Joe Leisner

Extra

New: The Berkeley Activist's Calendar
August 29 - September 5, 2021

Kelly Hammargren, SBCg
Sunday August 29, 2021 - 08:52:00 PM

Worth Noting: -more-


New: A Berkeley Activist's Diary, Week ending August 28

Kelly Hammargren
Sunday August 29, 2021 - 08:55:00 PM

I was away for really only four and a half days, but I was so completely disconnected from Berkeley that when I returned it felt like a month. There is very little happening with city meetings with City Council and most of the commissions on August recess leaving only one city meeting on which to report, the Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB).

The project at 1725 Berkeley Way was continued off calendar while the rent control history is being researched. The unattractive duplex project as planned would demolish eight trees at least that is my best count from the plans. The neighborhood attendees had researched the financers of the project and commented that this project looked too much like group living. It will come back again, but I have little hope that there will be any improvements. The other project of note is 2808 Ninth Street with its concrete patio, walkway, driveway and parking.

If you haven’t been paying attention to the impact of hardscape (all that concrete) and the environment you might think all this added concrete is fine. Certainly, after months of attempting to educate members of ZAB and staff, it didn’t catch their attention until I mentioned it in public comment. Of course, ZAB can’t require permeable paving which would improve the situation, they can only suggest, because Mayor Arreguin and the Council majority have failed to act. -more-


BC4BP suit filed

press release from Arlene Silk, Berkeley Citizens for a Better Plan
Thursday August 26, 2021 - 11:33:00 AM

Berkeley Citizens For a Better Plan filed a CEQA law suit on August 19, in the Alameda County Superior Court. BC4BP is suing not only the Regents and University of California Chancellor Carol Christ, but also the donor for the 16/story luxury dorm, the Anchor project on Oxford Street, the Helen Diller Foundation, its subsidiaries Prometheus Real Estate Group and Oski 360, and DOES 21 through 40 donors and subsidiaries for the 17 story luxury student apartment on People’s Park. -more-


An Open Letter Mourning the Demise of Milvia Street

Michael Katz
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 05:19:00 PM

Dear Mayor Arreguin and Councilmembers, I took the attached photos a few days ago on what's left of Milvia Street near Civic Center. For scale, that's my bike against the railing. Because many of you voted to fund a "Milvia Bikeway," I'm hoping at least one of you can explain this latest idiocy from the City's Transportation Department? -more-


Jesse Arreguin's Infamous Play

Carol Denney
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 05:35:00 PM

If you thought Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin's recent explanation of his "agreement" with the University of California (UC) not to challenge their Long Range Development Plan sounded defensive, you would be right. His outrageous capitulation to UC on behalf of the outraged town he is supposed to represent got more media play than "the play", when Stanford's band charged onto the football field a little too soon, and the Cal football team had to thread their way through trombones to make their final, definitive touchdown. -more-


Berkeley must freeze enrollment following court decision Monday

Keith Burbank, Bay City News
Tuesday August 24, 2021 - 10:34:00 PM

University of California at Berkeley officials must freeze campus enrollment at the 2020-21 level following a court decision on Monday over the university's impact on nearby neighborhoods. -more-


Flash: In sweeping legal victory for Berkeley Neighbors, Judge rules that UC Berkeley must freeze enrollment until it complies with Environmental Law and mitigates growth impacts

Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods (press release)
Tuesday August 24, 2021 - 08:54:00 PM

A Berkeley neighborhood group won a sweeping legal victory that requires UC Berkeley to freeze enrollment at the same level as 2020-2021 until the campus fully identifies the impacts of increasing enrollment and proposes mitigations for the negative environmental effects on the surrounding neighborhoods.

Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods won the judgment against UC Berkeley on August 23. UC contended that increasing enrollment had no effects on the surrounding neighborhoods in an Environmental Impact Report(EIR) approved in May 2019. Alameda Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman emphatically rejected UC’s argument and found that enrollment growth had major impacts on housing and displacement of existing residents and that the huge increase in students had created unacceptable levels of noise in the surrounding neighborhoods. He also found that UC had failed to do a meaningful review of a reduced enrollment alternative as a way to reduce impacts on the community. -more-


The City of Berkeley--UC Berkeley Agreement

Mayor Jesse Arreguin
Tuesday August 24, 2021 - 09:28:00 PM

Last month, the City of Berkeley and University of California Board of Regents approved a settlement agreement on UC Berkeley’s 2021 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and lawsuits challenging UC’s enrollment increases and impacts on neighborhoods. The Berkeley City Council authorized execution of the settlement by an 8-1 vote. This historic agreement is the culmination of several years of advocacy and litigation by the City over the impacts of significant campus enrollment increases, and paves the way for a new era of cooperation between the City of Berkeley and UC Berkeley. The agreement is one of the largest financial settlements any UC campus has provided a host city, and includes binding commitments on collaborative planning for campus growth and partnerships on issues important to the Berkeley community. -more-


California Universities ReOpen in Person; Will Delta Push Students Back to Zoom?

Ashley Smith, Michael Burke, Bay City News Partner and EdSource
Monday August 23, 2021 - 04:36:00 PM

Flexibility is key as state campuses balance vaccine mandates and delta variant concerns.

Uncertainty is the new reality tens of thousands of students face this fall as campuses repopulate residential halls, classrooms and other facilities while the coronavirus pandemic rages for yet another academic year. At any point, campuses could shift back to remote learning, if that's what public health authorities recommend or if a significant outbreak of Covid-19 spreads.

Some California State University campuses have already begun fall instruction, but many start Monday. Seven of the University of California's undergraduate campuses are on the quarter system and don't start classes until Sept. 23.

The CSU and UC systems require students to be fully vaccinated when they return to campus in person and are mandating that masks be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status. Campuses will also routinely test students and staff who are exempt from the vaccine mandate for religious or medical reasons. Some CSU and most UC campuses will also regularly test vaccinated students. -more-


Second Suit Challenges UC Berkeley's Long Range Plans and Projects, including People's Park

Monday August 23, 2021 - 03:34:00 PM

A second lawsuit under the California Environmental Quality Action (CEQA) was filed on Friday to challenge the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), prepared by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) for its 2021 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), effective until 2036-37, and for two construction projects located in different parts of Berkeley: Helen Diller Anchor House (Anchor), a mixed use 16-story high-rise, and the proposed People’s Park project, a group of buildings including a 17-story mixed use high-rise.. The plaintiff organization, Berkeley Citizens for a Better Plan, seeks an order setting aside the certification of the FEIR and all of the University of California Regents’ (Regents) approvals for the Project. -more-


Press Release: Community Groups Sue UC Berkeley for Excessive Growth

Harvey Smith
Sunday August 22, 2021 - 11:56:00 AM

Lawsuit Says UC Development Plans Will Add to Displacement and Homelessness, Destroy Historic Buildings and Neighborhood Character, and be a Drain on City Services, Fire and Police

Two Berkeley neighborhood groups today filed a lawsuit against UC-Berkeley and the UC Regents alleging expansion plans at the Berkeley campus violate state environmental laws and will lead to displacement of longtime residents, destruction of historic buildings and neighborhood character, and increased expenses for City of Berkeley taxpayers.

The community organizations Make UC A Good Neighbor and People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group filed suit today to address and mitigate excessive burdens faced by Berkeley residents from the recently approved UC-Berkeley Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), according to the lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court.

“UC’s plans are a reflection of the university’s indifference to the impact its plans will have on all Berkeley residents for many years to come. UC’s corporate growth model monetizes public assets with little care given to its host community,” said Harvey Smith of People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group. -more-


Too Many Knees On Our Necks

Jack Bragen
Sunday August 22, 2021 - 11:36:00 AM

I could never express as well or as eloquently as did Rev. Al Sharpton in his speech before a group of demonstrators and mourners of tens of thousands, and millions of others through television coverage, in honor of George Floyd on June 4, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, speaking of having a knee on our neck.

Even though I'm not capturing the full underlying issue that I think Rev. Sharpton was getting at, this piece concerns the brutal and sometimes deadly use of force that some police use when restraining uncooperative or even cooperative mentally ill people who need help and are in crisis. In this instance, I'm not speaking of someone being Black, I'm speaking of mentally ill people. -more-


A Berkeley Activist's Diary

Kelly Hammargren
Monday August 16, 2021 - 02:42:00 PM

Between council on recess and the usual August slowdown, my report on city meetings will be short. As for everything else, this week was boiling over. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) released AR6 (Sixth Assessment Report). The UN warns that global heating is at “code red” for humanity and the cause is unequivocal – it is us. July was the hottest month ever recorded. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/#FullReport -more-


Let’s Defeat SB 9 and 10 and Find Better Housing Solutions

Shirley Dean, Former Mayor of Berkeley
Sunday August 15, 2021 - 11:46:00 AM

We can all agree there is a need for more housing, but SB 9 and 10, currently on track for final state approval, bring major problems instead of real solutions to our housing problems. SB 9 and 10 will build a future filled with market rate speculation achieved through a state-driven “one-size fits all” future policy direction applied to every city in California from tiny Angels Camp to gigantic Los Angeles. Neither addresses our real need, affordable housing.

SB 9 supporters say single-family zoning must be eliminated because opponents are “racists” who want to continue past “red lining” practices. We can’t change the awful things that have occurred in the past, but what we can do is to ensure that today discrimination issues are correctly being addressed and vigorously support such efforts in regard to both homeowners and renters. We also well understand that up-coming State mandated measures regarding Accessory Dwelling Units that allow one ADU and a Jr-ADU on each single-family parcel, will already eliminate single-family zoning as we know it. However, SB 9 goes much further by allowing lot splits in single-family zones even after full ADU development, so that together, each lot split could have 4 to 6 units where only one formerly existed. Worse yet, SB 9 provides that approvals for such development can be done “ministerially” by a city worker, without any notice to neighbors or public hearing.

SB 10 allows 10 - 14 units on each parcel with a single-family home, again through a “ministerial” process. It also allows bypassing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and local voter initiatives, such as our 1986 Measure L which calls for a vote of the people when public open space is to be developed for other than recreational purposes. -more-



Obituaries

Dorothy M. Snodgrass
1923 - 2021

Carolyn Lake
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 04:48:00 PM

A long time resident of Berkeley, Dorothy passed into eternal rest on June 9, 2021. Dorothy was an administrative assistant at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and an active member of the U.C. Berkeley Retirees' Board of Directors. She did radio broadcasting for the blind in San Francisco for many years and worked as a volunteer for Tele-Care, a Sutter-Alta Bates Foundation Outreach Program at Herrick Hospital. -more-


Atemu Aton
1958-2020

Nora Handel Aton
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 04:46:00 PM

Atemu Aton, beloved Bay Area jazz musician and educator, passed away on March 25, 2020 after a battle with cancer.

Born on February 26, 1958, Atemu grew up with his family on the South Side of Chicago during the turbulent and restless 1960’s and ’70’s. As a young man Atemu changed his name to reflect the truth, beauty, and strength of his African ancestry. He continued infusing his life with grace and light through his creativity and love of Music, Truth, and Justice.

After graduating from Chicago State University with a BA in Music, Atemu moved to Boston to further his musical studies at Berklee College of Music, and went on to pursue a MA in Music Composition at New England Conservatory of Music.

Atemu dedicated his life to Music. He was a prolific jazz composer and bassist, playing gigs across Europe, Africa, and throughout the States with bands such as Boston Art Quartet,

Modern Times Quintet. Either/Orchestra, Sheer, The Aton Project, Light Henry Huff, and Against the Grain, among others. He performed throughout the Bay Area. His music is featured on CD’s recorded by artists he worked with as well as on those he released of his own original music. -more-


Michael Morgan
1957-2021

from Dina A. Bartello, for the Oakland Symphony
Friday August 20, 2021 - 08:08:00 PM

It is with a breaking heart that we inform you that Michael Morgan, Music Director and Conductor of Oakland Symphony since 1991, died peacefully today, August 20, 2021 at Oakland Kaiser where he had been admitted last week for an infection. He was 63.

In May of this year, Michael Morgan underwent successful kidney transplant surgery at UCSF. He resumed conducting last month for the San Francisco Symphony and Bear Valley Music Festival.

Micahel was born in Washington, D.C., where he attended public schools and began conducting at the age of 12. While a student at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, he spent a summer at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, studying with Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa. He first worked with Leonard Bernstein during that same summer. His operatic debut was in 1982 at the Vienna State Opera, conducting Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio. In 1986, Sir Georg Solti chose him to become the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for seven years under both Solti and Daniel Barenboim. In 1986, he was invited by Leonard Bernstein to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. As guest conductor, Morgan has appeared with most of America’s major orchestras, as well as the New York City Opera, St. Louis Opera Theater, and Washington National Opera. -more-


Editorial

UC Berkeley's plan to pave paradise and put up a parking lot is on hold for a bit

Becky O'Malley
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 07:00:00 PM

From University of California Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ’s “Campus Update”, August 24, 2021:

Dear Cal alumni and friends:

“The beginning of the school year has always been a magical time for me — a blank sheet of paper, the first page of a novel….

Well, no, it’s not. The beginning of this school year, like those before it, is not a tabula rasa. Like every other milestone, it has the weight of history on top of it.

Mrs. Christ, described on the UC website as a “celebrated scholar of Victorian literature” seems to have forgotten some of the popular aphorisms in the liberal arts tradition, and she’s accumulated the lawsuits to prove it.

First, from Shakespeare’s Tempest: “Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, on yours and my discharge.”

The history weighing on Christ’s cheeky plan to obliterate a City of Berkeley historic landmark, People’s Park, must be prologue to what the University will choose to do in the future. The university/industrial complex (aka public-private partnership) has had its eye on that space ever since UC condemned by eminent domain and demolished most of a residential block on the densely populated Southside. The past history Christ’s ignoring is the passionate defense of this iconic public open space, which cost one life and ensuing years of turmoil accompanied by purposeful neglect.

Something similar could happen again, but a lawsuit filed this week by The People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group and a neighborhood group, Make UC a Good Neighbor, is intended to prevent that. -more-


The Editor's Back Fence

What are we doing and why?

Becky O'Malley
Saturday August 28, 2021 - 02:21:00 PM

Readers might wonder why the organization of the Planet’s front page has been looking different somehow lately. The answer is that I’ve decided to try to free myself from the tyranny of the deadline. As you might or might not know, I’m working with legacy software which is now more than two decades old, designed for a publication that was originally in print but never actually daily. The name is cute, really cuter than my own taste, but we own the URL, and we have something like a thousand subscribers, the grandiose name for people who like to get emails with a list of links instead of looking at the front page, so we’ll keep it for now. That’s the editorial “we” by the way, since everything you see has been donated by the authors. I handle the editorial duties and Mike O’Malley provides tech consultation and processes the graphics. We have almost all opinion, not “news” in the traditional impartial fact-checked sense, though if something seems dubious to me I just don’t post it. We welcome submissions as Word documents which are best for conversion to our format. These days if you look at the front page you’ll see “Editorial”, “Columns”, “Arts and Events”, “Extra” and “Obituaries” as categories. Articles will be posted as they come in, and these letters to subscribers will be sent from time to time, approximately randomly until further notice. -more-


Columns

New: SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces

Gar Smith
Wednesday September 01, 2021 - 03:05:00 PM

Why Is KCBS Trumpeting Trumpism?

On August 24, KCBS news radio aired a disturbing new commercial. Just before the station's "news on the half hour" the announcement rang out loud and clear: We should all tune in to Newsmax, the recorded voice urged. Why? Because "President Donald Trump says: 'They're really great!'"

While the ad avoided naming any of the network's ultra-conservative content providers, it's a matter of record that Newsmax hosts a biggly number of ex-Trump staffers. Former One America News (OAN) conspiracy-pusher Jenn Pellegrino now shares a Newsmax mic with Steve Cortes, formerly a senior advisor with Trump's failed election campaign. And, whenever Trump misses his old pal and former press-hating press secretary Sean Spicer, all he needs do is flip his dial to "Spicer & Co" on Newsmax.

Newsmax ranks to the right of its nearest competitor, Fox News, and has hired a number of on-air talents from the Fox News stable. Newsmax's Christopher Ruddy, the company's Owner and Editor, is a conservative with an estimated net worth of $100 million. Back in his days at the New York Post, Ruddy promoted the conspiracy tale that White House counsel Vincent Foster was murdered by the Clintons. A profile in the New York Times called Ruddy "the most audacious media entrepreneur of the Trump election fantasy" and characterized Newsmax as "a pure vehicle for Trumpism" and "the home of alternate reality."

Initial attempts to reach KCBS for comment were fruitless. Requests for comment were forwarded to unnamed individuals who never answered. In one case, a recorded message announced: "4113 does not subscribe to this service. Please, try again later. Goodbye." -more-


AN ACTIVIST'S DIARY
Week Ending 8-22

Kelly Hammargren
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 04:59:00 PM

I had planned that this writing of the Activist’s Diary for August 22 would be published while I was away (you’ll see those comments in the next edition), but something happened with the email. I thought I had sent my Activist’s Diary as I rushed out the door in the middle of the night to catch a 6:30 am flight, but it didn’t arrive in the Planet email box as intended. It is floating or shall I say disappeared somewhere in the internet ether. Here it goes: -more-


ECLECTIC RANT:
Fighting Covid-19 and Stupidity

Ralph E. Stone
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 04:50:00 PM

In Mississippi one person was hospitalized for ingesting ivermectin — a horse dewormer — to prevent or treat the coronavirus. Reportedly, the states poison control center has received an increasing number of calls from individuals with potential ivermectin exposure taken to treat or prevent the virus. Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs warned that there is no scientific evidence that ivermectin is effective at preventing or treating covid-19 and is dangerous if ingested by humans. -more-


SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces

Gar Smith
Sunday August 22, 2021 - 12:30:00 PM

Short-term Slang

Thanks, in part, to the vexation of trying to thumb-type on Smartphones, the English language has been evolving—with longer words mutating into shorter variations that are quicker to spell. Vacations have become "vacays." A vaccination has become a "vax." Merchandise has become "merch." Credibility is now "cred." Recreation long ago became "rec" and celebrities are now "celebs." So how about fashion becoming "fash." A purchase becoming a "purch." Collaboration becoming "collab." Testimony becoming "test." And brotherhood becoming "brohood." -more-


ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Physical Health is an Uphill Climb

Jack Bragen
Sunday August 22, 2021 - 11:40:00 AM

Congratulations! You’ve successfully treated your psychiatric problems and you have attained psychological wellness!

It is bitterly ironic that many psychiatric illnesses go into remission when we are older, and we become able to think more clearly and function better and with more ease; yet, by then, our bodies are decimated, and we don't have much time left. People who live with chronic psychiatric illness typically have substantially shortened lifespans, for numerous reasons.

(In my case, the thinking is far better, but I am not as able to drive long distance, to travel, and/or to work at a job. Things that require a high level of mental energy--and physical energy--are much harder, and I get tired more easily. Yet, I am a lot wiser and cleverer. But wise and clever don't do much for you if you can't leave the house.) -more-


THE PUBLIC EYE:
The Tragedy of Afghanistan

Bob Burnett
Sunday August 22, 2021 - 11:31:00 AM

National telethons used to be an annual event. (The longest running was the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon; which closed in 2012.) If telethons reappear, I'm going to host the Bob Burnett Telethon to cure short attention span. I'll highlight the protracted failure of Americans to pay attention to the tragedy of Afghanistan.

On August 16th, President Joe Biden appeared on national TV and let the Afghanistan "buck" stop with him: "I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past — the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces." God bless you, Joe Biden! Thanks for being a real leader! -more-


THE PUBLIC EYE: Biden’s Big Infrastructure Win

Bob Burnett
Sunday August 15, 2021 - 11:44:00 AM

On March 31st, President Joe Biden introduced his infrastructure plan, "The American Jobs Plan" (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/ ). After four months of negotiation, on August 10th the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan plan. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/08/10/senate-infrastructure-bill-what-is-in-it/) -more-


ON MENTAL ILLNESS: The Hard Realities of No More Stimulus Money

Jack Bragen
Sunday August 15, 2021 - 11:32:00 AM

I was very surprised at the beginning of the year that our government was handing out sizable amounts of money to almost everyone. It made me wonder, could the government afford to do this all along--and was just holding out on us?

After all, the U.S. Government spends an astronomical amount of money on weapons designated for use against the human beings of other countries. The defense budget in 2019 was over 700 billion. Some of the fighter and/or bomber planes cost up to a hundred million per unit. The government spends approximately a third of a trillion on law enforcement every year. Why then, with all this spending that doesn't go to regular poor people, can't the government shell out a little more to us, people with disabilities, now and then? -more-


SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces

Gar Smith
Sunday August 15, 2021 - 11:28:00 AM

Recalibrating the Cal Recall

The County of Alameda's instruction guide for requesting and filing ballots for the September 19 Gubernatorial Recall Election scores some improvements over past pre-election documents but it also contains some head-scratchers.

Things get off to a good start with a fake demo ballot for the position of "Director of Entertainment" on page 2. The trick here is to find names of dead celebrities that everyone will recognize are not actually in the running. In the past, the names on these dummy-demo lists dated from the 1940s with names like Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, and Louis Armstrong.

The latest list of late entertainers is a bit more recognizable—Aretha Franklin, Bruce Lee, Bea Arthur, Sidney Poitier, Selena, and Freddie Mercury.

But then the ballot guide proclaims: "Remember, you can vote for fewer Candidates than allowed" but your ballot will be tossed if you "vote for MORE Candidates than allowed." But it's arithmetically impossible to vote for "fewer than one candidate."

It's No Longer "Right On" to "Write-in"

The ballot guide's instructions grant you the option of voting for a write-in candidate. But here's where the ballot-mongers throw a curve. Instead of being able to write-in anyone you want—be it a respected Green Party activist or the ever-popular write-in favorite, "Mickey Mouse"—in this election you can only vote for write-in candidates that are "allowed." But which write-in candidates have been pre-approved and why were some of these wannabe write-in candidates excluded?

The voters guide states a list of pre-approved write-in candidate can be found online at ACVote.org. Unfortunately, this online link leads to a list of unrelated postings from prior elections, none more recent than 2016. (The second-place document in the search sports the subject title: "1318 5 Trim Trim Perf Perf Trim Perf Perf...")

As of August 13, Alameda County's most recent related posting only addresses the June 7, 2016 Presidential Primary Election. In that contest there were five certified-and-acceptable Democratic presidential write-ins and ten GOP hopefuls. While Ballortpedia is up to date regarding official candidates for the 2021 election, it doesn't provide a list of the "qualified write-ins." Reached by phone, a staffer at the county Registrar of Voters was unable to locate the list of "qualified" write-ins. I was given an email number to contact (candidates@acgov.org) but it turned out to be inactive.

Totaled Recall

Of the 55 gubernatorial recall attempts since 1911, the only one to succeed was in 2003, when 135 candidates vied to replace Gov. Gray Davis and the winner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won with 48.6% of the votes.

With 46 candidates on the September ballot (and none matching the star power of Schwarzenegger), it's possible that a new governor could be elected with only 10% of the total votes. Hardly a majority. Hardly a mandate.

Although it would be more costly, it would be more democratic if future recalls were conducted separately. An election to chose a replacement governor would only be held if a recall was successful. -more-


Arts & Events

Kalil Wilson Quartet--Jazz Song, Saturday at 8, the All-New Sound Room in Oakland

Ken Bullock
Wednesday August 25, 2021 - 05:11:00 PM

Kalil Wilson, the East Bay's prodigious jazz and rhythm-&-blues singer, who's been lavishly praised by the likes of Kenny Burrell, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter, will perform live with his Quartet on his home turf again this Saturday, 8 to 10:30, August 28, at Oakland's all-new Sound Room, now based further uptown at 3022 Broadway, across the street from Sprouts Market, between Hawthorne Avenue and 30th Street, near Auto Row.
Kalil will be accompanied by Walter Bankovich, piano; Isaac Coyle on bass and Michael Quigg, drums.
Covid precautions apply, including proof of vaccination.
-more-


The Berkeley Activist's Calendar
August 22-29

Kelly Hammargren
Sunday August 22, 2021 - 11:51:00 AM

Worth Noting:

Nearly every commission is on holiday during August and City Council is on recess until mid- September. There may be a few meetings that will pop up at the last minute, but for now, I am preparing this calendar early so I can enjoy some free uncommitted time too.

The last published Wildfire Evacuation Workshop is offered Thursday evening by the Berkeley Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Services. This is worth your time:

Do you know your evacuation zone? https://community.zonehaven.com/

Have you signed up for AC Alerts? https://member.everbridge.net/453003085612570/new

Do you know what kind of mask to wear to evacuate? Answer in the videos

Register in advance for one of the online workshops below

August 26, 6pm-730pm, Online via zoom

Prior to the Wildfire Evacuation Workshop visit the City of Berkeley Wildfire Readiness website: https://www.cityofberkeley.info/wildfire/, watch the five videos (total time 1 hour 20 minutes) and download and fill out your step-by-step fire plan (tool 9 pages).



Sunday, August 22, 2021 & Monday, August 23, 2021 & Tuesday, August 24, 2021

No City meetings or events found



Wednesday, August 25, 2021 -more-


The Berkeley Activist's Calendar

Kelly Hammargren, Sustainable Berkeley Coalition
Sunday August 15, 2021 - 11:22:00 AM

Worth Noting:

Council is on recess and most of the commissions do not meet in August.

Sunday is a free hazardous waste drop-off. Appointments required. It looks like this is filling up fast.

The BART Berkeley – El Cerrito Access Plan has meetings/hours on Monday 2 pm, Tuesday 7 pm, and Wednesday 5 pm. Parking lots are going away with planned construction of housing.

The Berkeley Independent Redistricting Commission meets Wednesday at 6 pm.

The Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force meets Wednesday at 5:30 pm with a speaker on Mountain Valley Pipeline and Friday at 9 am is the summit on Clean and Just Transportation.

EBMUD speaker series on Wednesday at 6 pm is on fire prevention.

Only one project is before the Design Review Committee on Thursday at 7 pm.

Friday evening at 8 pm is the free city sponsored movie Lady and the Tramp at Ohlone Park.

The Wildfire Evacuation Workshop is offered three times by the Berkeley Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Services. The 2nd offering is August 18 at 7:30 pm:

Do you know your evacuation zone? https://community.zonehaven.com/

Have you signed up for AC Alerts? https://member.everbridge.net/453003085612570/new

Do you know what kind of mask to wear to evacuate? Answer in the videos

Register in advance for one of the online workshops below

August 18, 6pm-730pm, Online via zoom

August 26, 6pm-730pm, Online via zoom

Prior to the Wildfire Evacuation Workshop visit the City of Berkeley Wildfire Readiness website: https://www.cityofberkeley.info/wildfire/, watch the five videos (total time 1 hour 20 minutes) and download and fill out your step-by-step fire plan (tool 9 pages).

Cal student move-ins can get messy. Avoid illegal dumping fines. Check out resources for disposal of unopened food, furniture and household goods, textiles (clothing, bedding, backpacks), cardboard boxes, mattresses. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CABERKE/bulletins/2ec7aae

Sunday, August 15, 2021 -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

UC Berkeley's plan to pave paradise and put up a parking lot is on hold for a bit 08-25-2021

The Editor's Back Fence

What are we doing and why? 08-28-2021

News

New: The Berkeley Activist's Calendar
August 29 - September 5, 2021
Kelly Hammargren, SBCg 08-29-2021

New: A Berkeley Activist's Diary, Week ending August 28 Kelly Hammargren 08-29-2021

BC4BP suit filed press release from Arlene Silk, Berkeley Citizens for a Better Plan 08-26-2021

An Open Letter Mourning the Demise of Milvia Street Michael Katz 08-25-2021

Jesse Arreguin's Infamous Play Carol Denney 08-25-2021

Berkeley must freeze enrollment following court decision Monday Keith Burbank, Bay City News 08-24-2021

Flash: In sweeping legal victory for Berkeley Neighbors, Judge rules that UC Berkeley must freeze enrollment until it complies with Environmental Law and mitigates growth impacts Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods (press release) 08-24-2021

The City of Berkeley--UC Berkeley Agreement Mayor Jesse Arreguin 08-24-2021

California Universities ReOpen in Person; Will Delta Push Students Back to Zoom? Ashley Smith, Michael Burke, Bay City News Partner and EdSource 08-23-2021

Second Suit Challenges UC Berkeley's Long Range Plans and Projects, including People's Park 08-23-2021

Press Release: Community Groups Sue UC Berkeley for Excessive Growth Harvey Smith 08-22-2021

Too Many Knees On Our Necks Jack Bragen 08-22-2021

A Berkeley Activist's Diary Kelly Hammargren 08-16-2021

Let’s Defeat SB 9 and 10 and Find Better Housing Solutions Shirley Dean, Former Mayor of Berkeley 08-15-2021

Dorothy M. Snodgrass
1923 - 2021
Carolyn Lake 08-25-2021

Atemu Aton
1958-2020
Nora Handel Aton 08-25-2021

Michael Morgan
1957-2021
from Dina A. Bartello, for the Oakland Symphony 08-20-2021

Columns

New: SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces Gar Smith 09-01-2021

AN ACTIVIST'S DIARY
Week Ending 8-22
Kelly Hammargren 08-25-2021

ECLECTIC RANT:
Fighting Covid-19 and Stupidity
Ralph E. Stone 08-25-2021

SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces Gar Smith 08-22-2021

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Physical Health is an Uphill Climb Jack Bragen 08-22-2021

THE PUBLIC EYE:
The Tragedy of Afghanistan
Bob Burnett 08-22-2021

THE PUBLIC EYE: Biden’s Big Infrastructure Win Bob Burnett 08-15-2021

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: The Hard Realities of No More Stimulus Money Jack Bragen 08-15-2021

SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces Gar Smith 08-15-2021

Arts & Events

Kalil Wilson Quartet--Jazz Song, Saturday at 8, the All-New Sound Room in Oakland Ken Bullock 08-25-2021

The Berkeley Activist's Calendar
August 22-29
Kelly Hammargren 08-22-2021

The Berkeley Activist's Calendar Kelly Hammargren, Sustainable Berkeley Coalition 08-15-2021