Transition from Fossil Fuel Economy establishing a Just Transition Task Force, 33. Initiation of Planning for Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), Information Reports: 34. FY 2020 4^th Quarter Investment report ending 6/30/2020, 35. FY 2021 1^st Investment Report ended 9/30/2020, 36. Referral 2^nd Dwelling Unit/ADU pilot program to house the homeless, 37. Report Worker’s Comp FY 2019-2020, Referred Items for Review: 8.a. Discussion Regarding Impact of COVID-19 on Commissions/Boards, b. Recommendations from Mayor Arreguin (recommendations not contained in Agenda Committee packet), 9. Proposed Closed Meeting Schedule, 10. Commission Reorganization of Commissions, Unscheduled Items: 11. Systems Realignment, 12. Amendments to BERA, 

(packet 410 pages) 

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 

CCCC Civic Center Park Meeting at 11 am – 12:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87665359314 

City Council Closed Session at 3 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83774829299 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 837 7482 9299 

AGENDA: 1. Initiation of Litigation, 2. Conference with Labor Negotiators, employee organizations IBEW< Local 1245, SEIU 1021 Community services and Part-time Recreation Activity Leaders, 

City Council Special Meeting at 6 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82970056646 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 829 7005 6646 

AGENDA: 1. Digital Strategic Plan (DSP), Funds Replacement Program and Website Redesign Project Update, 2.a. Unfunded Liability Obligations and Unfunded Infrastructure Needs, 2.b. FY2021 Mid-Year Budget Update, 3.a.Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) update, 3.b. Turning Vision 2050 into Reality: Public Works CIP for 2022, 

Police Review Commission – Subcommittee on Warrant Service Policy at 6:30 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84233073529 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 842 3307 3529 

AGENDA: 4. Policy 606 Service of Warrants 

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 

City Council Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment & Sustainability Committee (FITES) at 2:30 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83096549829 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 830 9654 9829 

AGENDA: 1. Ordinance to Regulate Plastic Bags at retail and food establishments, 3. Improving PCI of Residential Streets and Creating a Paving Master Plan, 4. Refer to CM Establishment of Impact/Mitigation Fees to address private impacts (wear and tear) to public right of way (streets) 

Independent Redistricting Commission at 6 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81934137884 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 819 3413 7884 

AGENDA: 3. Update Redistricting Process, 4. Commission bylaws, 5. Brown Act 

Human Welfare & Community Action Commission, at 6:30 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/4863098496. 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 486 309 8496 

AGENDA: 5. CSBG Berkeley Community Action Agency Community Action Plan, 6. Low-income commissioner stipend, 7. Review Lifelong Medical Care – Access to Primary Care/Acupuncture for the low-income/uninsured, 9. Presentation TOPA 

Planning Commission at 7 pm 

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

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/92637208872 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 926 3720 8872 

AGENDA: 9. 2021-2022 Work Plan, 10. ZORP Subcommittee 

Thursday, March 18, 2021 

City Council Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Committee, at 10:30 am 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/Policy_Committee__Land_Use,_Housing___Economic_Development.aspx 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82575821005 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 825-7582-1005 

AGENDA: 2. Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, TOPA, 3. Resolution Recognizing Housing as a Human Right – Referral to CM, 4. Affordable Housing Overlay, 5. Amendments to BMC 23C.22 Short Term Rentals, (packet 436 pages) 

CCCC – BHS/Youth Meeting, at4:30 – 5:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83640647988?pwd=V3I3WnA1WWdia0VHTjhsZTlONXkzZz09 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, 7 pm 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/rent/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/97466721904?pwd=UERxTHhJbHF3NjNzQWIvUkRiNElMdz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 974 6672 1904 

AGENDA: 6.2. Letter to Council on fourplex zoning proposal, 6.4 Waivers for late registration fees, 

Design Review Committee at 7 pm 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/designreview/ 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/96619829788 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 966 1982 9788 

AGENDA: 1. 2023 Shattuck – Final Design Review – 73’5” tall 7-story mixed-use building with 48 dwellings (including 4 very low income), 1250 sq ft ground floor commercial space, no parking, storage for 34 bicycles, 

2. 600 Addison – Preliminary Design Review – demolish buildings and structures on industrial site on 8.67 acres to construct R&D campus containing two buildings totaling 461,822 sq ft gross floor area and 924 parking spaces, 

SB 330 Project for April 15 DRC meeting 2000 University (former Au Coquelet site) 8-story 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission – Open Government Commission, at 7 pm 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/FCPC/ 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86316897086 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 863 1689 7086 

AGENDA: 6. Mandated Cost of Living Adjustments for Public Financing Program, 8. Providing guidance and clarification to candidate slates, 10. Lobbying enforcement referrals and procedures, 11. Handling of public communications submitted to City legislative bodies as part of the public record in land use proceedings, 

Friday, March 19, 2021 

No City meetings or events found 

Saturday, March 20, 2021 

McGee Spaulding Neighbors in Action changed the regular meeting date to the 3^rd Saturday at 10 am, Agenda and links not posted yet, check later 

Sunday, March 21, 2021 

No City meetings or events found 

_____________________ 

City Council March 23, 2021 Regular Meeting at 6 pm, available for comment 

Email: council@cityofberkeley.info 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82597941909 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 825 9794 1909 

AGENDA: CONSENT: 1. Add $100,000 total $250,000with AG Witt for COVID-19 Emergency Operations Cost Recovery Consultant, 2. Partnership with EBCE to Pursue Solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems on Municipal Facilities, 3. Add $250,000 total $1 million add 3 years to 6/30/25 with Serological Research Institute for DNA Testing Services, 4. FY2022 Street Lightening Assessments, 5. Add $150,000 total $250,000 extend to 6/30/2022 with Restoration Management Company for emergency services in the event of flooding, sewer backups or other property damage that requires restoration, 6. Appointment of boona cheema and Javonna Blanton to Mental Health Commission, 9. Proclamation Holocaust Remembrance Day, 8. 2021 Alameda County Redistricting Process – calling for resources for redistricting, 9. Establish a Parking Benefits District in the Adeline Corridor Budget Referral $50,000, 10. Honor Holocaust Remembrance Day, 11. Support AB 286: requires food delivery platforms to provide accurate transaction breakdowns, 12. Support AB 314: right to unionize and bargain for improved wages and working conditions, 13. Support AB 328: allows those with recent histories of incarceration to remain stably housed and exit homelessness through grants and housing services interventions, 14. Support AB 1400: Health Care for All, ACTION: 15. Updated BESO fees, 16. ZAB Appeal 1200 San Pablo, 17. Objective Standards for Density, Design and Shadows from Joint Subcommittee for the Implementation of State Housing Laws (pages 21- 41), 18. Partnership for the Bay’s Future and Current Anti-Displacement Initiatives (continued from 2/23/2021) 19. Children, Youth and Recreation Commission FY2021 Work Plan, 

______________________ 

Public Hearings Scheduled – Land Use Appeals 

1200-1214 San Pablo (construct mixed-use building) 3/23/2021 

2421 Fifth Street (construct two residential buildings) 6/1/2021 

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

1528 Berkeley Way 3/16/2021 

2317 Channing 3/18/2021 

31 Florida 3/2/2021 

2634 MLK 3/16/2021 

1122 University 3/23/2021 

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 

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 

July 20 – nothing scheduled 

September 21 – 1. Housing Element (RHNA) 

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 

Systems Realignment 

Measure FF and Fire Prevention 

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 

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/ 

If you wish to stop receiving the Weekly Summary of City Meetings please forward the weekly summary you received to kellyhammargren@gmail.com, If you wish to receive the weekly summary as soon as it is completed, email kellyhammargren@gmail.com to be added to the early email list. 

A memorial for Barbara Brust, co-founder of Consider The Homeless! will take place on Tuesday, March 16 th from 6 - 8pm PST on the steps of Berkeley’s City Hall, 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. Community members, including unhoused neighbors she loved and served, will share thoughts and memories of Barbara Brust, the 69 year-old New York born woman who spoke boldly on their behalf. 

Known on the streets of Berkeley as “the soup lady,” Barbara passed peacefully on February 25, 2021. Barbara was an advocate and provider of unconditional love to the most marginalized people living in encampments, parks, on sidewalks or in their vehicles. She fought tirelessly for safe and warm shelter, permanent and affordable housing, hand washing stations, bathroom facilities and basic humanitarian treatment. 

Barbara always said she served up more than soup, she served up love. A diverse group of dedicated volunteers at Consider The Homeless!, the organization Barbara co-founded, continues to reach out to about 150 unhoused Berkeley residents twice a week to offer groceries, soup, and a smile. Consider The Homeless! also distributes tents, sleeping bags, and warm clothing. Barbara regularly spoke at Berkeley City Council meetings to advocate for humane policies and services. She supported homeless and often disabled individuals as they were being evicted in multiple early morning police raids, and was once arrested while trying to help camp members peacefully gather their items. 

Over 20 speakers, two singers, nationally recognized musicians, and a professional choreographer are expected to participate in person or remotely by Zoom in a gathering in her honor on the steps of Berkeley’s City Hall. The entire event will be made available via Zoom: http://bit.ly/barbarabrust . A second, larger event is planned for June 11, 2021, to celebrate her birthday with a day of service and a colorful, joyful parade.  

# # #  

The Memorial will be ASL Interpreted 

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Contacts: March 15, 2021 Paul Kealoha Blake, 510-610-3577 boona cheema, 510-883-4082 

Margot Smith 510-486-8010 Margots999@aol.com