Only a couple of weeks ago, People’s Park was recognized for its importance, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

You can watch the fascinating State Parks nomination hearing if you scroll down our website’s main page (peoplespark.org). But UC, the institution of higher learning, seems to have no respect for some of our most important local and U.S. history, or the ongoing needs of those of us trying to stay in the city. Now, UC has turned the park into a staging area for its ongoing deforestation of the hills of healthy trees which capture moisture, drip it onto grasses to keep them moist when the sun hits, and store huge amounts of water (and carbon) in their trunks and roots.

UC has filled the park with massive mounds of wood chips (some 8 feet high and about as wide), and huge logs, some 4 feet in diameter, now a fire danger because they are drying out in the sun.

As two people from the city manager’s office were pressuring people to leave the park on Monday, June 13th, after the logs were dumped, I asked them how the city is involved in this dumping of flammable materials in the park. They said it was UC doing the dumping. I asked why this was happening and they said it was being done to keep people from putting down tents. The City of Berkeley and the University of California at Berkeley, , in other words, are in contact about this.

Both Monday and Tuesday I told these people that the City has to get involved in getting rid of this danger. I explained that I had emailed and called the Fire Department and had, had no response and that the city manager’s office needed to make sure this fire danger is mitigated. They were not interested. -more-

Biden’s mini summit was an acute embarrassment for the U.S. The stated rationale was his reluctance to engage with autocratic regimes. But we have supported some of worst undemocratic governments in the world with our tax dollars and trade. Examples, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.

Nevertheless, the absence of so many Latin American countries represents a welcome decline in U.S. hegemony. The following is a brief summary of the uninvited guests:

Cuba

Our long tortuous relationship with our neighbor, Cuba, began with the overthrow of the thoroughly corrupt US puppet, Fulgencio Batista, in January 1959 by Fidel Castro who was initially lauded as a hero in the US press. This quickly changed and in March, the National Security Council (NSC) planned a regime change (oh, how we relish regime changes!) by arming guerrillas inside Cuba. This led to efforts by the CIA who launched bombing and incendiary raids piloted by exiled Cubans and numerous efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro including exploding cigars. It’s ironic that we should be accusing Cuba of terrorism when we have engaged in decades of terror to undermine the Castro regime. Yes, Cuba is a Communist government, which unlike the US offers universal health care and a gun free environment to its citizens.

The embargo imposed on Cuba is excessively cruel. Even remittances sent by Cuban Americans are banned. Biden should have followed Obama’s more enlightened policy of easing tensions and promoting trade between the two countries. Finally, Guantánamo has become an unsavory symbol of American power where people have been held and tortured for years without due process. Prisoners should be release immediately and unconditionally and Guantanamo should be returned to its rightful owner, the Cuban people. -more-

When we were little, our parents probably said to us, "Eat your vegetables!" We probably didn't want to eat the vegetables on our plates at dinner, because perhaps they didn't appeal to our young taste buds. Or, we may have been affected by the way our parents said that--as though it was a chore that we had to do, something we wouldn't want to do but had to do. When we were little, mom or dad may have said, "clean up your room!" And we didn't want to do that. But we had to, or we were in for the ire of our parents. Thus, we were taught at a young age that doing things we don't want to do is part of life. -more-

Americans are not lacking for things to worry about: mass shootings, extreme weather, insurrectionists, and, of course, inflation. On June 10th, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm ) that the consumer price index had increased 8.6 percent in twelve months, the largest yearly increase since December 1981. Americans are very upset by the rising costs. The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/07/pessimism-about-economy-is-about-both-partisanship-prices/) noted: "Polling from YouGov conducted for The Economist found last month that 58 percent of Americans think the economy is getting worse."

There is some positive economic news: unemployment is low (3.6 percent) and real hourly wages have increased (5.2 percent). The economy is growing (3.5 percent annually) -- although it dipped slightly in the first quarter of 2022. Nonetheless, concerns about inflation dominate the mainstream media. -more-

Our Modern Watergate

On June 17, the 50^th anniversary of the Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon from power, our country found itself facing a new and potentially graver threat—from an imperial grifter, scam-artist, buffoonish bully, serial liar, consummate crook, infantile autocrat, and flat-out sociopath named Donald Trump.

Thinking back to 1972, I remembered how important the single word "Watergate" became in the months following the arrest of the White House burglars for their bungled attempt to break into the Democrat National Committee HQ in the Watergate complex.

Speaking of "complex": It was a challenge just to remember all the secretive players, daunting to assess all the mind-boggling revelations, a chore to keep all the numbers in mind as investigators struggled to "follow the money." -more-

Heather Cox Richardson in her Letters from an American June 19, 2022 edition gives a full description of Juneteenth including General Order No. 3 in full. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-19-2022?utm_source=email

When I think back on all the things I never learned in school or even college and how much I’ve learned through the political book club Barbara Ruffner and I formed over coffee at the “sanity café” in 2014, I wish I had that set of encyclopedias my father bought for my sister and me. I’d like to go back and look through them with fresh eyes for how much of our history was left out to paint a different kind of picture of this country.

Jeffery Robinson, former ACLU Deputy Legal Director, in the documentary, “This Is Who We Are” describes the same kind of revelation in the opening of the film. He describes himself as having had one of the best educations in America, and that even as a Black man there is so much he didn’t learn, until suddenly he became the parent of his 13 year old nephew, struggling what to tell his Black son about racism in America.

The City of Berkeley offices were closed on Monday in observation of the Juneteenth holiday, though the celebrations really did start on Sunday. AB 1655, to officially recognize Juneteenth as a State of California, holiday is still pending.

When I was writing the description of Juneteenth for the Activist’s Calendar, I found on June 17, 2021, the same day President Biden signed into law Juneteenth as a national holiday, Governor Carney of Delaware signed House Bill 198, mandating teaching Black history, the significance of enslavement, the contributions of Black people to American life, the impact of racial trauma and the responsibilities of all citizens to combat racism.

Some weeks later, on August 6, 2021, Governor Newsom signed the requirement for California high schoolers to complete a semester course of Ethnic Studies, beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year, to earn a high school diploma. That puts Delaware ahead with a 2022-2023 implementation and tighter definition of content.

It isn’t just the South where parents are showing up at school boards declaring critical race theory must be banned and books removed from school libraries. California is not immune to White Supremacy and white parents pushing back on what can be taught about racism. In one of the articles I found it mentions Ramona Unified in San Diego County adopting a course that promotes patriotism while tightly restricting what can be taught about racism. We have a long way to go. -more-

Worth Noting:

All City meetings are currently virtual

Sunday - June 19th at 11 am – 7 pm Juneteenth Festival at Adeline and Alcatraz

Monday - City offices closed in observation of Juneteenth Holiday

Tuesday – City Council at 4 pm are the two continued items from June 14 Axon contract and police equipment, impact statements, policies and reports. At 6 pm is discussion and direction for potential ballot measures for a bond or bonds and parcel tax that may cover affordable housing, the marina, streets, sidewalks, and other infrastructure.

Wednesday – The new merged Environment and Climate Commission starts at 5 pm with an ambitious workplan and agenda. The Civic Arts Commission at 6 pm considers the Queen Shamiram sculpture placement (this is cool check the attachment for photos). The Disability Commission also meets at 6 pm and the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission and Police Accountability Board meet at 7 pm.

Thursday –The mayor is expected to present his proposed biennial budget for 2023 & 2024 at the 10 am Budget and Finance Committee. The Mental Health Commission meets at 7 pm and will receive an update on the SCU (Special Care Unit). The Zoning Adjustment Board meets at 7 pm with the 2213 Fourth Street and 747 (787) Bancroft Way project as the only action item (1 project, 2 sale of alcoholic beverages on consent). The 4 ½ story parking garage with 412 parking spaces accompanying the R & D & manufacturing project met with very vocal neighborhood opposition.

The June 28 Council Regular meeting agenda is available for comment. Use HTML to review individual items. https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas

The Housing Element Draft is available for comment from now until Thursday, July 14, 2022. Do not leave this to the last minute. If you review everything including all the appendixes it is 590 pages. The base element is 152 pages. The community workshop is June 29th from 6 to 8 pm.

Draft: https://raimi.konveio.com/city-berkeley-housing-element-update-public-draft

Housing Element Update Webpage: https://berkeleyca.gov/construction-development/land-use-development/general-plan-and-area-plans/housing-element-update

January 6th hearings are Tuesday at 10 am and Thursday (?). The LA times lists the June 23 hearing starting at noon and cable MSNBC and CNN show 9 am with preview. To watch go to cable MSNBC, CNN or online for streaming and replays. Local TV and FOX are not broadcasting the hearings.

Sunday, June 19, 2022 – Father’s Day

Sunday, June 19th at 11 am – 7 pm Juneteenth Festival at Adeline and Alcatraz

Monday, June 20, 2022 – Juneteenth Holiday

The City of Berkeley recognizes Juneteenth as a holiday and all city offices will be closed on Monday in observation. At this writing, AB 1655 for California to recognize Juneteenth as a State paid holiday is pending. California has had a Juneteenth Day of Observance since 2003, but it is not an official state holiday.

President Biden signed into federal law on June 17, 2021, the recognition of June 19, 1985 as the end of slavery when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and informed slaves of their emancipation more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1983.

Remember there are states that in their ban of Critical Race Theory would interpret teachers explaining the origin and meaning of Juneteenth as crossing into prohibited topics, because Juneteenth cannot be explained without discussion of slavery. -more-