It’s not just the special interest money—over $300,000 so far-- it’s the whoppers. The Yes on L campaign has filled our newspapers and mailboxes with a series of false claims. The latest was in a letter from the mayor, printed in the November 3, 2022, East Bay Times, claiming “Measure L expenditures would be guided by existing city plans developed with years of community input.” Uh, no. The most recent adopted plan, the 2014 Resilience Strategy, promised to prepare plans. It promised the city would develop “… a next-phase, comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan.” That plan was to be collaborative and identify and prioritize projects that would help the streets, flooding, and deliver cleaner runoff. The Strategy also promised to develop “a robust wildfire evacuation control plan for the Berkeley Hills. “ With Measures GG and FF, and the clean water fee that voters have approved, the City had the money to develop those plans. When it put a $100 million bond on the ballot in 2016, Measure T1, the council further directed the staff to “develop program plans to address …infrastructure needs beyond the $100 million … bond…[that] identify the priority of improvements…” None of those plans have been completed. The marina? Bogged down in controversy over commercializing Cesar Chavez Park. At least two years behind schedule.  

Then there is the claim that undergrounding utilities, on 7 miles of Berkeley’s 216 miles of streets, will prevent 99% of wildfires.  

Whoppers and special interest money. Consider those when you vote.

Above all, remember these three important truths:

(1) We essentially live in a one-party state; a one-party county; and a one-party city.

(2) All are part of the Big Democratic Party Corporate Machine — the BDPCM.

(3) If you live in a one-party government such as ours, there’s no way you have anything like real democracy — because it’s literally impossible under such conditions.

If you doubt that we do live in a one-party city, just look at all of the election flyers, brochures, and mailers you’ve been receiving. You’ll see that all of the Democratic candidates just keep endorsing each other! It’s a closed circle.

What we have in Berkeley is a system of patronage, very similar to Tammany Hall, the powerful corrupt political machine that essentially ran New York City throughout much of the 19th Century.

(Look it up — it’s fun to notice all the parallels between New York City in the 1800s and Berkeley today!) 

When Jesse Arreguín first ran for the Berkeley City Council in 2008, he repeatedly and enthusiastically promised that he would undo the excesses, improprieties, and secret dealmaking that were Tom Bates‘ standard operating procedures when he ran the City of Berkeley with his velvet-gloved iron fist. 

Bates perfected his manipulative techniques during his long stint in the California State Assembly. 

After that experience in hardball state politics, corralling the Berkeley power brokers was a piece of cake for him when he moved into office. 

But Bates intentionally stepped on (and crushed) too many toes, leading to widespread dislike of his brand of politics. 

Jesse Arreguín and his handlers recognized the possibilities, and Arreguín entered the race for mayor in 2016. 

During his campaign, Jesse Arreguín decried Bates’ outrageous affronts to democracy, and promised to do away with his rotten system. Jesse explicitly positioned himself as the anti-Bates, and he rode the wave of demands for change into office as the shiny new progressive savior. After his victory, shouts resounded throughout the city: “Hip, hip, hooray! Arreguín will save the day!” (Note, this is a paraphrase of Arreguín’s actual campaign slogan.) 

But once in the office, Jesse turned his back on his true progressive supporters and broke almost all of the promises he’d made to them about meaningful citizen involvement; open government; true environmental protection; equity in financial matters; protection of quality of life for all; accountability of city employees; inclusive city planning; and curtailing UC‘s steady takeover of city land and resources. 

Jesse Arreguín soon became one of the biggest electoral disappointments we’ve ever had in Berkeley. He essentially revealed his true identity as “Tom Bates, Jr.”. If you talk with people who are knowledgeable about Berkeley‘s political history, many will say “Arreguín is not only just as bad as Tom Bates was – he’s worse.” 

On top of that, Arreguín’s cheerleading chumminess with UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ — as she continues taking over more city land and resources and flooding the overpopulated campus area with even more thousands and thousands of students — is breathtaking to behold! Back in the day, Arreguín was furious about Tom Bates’ secret dealmaking with UC Berkeley that allowed the current overbuilding and plunder we see around us today. Yet today, Arreguin is crowing about his own secret deal with UC Berkeley — that will inflict even more damage on Berkeley’s neighborhoods and on the city’s quality of life in general. 

Berkeley residents cannot afford to have any more hypocritical sellout political leaders. We deserve better – much better – than that. 

If measure L passes, it will give our own local patronage syndicate (the BDPCM) a big slush fund of money to use to entrench their own power even further. That would be a huge step in the wrong direction, and it would have harmful impacts for at least 48 years into the future. That’s how long Berkeley residents would continue paying off this ill-advised massive loan. 

Let’s be frank here: our city leaders had big dollar signs in their eyes — rather than the good of the community in their hearts — when they cooked up this huge money vacuuming scheme. They themselves recently recognized how shoddy Measure L is, so they passed a last-minute “fix-it bill” to try to minimize the major harm that would be caused if Measure L passes. Their attempted scotch-tape-and-bailing-wire correction does NOT correct Measure L’s major flaws and inequities – but it will make the measure impossible to enforce due to recurring legal challenges. What a colossal mess they’ve made! 

When voting, just remember this handy phrase: 

“L is a Loser.” 

Let’s vote it down in a landslide and start the momentum to dismantle our local patronage system that leaves so many people on the outside looking in. 

Vote NO on Measure L! 

On Thursday night, Council will consider adding 540 “No Right Turn on Red” signs at every intersection in Berkeley with a traffic light (Item 27: Budget Referral: No Right on Red Signs).

The stated goal of this item is to decrease carbon emissions by de-prioritizing cars and incentivizing cycling.

While I applaud the authors of this item, Councilmember Taplin and Councilmember Wengraf, for addressing pedestrian and bike safety, this item may result in unintended consequences. 

The Council will be moving forward with this decision without any local injury data to support it. The only data provided are from a 1981 Department of Energy study which could not be accessed because the link wasn’t functional (in fact, four of six links in this item didn’t work). Suffice it to say, having to use >40-year-old data to change policy isn’t persuasive. 

If Berkeley drivers must wait longer at a traffic signal than they normally do, they are bound to get very impatient; and many will try to make up for lost time by gunning it once they do get through a stoplight.  

Each day, there are hundreds of delivery trucks making thousands of deliveries with very tight timelines. There are painters, landscapers, and plumbers driving long distances, often in a rush. There are parents dropping off their kids at school and then racing to their jobs or Zoom sessions at home. Because of traffic, many of these folks are stressed and they're not about to switch their mode of transportation to cycling given the various demands in their lives.  

Worse, some drivers might ignore the 540 new signs (at 135 intersections) altogether because there’s minimal or no traffic enforcement in Berkeley. Thus, I would not expect safety to improve with this item. In fact, the dangerous conditions of our streets could be exacerbated.  

Are there any recent crash data in Berkeley that could support this item? Yes, there are data, but they weren’t analyzed to determine what percentage were at a right turn on red intersection. Berkeleyside published the raw data of pedestrian collisions in 2021: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1ocGfBQqvSwH2u37OD_qXF0zhvegamaUkwIG6CbNl9v8/htmlview#gid=0 

Perhaps placing a limited number of signs at busy intersections or where there have been documented accidents would be appropriate, but certainly not at every single stoplight in Berkeley. That is clearly unwarranted and will generate a lot of discontent. Plus, it is a waste of money.  

We all want to achieve our Vision Zero goals, but it will take increased traffic enforcement and analyzing more recent crash data so that we make sensible data-driven decisions.  

A row of suitcases on an otherwise bare stage,that clouds of steam soon reveal to be a railway platform. Travellers in bulky overcoats grab their suitcases and fall into line. This will become a recurring image, in a show about many kinds of exile. When projected signs; ( "Warsaw'", "1902’) and plaintive klezmer music tell us these migrants are Jews in 20th c. Europe, it is impossible not to think of later trains, rolling to Dachau and Auschwitz. But the music turns gay and the line beomes a whirling dance--the migrants become a troupe of travelling actors, and a rush of joy and energy onstage disperses dark thoughts. If Yiddish theater was often as electric as Paula Vogel imagines it in INDECENT then I wish I'd been born a generation sooner, and not so far from New York. 

Vogel co-created the show with director Rebecca Taichman,and SF Playhouse director Susan Damilo collaborated with Yiddish Theater Ensemble choreographer Nicole Helfer and musical director Dmitri Gaskin, so it's hard to know whom to praise first. Same goes for the actors, an all-star ensemble playing multiple roles and instruments. The epic backstage drama is based on a notorious theater story: THE GOD OF VENGEANCE, by Sholem Asch, the first Yiddish play to be widely translated, was produced all over Europe to great acclaim but arriving in the land of the free, was banned on Broadway.

We see bits of the play: the father owns a whorehouse, the daughter falls in love with one of the prostitutes, the two women cavort lightly clad in the rain , and they soul-kiss onstage. A New York court convicted playwright, producer and theater owner of obscenity in 1923. The producer, a civil rights attorney, appealed and won a reversal, but Asch later disavowed the work. What must have demoralized him most is not the accusation or the conviction, but the fact the attack was led by New York's Jewish establishment, who feared the play would give aid and comfort to anti-Semites, with Hitler already on the rise. The Orthodox reacted also to irreligion: one character desecrates a Torah scroll.

Any artist who belongs to a minority, racial, sexual, or political, is called on to represent, and sooner or later will hear: " You make us look bad!" Vogel. half- Jewish and a lesbian, has likely heard that more than once. "Warts and all--really?" Tell the truth, or whitewash your tribe? Eminent among the first generation of secular Jewish intellectuals, Asch was bound to the truth. When he calls his play dated, Vogel's becomes a tragedy. 

Halloweened Homes

Halloween is believed to have begun some 2,000 years ago with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. Trick-or-treating was added to the mix in the 18^th century. The practice of granting spiritual protection in exchange for gifts caught on with some Christians in ha tradition known as "belsnikling."

Today, many local homeowners deserve a prize simply for the effort they put into decorating their front yards for the Halloday. Here are two Halloween haunts worth checking out: One at 1017 Colusa Avenue and another at 1371 Dwight Way—at the northeast corner of Dwight and Valley (best known, on most days, as the site of Whitney's sidewalk cookie mart).

The second involves a mini-haunted house in the driveway that you can enter and explore—if you dare. 

Berkeley's Sidewalk Billboard 

The cement slate alongside the front steps of Berkeley's Main PO has once again become a concrete canvas for social protest. A long message that runs from the eastern edge of the building to the west displays the following statement in a series of words scratched into the cement with colored chalk:
"Dr. Huey P. Newton / of B.H.S. / Said: / 'The Main / Problem / Facing / Our / Country / Is The / Destruction / Of Our / Community.' / Think/ PeoplesPark.com." [ 

Brower Youth Awards 

The 23^rd iteration of the David Brower Youth Awards was held at Berkeley's Freight & Salvage on October 18. Following the tradition of San Francisco's Goldman Environmental Awards, the BYA event featured filmed profiles and live performaces. The evening was kicked off by an energetic crew of grrrrl dancers from Oakland (whose feisty performance was a cross between a chorus line and a karate class). At the mid-way point in the awards ceremony, the audience was treated to a musical performance by the Oakland Youth Choir. 

The theme this year was "Resilience" which, as the BYA's host, the Earth Island Institute pointed out, was chosen because "we have learned, time and time again, that our winners are resilient leaders, responsible for achieving great success, despite the obstacles that they face when it comes to protecting planet Earth." 

As with the Goldman Awards, each winner was introduced by a brief-but-memorable video profile. Here are the winners. More information about their campaigns can be found on the Earth Island website. 

• Raghav Kalyanaraman (Plano, TX) Restoring the North Texas Prairie Ecosystem 

Ilana Cohen (Boston, MA) Organizing for Fossil Fuel Divestment 

Lauren U.C. Ejiaga (New Orleans, LA) Supporting STEM Education in Louisiana 

Amara Ifeji (Bangor, ME) Bringing New Voices into the Environmental Movement 

Hamid Torabzadeh (Long Beach, CA) Advancing Disaster Preparedness and Environmental Justice 

Annika Weber (Seattle, WA) Pushing for Carbon Neutrality 

Beyond the Bonds of Plastic 

Greenpeace recently released a stunning exposé that reveals the plastic recycling industry is an environmental fraud. The amount of plastic waste that is actually transformed into new plastic products is barely 5% of the gargantuan plastic-trash tsunami and only a small portion of the plastic tide can be recycled. While the recyclable percentage is in free-fall, the amount of new plastic containers pouring through the production gates continues to expand at unsustainable rates. 

So I was concerned when the folks at the BYA's Freight & Salvage event wrapped a plastic band around my wrist as evidence that my COVID vaccination records were in order. Moving along to the ticket table, the Earth Island crew placed a second BYA-event band around my other wrist. 

"Now that I've been properly banded," I asked, "does that mean I'm I free to be released into the wild?" 

It was only later that I noticed Earth Island's band was not made from unrecyclable plastic. Instead, it was paper band with a small note on the inside that read: "Plant seed paper under 1/8^th inch of soil. Keep moist and in the sun to grow wildflowers." 

I found myself wondering how many attendees may have tossed these special bands, not realizing they were throwing away a patch of flowers. 

Un-bearded and Glad of It 

I don't sport a beard and now I've got a bunch of reasons to remain unwhiskered. I happened across a display case at a local CVS that was stocked with an assortment of cosmetic beard gear. The display included Beard Balm, Beard Oil, Dollar Shave Club Beard Butter, Beard Oil, Best Damn Beard Wash, Cremo Beard Wash & Softener, and Quick Buff Peppermint Skin Scrub. 

Fashion Plates 

The latest list of personalized license plates spotted around town: 

Toyota 4Runner: BASEKMP (Every hiker and mountain climber needs a base camp.) 

A red Dodge Challenger: CHALLNG (Challenging, of course) 

A Nissan XTerra: LETZDNC (Let's Dance. Bonus frame note: "I'd Rather Be Swing Dancing") 

A grey Tesla: RADRLOL (A Raiders fan: Lots Of Love—or Raiders foe: Laugh Out Loud.) Bonus: The frame displays the plucky news: "Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads." 

Bumper Snickers 

A KIA covered with art and the word "DADADOODLES" also bears a sticker proclaiming "I'm an Artist. Go Around Me." And watch that Van Go. 

A Volkswagen van plastered with preachments, including: "Treehugging Dirt Worshipper," "Inside Every Old Person Is a Young Person Wondering What Happened," "Heal the World: Cook Dinner Tonight," and "The Meaning of Life Is to Find Your Gift: The Purpose of Life Is to Give It Away." 

And finally: We live in a time when we know that, no matter the problem might be, "there's an app for that." But sometimes you're tempted to just chill and live with the problem unresolved. That seems to be the message behind a bumper sticker that sports the image of a sleeping kitten and bears the message: "There's a Nap for that." 

Berkeley's Answer to Sundance 

Hope you got your tickets to the East Bay Media Center's forthcoming Berkeley Video Film Festival—because the three-day event is already sold out. From October 28-30, the EBMC will be hosting 15 viewing events (some with multiple shorts) at their 1939 Addison Street screening room. Every film is a previous award-winner (and one even come all the way from Iran). The festival concludes on Sunday with a screening of "Before They Take Us Away," followed by a community reception and a Q&A with the filmmakers. 

Die in Battle and Save Your Soul? 

The head of the Russian Orthodox, Patriarch Kirill, recently stated that any Russian soldier who dies in combat in Ukraine will be automatically absolved of all sins. At the same time, he says he is against war in general. 

The Patriarch's stance raises some questions: Do you get absolution if you just lose both legs in a war? If the Patriarch believes all wars are equally bad, does he also hold that soldiers on both sides can expect to have their sins excused? And if it's a sin to take another's life, why should dying in combat excuse one from violating the Fifth Commandment? I suspect this absolution is a partisan favor proposed by the Military Spiritual Complex. 

War in Ukraine
Looking for some much-needed historical perspective on the potentially world-ending crisis in Ukraine? Check our the new book by CODEPINK's Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J. S. Davies: 

No More Stocks for Reps  

America's biggest export is ... war! As a result, the US arms industry reaps billions of taxpayer dollars to build weapons to attack the Pentagon's "foes" and arm Washington's "friends." 

Call to Disarm, a CODEPINK initiative to stop the US arms trade, notes that "any economy that relies on the manufacturing of destruction is doomed to fail the people and the Earth we inhabit." 

Thanks to the MICIMATT (i.e., the "Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank" Complex), many Congressmembers have been "bought" by campaign contributions flowing from weapons companies that literally "make a killing on killing." CODEPINK is asking constituents to Tell their Congressmembers to refuse campaign money from the top five arms makers! 

Congrats to these conscientious Congress who have already signed CODEPINK's pledge to divest from war:
• Yvette Clarke, NY,
• Bonnie Watson Coleman, NJ,
• Jim McGovern, MA,
• Raul Grijalva, AZ,
• Pramila Jayapal, WA,
• Ro Khanna, CA,
• Barbara Lee, CA,
• Maxine Waters, CA,
• Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC,
• Jan Schakowsky, IL,
• Nydia Velazquez, NY,
• Ilhan Omar, MN,
• Marie Newman, IL, 

When I take stock of an elected representative, I'm not looking someone who takes stocks. CODEPINK wants to go even farther, noting that more than three-quarters of US voters are in favor of banning Congress members from owning or trading any stocks. According to partisan findings, 75% of elected Independents, 75% of Republicans, and 77% of Democrats have money invested in the weapons industry. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that 97 Congress Members have "bought or sold stock, bonds, or other financial assets that intersected with their congressional work or reported similar transactions by their spouse or a dependent child."  

The Times cites the case of Tennessee Republican Rep. John Rose who “sold $100,000 to $250,000 in Wells Fargo stock a few months before a committee he is on released a report that was critical of the bank.” On the other side of the aisle, California Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promoted legislation that could greatly enrich her, especially when combined "with her husband's multimillion-dollar stock trades." [Here's wishing Paul Pelosi a full and speedy recovery from his recent brush with partisan violence.] 

Many of these investments appear to violate the 2012 Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, so now a campaign is underway to enact stronger conflict-of-interest laws. Elizabeth Warren's Senate bill S363 and Pramila Jayapal's House bill HR6678, which would ban most stock owning and trading by members of Congress and their spouses. 

According to CODEPINK, HR8990—a bill sponsored by Zoe Lofgren at the behest of Speaker Pelosi—would permit a politician's stocks to be placed "in sham blind trusts on the model of what President Donald Trump did in 2017." 

In the last days before November's mid-term election, CODEPINK's invite reads: "Let's get Congress to answer to over three-quarters of the public." You can click here to tell your elected reps to Divest from War. 

Background:
• "The Scandal of Congressional Stock Trading," Counterpunch
• "Despite Nearly 80% of Voters in Favor, House Dems Stall on Stock Trading Ban," Common Dreams
• "These 97 Members of Congress Reported Trades in Companies Influenced by Their Committees," New York Times. 

Who Bombed the Nord Stream Pipeline? 

It's been a month since the September 26 underwater blasts that ripped apart the “Nord Stream” natural gas pipelines linking Russia's fuel supplies to Europe's consumers. The explosion caused methane gas to boil to the surface, creating a disaster visible from space and spilling tons of climate-baking gas into an already overheated atmosphere.  

It seems odd that such a prominent and well-recorded spectacle quickly became a "non-topic" in the US media with some Washington "insiders" suggesting that Russia blew up its own gas lines—and there the story seemed to end. Meanwhile, many of the world nations saw the US as the more-likely suspect. 

Some clues to the question "Who bombed Nord Stream?" can be found in a TK News posting by journalist Matt Taibbi who offers a collection of video clips that "exposes the absurdity of Nord Stream propaganda." 

The video includes a February 2022 clip of Joe Biden vowing that “There will no longer be a Nord Stream 2…. We will bring an end to it.” That threat was not just a one-off. As Taibbi recounts: "Stopping Nord Stream was a central goal of American foreign policy for nearly a decade, with politicians from both parties pounding the table to stop it, and all that history was disappeared the moment the blasts took place." 

Matt Orfalea’s video (below) captures some troubling background surrounding the Nord Stream blasts. 

State Sponsors of Terrorism 

When Clare Daly's name popped up during a political debate, I thought she was a movie star. But, instead of being a Hollywood Actor, she's more like an Unholy Word Enactor. Here's one of her recent YouTube clips: "Dublin's Irish MEP Clare Daly Names & Shames EU & America Over State-Sponsored Terrorism In Viral Speech." 

Where There's Fire There's a Smoke Map 

Climate scientists and health professionals in Canada have created a Smoke Map to provide the public with visual oversight of the locations and downwind directions of toxic smoke produced by spreading wildfires. The map includes the US and most of North America. Thanks to British Colombia-based author and eco-activist Will Thomas for sharing this resource. So, for a stunning overview of the increasing impact of global warming on the Golden State over the past century, check out this daunting visualization of our increasingly flammable fields and forests. 

Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, finally closed his purchase of Twitter for about $44 billion.

Musk has described himself as a "free speech absolutist" and has criticized what he sees as excessive moderation on online platforms. Human rights groups are concerned that less moderation on the platform could lead to a rise in disinformation and hate speech. The fear is that Musk will restore rights to use Twitter for those now banned from Twitter like Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Sydney Powell, David Duke, Milo Yiannopoulos, George Zimmerman and Ye also known as Kanye West. (Although Kanye West appears to be back up on the platform, a day after Musk took ownership of Twitter.) 

He has been described as 

"(T)he face of 21st-century tech-based, extreme capitalism, just as the robber barons, . . exploited the opportunities emerging in a rapidly disintegrating regulatory state apparatus and acquired a small army of investors and a fleet of lobbyists, lawyers and fanboys (known as Musketeers). He has sought to position himself as a tech genius who can break the rules, exploit and excise those who work for him, ridicule those who stand in his way and do as he wishes with his wealth because it benefits humanity. He’ll rescue the planet with his electric cars and save Ukraine with his satellite systems — but he must be freed of government interference to do these good deeds." 

Musk claims he didn’t purchase Twitter for the money but rather so people would have a "maximally trusted and inclusive” means of exchanging ideas he has called a “digital town square.” However, anonymous trolls have already posted racist slurs and Nazi memes onto Twitter just hours after Musk took over Twitter.  

Will Musk's pledge of unrestricted free speech encourage more online hate? I am not encouraged.

If you experience a lot of stress through things that don't seem to bother other people, I think you deserve validation because everyone experiences stress differently, and if you are like me, meaning sensitive to stress, you could have been slammed for it by people. And this is wrong.

Stress really exists, and it kills. If you work in a corporate environment, the term "easy does it," will probably not be allowed. You are expected to crank out work as though you are a machine. You are expected to regurgitate the prevalent cynical, power-oriented attitudes. You are expected to be tough, or at least project that, so that you can survive in that environment. Corporate work environments are often hostile environments.

I am mentally ill; however, I have worked before--at real jobs. In my past I've done electronic repair and worked alongside and competed with other technicians, usually without disclosing a disability. I am not without that experience under my belt. In my twenties, I went through several jobs in which the social atmosphere was difficult enough that I couldn't focus on the work at hand well enough. Most people probably would not consider them to be "hostile environments." But how I experience things differs from how others do, because my psychiatric condition makes me a lot more sensitive to environments. 

In my past, I functioned well in mama-papa companies, in which the personalities were compatible. I dealt directly with company owners. That was always my ideal work situation. Yet, by the time I hit thirty, trying to keep up with "normal" people had taken its toll, and I relied on Social Security. I obtained benefits at age twenty-five. However, I didn't truly throw in the towel until several years later. Additionally, at thirty I was at a cognitive low. 

I can tell you that if you feel that you are under stress, then you are under stress. Regarding stress, credit and validity should be given to the subjective experience. I can also tell you that your brain needs to be rested like any other part of the body--probably more so. When you're pushing and pushing on yourself, or when someone else is pushing you to try harder, you should watch out. Pushing too hard, if you have a psychiatric issue, should not be done. 

When we find ourselves under situational pressure, (meaning a situation we find ourselves in has too many demands) then we have no choice; we must do what is needed. In some instances, we'll later need a lot of recovery time afterward. My mind's operating systems were damaged by a series of rough events. This happened several different times in my past. A situational pressure can't always be foreseen because no one can predict the future. The damage could be partly cognitive, or it could have other ways of showing itself. This is the nature of life--bad things happen. 

Despite the reality that the aftermath of a stressful series of events might not show up on medical diagnostic equipment, it doesn't matter: Damage has been done to the operating system that you use to interact with the world. 

Good things happen as well. And, if you can find a way of profiting on hardship, it could be the best-case scenario: you are turning something bad into something good. Good and bad things happen to everyone. You are not alone.  

If we refuse to go into some situations that we know will be too hard, it is probably for the best, even if someone is offended. 

We have some amount of control over internally generated stress. I could give you an example of internally generated stress: Worry about your job security, whether founded in truth, or not. Actual job security or lack thereof, is a separate issue from the worry about it. You might need to take action to shore up your job, but the worry concerning this is internally generated. Second example: Being worried about the political climate. While this could lead you to participate in activism, the stress by itself is internally generated, unless you have been arrested by the FBI and are being interrogated. 

Some amount of stress is to be expected and is probably good for you, and I think studies have been done that imply this. You probably need a moderate amount of stress for overall wellness. But stress at a level that raises your blood pressure to a life-threatening level, as a no brainer, is to be avoided. 

Worth Noting:

Don’t forget to check during the week for meetings, events, webinars posted on short notice at https://berkeleyca.gov/

Monday – The Agenda and Rules committee meets at 2:30 pm to plan the city council agenda for iNovember 15. No evening meetings on Monday

Tuesday – no meetings – council really is scheduled for Thursday at 6 pm

Wednesday - My go to meeting is the Planning Commission at 7 pm with Southside zoning changes and local density bonus on the agenda. The other meetings of the day are the Civic Arts Commission Grants Subcommittee at 10:30 am, e-bike webinar at 5 pm, Library Trustees at 6:30 pm, and the Homeless Services Panel of Experts and the Planning Commission at 7 pm.

Thursday is an impossible day starting with FITES at 1 pm, WETA at 3 pm, council at 6 pm with Fair Work Week on the agenda, home hardening for wildfire at 6:30 pm and LPC at 7 pm.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday – no meetings – last weekend to get out the vote

Monday, October 31, 2022 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING at 2:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82000935026 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 820 0093 5026 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve 11/15/22 draft agenda – use link or read full draft agenda after list of city meetings, 3. Berkeley Considers, 4. Adjournment in Memory, 5. Council work sessions, 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 

Tuesday, November 1, 2022 – no city meetings found 

Wednesday, November 2, 2022 

BOARD of LIBRARY TRUSTEES (BOLT) at 6:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86042306505 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 860 4230 6505 

AGENDA: II.C. Contract $707,865 with CTC Technology & Energy for 10 Gigabits per second connection to California Research and Education Network (CalREN) high speed broadband fiber network to 6/30/2024, III.D. FY2023 Budget Amendment (AAO) approve expenditures budget foal all fund entities to $24,954,247. 

https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/about/board-library-trustees 

CIVIC ARTS COMMISSION GRANTS SUBCOMMITTEE at 10:30 am 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1606765080 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 Meeting ID: 160 676 5080 

AGENDA: 5.a) a. FY2024 guidelines a. Eligibility related to direct city funding for general operating support grants and festival grants, b. creative spaces grant guidelines. 

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

HOMELESS SERVICES PANEL OF EXPERTS at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/92491365323 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 924 9136 5323 

AGENDA: 6. Presentation and Q&A with BOSS regarding planned construction and supportive services at 1367 University, 7. Chair report, 8. Staff update and commissioner discussion on site visits 

9. Berkeley-based crisis stabilization center, 10. Rescheduling April 2023 visit 

111. Discussion impact HPSE has on Council decisions in oversight, allocating funding, and establishing new programs, 12. Workplan, 13. Pathways, 14. Family homelessness. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/homeless-services-panel-experts 

PLANNING COMMISSION at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82613344954 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 826 1334 4954 

AGENDA: 9. Discussion Southside Area Zoning Changes, 10. Discussion Local Density Zone 

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

e-Bike Webinar at 5 – 6 pm 

Register: https://rideanddriveclean.org/event/ebike-101/ 

AGENDA: webinar is e-bike right for you? Categories of e-bikes 

https://rideanddriveclean.org/events/ 

Thursday, November 3, 2022 

FACILITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY (FITES) at 1 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87436310864 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 10877-853-5257 Meeting ID: 874 3631 0864 

AGENDA: 2. Just Transition Healthy Home Electrification Pilot Program Proposal and Eligible Funding Categories, 3. Harrison, co-sponsors Bartlett, Hahn - Adopt Ordinance Adding New Chapter 12.01 to BMC establishing Emergency GHG, Process for Updated Climate Action Plan, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Regional Collaboration 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-facilities-infrastructure-transportation-environment-sustainability 

CITY COUNCIL at 6 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84033716377 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 840 3371 6377 

AGENDA: go to the agenda list at the end of this post or choose HTML. HTML allows you to look up agenda item details by item instead of scrolling through 904 pages of a pdf 

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

HOME HARDENING for WILDFIRE: WINDOWS and ROOF at 6:30 pm 

Register on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/home-hardening-for-wildfire-windows-and-roof-registration-428887262347 

AGENDA: Wildfire on Windows and Roof 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/home-hardening-wildfire-windows-and-roof 

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION (LPC) at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81983641608 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-6171 Meeting ID: 819 8364 1608 

AGENDA: 5. 2555 College – Demolition referral, 6. 2720 Hillegass – demolition referral, 1581 Alcatraz – Structural alteration permit for Wells Fargo Bank South Berkeley Branch site storeffont alterations. 

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

WETA (WATER EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY) at 3 pm 

Hybrid  

In-person: Port of San Francisco, Pier 1, San Francisco  

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89718217408 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 897 1821 7408 Password: 33779 

AGENDA: 5. Reports of Staff, a. Real-time transit information update, Clipper, Amendements to Brown Act, b. monthly financials, c. federal legislative update, d. state legislative update, e. monthly ridership, 7. Consent, 8. Redwood City MOU, 9. Authorize revised Sea Change hydrogen-powered vessel demonstration project, 10. Aurora Marine Design, 11. Draft short range transit plan. 

Friday, November 4, 2022 & Saturday, November 5, 2022 & Sunday, November 6, 2022  

No city meetings found, last weekend to get out the vote 

++++++++++++++++++++ 

AGENDA & RULES Meeting at 2:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82000935026 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 820 0093 5026 

Draft Agenda for November 15, 2022 

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

AGENDA CONSENT:  

1. Minutes for Approval
2. Renew Elmwood BID (Business Improvement District) for 2023
3. Formal bid solicitations $11,384,000
4. Contract $125,000 with Station Automation Inc. DBA PSTRrax for Real-Time Paperless checkoff and asset management software – Measure Q fund
5. Amend Contract 32000116 add $200,000 total $2,174,457with Amendment Genasys, Inc for Outdoor Warning System Measure FF funds
6. Contract $90,000 with Harold Dichoso for Temporary consulting with Health Housing and Community Services – bioterrorism grant fund
7. Measure P Contract 31900273 1. Shift unspent Measure P – funded shallow subsidy program to a flexible funding program 2. add $127,380 total $375,667 with WeHOPE to provide mobile shower and laundry
8. New classification Deputy Dity Attorney IV, salary $15936.37 - $19,593.60 effective Nov 15
9. Amend Contract add $1,000,000 total $2,000,000 and extend to 6/30/24 with COWI North America Inc (32000261) and Transystems Corporation (32000263) for on-call waterfront engineering, design, environmental permitting and construction administration services
10. Contracts $150,000 with Sharjo, Inc. dba ServiceMaster Recovery Management and $150,000 with Belfor USA Group, Inc. for on-call emergency restoration, mitigation and remediation services, thru 12/31/25
11. Amend Contract 10413B add $5,162,424 total $16,252,375 and extend to 12/31/2024 with LAZ Parking LLC for managing city-owned off-street parking facilities
12. Amend Contract 10340 (ERMA) add $75,000 total $325,000 and extend to 6/30/2025 with HF&H Consultants, LLC for update rate model
13. Amend Contract 117610-1 add $300,000 total $375,000 and extend to 6/30/2025 with Columbia Electric, Inc. for on-call electrical services
14. Sewer and access road easement and installation agreements with Paulonia Investment, LLC and Little Tree Investment, Inc., and James Robert Higgins and Summary Vacatin of existing sewer easements
15. Peace and Justice Commission – Reinstate Burma (Myanmar) on Berkeley’s Oppressive States List
16. Taplin – Support trip reduction alternative for BUSD School Tennis and Parking Structure Project
17. Harrison – Support removal of Cuba from the U.S. State Sponsor of Terrorism List
18. Harrison & Hahn – Adopt ordinance adding chapter 11.62 to BMC to regulate use of carryout and produce bags and promote use of reusable bags.
19. Wengraf - Baby Book Project relinquish $125/councilmember to support Baby Book project
20. Robinson – Refer $1,000,000 to the FY 2023 AAO#1 process to contribute to Southside complete streets project to ensure Bancroft, Dana & Fulton proceed on schedule and prevent loss of $7.3 million in federal funding

21. Sprague – Adoption of 2022 California Fire Code with Local Amendments
22. Garland – Implement residential preferential parking (RPP) on 1900 block Vine and 3000 block MLK Jr Way
23. Louis – Update BPD efforts related to improving Hate Crimes Reporting and Response Referral
24. Arreguin – Refer to City Manager (CM): Tenant Habitability Plan Amendments to relocation ordinance
25. Robinson – Refer to CM: Establish an electric bike rebate program and expand low-income e-bike ownership through climate equity action fund

26. CM – Referral Response Amnesty Program for unpermitted dwelling units
27. LPO NOD: 2119 Marin
28. LPO NPO: 1325 Arch
29. LPO NOD: 2081 Center
30. LPO NOD: 2109 Kala Bagal Way.

Thursday, November 3, 2022 CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84033716377 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5256 (toll free) Meeting ID: 840 3371 6377 

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

send comments to council@cityofberkeley.info 

AGENDA CONSENT: 

1. 2nd reading Ordinance adding BMC Chapter 13.09 Prohibiting Discriminatory Reports to Law Enforcement
2. 2nd reading Amendments to Zoning Ordinance Amusement Arcades
3. COVID – review and ratify need for continuing emergency
4. Continue to meet via videoconference
5. 2022 Annual Commission Attendance and Meeting Frequency Report
6. Amend contract 32200039 add $72,000 total $117,000 and extend to 12/31/2023 with Townsend Public Affairs for legislative and funding advocacy strategy (lobbying)
7. Amend contract 32100186 add $144,000 total $354,000 with Mildred Howard to increase size of public art commission to 11 ft tall at Adeline and MLK triangular green space
8. Renew Solano BID (business improvement district) for 2023
9. Formal bid solicitations and RFP $75,000
10. Contract $80,000 with Restoration Family Counseling Center for counseling, education, support
11. Amend contract 32200227 add $60,000 total $220,000 with Fire Aside for Mobile Vegetation Inspection Software
12. Amend contract 32200083 add $500,000 total $1,400,000 with Ganey Scientific for project management and consulting for Fire Dept.
13. Purchase Order $1,700,000 with Bauer Compressors Inc. for Self-contained breathing apparatus and related accessories
14. Revenue Contracts FY 2023 Aging services Programs, congregate meals $40,000, home delivered meals $84,000, family caregiver $41,383, Senior center activities $30,000, information and assistance services $100,000
15. Amend contract 32000240 add $410,389 total $1,394,167 with BUSD for Mental Health MHSA-Funded Programs
16. Participation agreement for grant $42,609 with Greater Bay Area Regional Patnership Workforce, Education and Training – CA Mental Health Services Authority
17. Accept donation $175,000 for Berkeley meals on wheels program
18. Contract add $750,000 with Robert Half International/Protiviti for Professional Services, for Fire Dept, Fire Administration, Prevention Wildland Urban Interface, Emergency Medical Services and Training and Information Technology for FY 2023 using GSA purchasing vehicle no. GS-35F-280X
19. Amend contract 32000281 add $165,000 total $892,821 with ConvergeOne for on-site Avaya Administration and Support and extend to 6/30/2024
20. Amend contract 32000223 add $50,000 total $299,500 with Gray Quarter, Inc for Accela Professional Services
21. Adoption of Berkeley Building Codes, including amendments to CA Building Standards Code,
22. Re-enactment f the Berkeley Housing Code
23. Revenue Grant Contract $74,449 State of CA Alcoholic Beverage Control
24. Reappointment of Andrea Prichett and Edward Opton to Mental Health Commissions
25. Kesarwani – Referral to CM to conduct an automatic traffic calming review for the area immediately surrounding the project at 1201-1205 San Pablo Avenue
26. Taplin co-sponsor Harrison, Hahn – Refer to budget process $500,000 for local down payment assistance and closing cost assistance revolving loan fund pilot program providing 3rd lien qualifying applicants in a racial equity and reparative justice framework
27. Taplin, co-sponsor Wengraf – Refer to CM implementation No Right on Red signs to all intersections with traffic lights
28. Bartlett, co-sponsors Arreguin, Hahn – Budget referral $150,000 to support recovery and renovations of La Pena Cultural Center,
29. Bartlett, Arreguin, co-sponsors Harrison, Hahn – Budget referral $50,000 to support completion of affordable housing renovation at 1638 Stuart
30. Harrison – Resolution supporting local implementation of SB 379 for online instant solar permits and apply for grants and automated solar permitting platforms to reduce permit review time for solar and battery storage systems

31. Harriet Tubman Terrace Tenant Support (continued from Oct 11, 2022)
32. Accept annual Surveillance Technology Reports ALPR, GPS trackers, Body Worn Cameras, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the street level imagery project
33. ZAB Appeal 2018 Blake UP ZP2021-0095 6-story multi-family residential building with 12 units (continued from Oct 11, 2022 council meeting)
34. ZAB Appeal 1643-1647 California UP ZP2021-0001 create new lower basement level, new 2nd story and modify existing duplex layout resulting in 3,763 sq ft duplex,
35. Fair Workweek Ordinance (continued from Oct 11, 2022)
36. Energy Commission (energy commission dissolved and merged into Environment and Climate Commission) recommendation staff pilot projects in EV, EV charging infrastructure, building electrification, referral went to budget committee with no action sent back to council

37. FY 2023 Civic Arts Grants Awards
38. Fire Prevention Inspections Audit Status Report
39. Update: HR Response: Audit Directive(s) for Comprehensive Domestic Violence Policy to Support City Employees
40. LPO NOD 2065 Kittredge
41. Audit Status Report: Underfunded Mandate: Resources, Strategic Plan and Communication Needed to Continue Progress towards the Year 2020 Zero Waste Goal
42. Audit Status Report: Unified Vision Zero Waste Activities Will Help Align Service Levels with Billing and Ensure Customer Equity
43. Audit Status Reports: Lease Audit: Conflict Directives Hinder Contract Oversight
44. Audit Status Reports: Fleet Replacement Fund Short Millions & Rocky Road: Berkeley Streets At Risk and Significantly Underfunded
45. Audit Recommendation Status – Data Analysis of City of Berkeley’s Police Response
46. Audit Recommendation Status – 911 Dispatchers: Understaffing Leads to Excessive Overtime and Low Morale

LAND USE CALENDAR: 

Public Hearing to be scheduled 

2018 Blake (construct multi-family residential building) 11/3/2022 

1643-47 California (new basement and 2nd story) 11/3/2022 

2065 Kittredge (construct 8-story, mixed use building) TBD 

Remanded to ZAB or LPC 

1205 Peralta – Conversion of an existing garage 

Notice of Decision (NOD) and Use Permits with the End of the Appeal Period 

Bad news on tracking approved projects in the appeal period. Samantha Updegrave, Zoning Officer, Principal Planner wrote the listing of projects in the appeal period can only be found by looking up each project individually through permits online by address or permit number https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/Online-Building-Permits-Guide.pdf 

The website with easy to find listing of projects in the appeal period was left on the “cutting room floor” another casualty of the conversion to the new City of Berkeley website. 

Here is the old website link, Please ask for it to be restored. 

WORKSESSIONS and SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

African American Holistic Resource Center November 15 at 4 pm 

Unscheduled Presentations 

Civic Arts Grantmaking Process & Capital Grant Program 

Fire Facilities Study Report 

Civic Center Vision Project (March 2023) 

Local Pandemic/Endemic Update Report 

Kelly Hammargren’s take 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. (Your email is not shared). If you wish to stop receiving the weekly summary of city meetings