Friday night Susan arrived by rented car. She’s driven from Ashland Oregon and wanted to walk. I’m game for it. Weather-warm. Crowds-thin. Students-absent. We could no doubt have our pick of seats from a half dozen very good restaurants on Shattuck. -more-

Where will the money come from? While City Council dismissed public concerns, they fell all over themselves last Tuesday evening, December 7^, in their enthusiasm over the prospect of the Berkeley Pier and Ferry. The idea of a ferry and new pier sounds so absolutely wonderful and WETA (Water Emergency Transportation Authority) and City staff are full of inventions of success. -more-

It is time to take a serious look at what living in a surveillance state does to us. We can leave aside the usual question of what it looks like. Surveillance is by nature clandestine. It is a ruse. When caught in the act, it pretends to be unofficial, or even accidental. It wears a mask of many rationalizations, each of which presents itself as “evidence of the unseen.” Thus, it demands that we take it on faith. Does that mean that those who accept a state of surveillance, of being watched, have simply enlisted in another faith-based community? Does surveillance belong to a competition of "faiths." Who do we become when, politically and technologically, we are forced into such a "community"? -more-

There is a lot to cover.

Monday was the first Agenda Committee meeting that I can recall Councilmember Wengraf missing in all the years I have attended. Wengraf certainly deserved a day off for post- Thanksgiving travel especially since she planned well in advance so the meeting could be covered by the committee alternate. I just hope Wengraf never misses another.

Wengraf had one request; that amendments to the ADU Ordinance be given priority. What slipped off the radar was the reason for the request; ensuring Berkeley’s ADU Ordinance is in place when the new State laws go into effect on January 1, 2022. Councilmember Hahn did manage to stave off postponement but the reason was never uttered and the ADU amendments sunk to positions 46 and 47 on the final agenda. Councilmember Droste,who covered for Wengraf, kept reminding everyone she didn’t know the Agenda Committee process, which made me wonder how she escaped that lesson in her seven years on council. -more-

At last Tuesday’s agenda (Nov. 30, 2021) council passed a budget referral to establish and implement a pilot program of public assistance for electrification of existing buildings. To make a long story short, the item is too small in scope and scale, and too slow-paced, to meaningfully reduce Berkeley emissions. It is simply not relevant to the climate emergency we face. (I may write about it in more detail later.) -more-

“The appropriate response to an exponentially growing problem will seem disproportionate to the state of the problem at the moment.” – Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

It’s very easy to get depressed when studying the climate emergency.

I woke up this morning to social media posts from scientists showing the debris plume from one of the massive tornadoes that struck at least six states last night. Some of the detritus of people’s blown-apart lives was sent 30,000 feet into the air.

Imagine flying over in a passenger jet, looking out the window, and seeing someone’s grandfather’s love letters flutter by. And, say, doesn’t that look like the new insulation Mary installed last year. At 30,000 feet in the air.

And imagine knowing, unambiguously, that this isn’t the new normal because it is only getting worse with each new day of fossil-fuel-burning-as-usual.

And imagine knowing that even if all fossil fuel use stops tomorrow, it’ll be centuries before any of this damage starts to fade, and some of the damage can never be undone. -more-

There is an effort afoot launched by Berkeley’s Traffic Engineering Department to implement many changes to the existing parking rules in many areas of Berkeley. It's called: “goBerkeley Smart Space Project" and is being marketed as a pilot project. One of the areas which would be greatly impacted by this project is the Elmwood. The project is being marketed as an experiment, and proponents claim that it would be temporary, but over the years we’ve seen that this kind of promise often is not kept, i.e. whatever allegedly short-term changes are implemented generally become permanent, even when the promoters of the changes had claimed they were temporary. Now we’re hearing that the online presentation given by the City is being postponed. No postponement will make these plans any more acceptable. The experimental proposals are unacceptable now and will always be unacceptable. -more-

Editor's Note: The latest issue of the Pepper Spray Times is now available.

You can view it absolutely free of charge by clicking here . You can print it out to give to your friends.

Grace Underpressure has been producing it for many years now, even before the Berkeley Daily Planet started distributing it, most of the time without being paid, and now we'd like you to show your appreciation by using the button below to send her money.

This is a Very Good Deal. Go for it! -more-

Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association is mourning the passing, on 30 November 2021, of our old friend and stalwart supporter John English. A retired Oakland city planner, John was the ultimate authority on land-use matters in Berkeley.

Born in Washington, DC and raised in Sacramento, John lived in Berkeley since his student days in the late 1950s. Although he never worked for the City of Berkeley, his opinion was sought by Planning staff, city commissioners, building professionals, and preservationists alike.

John was an invaluable resource for preservation. He wrote numerous landmark applications and National Register nominations, including those for California Memorial Stadium; Mario Ciampi’s University Art Museum on Durant Ave-Bancroft Way; the Claremont Hotel; and Berkeley Iceland.

He was a constant presence in Landmarks Preservation Commission and Zoning Adjustment Board meetings, as well as at BAHA, where his deep knowledge, dedication, and attention to detail were relied on again and again.

John was a quiet, unassuming man who gave his all to the causes he embraced. The fight for preservation will not be the same without him. -more-

Is the MLK Playground's New Tower a Tot-trap? -more-

1989 was the year in which I had my most recent decay related work on my teeth, in which I received my most recent speeding citation (by a local motorcycle cop) and is the beginning year of my federal disability claim. At the time I received the speeding ticket, I was working, and I was driving a Plymouth Horizon owned by Rocket Pizza, where I made a modest living as a delivery driver. The tooth decay was fixed with ceramic fillings. In modern times, I haven't seen any dentists say they are willing to provide them. I was still in my twenties, and many things took place that cumulatively derailed me from continuing to do work for a living. But life is easier if you just can work, rather than trying to do all of the stuff involved in the life of a disabled person. -more-

Thirty years ago, people could see that I periodically became psychotic, and they were aware that sometimes I had behavior issues. I was on antipsychotics (which, by the way, I still take to this day). When I had ideas of going off antipsychotics, there were numerous people who would sound the alarm bells and would tell me that I had to keep taking meds. The behavior issues weren't considered a flaw in character because it was clear to people that I had a neurobiological disorder, schizophrenia. Few people attributed a lot of brains and did not see me as the greatest of minds. -more-

MLK Middle School: Dead and Alive

aThe students at MLK Jr. Middle School have totally transformed their block on Rose Street and it's worth a drive—or a walk—to swing by and appreciate the changes.

In October, on the Day of the Dead, scores of students tip-toed over the wide steps at the school building's entrance and laid down a carpet of colorful paint to celebrate the occasion.

In November, the students returned to swarm over the campus' recently uprooted lawn and hand-planted a variety of saplings—hundreds of them —to create a dense, ecological, carbon-capturing Miyawaki Forest. -more-

When I first became severely psychotic in 1982, apparently my father realized he was in over his head in trying to deal with me alone, and believed I needed professional help. He first took me to an inpatient psychiatric ward at Kaiser. However, when I was there, despite not threatening anyone or assaulting anyone, I was physically wild, such that the staff at the hospital wouldn't let me into their psych ward and said that I needed a locked ward. They referred me to Gladman in Oakland. At the time, Gladman may have been very different from how it now is. I'm not sure about this, as I haven't kept up on changes in Gladman. -more-

Stop Making Sense

Sometimes a mishearing still makes sense. Last week, I thought I heard a friend say: "Depression is a bad way to start the day." It turned out the speaker (who was perusing the morning Chronicle) actually said: "The press is a bad way to start the day."

Reads true either way. -more-

Voices of Music, a chamber ensemble headed by Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler,offered a fine program of Baroque concertos at venues in Palo Alto, Berkeley, and San Francisco on December 17-19. I attended the Berkeley concert on December 18 at First Congregational Church. Opening the program was the Don Quixote Suite by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767). -more-

Worth Noting:

City Council winter recess begins December 15. Tuesday will be the last council meetings until January 18, 2022 unless some emergency dictates another.



Monday morning the Budget & Finance Committee meets at 9 am to review the final AAO (Annual Appropriations Ordinance – the mid-year budget allocations) – recommend reviewing the agenda document and priority list before the meeting. The evening Town Hall at 6 pm with the Mayor will be recorded if you can’t watch it at 6 pm.

Tuesday is a marathon day for City Council starting with a closed session at 3 pm, followed with special session at 4 pm and the regular meeting at 6 pm with a very long agenda.

Wednesday the Independent Redistricting meets at 6 pm. The goBerkeley SmartSpace Pilot for Elmwood that ends 2-hour free parking in RPP – in select areas of the Elmwood neighborhood meets at 6:30 pm – sign-up with Eventbrite. The Zoning Ordinance Revision Project (ZORP) meets at 7 pm.

Thursday the goBerkeley SmartSpace for the Southside/Telegraph neighborhood meets at 6:30 pm – sign-up with Eventbrite. The Design Review Committee and the Mental Health Commission both meet at 7 pm. The Rent Stabilization Board also meets at 7 pm, but the agenda and links are not posted.

-more-

On Thursday, December 2, the venerable Kronos Quartet returned to Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall with a program of new works the group commissioned from various composers as part of their ongoing Fifty for the Future project. This project is dedicated to making new works for string quartet available online with the goal of training students and emerging musicians in contemporary approaches to string quartet music. The Kronos Quartet consists of David Harrington and John Sherba on violins, Hank Dutt on viola, and Sunny Yang on cello. The first half of their Zellerbach concert featured short works by various contemporary composers, while the second half featured guest artist Mahsa Vahdat on vocals in songs of her own composition set to poems by Iranian writers. -more-

On Friday, December 10, the Future was Once Again Now, as the 2021 Adler Fellows Concert brought fresh young voices to the stage of Herbst Theatre. San Francisco Opera’s Music Directer Eun Sun Kim conducted the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, leading off the program with the Overture from Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka. The first vocal offering featured baritone Timothy Murray as Figaro singing “Largo al factotum” from Gioachino Rossini’s Il rbiere di Siviglia. Murray, a second year Adler Fellow, delivered this chestnut in rich tones, even breaking into falsetto at one point. It was a totally convincing performance and won huge applause from the appreciative audience. -more-

At San Francisco Opera, Canadian director Michael Cavanaugh has mounted Così fan tutte as the second of his planned trilogy of the Mozart-Da Ponte operas. Cavanaugh sets Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, and Don Giovanni in three different time-frames of American history. Le Nozze di Figaro, which was performed here in Cavanaugh’s staging in 2019, he sets in the late 18th century, in other words, in a new nation under construction after the American Revolution. For Così fan tutte, Cavanaugh chooses the 1930s, that is, in a nation emerging from the Depression but with prospects of a war looming ominously just over the horizon. Cavanaugh also chooses to set each opera of his Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy as taking place in the same building. In Le Nozze di Figaro, it was a house newly built. In Così fan tutte, Cavanaugh arbitrarily has transformed this house into an opulent country club. -more-

Worth Noting:

We are in the push to pack in year-end meetings and this coming week is very full. Please take a scan of all the meetings. What looks to be the most significant will be listed in the quick summary. The December 14^th Council meeting agenda is available for comment. When December 14th arrives, Council will vote on mid-year budget allocations.

Tuesday evening at 6 pm item 2 on the City Council agenda is the Pier-Ferry feasibility study. The cost of the pier-ferry project is $93 million without $32 million for two electric ferries. (the studies I have read it is less polluting per person to drive across the bridge alone than to ride an ordinary ferry) WETA Directors have been promised the Berkeley pier-ferry project will not impact the WETA budget of which only approximately 30% is covered by fares. The Dec 7 council special meeting is HYBRID – choice of attending in person, zoom or teleconference.

Wednesday evening at 5 pm CEAC will hear the Bee City recommendations. At 7 pm the Le Conte Neighborhood, BNC and CENA will sponsor together a HYBRID meeting (in-person or zoom) on Berkeley’s pilot project to charge parking in residential neighborhoods. Protection of Burrowing Owls is item 9 on the agenda of the 7 pm Parks and Waterfront Commission meeting. The Police accountability Board meets at 7 pm with a full agenda.

Thursday morning at 10 am the council Budget and Finance Committee will review the mid-year budget referrals and set priorities for the Dec 14^th full council vote. Thursday evening council will hear an update on the housing element and process toward planning for adding 8934 residential units in Berkeley. -more-