It was another full week and there is plenty to report on what I did attend even though I missed the Cedar Rose Park Renovation, the Solano Business District meeting, the Zero Waste Commission, the Civic Arts Commission, the Environment and Climate Commission, the Police Accountability Board, the Homeless Services Panel of Experts and the Community Health Commission. -more-

I began smoking cigarettes before this act became socially unacceptable, and I think the year was 1990. I was in my twenties, and medical repercussions seemed very distant. I was off medication, I was relapsing, and I smoked and "decompensated" listening to my brother's Jethro Tull album, and I used up all my brother's cigarettes.

Then, I was an inpatient at a locked ward at Herrick, and one of the staff members kept loaning me his cigarettes. (And an additional note about Herrick in the nineteen-nineties: I spoke to a woman there who was terrified, she said, of "going upstairs." She might have been getting shock treatments.)

But that was the start of my smoking. I was unwary. I assumed I would be strong-willed enough so that I would always be able to quit smoking. Could someone like me be hooked and unable to quit? Certainly not me! I was age, I think, about twenty-five. -more-

If you enjoy the weekly Chavez Park Conservancy newsletter, you may have read about a remarkable bird called a Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) that recently visited our shoreline. It forages for food by turning over stones with its curved bill. You can watch a slow motion video of this unique foraging behavior and learn more about these fascinating birds on the Chavez Park Conservancy website.

I couldn’t help but visualize the Ruddy Turnstone in the video last Thursday while listening to an intense 3-hour Budget and Finance committee meeting on how to solve Measure T-1's $9.06 million deficit.

Given this financial predicament, it seemed inevitable that there would be drastic cuts or deferments to the long list of promised Phase 2 projects, including the much-needed restrooms at Chavez Park. But I was badly mistaken. -more-

In May 8th of 1978 the University of California's Associate Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs J. H. (Ted) Chenoweth signed a Letter of Agreement with People's Park's neighbors, gardeners, project participants and users affirming the use of the park as "primarily reserved for educational, research and recreational purposes." It included a suggested mechanism for disputes resolution, maintenance, and additional issues. It was the first of three agreements over 1978 to 1979. In his outgoing letter to Vice Chancellor Kerley, Chenoweth stated "I expect to remain active as a member of the People's Park Council" to assist with "communication and coordination." He is not the only original signer who lives nearby, ready to assist with a framework for the park's future.

All parties wanted peace. In the late 1980's, after the 1984 declaration of People's Park as a city landmark in for its historical and cultural significance, the university and the city coordinated to create a special committee populated with park and university representatives to assist with decisions about the park. But since then neither the City of Berkeley nor the University of California has shown much interest in assisting the gardeners, project coordinators, neighbors, park users and neighbors who meet regularly to address the issues which arise in a park which feeds the hungry, maintains a community garden, and puts on events and concerts under a 1987 legal court decree by famed Judge Henry Ramsey affirming the park as a quintessential public forum and legally binding the university and the city to respect it as such. -more-

I am writing to express my concern about the gross ethical violations and rabid corruption within the US Supreme Court. Recent examples, such as the rushed confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett and the blocking of Merrick Garland's nomination, indicate a clear politicization of the Court. Mitch McConnell has even gone on record saying that stacking the Court with conservatives is his greatest legacy, but the collapse of respect for the Court is actually his legacy. -more-

"Based on current available research, there is no data to support claims that the use of e-bikes on trails is inherently less safe than conventional bikes or that e-bikes are more impactful to wildlife or habitats than conventional bikes except for potential noise impacts to some species":

1. Lack of research is not lack of impact!

2. This statement is obviously false! E-bikes give bikers a much greater range, thereby significantly increasing their impact on wildlife. It doesn't take any "research" to know what is so obvious. For the same reason, mountain bikes greatly increase people's range and therefore impact on the wildlife. It was a huge mistake to permit mountain biking. That decision needs to be reversed ASAP. -more-

Worth Noting:

Another busy week. The funding gap for approved T1 projects ate up another Council Budget and Finance Committee on Thursday, meaning a special extra Budget meeting will be scheduled. Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at https://berkeleyca.gov/

• Sunday: Bay Area Book Festival
• Monday:
  • 10 am the Council Health Life, Enrichment Equity & Community meets in the hybrid format.
  • 1 pm the Community Health Commission Subcommittee meets online on long term care facilities
  • 2 pm (note time) the Agenda Committee meets in the hybrid format to plan the May 23 City Council Regular Meeting agenda. Use the link below or read the full draft agenda at the end of the list of city meetings.
  • 3 pm City council meets in closed session on labor negotiations,
  • 6:30 pm the Youth Commission meets in person.
• Tuesday: City Council meets at 6 pm in the hybrid format. Confirmation of Police Chief Louis is item 5 on Consent.
• Wednesday:
  • 6 – 8 pm is an in person open house on the North Berkeley BART Plan.
  • 6:30 pm the PAB meets in the hybrid format.
  • 7 pm the Homeless Services Panel of Experts meets in person on Measure P.
  • 7 pm the Parks Commission meets on the Waterfront Specific Plan.
• Thursday: The Zoning Adjustment Board meets in the hybrid format with two State Density Bonus projects on the agenda, 1598 University and 3000 Shattuck.
• Saturday: 10 am Berkeley Neighborhoods Council meets online. Two presentations by city staff are on the agenda, the Small Business Support Package and proposed downtown development.
• Sunday: 2 -5 pm a Mother’s Day Hats and High Tea at the Rose Garden.