I remember reading when Donald Trump was elected in 2016, there were people around the world busy archiving documents, especially documents on climate, from U.S. government websites and storing the information outside of the country so it could be saved and retrieved.

For over the last year we have been hearing the City of Berkeley was developing a new updated website. We were blithely coasting along like any of the historical documents we might ever need would be there when we wanted.

Today I wanted to find documents from the Community Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC). Because City Council dissolved CEAC, it is not a searchable choice in the “Records online,” the place we are supposed to go to in the new city website to find older documents.

Even current information is blocked. In preparing the Activist’s Calendar, the agenda for the Tuesday Closed Council session gave this message: 403 SORRY, PERMISSION DENIED. This is a first. In the past, the agenda items were listed. Closed Council meetings began with public comment on agenda items before going into closed session. This meeting is now cancelled.

Friday, I heard that City-employed legislative aides can’t find the documents they need. I guess there is some comfort that I am not the only one having problems with the acclaimed improved Berkeley City website. The pictures are attractive, and I expect some people love them and the new format. The format looks like it is easier for people who do business with the City, not those who are engaged in what the City is doing. Given the choice between colorful pictures and historical records, I’ll take the later. 

The most complete accessible list of City of Berkeley meetings going back to July 17, 2017 may now rest in the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website. https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html I had started to remove old calendars last year, but fortunately I never had enough time to get past July 17, 2017. None of the links work, but at least it may help to know where to start looking when you submit your public records requests. 

It is spring. Birds are nesting in trees, bushes and in protected spaces around our homes. A pair of mourning doves returned again this year to the eave above my porch. And, while we await the hatching and fledging of these clutches, birds are migrating over our heads to northern sites to mate and nest. Erin Diehm sent me this totally cool website https://dashboard.birdcast.info/ 

Type in any US county and the number of migrating birds pops up along with the species of birds and speed and height of their flight. Amazing! 

This can be a reminder to be bird friendly. If you have a cat(s) keep them indoors, turn off outside lights especially any lights that shine up into the sky. Outdoor cats are the biggest killer of birds, and uplighting can be disturbing and confusing to migrating birds. Approach yard clean-up and tree trimming cautiously to avoid disturbing nesting birds. And last, choose native plants that support insects, especially caterpillars, and leave the chemicals on the shelf. 

Two of three CalFalcons have hatched. You can watch hatch day Q&A at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKbk4bpHRPs 

Nothing much happened at any of the City meetings this last week except at the special council meeting on re-imagining public safety Thursday evening. 

The Peace and Justice Commission will continue working on their proposal/letter opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a vision for a peaceful future. Councilmember Taplin’s measure on efficiency units at the Land Use Committee was postponed. 

The Planning Commission received and commented on the Housing Elements presentation of potential sites for adding 8934 new housing units. No commission action was taken; however if you live backed up to San Pablo, University, Shattuck, Adeline, Telegraph, near the downtown or in the southside (around and south of UCB, the area bounded by Hearst on the north, MLK on the west, Dwight to Prospect on the south and Prospect on the east) expect a midsize mixed-use apartment building or taller to be your new neighbor. And, expect mixed-use building creep further into neighborhoods. 

It is worth looking at the maps of targeted development areas in the presentation to the Planning Commission even if you expect your neighborhood to remain untouched. Pipeline means projects that are in review/process. https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2022-05-04_HE_PC_SitesPoliciesPrograms_PPT.pdf 

As for what actually happened May 5^th at the Special Reimagining Public Safety Council meeting here is the motion: 

1. To refer the budget process the City Manager’s Police restaffing proposal as presented in the City Manager Reimagining Public Safety Report. (181 positions, with 5 deferred)
2. Refer to the budget process the proposed Dispatch positions in the amount of $926,710 (4 Dispatch Positions, 1 Supervisor)
3. Refer to fully fund the Office of Race, Equity and Diversity in the amount of $479,540
4. As part of permanent decision on an SCU [Special Care Unit] in FY 25-26 evaluate bringing the program internally within the City organization to be staffed by City of Berkeley staff, and also refer for consideration the the MIP launched by the Berkeley Fire Department, in addition to all other ideas.

The motion passed with Arreguin, Bartlett, Harrison, Hahn, Robinson, Taplin and Wengraf voting for the measure and Droste and Kesarwani voting in opposition. The substitute motion on the opposing measure from Droste, Kesarwani, Taplin and Wengraf failed. 

What does this really mean? Hard to say. There is still the budget process, but overall it looks like more police, moving forward on a non-police mental health team (SCU) for people in a mental health crisis, staffing up dispatch for 911 and non-emergency calls and turfing, addressing racial bias, and systemic racism to a new department. 

Dealing with racism on the job isn’t easy. As a new manager, I quickly learned that high levels of diversity in an organization/company does not guarantee acceptance and understanding. Diversity of the workforce does not make racist behavior, microaggressions magically disappear. Diversity is no guarantee for cross cultural and cross racial work relationships or evolving friendships. 

The Mason Tillman Report and Center for Policing Equity Report identified racist practices and problems embedded in the City of Berkeley. Creating a new department, the Office of Race, Equity and Diversity is just a showcase unless supervisors, department heads, chiefs, all the way up to the City Manager, the mayor and councilmembers are willing to look at their own biases and step up to their responsibility to address and establish a no-tolerance for the behavior that comes with systemic racism. As long as racist behavior, microaggressions, racist practices in contracting are tolerated without action to end them, then no new number of departments or reorganizing will solve problem for them or us. 

We are starting off the dry season with water in short supply, and nearly all of California in extreme drought or exceptional drought, the two worst categories. In the eternal let’s-build-and-ignore-availability-of-water, this article from the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports letters from California Coastal Commission to halt all new water-using development including housing development in Los Osos and Cambria. https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article260618467.html 

In this Mother’s Day weekend with the pending end of Roe v. Wade heading the news, this Diary finishes with two books The Story of Jane the Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan, 1995 reissued in 2019 (on backorder) and The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America by Thom Hartmann, 2019 (the ebooks and audiobooks for both are available at the San Francisco library). 

The Story of Jane is more than how a group of women in Chicago evolved from making connections between women pleading for abortions and the doctors who provided them to learning how to perform abortions themselves. In its four-year history the members of Jane estimated they performed more than 11,000 abortions. 

Kaplan writes of the pressure of meeting the needs of women desperate to end their pregnancies. Women called Jane from all walks of life, Black, White, rich, poor, married, single, women with and without children and all ages from young girls to middle age. The book lays bare the tensions of learning to perform abortions, personalities, leadership, families, partners and even the feminist organizations growing at the time. Kaplan describes women recognizing their potential and freedom to make their own decisions and the direction of their lives. 

And who were the women of Jane? They were not wild-eyed revolutionaries dressed in motorcycle jackets and combat boots, they were Instead a group of ordinary women. Nick (everyone was given a pseudo name including the author) who taught the women how to perform abortions described them like this, “…they looked too normal, too straight, …This is really strange, all these straight women doing this illegal thing.” 

California is poised to be a sanctuary for women, but this is a plan that can whither and fall with an uncertain future and a solid majority of five Supreme Court Justices staunchly in opposition to abortion and standing in the extreme right on other issues. This majority of five doesn’t need any other justices to push forward their agenda. As ultra-conservative state legislatures write and pass extreme laws prohibiting abortion everything is on the table as these laws work their way to the Supreme Court. 

If you look at the Louisiana Department of Health https://ldh.la.gov/page/1036 you wouldn’t know that Louisiana legislators are advancing a bill that would make terminating a pregnancy a homicide. 

In The Hidden History of the Supreme Court, Hartmann writes of Mitch McConnell seeing lifetime appointments of Federal judges as more important than legislation in shaping the power structure of the United States. The courts touch every aspect of our lives. 

In Hartmann’s short book he chronicles the progression of the Supreme Court to its current state of “supreme” power legislating from the bench. Included are key decisions and descriptions of acts of treason by Presidents Reagan and Nixon. Hartmann describes how McConnell used his power to block President Obama’s appointments to Federal courts (not just Merrick Garland) leaving vacancies for lifetime appointments for President Trump to fill with young ultraconservative judges that will change the direction of the U.S. for years into the future. 

As for my guess of who is the draft opinion leaker, my vote goes to Ginni Thomas wife of Justice Clarence Thomas. Ginni Thomas has already demonstrated her entanglement with conspiracy theories and all the necessary connections. Clerks have careers at risk that would make leaking come at a huge personal cost, but we shall see. 

 

By now you must all be aware that many, many residents of the Hopkins Corridor are vehemently opposed to the proposal currently before the City Council to hijack our neighborhood and turn it into an ideological dystopia. We oppose it on many levels: its cavalier claims to increase safety when we can plainly see it won’t; its disregard of the needs of the elderly trying to age in place; its schizoid approach to wanting to attract people to the area and its shops, while trying to make it very difficult for them to come here by any means other than bicycle; its simplistic answers to complex questions (get an e-bike! take a cab or Uber!).

However, the most serious of our objections is this: in the process of trying to appease the bike lobby, to which some of you belong, with this neighborhood take-over, the city has placed itself in financial jeopardy and has put its residents at legal and financial risk.

By stating time and again that this is about safety, then proposing a very unsafe infrastructure for bikes and very little in improvements for pedestrians and drivers, the city may have taken on a huge liability risk. And it is not helpful that the city has received repeated public warnings about this, including this one.

By having allowed the Transportation Commission to run amok, sending forth a recommendation to adopt a plan that had 11^th hour additions that received no discussion among commissioners and no opportunity for public comment, and taking up that recommendation for action on May 10, you may very well be violating the Brown Act.

And by advancing the interests of one group of your constituents over the interests of the elderly, you may be committing a civil rights violation.

All of these things have consequences that can be quite costly to the city if they result in lawsuits.

You face another problem, too. Faith in the integrity of the Council has been seriously damaged, and that can result in a revolt against supporting other things the Council deems important, not the least of which is any future funding requests for infrastructure or other needs.

With this packet, we offer you all the information you need to understand that, despite your ideological purity, there are serious problems with the Hopkins Corridor Plan. We have not asked that you abandon it, just that you do that which is necessary RIGHT NOW to make the streets safer for everyone and save the controversial aspects for a time when we have a better idea that they are necessary. That is the one fact that the Commission and the staff have been unable substantiate: that this plan will actually accomplish a goal that is beyond just what the bike lobby wants.

Hopkins Corridor Information Packet

To:Tom Quinn, CEO, NEON

Dear Mr. Quinn,

I write out of anxiety for our movie theaters. The success of Netflix et al at making movies accessible privately during COVID was a comfort. But I’d hate to see this convenience be allowed to displace the shared experience of seeing films on the big screen. Without movie theaters and their large screens and sound systems, I worry that we will lose great films. They need the financial support that comes from large-scale presentation, and viewers need the scale provided by big screens in movie theaters to enjoy the richness of a film made as a work of art.

Great films such as Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Atanarjuat, Claire Denis’ mysterious The Intruder, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, and a particular favorite that I know you helped bring to us, Honeyland, cannot be appreciated on a small screen and in a private home. Film as an art form requires the big screen. Viewing movies in a communal setting creates the exhilaration of sharing a momentous event and the satisfaction of the senses that art produces.

As I wrote to Kevin Holloway, President of Landmark, I am deeply grateful for Landmark’s reopening of the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley last year as the pandemic began to recede. It was a huge relief to be able to see some of the new films (I’d been keeping a list) under rigorously safe conditions, thanks to the Cinemas’ scheduling multiple screenings daily, including uncrowded afternoon showings.

Between the 1960s and 2010 or so, Berkeley was one of the best places in the world to see a wide range of films, popular blockbusters as well as foreign films, indie films, the low-budget quirky films I’ve always treasured. But we’ve steadily lost screens in recent years, mainly due to developers’ proposals for market-rate housing, which doesn’t serve Berkeley’s urgent need for median- and low-income housing. The heirs of Landmark’s great 1914 California Theatre recently rejected a very good offer to renew the lease in favor of a for-profit speculative development.

And now I am alarmed at the renewed threat to the Shattuck Cinemas resulting from the sale of that property to a Chicago developer, fronted by Bill Schrader of the Austin Group. A group of film lovers formed here to oppose the previous developer Joseph Penner’s intention in 2015 to demolish the Shattuck Cinemas. The property is part of the landmarked block that contains the 1910 Shattuck Hotel. The ten-screen theater represents the very successful repurposing of a former department store; it includes hand-painted murals in the Egyptian- and Moroccan-themed theaters. Due to different-sized screening rooms, it brings us a range of films. Before the pandemic, 275,000 to 300,000 movie viewers a year were coming to the Shattuck Cinemas in downtown Berkeley.

I spoke with my friend Rick MacArthur, publisher of Harper’s, another film lover, recently about the possibility of the sort of forum Harper’s occasionally organizes, to discuss the future of movie theaters. I write you to ask if you are aware of any organized effort to defend our movie theaters across the country against the home-screen ventures and demolition by developers, so we can continue to see films on their big screens, with other film lovers.

This is the story of a coop (as in "cooperative"), of whiteness (as in "supremacy"), and the way they weave together in subtle forms of ostracism (as in segregation), and mendacity (as in blaming the victim). They have been marshalled against the efforts and struggles of a Black woman for both respect and affordable housing. The location of this story is an actual cooperative organization in South Berkeley. The irony of its story is its self-construction by means of non-cooperation. We shall call this Black woman Emma (not her real name). The point of the story is to both outline some of the more subtle structures of racist harassment, while at the same time advocating for a more authentic and principled cooperative endeavor. 

Emma is someone who has figured this society out, and knows what she is looking at when people do things to her. Most of the time, she attempts to turn them into educational experiences, the kind where a person who does not see what they are doing to others can be made aware of what their attitudes do in new ways. However, when those others refuse to expand their self-consciousness about their action, they instead tend to develop hostility against those who attempt to broaden their awareness. In effect, it is a form of “kill the messenger.” And when this lack of self-consciousness occurs within a situation of racial difference, you get an example of racial crisis. 

In this case, Emma understood that she was being treated as a second class citizen, with disrespect, even though those attitudes were to be left behind when one entered a coop. Nevertheless, what she encountered in their white attitudes was that as Black, she would only be good for menial labor (house cleaning), or when she was made a scapegoat for some of the problems between other residents in the house. Her response was to attempt to show others what they are doing, things they may not have seen. Because of this, she was considered to not be a team player. That was a way of disparaging her without reference to race. They saw her as an arrogant person, and sought to blame problems the coop was having on her. 

A coop is a special social environment. It is organized according to certain ideals, and aspires to a more humane and helpful kind of living situation. For instance, in this one, there was to be no hierarchy among the residents. Policies for the house were to be made democratically. There was a structure called "sociocracy," by which the entire socius of the house was to be the primary governing factor. The house had a chore chart, by which people were rotated among the different tasks of keeping house, though there was leeway if someone was ill, or going to be out of town. And decisions were to be made by consensus. That is, 100% consensus. In order for a policy to be passed, and become the way the coop would function, it had to have everyone in agreement. 

This was an organizational procedure that Occupy experimented with. It is difficult to get everyone in agreement right away. Any particular individual could veto a proposal by simply not agreeing to it. So things happen slowly. If a policy is under discussion, and a person or two disagrees with it, they stop the process of decision. Then those in favor enter into discussions with those who disagree, attempting to convince them of the wisdom of the proposal. Or they change the proposal somewhat to accommodate the disagreement of the few. These are really very good procedures since they are based on dialogue, on people seeking to understand each other and move forward together. 

During Occupy, when some decisions needed to be made more quickly, a modified form of consensus was used, requiring either 90% agreement, or 80%. (50% agreement is simply majority rule.) 

Emma understood all this. She entered the coop in 2019. When early 2020 hit, with its pandemic, she tried to get a postponement of rent. The coop decided she should not have that, and voted her down. She lived with that, though others had been given such a postponement. 

When she got into the coop, there was one other Black person living there, a young person who was unmercifully ostracized by the rest of the residents (all white or willing to join the apparent white cabal). For instance, she was given permanent non-rotational chores – in particular, keeping the bathroom and kitchen clean (like living a form of punishment). The other residents told Emma, “oh no, she wants that.” But the other left the coop shortly after Emma got there. 

In March, the area went into lockdown owing to Covid. It was a period when coops all over the country were facing exodus because of the intensity of coop life and the countermanding need to include distance in relating to others. So three residents left the coop at that time. Three more left in August, making six altogether. Though these two exoduses were 5 months apart, the other white residents blamed Emma for their having left, saying that she was to blame. It is the most banal form of supremacist harassment, to blame the person of color for all the problems. And, of course, it keeps happening. Later that year, there were three rooms empty in the house, and Emma was told she would have to pay for them being empty. 

There was a woman in the coop who was wholly obsessed with health, and quite in crisis. Emma brought up the issue of the coop doing something for this woman, while the others ignored the situation. Emma was accused of causing trouble by bringing up the issue of the coop’s possibly taking the woman under its wing. Nothing was done, and the woman got worse, and finally left (in June) – ostensibly under the tutelage of her family. 

But the die was already cast. In May of 2020, Emma received an anonymous email, for which no one would take responsibility. Though unsigned, it was nevertheless co-signed by 7 of the residents. It said that they all wanted Emma to leave. No reasons was given. It was like a cabal of white people in the house putting themselves together in some form of electronic posse, and expelling Emma from the house (unofficially, since they did not have that power under the By-laws. 

The next level of harassment was the silent treatment. White people know about the tactics of "passive aggression." But then, for some reason, they were conscience-stricken, and apologized for the anonymous expulsion note. In the wake of that, Emma attempted to break through their white ignorance with respect to racism and black life, and gave a presentation on the conditions of Black people in the US and how they are traditionally treated by white people because Black. She actually provided references -- a number of books and articles -- by which white people could educate themselves to the racial situation in which they live as white. But no one in the coop saw fit to look at those citations, or organize a reading group on them. (This author has written a series of articles on why it is so difficult for white people to talk about race, which has been published in the Berkeley Daily Planet, and continuing for the next 3 issues: https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2020-08-28/article/48668?headline=Why-White-People-find-it-Difficult-to-Talk-about-Race--Steve-Martinot) 

After this, there was nothing but harassment. Others in the coop would push her out of the way if passing her in a narrow space. Some would leave a door open to the outside, filling the house with cold air, knowing that she needed it closed in order to warm her space. When she went to close a door that had been left open, there was yelling, with name-calling and denigration, along with allegations of having slammed the door shut. Others would leave a mess in the kitchen and demand that she clean it up, blaming her for the mess. 

It is interesting to itemize some of these aspects of their harassment of Emma, since they allow us to specify some of the ways that white people harass people of color, without it seeming to be based on racism. These white people can simply decide the Black person is “not a good fit,” and all kinds of things get thrown on their shoulders. 

It is somewhat tragic that, in this day and age, you have white people acting negatively as white toward a single Black woman, and thinking that everything they were doing was okay. The truly tragic part is that you have a Black woman who is prepared to try to educate some white folks about what they were really doing racially, and they don’t want to hear it. 

When white people treat people of color as "other," it necessarily involves their speaking for the other. That "othering" of the person of color is an objectification, turning the other into a thing – a menial, a servant, a factotum, an object found in the environment. As no longer an autonomous human being, they can’t speak for themselves, and those who objectify them then can carry on both sides of the conversation. One can’t miss the narcissism in that one. 

But to speak for another is an ultimate form of disrespect. So, a self-respecting Black person will resist being spoken for, and resist being objectified. But when they do not conform to the scenario that the white people have established for this Black person, it is the Black person that is blamed for being divisive. 

What the coop framework provided was a perfect stage on which such questions could be broached and learned from. As a sociocratic system, in which each member had the same power to veto what was being proposed, each would have the same power to insist on speaking for themselves. And here would be a good opportunity for white people to confront what they do not see (because they assume) about how they approach Black people. And this Black person (Emma) was interested in setting up certain educational processes. In the event that the white people did not want to learn about it, did not want to corrupt the "purity" of their white approaches to Black people (as menials, etc.), then a case could be made that they shouldn’t belong in this coop in the first place. By belonging, they are pretending to be pro-democracy, but they are doing it in bad faith. They wanted to maintain their position of hegemony and dominance as white, while seeming to be progressive by belonging to a coop. Coops base themselves on human equality and dignity (speaking only for oneself), with equal power in governance. 

It was to destroy Emma’s equal power in the coop that she received emails expelling her, or removing her from membership, etc. – all without a hearing. At each stage of a racist situation, there is a similar kind of thing – outlawing one’s status, outlawing one’s language, being spoken for by others, losing autonomy as a form of captivity, etc. Ultimately, it breaks down to systemic contempt and violence. 

Berkeley needs coops. It needs greater democracy at every level. After all, when we only get an opportunity for "input" rather than participation, we are being reduced to non-participants. Let me ask, which is the template for which, our elitist structure of governance as the template for white supremacy, or white supremacy as the template for a political autocracy?

When historians look back on 2022, they're likely to characterize it as "the year of the big reveal." The year Vladimir Putin was revealed as murderous thug. The year Donald Trump was revealed as feckless loser. The year Republicans were revealed as the party of white male supremacy. The year the US Supreme Court went rogue. 

On May 2nd, Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473 ) published a draft Supreme Court opinion indicating the court was about to issue "a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 [Roe v. Wade] decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights." 

1. Philosophy: Overturning Roe v. Wade is a reflection of two philosophical pillars of the contemporary Republican Party: state's rights and misogyny. It's a reflection of "state's rights" because overturning Roe v. Wade means that each state will determine abortion rights. This is a reflection of the current Republican thinking that most civil rights should be determined at the state level; for example, the right to same-sex marriage should be determined by each state. (In effect, the Republican Party is taking the same states-rights position that led to the civil war in 1861.) 

It's a reflection of the underlying Republican misogyny because overturning Roe v Wade means that, in Red states, white men will control women's bodies. 

2.Public Opinion: Most Americans do not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned. For example, a recent Public Policy Institute of California Poll (https://www.ppic.org/blog/a-broad-range-of-californians-oppose-overturning-roe-v-wade/? ) found that 76 percent of likely voters do not want Roe v. Wade overturned; 87 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Independents, and 54 percent of Republicans. (There was no major California Demographic category that did not oppose overturning Roe v. Wade.) 

Of course, California is a blue state. But recent polling indicates that there is strong national opposition to overturning Roe v. Wade. The Guardian notes: "A Politico/Morning Consult study found voters are two to one in favor of preserving the 1973 Roe v Wade opinion that safeguarded protected women’s access to abortions... exactly 50% of respondents wanted it maintained. 28% wanted it overturned, and 22% were undecided. A separate Washington Post/ABC poll reports 54% in favor of preserving Roe, and 28% against, while an even higher number of Americans, 70%, think abortion is a private issue between patient and doctor." 

The New York Times breaks this down by state (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/upshot/polling-abortion-states.html), noting: "the national average [is] 54 percent who mostly or fully support legalized abortion, compared with 41 percent who mostly or fully oppose it." The Times article goes on to state: "The public’s views on abortion are notoriously hard to measure, with large segments of the public often seeming to offer muddled or inconsistent answers. Polls consistently show that around two-thirds of Americans support the court’s decision in Roe v. Wade and oppose overturning it." [Emphasis added] 

The map accompanying the Times article indicates that in all the swing states -- that is, the ones whose votes will determine control of Congress in November -- a majority of likely voters support Roe v Wade. 

3. Politics: It's unlikely that Republican politicians (McConnell, McCarthy...) wanted SCOTUS to strike down Roe v Wade at this time. After all, until recently, it was widely assumed that Republican voters had more enthusiasm heading into the 2022 midterms. Nonetheless, after Russia invaded Ukraine, and Biden showed remarkable leadership, Democratic enthusiasm ticked up. Now it has exploded. 

Politicsusa.com (https://www.politicususa.com/2022/05/03/bombshell-poll-shows-overturning-roe-could-trigger-a-blue-wave.html ) reported: "An Ipsos poll exclusive for Reuters, fielded May 3, 2022 after the leak of a Supreme Court draft decision challenging Roe v. Wade, finds that in the upcoming November elections, two-thirds of Americans (63%) would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports passing a law legalizing abortion, replacing Roe if it is struck down." 

4. Platform: At the end of 2021, it appeared that the 2022 midterm elections would be, in effect, a popularity contest; Republicans would say, "Trump was cheated; we can't stand Biden; we want anybody else." Democrats would say" "C'mon, Biden's not that bad." 

That's changed; the November election will not be a popularity contest. The consequence of the SCOTUS decision will be that voters will consider consequential differences between Democrats and Republicans. There's at least four differences between Democrats and Republicans: 

a. Abortion: Democrats will say, "We support a women's right to make her own healthcare decisions. Moreover, we believe that civil rights should be determined at the Federal level; for example, the right to chose who we marry and the right to vote." 

Republicans will counter: "We oppose abortion in all circumstances. And, by the way, we plan to repeal Obamacare. Moreover, we believe in 'State's Rights;' we believe that civil rights should be determined at the state level." 

b. Voting Rights: Democrats will say, "We believe the right to vote should be guaranteed at the Federal level. By the way, we believe the 2020 presidential election was fair and what occurred on January 6, 2021, was an insurrection. We also want to abolish the electoral college and have national presidential elections decided by popular vote." 

Republicans will counter: "Each state should determine its own voting standards. By the way, we believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen and what occurred on January 6., 2021 was exaggerated by the liberal media. We want to hang onto the electoral college as a cherished heirloom." 

c. Economy: Democrats will say: "Democrats have guided the US economy out of a tough period and, after hitting a few potholes, the economy is back on track to be the strongest in the world. By the way, we need to tax corporations and rich individuals to ensure they pay their fair share." 

Republicans will counter: "Biden's handling of the economy has been a disaster. We need to return to the days of 'Trumpanomics' where we had a steady hand on the wheel. By the way, taxes on corporations and rich individuals are still too high; everyone should pay a minimum tax -- particularly the poor." 

d. National Security: Democrats will say, "President Biden recognizes Vladimir Putin as a murderous thug; Biden has united the western world in opposition to Russian aggression. By the way, the most serious national security problem is climate change." 

Republicans will counter: "Putin is a strong leader; he's smart. The real national security threat is Hunter Biden." 

Summary: SCOTUS has gone rogue and Republicans have joined them. 

---

Bob Burnett is a Bay Area writer and activist. He can be reached at bburnett@sonic.net 

What makes a person "disabled" versus "having a disability"? I'm asking more than semantics--I'm looking for clarification about the assessment of people. Example: Social Security, when it decides disability, looks for a physical or mental condition that makes the assessed person unable to earn a living. In some instances, I've seen the clause "at their usual occupation" while in other instances, not. 

I was evaluated over a period of more than a year so that the Social Security Administration could be certain that they were giving me the nine hundred a month to live on, and all of the extras that come with it, for good reasons. In the process of being evaluated, I obtained glimpses of their thinking. Yet I'm still, to an extent, baffled by what it really means to be disabled. 

I do know there are many things I can't do that other people can. And most people never question their concept that anyone can do these things. They seem to lack a concept of someone not being able to do them. For example, I wouldn't be capable of driving to Lake Tahoe for a vacation with my wife. I'd get too flipped out by the stuff I'd have to deal with. How do you stay at a ski lodge? Or Reno. How do you go to Reno and gamble? Even if I had the money, I couldn't do it--I'd get paralyzed with anxiety. (Think of a housecat that has spent its entire life indoors. Then when it finds itself out the front door, it doesn't know how to handle this--she or he goes into shock and grabs onto the nearest item for dear life.) 

Long before Russia went to war with Ukraine, six or seven years ago, my mother and her husband visited Russia. My mother recounted that while in Russia, there was a minor mishap. But based on her description, if I could conceivably be in that situation, I'd flip out. An older couple can pull off an international trip that I can't conceive of, one in which a mishap occurred--that my mother apparently shrugged off! Why can't I do this? Answer: I can't travel because I'm schizophrenic and I've been taking heavy dosages of antipsychotics for nearly 40 years. 

I can give you hundreds of other examples. People do things on a regular basis that are far beyond me. Start with my initial problem, the paranoid delusional disorder, which is the psychosis, and add to that the effects of the medications--antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, that suppress brain function. 

In my past, before I got married to another mental health consumer, unemployability took me out of the market for a decent relationship. Women I dated or sought to date when I was in my twenties expected a man who could be a breadwinner and who could have fun. I am neither. My wife, I think, understands that because she, too, is disabled. 

According to the U.S. Government's assessment, I'm still disabled. They've assessed me over a period of a year and a half to determine this. It involved me filling out numerous questionnaires, getting the professional opinions of doctors and psychologists, and visits with government-hired doctors and psychologists. It was a pain in the neck, (or choose some other area of the body). 

I have abilities. I can write good copy. I can fiddle with electronics and can often make non-working gadgets work. I'm good with my hands in most ways so long as it doesn't involve dealing with the insides of cellphones, watches, or other tiny stuff. I have bravery. I don't give up easily on many things, and I can do many things well, and with painstaking consistency. I've taught myself how to meditate. 

On the other hand, I also have physical health concerns, and my knees have gone bad. Additionally, I'm mentally ill and medicated. The difference between "having a disability" versus "being disabled" is in how much your problems impair your ability to survive, to hold a job, and so on. 

You could have poor hearing, and that could be considered a disability. Yet if you can function well enough despite that, even in the circumstance you can't tolerate a hearing aid, you aren't "disabled"--you "have a disability." It is the difference between having a physical or mental issue but being able to function despite this, versus not being able to function well enough to survive without help. 

My niece, who in most ways is a very intelligent person, now middle aged, overestimates me. She believes I "have a disability"...but "can do a lot of things." She is under the impression that I underestimate myself. 

I can do many things, often better than ninety-nine percent of people. But because there is so much that I can't do, I'm limited. (And I am not invested in an identity or self-image issue because of it.) If I could do all the stuff that "neuro-typical" people do, I'd be doing that. People presume that I'm lazy, not motivated, or afraid to feel uncomfortable. This is just not accurate. 

Writing requires a very narrow domain of skills. It doesn't usually require bravery. It doesn't require dealing with multiple stimuli. It requires processing words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, ideas. It requires communicating with editors and sometimes with readers. It may require research, depending on the project. It requires that you are good with computers, unless you have piles of money to pay to an IT specialist. But it doesn't require multitasking or dealing with anything truly difficult. Yet, I've been published a lot. Not just in the Planet, but in many print and online publications. This impresses many people. I'm fine with that.  

Medication prevents total relapse into psychosis, but with huge drawbacks. The total disability is created by antipsychotics as much as by the brain condition. 

Antipsychotics are like using a sledgehammer to kill a bug. 

My last word in this week's essay: I advise doing what you can and accomplishing something. Don't worry about whether people tell you that you are disabled, have a disability, or try to tell you that you can't. You are potentially the best judge of what you can and can't do. Ignore, don't argue with, the naysayers. 

---

Jack Bragen is a writer who lives in Martinez. 

Breaking News—Literally

Three Peregrine falcon chicks have pecked their way out of their eggshells in a nest high atop UC Berkeley's Campanile tower. Despite the untimely demise of Grinnell, the feathered soulmate of bird-mom Annie, a new brood of peregrines is happily feasting on bits of pigeon brought home by step-dad Alden.

Appropriately, UC announced the news in the form of a Tweet.

You can celebrate "Hatch Day" at this link and take a real-time peep inside the nest, thanks to the 24-7 Falcon Cam located just a click away. 

A New Eatery to Supplant Lalime's  

The building that once housed Lalime's—Haig and Cindy Krikorian's fondly remembered restaurant on Gilman across from the Berkeley Natural Grocery—has been sadly empty since the Krikorians opted to shutter the site in 2020. But there is now a new tenant that plans to open for business in September—an Italian restaurant with an odd name—"Three.OneFour." 

The name for this self-styled "swanky pizza lounge" is only odd until you decode the hidden meaning. Math nerds will catch the code easily enough: the clue for the new eatery's name comes from the fact that specializes in serving pizza pi. 

Nope, that's not a typo. That's a reference to "pi"—the magical numerical number that unspools when you divide the circumference of a circle by its radius. The resulting number—3.14159….—is unique because it generates an endless stream of digits. Pi is the only member of the Greek alphabet that has its own day on the Roman calendar: March 14 (3/14 or 3.14). 

The new restaurant's name reminded me of the days when I was a numbers nerd at James Monroe Junior High in Southern California. Those were the days before computers when humans had to perform our calculations on a device called a "slide-rule." Our math club had a secret chant that incorporated pi. It went:
"Secant, tangent, cosine, sign.
Three point one four one five nine
Constant, quotient, ratio
Slipstick, sliderule, Go, Monroe!" 

Christians Against Satellites 

I'm going to make a wild guess that the organization calling itself Christians Against Satellites is satirical. CAS's online profile claims that they are devoted to exposing the "negative impact of artificial satellites and space debris orbiting the Earth." Those impacts include: "interference with out ability to effectively communicate with God. Prayers often collide with satellites and are deflected or destroyed upon impact." (So much for the alleged "power of prayer.") "Satan uses satellites to intercept and alter prayers before they reach God, resulting in disastrous consequences." (Doesn't God have spyware protection?) "Satellites block God's ability to watch us." (Relax. God has all-powerful omniscience. I'm more concerned with satellites watching us.) "Satellites interfere with the flight paths of angels." (Especially if they come to Earth in the form of doves.) "Continued proliferation of satellites causes navigational issues for Jesus and further delays his return to Earth." (To say nothing about how orbiting weather and military surveillance satellites might gum up The Rapture.) 

Musk Muzzles Public Citizen on Twitter  

In last week's column, it was Elon Musk vs. Robert Reich. This week it's Musk vs. Robert Weissman. Weissman's kvetch? "Elon Musk has blocked Public Citizen on Twitter. That means we can’t see — or directly reply to — what the world’s richest person is doing on a communications platform he likes so much he’s paying $44 billion to take it over." Weissman pointed out that only two days previously, Musk had stated: “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”  

So why did Public Citizen get blocked, Weissman askes? "Were we not critical enough, Elon?" 

Weissman concluded his critique by noting: "whatever anyone might think of Musk—(1) he’s a once-in-a-generation innovator who selflessly wants to use his brains and wealth for the betterment of humankind OR (2) he’s an egotistical gazillionaire who wants to take over the world like some James Bond villain—this isn’t about his personality. It’s about plutocracy."  

Musk Out-Snarked on Twitter 

On April 29, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ AOC tweeted the following lament:
• Tired of having to collectively stress about what explosion of hate crimes is happening bc some billionaire with an ego problem unilaterally controls a massive communication platform and skews it because Tucker Carlson or Peter Thiel took him to dinner and made him feel special 

This prompted a snarky response from Twitter's new Head Twit, Elon Musk, who thumb-typed:
• Stop hitting on me, I’m really shy 

Which prompted AOC to seal the deal with the following response:
• I was talking about Zuckerberg but ok. 

A Call for Abortion Recollections 

Sharing a timely email from Berkeley activist Karen Weinstein: 

"In the late 1960's I had an illegal abortion in which I was blindfolded and put in a locked room. I survived, but many of our sisters did not, particularly low income and women of color. 

So of course, I am saddened and outraged that after all these years, when so many fought for safe and legal abortions, we are here again. 

"Over 50 years ago, I and three other feminist activists made a 27-minute film, "Abortion and Human Rights: 1970," as part of an organizing tool to legalize abortion. Our website (https://www.abortionandwomensrights1970.com/) includes current resources and some pretty amazing sources and citations about the history of abortion and other women's health issues. The last part of the film puts abortion into the larger context of women's health and women's rights. 

"I am reaching out today because I would love to know any info about the pro-choice movement in Berkeley during the 60's. Is there an article I should read or person I should talk to who would be open for a quick talk. 

"Next week, a few of us will be interviewed by Feisty News, which is a women's news show. Will keep you posted." 

Karen Weinstein can be reached at womensrights1970@gmail.com 

Good News from the Sierra Club 

The Sierra Club's Spring Impact Report got the season off on a good foot, noting the following string of successes:
• As part of our goal to protect 30 percent of US lands and water, we helped protect Minnesota's Boundary Waters,
• We stopped oil and gas drilling in Chaco Canyon National Historic Park in New Mexico,
• We re-listed Gray Wolves as endangered species in 44 states,
• We reached another milestone in our efforts to transform our energy system when [our] Beyond Coal Campaign secured the retirement of the 350th coal plant in Rockport, Indiana. Check out this short video on repowering Indiana.  

 

Critical Labor Theory: May the Fourth Be With You 

"The Wobblies," a documentary from 1979 that charts the history of the International Workers of the World (IWW), has just been restored for inclusion in the National Film Registry. The doc was screened free, online and nationwide, in honor of May Day. 

The life of skilled laborers was tough in the early days of industrial America — with seven-day-weeks, 12-hour workdays, and no breaks for food or rest. Until the formation of the IWW, there were no unions representing unskilled workers. 

While "The Wobblies" is no longer available for online streaming, here's a related documentary, "The History of Labor Unions," that is just as powerful and more comprehensive. 

 

The Day After—After 40 Years 

With the "Biden vs. Putin" Ukrainian escalations increasing by the day — and raising the risks of a world-ending nuclear war — it might be time to consider the rebroadcasting ABC's 1983 dystopian classic, The Day After (now approaching its 40th anniversary next November). More than 100 million people tuned in to watch the original broadcast but — despite its long recognition as "the highest-rated television film in history" —The Day After has never been rebroadcast. 

There was a major struggle to get this film on-air in the first place. In exchange for airing the film, ABC followed the broadcast by airing an unscripted, simulated "war game" including Carl Sagan and Eli Wiesel squaring off in a live debte against the likes of Henry Kissinger, Robert McNamara, and Gen. Brent Scowcroft. 

The high-profile war game was intended to reassure viewers not to worry about nuclear war because, in the real world, "cooler heads would prevail." 

Unfortunately, the government's war-game exercise eventually went off-the-rails and veered towards escalation. The simulation has also not been seen for nearly 40 years. It would be instructive to watch it unfold once again—coupled with a rebroadcast of The Day After. The impact could be either galvanizing or demoralizing. 

The entire two-hour-long film is available for viewing online. Here's the trailer for the film: 

 

Today's Teens Are Making Dark Art of the Apocalypse 

A reader recently shared a link to "Hypersonic Missiles," a video posted by a young songwriter named Sam Fender. This anthem to annihilation features chilling images of thermonuclear missiles arcing through the sky and eventually falling back to earth—above the video's closing words: "The End." 

It is profoundly sad—and disturbing—to discover that today's youth are writing songs about nuclear war putting an end to human civilization. 

No to NATO: In Three Songs 

When the Cold War ended and the Warsaw Pact was dissolved, the neo-imperialists in Washington refused to disband NATO. They needed to explain why the existence of the Pentagon was no longer sufficient to preserve "world peace." In order to promote the idea that the US also needed a "military union of nations," the Deep State sought opportunities to drum up support for NATO including this bit of lyrical propaganda enlisting the talents of none other than Bing Crosby: 

 

Over recent years, NATO has revealed itself to be an agent of aggression, staging regime-toppling attacks on Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. This bloody legacy prompted Ben Grosscup to write the following musical jerimiad to NATO. 

 

And hard-rocker Mistahi Corkill recently shared the following musical anti-war-shout-out along with this message: "This song goes out to all peace-loving people who are taking a courageous stand against US empire building and expansion of the aggressive, warmongering military alliance, NATO." 

 

Ending the Ukraine Conflict: A Report and a Video 

Over the course of March and April, Just World Educational (JWE) hosted a series of eight online conversations with 17 leading activists and scholars about the growing trauma in Ukraine. The highlights of these discussions now have been turned into a 32-page report that includes a set of eight Recommendations for resolving the expanding crisis. The report, in turn, gave rise to a 66-minute video co-hosted by JWE's Executive Director Helena Cobban and former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk. The video features eight speakers, including CODEPINK's Medea Benjamin, The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuval, and former intelligence specialist Ray McGovern—with a cameo by yours truly. 

(Viewer discretion: If Helena looks a bit like an eye-patched pirate, it's the result of recent cataract surgery.) 

 

You can find more information on the Ukraine report at (bit.ly/Ukr-report-info) and records of JWE's #UkraineCrisis conversation series at bit.ly/JWE-UkraineCrisis. You also can click here to download a PDF of the Report or you can order a pre-printed copy from Amazon for $5 here. 

The Report contains eight Policy Recommendations that JWE felt grew out of those conversations. The basic message was: "Negotiation, Yes. Incineration, No." 

The World Is Hurtling towards Self-Annihilation 

Noam Chomsky's Speech to the 2022 World Social Forum, recorded by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security on April 29, 2022 

 

Our Mis-Leaders Are Hell-bent on WWIII 

A related email message from FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley: 

Our current reality is so hard to acknowledge but we are (unfortunately and literally) hell-bent. Ironically, the foolish hubris of our stupid chicken-hawk Mis-Leaders (who believe themselves superior, above all law and thus evading the Vietnam Draft and other military service that makes cannon fodder of commoners) think they can safely conduct mass murder as "moves on a chessboard," by repeatedly inciting wars of aggression and violent coups around the world and by making the costs of war invisible to the American public. So they now make not only Ukraine and greater Europe but the entire planet their pawn. A hot World War III going nuclear is now on the horizon, which means the entire world is hell-bent.  

Rich People on a Dead Planet 

After a Zoom meeting with a bunch of peace activists trotting out ideas for Peace-in-Ukraine actions on May 7, I suggested that maybe the anti-war community needed was its own radical, pro-peace, "heavy-mental" band — the "Radioactive Flaming Skunks. War Sucks: Raise a Stink!" 

To my surprise, minutes after the meeting ended, I got an email from a songwriter named Vicki Elson, complete with lyrics for an anti-war anthem called "Rich People on a Dead Planet." 

"I'm in," Vicki wrote. "Here's my song." 

Rich People on a Dead Planet
I miss my beach house – the tide got higher
I miss my country house – it burned in a fire
I miss my yacht -- since a hurricane sunk her
I miss my mansion – now I live in this bunker 

CHORUS:
Rich people on a dead planet
What were we thinking
God dammit
I’m this bunker and the TV is on
We’re watching nature shows cause nature is gone
I miss the elephants, I miss the moose
I miss my private chef, I miss my masseuse 

CHORUS
Got lots of money – but I don’t need it
My food is toxic – so I don’t eat it
Got lots of money, but I can’t spend it
Life really sucks since civilization ended 

CHORUS
We built a gate to keep poor people away
‘Cept for the help, who just came in for the day
We built a wall to keep the poor people down
And now I miss them cause there’s no one around 

CHORUS
We were so powerful back in the day
We told the politicians what they could and could not say
We paid off the leaders at the top of our nation
They kept buying bombs from us, and easing regulations 

CHORUS
A little carbon, some radiation
A little warfare and some deforestation
Ten thousand scientists said, stop that you villain
Ten million dollars to another politician 

CHORUS
The TV’s broken, now we’re watching the wall
We got no pot, we got no more alcohol
I’m in this bunker with my spouse and my mother
Our kids are stuck here – have to breed with each other 

Then Again, Only Love Matters 

And, on a brighter note, let's end with Vicki's video of her cheery ditty: "Only Love Matters."  

 

A leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion In the Mississippi case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, indicates that the Court is poised to reverse the 1973 landmark decision of Roe v. Wade.  

Dobbs would not ban abortions. Rather, individual states would decide whether and when abortions would be legal. States could continue to allow them and Congress could ban them. The draft is not the final decision which would probably not be released until this Summer. 

The expected reversal was foreshadowed when the Supreme Court’s refused to enjoin the Texas anti-abortion law (Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson). Actually a reversal was likely once conservatives Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett became Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. 

Thirteen states — Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming have trigger laws that would automatically ban abortions in the first and second trimesters if the landmark case Roe v. Wade were overturned. Other states are also expected to ban abortions in the wake of Dobbs. 

Women who want to terminate a pregnancy will have three choices: travel outside the state, manage their own abortion at home using FDA-approved pills or less-safe methods, or carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. 

I was born and spent my early years in Massachusetts when abortions there were illegal, birth control was prohibited, and unmarried mothers were stigmatized. I remember stories about pregnant women sent ostensibly to visit relatives but really went to New York where abortions were legal. Those without means oftentimes resorted to self-induced abortions by using a coat hanger or other object causing serious injury and even death. The coat hanger became a symbol of “self abortions” for those women who went to desperate lengths to terminate a pregnancy because they lacked access to an abortion.  

Anti-abortion laws disproportionately affect minority and low income women. Abortion rights are about equality, restrictions on abortion are the latest in a long history of treating women as second-class citizens. 

Reversing Roe v. Wade won’t change the number of women who will seek abortions; it will just block their access to getting them safely. 

Worth Noting:

Besides the introductory summary, to make scanning the list of city meetings easier and quicker key agenda items are both bolded and underlined in this edition.

The new City of Berkeley website at https://berkeleyca.gov/ continues with challenges. The Council closed session on Tuesday comes with a notice of “permission denied” instead of public notification of items to be covered so the public may prepare and comment in the public comment period at the beginning before the meeting is closed to the public.

Fair Work Week is the only item at the Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community meeting Monday at 10 am. The Agenda Committee meets at 2:30 pm to plan the May 24 council meeting agenda. Warrantless searches of persons on parole and TOT are in the draft agenda. The Youth Commission new meeting time is 6:30 pm instead of 5 pm.

Wednesday all meetings are at 7 pm. The Parks Commission presentation on butterflies looks terrific and the Marina Plan will be taken up later in the evening. The Homeless Commission will receive reports and respond to actions (taken & planned) at homeless encampments and allocation of Measure P fund recommendations. The Police Accountability Board also meets Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning the Budget and Finance Committee meets at 10 am and starts off with the auditor’s report on Pension and Infrastructure liabilities.

Don’t forget Day 2 of the Book Festival May 8, the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council May 14 at 10 am and the Green Home Tour May 14 & 15 from 10 am – 1 pm. The virtual Green Home Tour is free. If you register and can’t attend you will be notified when the recording of the tour is posted.

You can thank Erin Diehm for this website which gives estimates of migrating birds flying overhead the altitude of their flight and species of birds https://dashboard.birdcast.info/ . This is totally cool!!

The CalFalcons hatched and you can watch live at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nvCVS2TRRk 

Sunday, May 8, 2022 – Mother’s Day 

Bay area Book Festival at 11 am – 4 pm outdoors is free  

In person ticketed events at Freight and Salvage, Brower Center, Berkeley City College, Magnes Museum, Residence Inn, the Marsh, Veteran’s Memorial Building. 

Check schedule at https://www.baybookfest.org/ 

Monday, May 9, 2022 

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

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84985607109 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 849 8560 7109 

AGENDA: 2. Fair Workweek Ordinance originally submitted by councilmember Harrison to the Labor Commission in 2018 Fair workweek limits exploitation of part time employees with rights to predictable hours (14 day advance scheduling), decline work with less than 11 hours between shifts, 1 ½ pay for shifts with less than 11 hours rest, a. Commission on Labor adopt 1^st reading Fair Workweek Ordinance, b. City Manager – Lisa Warhauus – continue evaluation 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-health-life-enrichment-equity-community 

 

Agenda and Rules Committee at 2:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89090340350 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 890 9034 0350 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve 5/24/2022 draft agenda – use link or read full draft agenda after list of city meetings, 3. Berkeley Considers, 4. Adjournment in Memory, 5. Council workssessions, 6. Referrals for scheduling, 7. Land Use Calendar, Referred Items for Review: 8. COVID, 9. Return to In-person meetings for legislative bodies, Unscheduled Items: 10. Discussion Regarding Design and Strengthening of Policy Committees, 11. Supporting Commissions, Guidance on Legislative Proposals. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-agenda-rules 

Personnel Board at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86474818950?pwd=by9MRklCUVJvQ3pjUFZoaEI3bFBIQT09 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 ID: 864 7481 8950 Passcode: 707800 

AGENDA: V. Establish the Classification and Salary Range of Senior Economic Development Project Coordinator, VI. Revise the Tool Lending Specialist Job Duties and Compensation, VII. Berkeley fire department Staffing update from Chief Roman. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/personnel-board 

Youth Commission at 6:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85925075321 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 859 2507 5321 Passcode: 621930 

AGENDA: 2022 election, 11. Finalize workplan, 12. Form mental health subcommittee, (10 vacant positions 6 of which are appointed by council) 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/youth-commission 

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 

City Council CLOSED Session at 4 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82366356495 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 823 6635 6495 

AGENDA: 403 SORRY, PERMISSION DENIED – THERE IS NO AGENDA LISTING OF WHAT WILL BE COVERED IN CLOSED SESSION 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING at 6 pm 

HYBRID meeting – in-person or via Zoom or Teleconference 

Attend in-person at 1231 Addison, School District Board Room 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87240656157 

Teleconference: 1-699-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 872 4065 6157 

AGENDA: or full agenda use link to website or scroll past list of meetings by day of the week 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 

Homeless Commission at 7 pm 

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

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

AGENDA: 5. Chair update including Measure P recommendations, 6. Staff update Horizon/Spark, status of shelter/housing, court-ordered closure Ashby encampment, relocation other encampments, 7. Encampment movement, 8. Safe injection sites, 9. Improved oversight over nonprofit performance, 10. Improved coordination between city departments 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/homeless-commission 

Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85923823196 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 859 2382 3196 

AGENDA: 6. Chair’s report, 7. Presentation Supporting Butterflies (and Caterpillars) at Aquatic Park and beyond by (Burl-Xerces Society/Diehm/Wazniak), 8. Budget, 9. Vision 2050, 10. Increase Parks Tax, 11. Feedback on BMASP (Berkeley Marina Area Specific Plan) concepts, 12. Park’s Director’s report 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/parks-recreation-and-waterfront-commission 

Police Accountability Board (PAB) at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82237902987 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 822 3790 2987 

AGENDA: 3. Public comment on agenda and non-agenda items, 4. Minutes, 5. Chair and Board reports, 6. Director PAB report, 7. Police Chief report, 8. Subcommittee reports, 9. Commendations of BPD personnel, 10. New Business a. Review/respond/make recommendations related to impact statements, use policies, annual use report prepared under the Police Equipment & Community Safety Ordinance 1) Report by Interim Police Chief, 2) Mizell’s 4/29/2022 Notice of Violations, 3) 2021 Annual Equipment Use Report, 4_ Policy 709, Military Equipment, 5) Capt Rolleri’s May 4, 2022 memo in response to 4/6/PAB memo. 11. Public Comment, Closed session for 12 & 13 ((complaints) 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/police-accountability-board 

Thursday, May 12, 2022 

City Council Budget & Finance Committee at 10 am 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81934119590 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) ID: 819 3411 9590 

AGENDA: 2. City Auditor Jenny Wong – Pension Liabilities and Infrastructure Need Attention, 3. Energy Commission – Recommendation on Climate, Building Electrification and Sustainable Transportation Budget Priorities for FY 2023 and 2024, 4. Budget Manager Sharon Friedrichsen – Presentation on FY 23 Proposed Fees, 5. Budget Manager Sharon Friedrichsen – Proposed Biennial Budget & CIP Recommendations, 6. Budget Manager Sharon Friedrichsen – Review of Council’s Fiscal Policies. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-budget-finance 

Friday, May 13, 2022 – reduced service Day  

Saturday, May 14, 2022 

Berkeley Neighborhoods Council at 10 am 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81913698863?pwd=NFJjWlh2aDhtSjh1eG4yQUFkMzNmQT09 

Teleconference: 1-253-215-8782 Meeting ID: 819 1369 8863 Passcode: 377919 

AGENDA: not posted, check later in the week 

https://berkeleyneighborhoodscouncil.com/ 

East Bay Green Home Tour at 10 am – 1 pm 

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/east-bay-green-home-tour-2022-tickets-219623960177 

Jumpstart your home electrification journey, free online tours May 14 & 15 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/virtual-green-home-tours-reduce-energy-increase-sustainability-protect 

Sunday, May 15, 2022  

East Bay Green Home Tour at 10 am – 1 pm 

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/east-bay-green-home-tour-2022-tickets-219623960177 

Jumpstart your home electrification journey, free online tours May 14 & 15 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/virtual-green-home-tours-reduce-energy-increase-sustainability-protect 

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AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE at 2:30 pm 

DRAFT CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for May 24, 2022  

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89090340350 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 890 9034 0350 

CONSENT: 1. $300,000 Formal Bid Solicitations, 2. Accept $10,000 donation for Echo Lake, 3. BPD Chief – Contract $191,740 with Care Systems, Inc. for Electronic Scheduling system for 2-year contract with option to extend to 5 years, 4. Auditor – Berkeley’s Financial Condition FY 2012 – 2021: Pension Liabilities and Infrastructure Need Attention, 5. Kesarwani co-sponsors – Droste, Taplin, Wengraf – Budget Referral: Street Maintenance Funding to Prevent Further Deterioration of Pavement Condition to Save Tax Dollars and Our Streets bring total street paving budget to $15.1 million/year, 6. Kesarwani co-sponsor Bartlett – Budget Referral total $20,000 ($10,000 each) for the Gilman and Lorin Districts to support economic development / commercial development with advisory boards, 7. Taplin – Urge AC Transit Board of Directors to Restore and Expand Transbay Bus service and bus service to the hills, 8. Bartlett, co-sponsors Robinson, Harrison, Taplin – Budget referral $1,226,619.52 to consider updates to the guidelines and procedures for City Council office budget for City Council staff salaries and fringe benefits, 9. Harrison – Budget referral $100,000 for Crisis Response, Crisis Related Service Needs and Capacity Assessments, conduct service needs assessment based on 911 and non-911 calls for service, 10. Authors Harrison, Arreguin, Wengraf – Support SB 379 Solar Access Act, ACTION: 11. CM – Changes Land Use Planning Division Fee Schedule / Hourly Rate – Increase hourly rate from $200 to $230 for staff time to process various permit types, adopt new fees, and clarify existing fee descriptions, 12. CM – FY 2023 and FY 2024 Proposed Budget and Budget Hearing #1, 13. CM -Resolution of intention of Amendment to CalPERS Contract 1^st reading of ordinance 1. Cost sharing between City and PEPRA, 14. Parks and Waterfront Commission – Allocate Revenues Generated by the Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel tax) in the Waterfront area to the Marina Fund to Avoid Insolvency, Rebuild Its Fund Balance and Stabilize Finances, 15. Authors Droste, Taplin – Revision of Section 311.6 Warrantless Searches on Supervised Release Search Conditions enables BPD to conduct detentions and warrantless searches of individuals on parole/probation consistent with probationer’s/parolee’s release conditions, 16. Taplin – Regulation of autonomous vehicles, refer to City Attorney and report to FITES, INFORMATION REPORTS 17. Mental Health Commission Annual Report 

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May 10, City Council Regular 6 pm meeting 

Meeting is HYBRID in-person or zoom­ 

Attend in person at 1231 Addison School District Board Room  

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87240656157 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 872 4065 6157 

https://cityofberkeley.info/city-council-regular-meeting-eagenda-may-10-2022 or 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

CONSENT: 2^nd reading for 1-3: 1. Community Health commission reduce membership to 9 members, 2. Lease agreement at 1835 Allston Way, 3. Zoning Ordinance Amendments technical edits and corrections, 4. Resolution Directing Legislative Bodies to Continue Meeting vis videoconference and teleconference, 5. Resolution to continue Ratify Local COVID-19 Emergency, 6. General Municipal Election 11/8/2022 including adopting policies and timelines for filing ballot measure arguments, 7. FY 2022 Annual Appropriations Ordinance, $53,155,906 (gross) and $43,380,083 (net), 8. Bid Solicitations $964,022, 9. FF Funds Purchase Order $250,000 ZOLL Medical for ECG Monitor/Defibrillators for emergency response vehicles, 10. GG Fire Prevention Funds $121,133 includes $14,552 contingency for carpet replacement at 1900 6^th Street, 11. Contract $17,808 with JotForm, Inc, 12. Donation $54,167 for Berkeley Meals on Wheels, 13. People’s Park, Application for $5,000,000 to State of California Housing Trust Fund for Supportive Housing in People’s Park (2556 Haste) Funding Request Summary: The City of Berkeley will apply any Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) award to the City's Housing Trust Fund program. The LHTF award will fund the City's existing funding reservation for the pipeline project Supportive Housing in People’s Park (2556 Haste Street). The City will match the LHTF funding with money from its affordable housing trust fund. This project is planned to provide 119 permanent, safe, sustainable, affordable apartments for low-income households, and formerly unhoused households earning between 10%-50% of the Area Median Income. Supportive Housing in People’s Park will provide 62 apartments reserved as permanent supportive homes for previously unhoused residents, 14. Amend contract add $66,450 total $1,528,350 with Murray Building, Inc for Cazadero Camp Jensen Dormitory Construction Project, 15. Amend contract add $530,832 total $39,350,473 with Robert E. Boyer Construction Inc for Berkeley Tuolumne Cap Construction Project, 16. Amend contracts add $600,000 total $900,000 each with BASE Landscape Architecture with PGA Design, Inc and RRM Design and extend the 6/30/2024 (total for both $1,800,000), 17. Amend contract add $500,000 total $1,500,000 with Serological Research Institute for DNA Testing Services thru 6/30/2025, 18. Arts Commission - Public Art Funding 1.75% of the estimated cost of construction associated with eligible municipal capital improvement projects for art and cultural enrichment of public buildings, parks, streets and other public spaces. 19. Energy Commission – Recommendation that Vision 2050 Infrastructure Bond Prioritize Clean Mobility, 20. Landmarks Commission – Budget Referral $250,000 - $275,000 City-wide Historic Context Statement, 21. Arreguin co-sponsors Bartlett, Hahn. Harrison – Support SB 1173 – Divestment from Fossil Fuels, 22. Arreguin, co-sponsors Bartlett, Hahn – Approve expenditure from Mayor’s Office Budget $20,000 to Healthy Black Families, 23. Arreguin, co-sponsors Hahn, Harrison, Bartlett – Budget Referral $1,800,000 ($900,000 annually) for anti-displacement allocation per year 1. $250,000-housing retention, 2. Legal counseling tenants, $275,000 each to East Bay Community Law Center and EDC, 3. $100,000 Flexible Housing Subsidies for Homelessness Prevention, 24. Arreguin – $300,000 - Berkeley Housing Authority Loan Forgiveness, 25. Bartlett – Budget referral $50,000 for semi-diverter traffic bollards at east corner of Newbury and Ashby intersection, 26. Harrison, co-sponsor Bartlett – Budget referral $50,000 traffic calming on Dwight between Grant and California, 27. Wengraf, co-sponsors Hahn, Taplin – Resolution Declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month, 28. Droste & Arreguin co-sponsors Wengraf, Harrison – Budget referral $120,000 performance evaluation of City Attorney and Director of PAB, ACTION: 30. Chief Louis - Police Equipment & Community Safety Ordinance Impact Statements, Associated Equipment Policies and Annual Equipment Use Report, 31 CM - Vision 2050: Strategic Asset Management Plan and Asset Management Policy, 32. Resolution Accepting the Surveillance Technology Report for Automatic License Plate Readers, GPS Trackers, Body Worn Camera and Street Level Imagery, 33. Hopkins Corridor Project Conceptual Design. Affects Hopkins between Sutter and Gilman Streets, INFORMATION REPORTS: 34. Fiscal Year 2022 Mid-year budget update, 35. LPO NOD 1940 Hearst, 36. LPO NOD 2523 Piedmont, LPO NOD 37. 2580 Bancroft Way, 38. Mental Health Commission Work Plan.  

LAND USE CALENDAR: 

Public Hearings Scheduled – Land Use Appeals 

1205 Peralta – conversion of existing garage 5/10/2022 ( date removed June 14) 

1643-47 California (new basement level and second story) remanded to ZAB – ZAB deadline 7/25/2022 

THE NOTICE of DECISION in the APPEAL PERIOD CAN NO LONGER BE UPDATED BECAUSE THE WEBSITE HAS DISAPPEARED WITH THE ACTIVATION OF THE NEW CITY OF BERKELEY WEBSITE AT https://berkeleyca.gov/ 

2222 Blake – 2^nd Story addition over 14’ in average height and addition of laudry and deck on 1^st story 5/11/2022 

1338 Carlotta – Major residential addition over 14’ in average height, alteration in NC front yard setback 5/11/2022 

1008 Grizzly Peak – install a hot tub in the rear yard 5/11/2022 

1301 Peralta - Major residential addition over 14’ in average height by creating 2^nd story addition 5/11/2022 

1425 Spruce – Re-frame the roof at the rear half of the house to extend the existing hip roof, add 20 sq feet rear addition on 2^nd floor and legalize existing hot tub 5/11/2022 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/planning_and_development/land_use_division/current_zoning_applications_in_appeal_period.aspx THIS WEBSITE HAS DISAPPEARED 

WORKSESSIONS: 

June 2 – Special Meeting – BART Development 

June 21 – Ballot Measure Development/Discussion 

July 19 – Fire Facilities Study Report 

Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations 

Cannabis Health Considerations 

Alameda County LAFCO Presentation 

Civic Arts Grantmaking Process & Capital Grant Program 

Kelly Hammargren’s on what happened the preceding week can be found in the Berkeley Daily Planet www.berkeleydailyplanet.com under Activist’s Diary. This meeting list is also posted at https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html on the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website. 

If you would like to receive the Activist’s Calendar as soon as it is completed send an email to kellyhammargren@gmail.com. If you wish to stop receiving the weekly summary of city meetings please forward the weekly summary you received to kellyhammargren@gmail.com.  

 

The English Vocal Ensemble The Tallis Scholars are led by their founder Peter Phillips, and along with the Belgian vocal group Vox Luminis are considered among the world’s finest choral ensembles. At Berkeley’s First Congregational Church on Friday, May 6, The Tallis Scholars offered a concert that seamlessly blended the 15th century Earthquake Mass of Franco-Flemish composer Antoine Brumel (c. 1460- c. 1520) and the 21st century vocal work sun-centered by David Lang (b. 1957). Cal Performances presented this concert and also co-commissioned David Lang’s sun-centered.  

Lang himself has stated that when he heard Antoine Brumel’s Earthquake Mass based on the words Et ecce terrae motus (And the earth moved), he immediately thought of the work of Galileo proving that the earth moved around an unmoving sun, thereby reversing Christian dogma that placed earth at the center of the universe with a sun that moved around an unmoving earth. 

So David Lang hit on the idea of composing sun-centered as a work that would juxtapose the Brumel Earthquake Mass with his own composition set to texts by Galileo, Francis Bacon, Plato, and others. Utilising only the 12 vocalists called for in the Brumel mass, David Lang created in sun-centered a work that seamlessly spans 500 years of vocal music. 

Antoine Brumel was one of the few Franco-Flemish composers who were natives of France. He studied with the great Josquin des Prez and eventually went on to spend 15 years, from 1505 to 1520, as music director at the court of Alfonso d’Este in Ferrara, Italy. The sole extant score for Brumel’s Earthquake Mass comes down to us in an unfortunately mutilated condition in which the mass’s Agnus Dei section is unperformable. Although the program notes given at this Tallis Scholars concert credited Brumel with the concluding Agnus Dei, the online program notes written by Peter Phillips, director of The Tallis Scholars, acknowledge that he has borrowed an Agnus Dei from Nicholas Gombert’s Missa Temporae Paschalis, adding that since Gombert religiously followed the structures of Brumel’s mass, it may be considered to be Gombert’s homage to the composer who was his predecessor at Ferrara. 

But here we are jumping ahead. Brumel’s opening Kyrie, set to a 7-note chant, establishes this mass securely in the Franco-Flemish tradition of Johannes Ockeghem and Josquin des Prez, Then follows David Lang’s text “The truths we know” loosely borrowed from Galileo, in which Galileo declares he has seen with his own eyes, with the aid of a primitive telescope, things in the heavens never seen before. This text is delivered by one of the group’s basses in what may be called Sprechstimme, and it is backed by a small male chorus. In it Galileo complains that when some people read his account of what he has seen, they not only deny the facts as presented but also accuse their discoverer, Galileo, of having himself placed in the heavens things that were not there. Foremost among Galileo’s claims, of course, is that the earth moves around the sun, not, as Christian dogma insists, that the earth is the center of the universe and remains unmoved while the sun rotates around the earth. 

Next we hear Brumel’s Gloria, and as The Tallis Scholars blend their voices in an inspiring mix of highs and lows, of female and male voices, we can hardly be uninspired by this harmonious outpouring of Christian dogma, even if we, in our current age of scientific skepticism about Church dogma, are in no way believers. There follows vocal music from David Lang set to a text by the philosopher Francis Bacon that begins with the words sung by a tenor, “We find it hard to believe anything that doesn’t put us in the center of the universe.” And this text ends with the sung words, “We believe things we wish were true.” The final section coming before intermission is Brumel’s Credo, a sublime summation of what Christian dogma tells us we should believe. While given its due here by David Lang, we are acutely aware of how the words of this Credo clash with the modern scientific view set forth by Galileo and Francis Bacon. 

After intermission, The Tallis Scholars performed David Lang’s “Hymn to the sun,” which is set, a bit incongruously, to Psalm 19.6, yet another reiteration of Christian dogma regarding the earth as the center of the universe, with a sun that moves around the earth. In this section, high notes are held seemingly forever by the sopranos while the repetitive text is declaimed by the male voices. This configuration is interesting: Should we consider the prolonged female high notes as somehow questioning, or at least holding in abeyance, the Christian dogma sung by the predominantly male members of the ensemble? 

There follows the Sanctus and Benedictus from Brumel; and here we encounter different registers of voices echoing one another. On occasion, various female voices are singled out for glorious solos. Next we have music set by David Lang to words derived from Plato’s Republic. 

This text, interestingly, is delivered in halting stops and starts. It deals with Plato’s famed notion that all we humans perceive are shadows cast upon the walls of a cave. Were we able to step outside this cave, Plato asks, what would we see, and would we believe what we now see as opposed to all we’ve been accustomed to seeing in the mere reflections cast on the walls of our cave? In this music by David Lang, Plato’s questions are all the more intensely relevant. 

What comes next is an Agnus Dei, which, as I’ve said earlier, is not by Antoine Brumel but by his successor in Ferrara, Nicholas Gombert. Though humbly in the style of Brumel, it only reiterates a Christian belief that David Lang’s juxtaposition of scientific and philosophical texts has thoroughly discredited. David Lang’s sun-centered now closes with words attributed to Galileo after he was forced by the pope to recant his discovery that the earth moves around the sun; and these words are simply, “And yet it moves.” These words are repeated, humbly, yet insistently, as this centuries-spanning work, gloriously performed by The Tallis Scholars, comes to a thought-provoking end. 

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Erratum 

Ashley Dixon’s recital was in fact the second of this year’s Schwabacher Recital Series, not the first, as I erroneously asserted in my April 10 review. The first was Nikola Printz’s recital on March 15, which I was unfortunately unable to attend.