Another football season has started and injuries are already piling up. Maybe it is again time to ask whether football is safe, especially at the high school level. Consider that the following study published in the July 25, 2017 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found the following: -more-

Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 10 am - noon

Berkeley Neighborhoods Council

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Candidates Forum

Videoconference: -more-

I am heartbroken over the loss of a great warrior woman, a good friend and former colleague, Ying Lee Kelley. My condolences and love go to Sara, Max, and Ying’s entire family upon learning of her passing.

I have known Ying since the early 1970’s and have experienced first-hand her brilliance, her honesty, her beauty and her commitment to global peace and security.

Like many, she taught me many lessons and was a confidant and advisor. One of my most memorable moments with Ying was our visit to Japan to engage with the Japanese people on issues of war and peace following the horrific attacks on September 11th. She was greeted as an icon and legend. Her greatness was recognized by everyone.

I spoke with Ying a couple of weeks ago and she was optimistic. She recognized the many challenges before us, yet — as usual — she provided words of encouragement and wisdom.

Ying will always hold a special place in my heart, our community and the planet. Her life will be remembered as one of love, passion, compassion, dedication, and brilliance. Her legacy will provide us guidance in rising to the occasion as we continue her fight for peace and justice. I loved Ying and will miss her tremendously. May she rest is peace and in power. -more-

Point Molate was sold on August 29, 2022 for the sum of $400 (yes, four hundred dollars) to the Guidiville Rancheria, a Tribe of the Pomo Native Americans, and Upsteam Inc., the development partners with the Guidiville Rancheria.

This sale was required under a settlement of a lawsuit brought by the developers of a former casino proposal at Point Molate (now-defunct) against the City of Richmond that owns Point Molate.

According to Richmond's City Attorney David Aleshire, what was sold was not the entire site of Point Molate, but what are referred to as the four developable parcels which were outlined in the Settlement of the lawsuit: Guidiville v. City of Richmond in federal court.

The remainder of Point Molate, consisting of the beach and the steep hills, stayed as property of the City of Richmond, and comprises what has controversially been described as about 70% of the upland property.

In their lawsuit against Richmond, the Guidiville/Upstream group sued for repayment of the money they paid the City for development rights at Point Molate, plus potential lost profits. This was after the City of Richmond turned down the group's casino proposal.

That lawsuit was settled in 2018 when Mayor Butt wanted to develop luxury housing at Point Molate. Mr. Butt's settlement deal specified that Point Molate would be sold to a developer and the profits would be split 50/50 between the City and the Guidiville/Upstream group.

But there were three time conditions. -more-

Two-thirds of the way through 2022, the political situation is quite different than it appeared to be on January 1st. Then, Democrats viewed the midterm elections with trepidation; now, they see them as an opportunity. Here are ten reasons why the situation has changed. 1.Trump is on the ballot: The midterms are no longer a referendum on Joe Biden; now they are a referendum on Donald Trump. Say what you will about Trump, he has a unique way of making himself the center of attention. The first eight months of 2022 have seen the political focus shift from Biden to Trump. Trump's retention of classified material, and the FBI raid on Mar-al-Lago, has made his personality the center of political attention. In many congressional contests, there's a Trump proxy on the ballot: voters aren't being asked to simply vote for Republican John Doe; they are being asked, "Do you want Trumpism to continue?" In many instances, the answer is "No." -more-

Make UC A Good Neighbor and the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group (PPHDAG) filed their joint opening brief to the appellate court this week against UC Berkeley under the California Environmental Quality Act challenging UC’s Long Range Development Plan and construction of housing on People’s Park.

The appeal is attached to this email. We've said it before, but this excellent legal work needs to be supported. Please refer any and all to our DONATE NOW! page at http://www.peoplesparkhxdist.org/donate-now/

The appeal focuses on UC’s failure to analyze in its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) a lower-enrollment alternative or any alternative locations for the housing proposed at People’s Park. The lower-enrollment issue is similar to that at UC Santa Barbara, where the City of Goleta and Santa Barbara County have both sued the university for not complying with an agreement to build enough housing to keep up with its expanding student population. With the alternative location issue, UC is required to adequately assess alternative sites for student housing, which it has not done. -more-

Governor Newsom is a politician, and he behaves like one. He wants your vote, and he wants to rise to successively higher political offices. He also makes photo ops and campaign promises. And, like a politician, some of the things he does are merely for the purpose of obtaining more votes. And all of the above is akin to birds behaving like birds, rocks behaving like rocks, and the constant rotation and orbit of Earth. I'm saying that if someone goes into politics, certain traits of behavior are inescapable.

The American public seems to be fed up with the predicament of so many people being homeless. Many blame the homeless person for their homelessness. This could be accurate some of the time. Yet, if you have a disability and can't work, there is not much insulation between oneself and becoming displaced. -more-

The Latest US Shortage: A Lack of Loos

The US may be the wealthiest nation on Earth but it's just not the best place to live if you're looking for (1) free healthcare, (2) affordable higher education, (3) a guaranteed living wage, (4) democratic elections, or … (5) public bathrooms.

That's right. While Donald "The Ocher Ogre" Trump's massive rump reportedly enjoys the 14-karat comforts of a solid gold commode, millions of his fellow Americans don't have access to a toilet they can call their own.

The Bay Area's streets may not be paved with gold but, in some poorer neighborhoods, the sidewalks are slick with pee land paved with poop.

The problem of the "un-housed" is compounded by the problem of the "un-outhoused." If you're looking for someone to blame, you could start with Starbucks. Back in 2018, the nationwide chain of 15,000 coffee-shops announced it was opening its bathroom doors to the public. No purchase needed. But earlier this year Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz reneged on the offer, and ordered the stalls off-limits to all non-paying citizens.

United Nations sanitation specialist Catarina De Albuquerque called this "a loss of critical infrastructure… in a country already facing a sever shortage of public restrooms."

The UN counts "access to safe sanitation" as "a fundamental human right," on the same level as "food, water and shelter." -more-

On August 8, 2022, after months of DOJ’s unsuccessful attempts to retrieve presidential documents Trump was unauthorized to take with him after he left office, the FBI executed a court-approved search of former Trump’s Florida home and seized presidential documents including many classified documents. -more-

Contrary to their earlier statement claiming Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was likely shot by a Palestinian, Israel now admits Shireen was likely shot by an Israeli sniper during its raid in the Occupied West Bank. Shireen wore a helmet and was wearing a jacket marked “PRESS”. This flip-flopping by Israel comes after months of outrage by Akleh’s family and human rights activists around the world. To add insult to injury, Israel stated that the soldier who fired the fatal shot will not be held accountable. -more-

Worth Noting:

City Council summer recess is officially over on Tuesday. The full agendas for the City Council regular meetings on September 13 and September 20 at the end of this announcement make this email extra long. You can, of course, go straight to the council link to see what is ahead https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas and email council@cityofberkeley.info your comments.



The Housing Element Draft Environmental Impact Report is a plan for adding 19,098 housing units not the RHNA 8,934. As stated at the Planning Commission in the presentation, the larger number is to push changing zoning in the City of Berkeley. The Comment Period ends October 17, 2022 at 5 pm. The document including appendices is over 500 pages.

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



Sunday the Solano Stroll returns at 10 am.

Monday the Agenda Committee meets at 2:30 to review a very light Thursday, September 29 draft agenda. The Youth Commission meets at 6:30 pm.

Tuesday City Council starts with a special meeting at 5 pm and the regular meeting at 6 pm. The HAC subcommittee is meeting at 3 pm to establish a habitability plan.

Wednesday the Parks Commission and Police Accountability Board both meet at 7 pm.

Thursday the Design Review Committee meets at 7 pm with three projects and Bird Safe Regulations on the agenda.

Friday CEMTF is presenting the 3rd Virtual Summit Series with speakers on Climate & Homefullness & Homelessness

Saturday is International Coastal Cleanup Day. BNC & BCA are sponsoring a Rent Board Election Forum



Don’t forget to check for meetings posted on short notice https://berkeleyca.gov/

-more-

In a star-studded concert on Friday, September 9, San Francisco Opera opened its CentennialSeason with a bang. From a podium on the stage of the War Memorial Opera House, General Director Matthew Shilvock paid tribute to Gaetano Merola, who in 1922 founded San Francisco Opera with the help of a dozen Italian-American families who banded together to finance this visionary venture. Shilvock was joined on stage by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade who also paid tribute to this company’s heritage by recalling singing in many Italian operas on this very stage. Then Matthew Shilvock introduced our current Artistic Director Eun Sun Kim and the music began with baritone Lucas Meachem singing the Prologue from Ruggero Leoncvallo’s Pagliacci. Meachem’s bravura performance was a perfect opener for this celebratory Centennial event. -more-