When I first read about the proposal envisioning a concert venue and amusement park with concessions at Cesar Chavez Park I thought someone had far outstripped my talents as a satirist and cartoonist. This is the same city council which had recently signed off the Cesar Chavez Park Conservancy group's Chancellor's Grant supporting native plants, pollinator gardens, and the restoration of the Design Advocates Working with Nature (DAWN) group's efforts of thirty years ago -- right in the area where they want to put a zip line. I'm one of the people working hard doing volunteer planting, weeding, and watering the restoration plants.

The park workers are are clear-headed as we are about the necessity of stepping up to make sure we seed and plant ahead of climate change to nurture native plants in this changing era, and the network of volunteers and supportive community members are not a group looking for a nifty new concert venue. They know that our natural world is quite literally under fire, and that we hope to carefully restore and if possible expand the respite that all species require to heal and grow in natural settings. -more-

Mr. President, as you know Afghanistan has been devastated by a 5.8 earthquake. This has intensified the suffering of the people. I am appalled that you made the decision to divert $3.5B of Afghan money to the families of the 9/11 victims. Many of the families denounced your decision as an effort to divert attention away from the chief 9/11 instigator, -Saudi Arabia. Let me respectfully remind you that fifteen of the 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia including the ringleader, Osama bin Laden who subsequently became a fugitive in Afghanistan. As you may be aware, the former defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld rejected the Taliban’s offer of unconditional surrender, (in November 2001) including handing over bin Laden r to US forces, arrogantly reporting “we don’t negotiate with terrorists”. What chutzpah!

As you may also be aware, the final 9/11 report continues to be hidden from the American people. Why? Is it an effort to deflect blame from the Saudis? Do we relish their oil more than we value justice? This is unconscionable. It is also unconscionable that we have abandoned thousands of innocent Afghans, victims of from the ill-advised invasion of their country. Many risked their lives supporting US forces. Finally, we seem to have an inexhaustible supply of funds to support white Ukrainians but ignore the plight of brown Afghans who remain twisting in the wind, long forgotten and abandoned. This is an appalling racist policy. Mr. President, your Catholic faith demands you cancel your planned trip to Riyadh and, immediately release desperately needed funds to Afghanistan including the $3.5B stolen from their account. -more-

As the Supreme Court hands out one frightening decision after another, I am finding my way into reading and rereading that little 5 ¼ by 3 ½ inch 38-page booklet “The Constitution of the United States of America” that I received years ago in the mail from the ACLU. -more-

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

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

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

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

The June 24th Supreme Court ruling nullifying Roe v Wade should not be viewed as an isolated event in America's cultural wars but instead as the result of a fifty-year conservative strategy to supplant US democracy with plutocracy. Although culture wars are an important aspect of this strategy, conservative SCOTUS cultural rulings are not the final objective but merely a stepping-stone to the ultimate goal: weakening the Federal system to the point where the US becomes, in effect, a confederacy. Conservatives are refighting the 1861 Civil War. And they're winning.

Although the American Civil War is usually regarded as a war fought over slavery, from the perspective of constitutional law it was a war fought about states' rights. In this instance, the rights of states to permit slavery (and the expansion of slavery into new states). The debate about states' rights dates from the beginning of our country. At the 1787 constitutional convention, concern about the power of the central government versus the power of individual states led to series of compromises: notably the baroque electoral college system used to elect our President, the creation of the Senate where each state has two votes, and the "three-fifths" formula where each slave got three-fifths of a vote. -more-

Inflation Hits My Cereal Bowl

Over the past month, the cost of our weekly shopping trips to Trader Joe's has doubled. This means cutting back on purchases. And this means starting to run out of meals and munchies around mid-week. And this means trying to fill my breakfast bowl and dinner plates with whatever leftovers I can manage to scrape together.

The scramble for scraps has led to some interesting ad hoc combos. A few nights ago, I experienced my first helping of "pizza soup." For breakfast, I had a bowl of granola and peanuts. When I ran out of nonfat milk, I grabbed the last remnants in a carton of chocolate milk and had my first steaming cup of choco-chai. I drew the line when I ran out of jam and was forced to consider making a peanut-butter and jellybean sandwich.

Trump Throws Tantrums—and Dinner Plates

Cassidy Hutchinson's mesmerizing June 28 testimony before the January 6 investigating committee revealed some tantalizing news about the Ocher Ogre. -more-

My diagnosing psychiatrist, Dr. Trachtenberg (I'm not sure that I have the spelling correct and I don't have a first name) in 1982, said that I suffer from "Schizophrenia, Paranoid-type". He said that if I could comply with treatment, it was expected that I could "do fairly well for a long time." He based this on the fact that I'd worked at jobs before I became ill; and he may have seen some other things about me that led him to this prognosis. -more-

The conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ended its controversial term with the ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, which limits EPA’s power to combat climate change - - - a "gutting of the Clean Air Act." The EPA sought to issue regulations designed to get coal-fired power plants to shift to less polluting technologies, major source of greenhouse gases. The regulations were never issued. -more-

Worth Noting:

Check the new city website for late postings https://berkeleyca.gov/

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Tuesday at 11 am the Police Accountability Board is meeting on controlled equipment.

Wednesday at 2:30 pm the Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment & Sustainability Committee (FITES) meets on regulating plastic and GHG emissions and Climate Action Plan. The Commission on Disability meets at 6 pm on emergency preparedness and dockless scooters. The Homeless Panel of Experts meets at 7 pm on Measure P spending. The Planning Commission meets at 7 pm with a public hearing on Zoning Ordinance changes and Affordable Housing Overly.

Thursday at 10:30 the Land Use Committee meets on an Efficiency Unit Ordinance and modifying the Zoning Ordinance to encourage/expand R&D in Berkeley. Council has a closed session at 4:30 pm. The Housing advisory Council meets on investigating violations and discrimination at Harriet Tubman Terrace.

Saturday the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council meets at 10 am.



City Council July 12 regular meeting at 6 pm is available for comment. Use link https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-regular-meeting-eagenda-july-12-2022 and choose HTML or go to end of this notice to see full meeting agenda.



If you missed the Rent Board Convention, you have until Friday, July 8 to request a ballot request your ballot and until Friday, July 15 to turn in your ballot. For full information go to the Berkeley Tenants Convention website https://berkeleytenantsconvention.net/



The Housing Element Draft is available for comment from now until Thursday, July 14, 2022. Do not leave this to the last minute.

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



Meetings Cancelled: Landmarks Preservation Commission, WETA (Water Emergency Transportation Authority),



Sunday, July 3, 2022 & Monday, July 4, 2022 – Holiday

Check your favorite websites for activities. There will be no fireworks display in Berkeley. On July 4, check before driving to Panoramic Way, Grizzly Peak and other viewing spots in the hills. Traffic is restricted. -more-

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