Worth Noting



MONDAY

• 10 am, Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Committee discuss Responsible Psychedelic Drug Policy;
• 2:30 pm Agenda & Rules Committee on the June-27 Draft Agenda for City Council.
• 3 pm African American Holistic Resource Center Community Meeting
• 6 pm Mental Health Services Act Community Input Meeting

TUESDAY

• 4 pm City Council Special Session on Fire Department Community Risk Assessment Report
• 6 pm City Council Regular Meeting includes Budget, Surveillance Ordinance, T1

THURSDAY

• 12:30 pm Arts Organizations Preparedness 101
• 6:30 pm, Fair Campaign Practices Commission and Open Government Commission meet concurrently, with several reports, donor contribution policy, public participation in City Council meetings and public records act
• 7 pm Mental Health Commission
• 7 pm Design Review Committee

FRIDAY – 8:40 pm Movies in the Park, From the Rough

SATURDAY – 4 pm Music in the Park, (R&B.Soul)

Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/

Directions with links to Zoom Support for activating Closed Captioning and Save Transcript are at the bottom of this calendar.

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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS and CIVIC EVENTS<>

Sunday, June 11, 2023 – No public meeting listed.



Monday, June 12, 2023 

 

HEALTH, LIFE ENRICHMENT, EQUITY & COMMUNITY COMMITTEE at 10 am 

A Hybrid Meeting  

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor, Redwood Room, or 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1612692263 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) 

Meeting ID: 1612692263
Agenda: 2. Responsible Psychedelic Drug Policy Reform.
https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-health-life-enrichment-equity-community 

 

AGENDA & RULES COMMITTEE at 2:30 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting  

In-Person: 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor, Redwood Room, or 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1619554457 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) 

Meeting ID: 1619554457 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve 6/27/2023 draft agenda – use link or read full draft agenda below at the end of the list of city meetings, 3. Berkeley Considers, 4. Adjournment in Memory, 5. Council Workssessions, 6. Referrals for scheduling, 7. Land Use Calendar, Referred Items for Review: 8. COVID, Unscheduled Items: 9. Modifications or Improvements to City Council Meeting Procedures 

(referred by Council at the March 14, 2023 meeting), 10. Strengthening and Supporting City Commissions: Guidance on the Development of Legislative Proposals, 11. Discussion and Recommendations on the Continued Use of the Berkeley Considers Online Engagement Portal 

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

AFRICAN AMERICAN HOLISTIC RESOURCE CENTER Community Meeting  

from 3 pm – 5 pm 

In-Person: at 1890 Alcatraz 

AGENDA: Gather in person to discuss the future African American Holistic Resource Center 

https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/AAHRC%20Community%20Meetings-FINAL.pdf 

For more information: https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/our-work/capital-projects/african-american-holistic-resource-center 

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING FROM 6 – 7:30 PM 

In-Person: at 2939 Ellis, South Berkeley Senior Center 

AGENDA: Community input on proposed MHSA FY 2023 – FY 2026, 3-year plan and on new ideas and strategies to address mental health needs in Berkeley 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/mental-health-services-act-community-input-meeting-person-0 

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 

 

CITY COUNCIL Special Session Meeting at 4 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting with 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St., School District Board Room 

Videoconference at: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1613410530 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) 

Meeting ID: 161 341 0530 

AGENDA: Public Comments will be heard before the Special Session begins. 

1. Sprague, Fire Department – Fire Department Final Report and Recommendations from Standards of Coverage and Community Risk assessment Study, Report is 160 pages with 17 findings and 10 recommendations, including ambulance staffing and response, dispatch, traffic calming while not significantly worsening emergency response times or evacuation, staffing, overtime, distribution of fire stations, 

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

 

CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting with 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St., School District Board Room,  

Videoconference at: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1613410530 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) 

Meeting ID: 161 341 0530
AGENDA: - Use the City weblink below (then choose Html at the City website) or see the agenda at end of this calendar. --See: 

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

 

Wednesday, June 14, 2023 

 

PARKS, RECREATION, WATERFRONT COMMISSION meeting changed to June 21 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/parks-recreation-and-waterfront-commission 

 

Thursday, June 15, 2023 

 

ARTS ORGANIZATIONS PREPAREDNESS 101 – Civic Arts Workshop at 1:30 pm 

Online 

REGISTER: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Z6Reem4gQW-eNdcuIM4Y5g 

AGENDA: Identifies hazards that are most likely to impact your organizations operations and programming. Participants will begin to craft a business continuity plan 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/arts-organizations-preparedness-101-civic-arts-workshop 

FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES COMMISSION and OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMISSION at 6:30 pm 

In-Person Only: at 1901 Hearst St., North Berkeley Senior Center. 

AGENDA: Reports from Chair, and Staff and from subcommittees, on political donor contribution limits; 9. Public participation in City council meetings, 10. OGC Work Plan, and 11. on Public Records Act compliance. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/fair-campaign-practices-commission 

 

Berkeley/Albany MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION at 7 pm 

In-Person Only: at 1901 Hearst St., North Berkeley Senior Center, Conf. Rm. A 

AGENDA: 3. MHSA Three Year Plan Public Hearing, 5. Mangers Report, 6.a Youth Subcommittee, 7. Community Health Records, 8. State legislative update 

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

 

DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE at 7 pm 

In-Person Only: at 1901 Hearst St., North Berkeley Senior Center, Gooseberry Room 

AGENDA: 1. - 2427 San Pablo Ave – Preliminary Design Review – demolish 2 existing multifamily buildings and construct a new 5-story, missed use multifamily residential building with 8 replacement apartment units and Group Living Accommodation (GLA) with 77 private rooms (5 VLI units) and a request for a density bonus in the C-W zoning district 

2. - 2480 Bancroft Way - Preliminary Design Review – demolish 1-story retail building and construct an 8-story (95 ft) missed-use building with 2,066 sq ft of commercial area and 28 dwelling units including 2 very low income units 

Presentation of Southside Zoning Modification Project / DRC Recommendations – continued from May 18 meeting 

DRC Meeting Length preliminary discussion with recommendations for staff follow-up 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/design-review-committee 

Friday, June 16, 2023 

Movies in the Park: From the Rough from 8:40 – 10 pm 

Location: 1301 Shattuck, Live Oak Park 

Bring blankets, sleeping bags or low back beach chairs, alcohol free event 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/movies-park-rough 

 

Saturday, June 17, 2023 

Music in the Park (R&B/Soul) Dee Dee Simon at 4 pm 

Location: Strawberry Creek Park 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/music-park-rbsoul-dee-dee-simon 

Sunday, June 18, 2023 – No public meeting listed. 

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AGENDA & RULES COMMITTEE at 2:30 pm 

DRAFT Agenda for City Council Regular meeting on June 27, 2023 at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting  

In-Person: 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor, Redwood Room, or 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1619554457 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) 

Meeting ID: 1619554457 

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

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Klein, Planning and Development - Bird Safe Building Requirements; Adding Berkeley Municipal Code Section 23.304.150
2. Numainville, City Clerk – Minutes
3. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations $400,000
4. Oyekanmi, Finance – Tax Rate: Fund fire Protection and Emergency Response and Preparedness Measure GG
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – Special Tax Rate: Fund Library Services
6. Oyekanmi, Finance – Appropriations Limit for FY 2024 $342,803,053
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – Revisions to the Debt Management and Disclosure Policy
8. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Reaffirming the Investment Policy and Designation of Investment Authority
9. Sprague, Fire Dept – Contract $106,000 with ZOLL Medical Corporation for ECG Monitor/Defibrillator Support for emergency Response Vehicles from 7/1/2023-6/30/2025
10. Sprague, Fire Dept – Contract $62,000 with Stryker Corp, Preventive Maintenance Service from 8/1/2023 – 8/1/2026
11. Sprague, Fire Dept – Contract $1,600,000 with US Digital Designs for Fire Station Emergency Alerting System from 7/12/2023 – 6/2/2026
12. Warhuus, HHCS – Amend Contract add $35,000 total $125,000 with Harold Dichoso COVID-19 Outreach and Education and extend to 6/30/2024
13. Warhuus, HHCS – Fiscal Year 2023 Community Development Block Grant 1. Allocate $680,000 of FY 2023 Federal CDBG funds available to to Insight Housing to rehabilitate IH’s Dwight Way Center
14. Fong, IT – Amend Contract - Total $1,939,538 with Dell Computer for Computer software and hardware using County Riverside Amendment No. 1 for 11/1/2019 – 10/31/2024
15. Fong, IT – Amend Contract 10549B add $1,000,000 total $4,705,342.68 with Tyler Technologies Enterprise Resource Planning System for ongoing software licensing, maintenance services and disaster recovery services 4/1/2017 – 6/30/2025
16. Ferris, Parks – Contract $263,000 includes $50,000 (23.5%) contingency with R.X. Lodge, Inc. for the West Side Aquatic Park Tree Planting and Irrigation Project
17. Ferris, Parks – Grant Application: USDA Forest Service – Berkeley Urban Forestry Project up to $3,000,000 local in-kind match, up to $500,000 in local cash match
18. Ferris, Parks – Donation $6,800 Two Memorial Benches at Cesar Chavez Park in memory of Richard & Gloria Crocker
19. Louis, Police Dept – Contract $200,000 with Citygate for Police Dept Staffing and Workload Study $120,000 for 6/30/2023 – 6/30/2024 with option to extend for 2 additional years for total $200,000
20. Garland, Public Works – Contracts (3) total $1,200,000 with Cunha Surveying, Inc. (Cunha) $400,000, Kister, Savio & Rei, Inc (KSR) $400,000, MNS Engineers, Inc (MNS) $400,000 for on-call survey services for capital improvement projects and the Engineering Division, for 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2026
21. Garland, Public Works – Contracts (5) total $1,500,000 for On-Call Geotechnical and Engineering Testing Services \, BSK Associates $400,000, Inspection Services, Inc. $400,000, Ninyo & Moore $400,000, Alan Kropp & Associates $150,000, Fisher Geotechnical $150,000.
22. Garland, Public Works – Contract $12,973,925 includes 20% contingency with Bay Cities Paving & Grading, Inc for Southside Complete Streets Project
23. Garland, Public Works – Contract $1,625,500 with Downtown Streets for Hand Sweeping, Graffiti and Litter Abatement, Poster Removal and Low Barrier Volunteer Work Experience Program for 8/1/2023 – 8/30/2027
24. Garland, Public Works – Amend Contract add $835,969 total $2,285,969 with Trip Stop Sidewalk Repair, In for FY 2020 Sidewalk Inspection and Shaving Services
25. Garland, Public Works – Adoption of Civic Center Phase II, declaring Council’s intention to support the preferred design concept plan
26. Garland, Public Works – Ground Lease Agreement – RM Ventures LLC d.b.a. in the Wood Grill and Bar for Nonexclusive Use of Elmwood Parking Lot Pedestrian Paseo
27. Garland, Public Works – SteelWave Donation for $40,000 cash donation for Addison Bike Blvd project and Vision Zero traffic safety improvements in West Berkeley
28. Garland, Public Works - goBerkeley SmartSpace Pilot Program Evaluation & Next Steps, adopt resolution to maintain SmartSpace
29. Garland, Public Works – Approve Proposed Projects Anticipate to be paid for by the State’s Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Funds for FY 2023 – 2024
30. Garland, Public Works – Extend the Community Workforce Agreement with Building & Construction Trades Council, et al., for Construction Projects over $500,000
31. Peace and Justice Commission – Establishment of a Sister City Relationship with Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, Honduras
32. Bartlett, co-sponsors Arreguin, Harrison, Hahn – Berkeley Food Utility and Access Resilience Measure (FARM) – Refer to City Manager the task of protecting the City’s Food Supply from natural disasters and economic disruptions and the Office of Economic Development and adopt the goals of FARM
33. Bartlett – Street Pavement Painting, relinquishment of Council Office Budget Funds
34. Wengraf – Support for AB-660 Food Labeling (Assemblymember Irwin) Food Labeling quality dates, safety dates and sell by dates

AGENDA on ACTION: 

35. Garland, Public Works - Public Hearing on Zero Waste Five Year Rate Schedule (fee for refuse, compost and recycling collection based on size of garbage container)
36. Warhuus, HHCS – Biennial Syringe Services Report
37. Garland, Public Works – Approval and Levy of 2018 Clean Stormwater Fee in FY 2024
38. Garland, Public Works – Levy and Collection of Street Lighting Assessments
39. Bartlett, co-sponsors Arreguin, Harrison, Humbert – Adopt temporary exemption from the collection of taxes under BMC Chapter 9.04.136(D) Tax Rate for Non-Medical and Medical Cannabis Businessess
40. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager - FY 2024 Proposed Budget Update Adoption
41. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager - FY 2024 Annual Appropriations Ordinance $718,982,025 (gross) and $610,760531 (net)
42. Oyekanmi, Finance – Borrowing of Funds and the Sale and Issuance of FY 2023-2024 Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes
43. Disaster and Fire Safety Commission – Request that City Council Strongly Recommend that HUD-Owned Harriet Tubman Terrace Apartments Install Solar Battery Back-Up Battery Capability to meet the medical needs of their residents during loss of electrical power and consider same action for other HUD properties in Berkeley
44. Arreguin – Amend Contract 32000196 add $78,000 total $303,500 with Szabo & Associates for Communications Consulting Services and extend to 6/30/2024
45. Bartlett – Reparations Now Community Art Mural Restoration and Preservation on Ellis next to Malcolm X Elementary School
46. Harrison – Adopt Ordinance Adding Chapter 12.39 to the Berkeley Municipal Code to Regulate Deconstruction and Construction Materials Management

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

47. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager - Voluntary Time Off Program for FY 2024
48. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – Status Report – Berkeley’s Financial Condition (FY 2012 – FY 2021): Pension Libilities and Infrastructure Need Attention
49. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2023 Third Quarter Investment Report: ended 3/31/2023
50. Louis, Police – Update on the Implementation of Fair and Impartial Policing Task Force Recommendations
51. Zero Waste Commission – FY 2023 – 2024 Work Plan

 

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JUNE 13, 2023, AGENDA for CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting with 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St., School District Board Room,  

Videoconference at: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1613410530 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) 

Meeting ID: 161 341 0530
https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Re-vote to Adopt the Final Ordinance to Amend the Miscellaneous CalPers Contract to Effectuate PEPRA Cost Sharing Agreements
2. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations $650,000, IT $450,000, Zero Waste $200,000
3. Oyekanmi, Finance – Temporary Appropriations FY 2024 sum $50,000,000 to cover payroll and other expenses from July 1, 2023 until the effective date of the FY 2024 Annual Appropriations Ordinance
4. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund the Debt Service on the Affordable Housing General Obligation Bonds (Measure O, November 2018 Election) at 0,0250%
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund Firefighting, Emergency Medical Response and Wildfire Prevention (Measure FF) at annual tax rate of $0.1176 (11.76 cents)
6. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on Neighborhood Branch Library Improvements Project General Obligation Bonds (Measure FF, November 2008) at 0.0050%
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: FundService on 2015 Refnding General Obligation Bonds (Measures G, S & I) elections 1992, 1996 and 2002 at o.0115%
8. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund the Debt Service on the Infrastructure and Facilities General Obligation Bonds (Measure T1, November 2016) at 0.0140%
9. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund the Debt Service on the Street and Watershed Improvements General Obligation Bonds (Measure M, November 2012)
10. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Business License Tax on Large Non-Profits at $0.7909 per square foot of improvements
11. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund the Maintenance of Parks, City Trees and Landscaping at $0.2130
12. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: Fund the Provision of Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic Tax) at $0.0451
13. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 Tax Rate: FundEmergency Services for the Severely Disabled (Measure E) at $0.02018)
14. Warhuus, HHCS – Contract $350,000 6/26/2023 – 6/30/2023 with BUSD for a Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator at BHS
15. Warhuus, HHCS – Amend Contract # 32200084 add $65,000 total $271,025 with Capoeira Arts Foundation, Inc, COVID-19, Outreach & Education and extend to 6/30/2024
16. Warhuus, HHCS – Amend Contract #32200135 add $65,000 total $186,000 with Multi-cultural Institute, COVID-19 Outreach & Education and extend to 6/30/2024
17. Warhuus, HHCS – 1. Reserve $14,531,301 in Housing Trust Fund for a development loan for Community Housing Development Corporation’s Ephesian Legacy Court (1708 Harmon), 2. Reserve $1,000,000 in Housing Trust Fund for predevelopment loan for Northern California Land Trust’s Woolsey Gardens (3120-3130 Shattuck)
18. Warhuus, HHCS – Funding Recommendation Reserve up to $4,500,000 in General Funds Measure P for the Russell Street Project at 1741-1747 Russell
19. Ferris, Parks – Contract $120,000 with Chemical Procurement Services, LLC for King and West Campus Swim Centers 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2025
20. Louis, BPD – Amend Contract #32100065 add $60,000 total $260,000 with BMI Imaging Systems, Incorporated for Data Conversion Services for Berkeley Police Department and extend to 8/31/2026
21. Garland, Public Works – Declaration of Intent – Fiscal Year 2024 Street Lighting assessments

AGENDA on ACTION 

22. Fair Campaign Practices Commission – Amendments to Berkeley Election Reform Act to modify the forms required to open a campaign committee, change the deadline to qualify for public financing, clarify rules
23. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – FY 2024 Proposed Budget Update Public Hearing #2
24. Surveillance Ordinance Items related to Fixed Surveillance Cameras and Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones)
25. Ferris, Parks, Garland, Public Works – Provide Direction on Closing Funding Gaps to Complete Remaining Measure T1 Projects.

1. Amendments to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Ordinance.

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LAND USE CALENDAR PUBLIC HEARINGS: 

• 705 Euclid Avenue (new single family dwelling) 9/26/2023
• 2720 Hillegass Avenue - Willard Park (Construct Community Center) 7/24/2023
• 3000 Shattuck Avenue (Construct 10-story mixed-use building) – 9/26/2023
• 1598 University Avenue (Construct 8-story miexed-use building) 10/3/2023

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• May 16 - Fire Facilities Study Report, Wildfire Prevention Plan (If you missed the Fire Facilities Presentation this is worth watching https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas
• June 13 - Fire Department Standards of Coverage & Community Risk Assessment (at 4 pm)
• June 20 (WS) - Climate Action Plan & Resilience Update, Berkeley Economic Dashboards Update,
• July 11- Dispatch Needs Assessment Presentation (at 4 pm)
• July 18 (WS) - Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD), and City Policies for Managing Parking Around BART Stations
• July 25 - Draft Waterfront Specific Plan (at 4 pm)

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Unscheduled Presentations – Workshops and Special Meetings: - None 

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Kelly Hammargren’s summary on what happened the preceding week can be found in the Berkeley 

 

Daily Planet under Activist’s Diary at: www.berkeleydailyplanet.com 

 

This meeting list is also posted at: https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html 

 

If you would like to receive the Activist’s Calendar as soon as it is completed send an email to: kellyhammargren@gmail.com. 

 

If you wish to stop receiving the weekly calendar of city meetings please forward the email you received to- kellyhammargren@gmail.com -with the request to be removed from the email list. 

 

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For Online Public Meetings 

CLOSED CAPTIONING, SAVE TRANSCRIPT OVERVIEW, DIRECTIONS and ZOOM SUPPORT LINKS:
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ZOOM has as part of the program -(for no extra cost)- Closed Captioning (CC). It turns computer voice recognition into a text transcript. Accuracy of the Closed Captioning is affected by background noise and other factors, The CC transcript will not be perfect, but most of the time reading through it the few odd words, can be deciphered--for example "Shattuck" was transcribed as Shadow in one recent transcript. 

 

For the us, the online attendee, the full transcript is only available from the time the attendee activates Closed Captioning. But if Closed Captioning is activated and you sit through a meeting and then remember 10 minutes before it is over to click on CC then go to the arrow/carrot next to CC for the menu and click on Show Full Transcript you will only get the last 10 minutes, not the full transcript – So click often on both Save Transcript and on Save to Folder during the meeting for best results. 

 

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Near the end of the meeting, after you click on "Save Transcript," click on "Save to Folder." The meeting transcript will show up (as a download to your desktop) in a separate box as a text file. (These text files are not large.) After you have done your last Save Transcript and Save to Folder (after the meeting is over) you can rename the new transcript folder on your computer, and save it (re-read or send or share it). 

 

Remember, allowing us attendees to save the meeting transcript does not require the public meeting host to save the transcript (for public record.) 

 

Here is the link to ZOOM Support for how to set up Closed Captioning for a meeting or webinar:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/8158738379917#h_01GHWATNVPW5FR304S2SVGXN2X 

 

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https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060958752-Using-save-captions#h_01F5XW3BGWJAKJFWCHPPZGBD70 

On Thursday, June 8, San Francisco Symphony’s music director Esa-Pekka Salonen led the first of three scheduled performances at Davies Hall of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s 2006 opera Adriana Mater. In light of the very recent death of Kaija Saariaho at age 70, this was an emotion-laden event, and SF Symphony dedicates these performances in honor of the extraordinary life and work of Kaija Saariaho. Moreover, several of Saariaho’s lifelong closest collaborators were involved in this production. Esa-Pekka Salonen, himself from Finland, acknowledges that Saariaho’s family and musical life have always been deeply intertwined with his own. For example, Salonen conducted the world premiere of Adriana Mater in 2006 at Paris’s Opéra Bastille, en event that was unfortunately marred by a last-minute technicians’ strike. Moreover, stage director Peter Sellars, who staged our SF Symphony production, has worked often with both Saariaho and Salonen, including at the Paris premiere of Adriana Mater in 2006. At Davies Hall on Thursday night, Peter Sellars gave a very emotional pre-performance talk about the opera Adriana Mater and about his longterm involvement with Kaija Saariaho and her music. Sellars will offer similar talks before each performance at Davies Hall on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Finally, the librettist for Adriana Mater was Lebanese-French writer Amin Maalouf, a longtime friend and collaborator with Kaija Saariaho. 

Musically, Kaija Saariaho evolved her style in a tradition going back to Claude Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Mélisande and Olivier Messiaen’s opera Saint-François d’Assise. Other composers cited as influences by Saariaho include Edgard Varèse, Anton Webern, and Gérard Grisey, a French composer whose “spectral music” focused on tonal sound qualities that evoked inner emotional states. Likewise, another “spectralist” Saariaho admired was French composer Tristan Murail, whose Gondwana evoked a global sense of inner developmsnt common to all organic life across a vast planetary supercontinent. Finally, Saariaho was also associated in the late 1970s with IRCAM, the research center for electronic music founded in 1977 by Pierre Boulez. Throughout her musical evolution, Saariaho emphasised the derivation of harmony and melody from overtones. 

The opera Adriana Mater is perhaps Saariaho’s richest work. It includes dissonant passages evoking dark inner spaces of the human psyche and the ravages of war on the human soul; yet her music also includes the warmth and lyricism of compassion, and, particularly, of maternal love. Structurally, Adriana Mater is in two acts, each about an hour long, divided by a temporal gap of 17 years. In Act I we are introduced to Adriana as a very young woman who rebuffs the advances of a drunk young man, Tsargo, with whom she once shared a dance at a local fair. When her older sister Refka admonishes her for even speaking to Tsargo instead of treating him with contempt, Adriana retorts that contempt is actually rooted in fear and female submissiveness. Adriana refuses to go that route, and she argues that at least she can show compassion even for a ne’er do well drunk like Tsargo, who, if he could overcome his alcoholism, might possibly become a decent person. 

In Act I’s second tableau, civil war has broken out in Adriana’s unnamed country. Sounds of distant or nearby gunfire are sporadically heard in the orchestra. Tsargo, no longer drunk, is now a partisan soldier and arrives at Adriana’s doorstep carrying a gun. He demands entrance, saying he wants access to her rooftop to surveille the neighborhood for possible infiltrators. Adriana refuses Targo entrance, saying he’s traded his addiction to drink for addiction to vlolence and war. Tsargo eventually forces his way in, and it becomes clear that he proceeds to rape Adriana 

in Act I’s third and final tableau, Adriana realises she is pregnant. Her sister Refka again rebukes Adriana for deciding to have the child instead of seeking an abortion. Adriana relates how it feels to experience two heartbeats in her own body, her own and that of her foetus. This is music of great tenderness. Although Adriana insists that the unborn child will be hers and not that of her rapist, she wonders if her child will be a Cain or an Abel, an executioner or a victim. 

The cast in San Francisco’s Adriana Mater featured the intense and vocally moving mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron as Adriana, soprano Axelle Fanyo as Refka, baritone Christopher Purves as Tsargo, and in the role of Yonas, Adriana’s son, (whom we don’t see until Act II), was tenor Nicholas Phan. In Peter Sellars’ staging, there is no scenery whatsoever. However, a raised platform at front and center-stage is used throughout the opera, mostly by Adriana in Act I but also by Yonas and Refka in Act II. Throughout the opera, Tsargo is relegated to a periphery alongside the raised platform. Occasionally, either Adriana and/or Refka retreat to another raised platform nestled alongside the deep recesses of the orchestra at stage left. 

When Act II opens, the 17 year-old Yonas has just learned that, contrary to what Adriana and Refka have told him, his father did not die heroically protecting the locals against infiltrators. 

Yonas is furious at what he considers this betrayal. When Adriana explains that she dared not tell Yonas the truth about his father until she was sure he was old enough to deal emotionally with the facts, this by no means placates Yonas. When he learns that he is in fact the product of his father’s rape of Adriana, he vows to kill the rapist. When Refka tells Yonas that Tsargo, his rapist father, has returned to the local neighborhood, Yonas runs off carrying a gun to seek out Tsargo and kill him. 

Yonas does in fact find Tsargo, now a wounded, blind old drunkard sleeping on the floor of what once was his parents’ house. Yonas questions Tsargo at length, gradually revealing his own identity as the son born of Tsargo’s rape of Adriana. There is a poignant moment when Yonas asks Tsargo to turn around and face him so he won’t have to shoot Tsargo in the back. Tsargo agrees to turn around but reveals that he is now blind and won’t be able to see Yonas. Then, when Tsargo stretches out his hands to touch Yonas’s face to determine whether this son resembles his father, Yonas suddenly bolts. He returns to his mother and accuses himself of betraying her by not killing Tsargo. Laying her head on her son’s shoulder, Adriana assures him that, “We are not avenged; but we are saved.” Yonas has proved he is indeed her son and not the son of his violent and rapist father by showing he could not bring himself to kill even the man who deserved to die. 

To sum up this emotional performance, I can only say that singers and orchestra gave an inspired performance, one in which amidst much dissonance the musical epiphanies arose out of respect for developments in the plot, but also, and perhaps foremost, out of harmonic tensions built up in the music leading to the moments of epiphany. For this, kudos go to all the participants, but especially to conductor Esa-Pekka Solonen. This may well be Salonen’s finest moment yet as SF Symphony’s music director.

Mr. Mopp's Tops the List

It's a new month—and it's the month of June—so my fave neighborhood bookstore, Mr. Mopp's (on MLK and Rose), has prepared a new window display devoted to the theme of gay pride.

As usual, the Mopp's crew takes pride in its work and has assembled a shelf-mounted rainbow of book titles. Here's a brief scan of some of the offerings.

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

Queer, There and Everywhere

Julian Is a Mermaid

She, He, They, Them: Understanding Gender Identity

Queer Ducks: The Natural World of Animal Sexuality

Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle

My Moms Love Me

My Two Dads and Me

The Stonewall Riots

Bodies Are Cool

The Unabomber and Me

The death of Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber, brought back some memories. Memories of the time I was fingered as a Unabomber suspect—a turn of events that brought the FBI—and various media hounds—to my door. A 4,000-word article in the July 20, 1995 edition of The Washington Post described how the adventure began:

"Gar Smith heard a knock at the door. It was about 5 in the afternoon and he wasn't expecting anyone. Two guys in suits and shiny shoes flashed badges — the FBI. One of them said, 'We've received a tip that you may be the Unabomber.' 

There's a lot of colorful reporting in the article. The author, Joel Achenbach, was flown to the Bay Area after reading my account of the incident in Terrain, the journal of the Berkeley Ecology Center. Chris Clarke, the editor of Terrain, had invited me to share my experience with the magazine's readers. Somehow, the account reached well beyond Berkeley. 

The blowback began with lunchtime meeting with Joel, myself, Chris and fellow eco-activist Karen Picket. During the course of the "chat and chew," Joel mentioned that he had a copy of the Unabomber's 35,000-word Manifesto. The Unabomber was threatening more bombings if mainstream newspapers failed to print his statement—in full. 

The Post had not yet made the decision to print the bomber's treatise so, while the reporter could not show us the document, he offered to read portions of it while holding it hidden beneath the table. 

The visit from the Post was soon followed by a visit from a reporter from the Los Angeles Times who thanked me for giving him a break from covering the O. J. Simpson trial. 

But the biggest surprise was the call from the BBC, which flew in a team that was making a documentary about the Unabomber. In addition to conducting interviews in our livingroom, the BBC Channel 4 producer invited me to restage my "FBI moment" with two members of the British crew suited up to look like FBI agents. While they pretended to knock on my door, I pretended to open it and engage them. 

As the media continued to hound me for interviews, I realized that there was a certain troubling slant to the reporting. Apparently, I was of interest because of my work as an environmental campaigner (and was editor of Earth Island Journal). The media seemed determined to suggest a connection between eco-activists and radical extremists, as though it was only a small step from planting trees to planting bombs. 

Troubled by this presumption, I introduced a precondition for subsequent media interviews: I would agree to an interview only on the condition that the reporter identified me not as an "environmental activist" but rather in my professional paid work as a "Bay Area journalist." 

Instantly, the requests for interviews dried up. Apparently, my fellow reporters felt uncomfortable suggesting that newshounds were equally capable of metastasizing into mass murderers. 

Fashion Plates 

Personalize license plates spotted about town. 

BLMFVA: Black Lives Matter Forevah 

LTLMAML: Little Mammal 

PETLVR: Pet Lover 

GV KDZ A [Hand symbol]: Give Kids a Hand 

QAZITS: Questions and answers about acne? 

ABA1CKA: A BA One Seeka? Seeking a college degree? 

HRDCGAM: Hard to See a Leg? Suggestions anyone? 

Bumper Snickers 

Crappy Diem: I Seized the Wrong Day 

The Universe Is Made of Protons, Neutrons, Electrons, and Morons 

Stupidity Kills. But Not Fast Enough 

Fight Truth Decay 

Chicken Pot Pie: My Three Favorite Things 

One Race = Human 

Nuclear Umbrellas 

The phrase "nuclear umbrella" has a comfy feeling to it. But not if you're Alice Slater, an anti-nuclear activist with World BEYOND War. 

"A nuclear umbrella is the euphemism we use to let our non-nuclear allies know they can depend on the US nuclear arsenal to 'defend' them—so they don’t have to get nuclear weapons of their own!" says Slater. "They can count on us to use them on their behalf. That includes all of NATO and Japan, Australia, South Korea (probably New Zealand as well) a bizarre and hateful non-proliferation program!" 

The euphemistic phrase "nuclear umbrella" is an intentionally misleading example of Military Malarkey. It suggests that a sky-full of incoming nuclear-tipped ICBMs is no more consequential than a shower of raindrops. 

The phrase "nuclear umbrella" could be called "criminally misleading" and should be banned from public discourse. 

Personalizing the Apocalypse Gives One Pause 

Speaking of world-ending acts of nuclear annihilation, here's a dose of realism. A Pentagon insider once told me of participating in a war-gaming exercise during which someone suggested doing away with the "nuclear football"—the hand-held suitcase carried by a sole military guard who can be seen dutifully walking behind the President. 

The complaint was that the suitcase—containing US nuclear missile launch-codes—was not sufficiently secure. Someone proposed an alternative to prevent a rogue act that could lead to a precipitous and annihilating launch. Instead of trusting a piece of hand-carried luggage (which could be stolen), it was suggested that the launch codes be surgically implanted in the chest of a volunteer military officer. Thus secured, the codes could only be accessed through the use of a very sharp carving knife. 

The other strategists were appalled. "We couldn't do that," one horror-struck Pentagon planner objected. "That would mean we'd have to kill someone and we couldn't do that." 

But activating the launch-codes from a convenient satchel and pushing a button that could wind up killing billions? Not a problem. 

Steps to End Ukraine-Russia-NATO-US War 

World BEYOND War's Alice Slater has a six-point wish-list for ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict with diplomacy instead of more massive devastation. To wit: 

• Ask Russia to announce their conditions in order to negotiate for nuclear abolition. Suggest they announce the following in keeping with past actions and agreements: 

• Negotiate treaties to ban weapons in space and to ban cyberwar. (previous proposals from Russia and China submitted in the UN rejected by US) 

• Remove missiles from NATO countries, in return for a promise from Russia not to put nuclear weapons in Belarus. 

• Remove new missile bases in Romania and Poland. 

• Agree to sign the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, freeze any new production, research, refurbishing and testing of nuclear weapons, with an accompanying proposal to reduce their nuclear arsenals to 1,000 bombs each and then call the other 7 nuclear weapons states to negotiate for the total abolition of nuclear weapons, in good faith as promised in the Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

• Dissolve NATO and return to the UN for enforcing international law. No more rules based order from the US. 

Since they know how to do it, having reduced their arsenals from 70,000 at the height of the Cold War to about 8,000 today, it's completely possible and should be done immediately. Let the weapons rust in peace! 

When Police Become Lawbreakers 

The Brady PAC gun control organization is up in arms—rhetorically speaking. The good news, according to BPAC is that Michigan has passed a "red flag" law that applies to would-be gun purchasers. 

"After the Michigan State shooting," BPAC beams, "Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an extreme-risk protection-order-measure into law. This bill will help keep guns away from people in crisis." 

But there's a major problem. To wit: "some law enforcement departments are refusing to enforce this law." So what does a working democracy do when cops breach the law. Send a cop to bust a cop? 

Deep Fakes: What's Real from What's Reel?  

Public Citizen is concerned that the next election could be determined by which campaign can make the best use of "deep fake" videos. As Public Citizen Robert Weissman recently warned: "with Big Tech rapidly, and recklessly, developing ever more powerful artificial intelligence technology—it could soon be impossible, even for experts, to distinguish so-called 'deepfakes' from audio and video recordings that are real." 

Weissman is rightly concerned that "artificial intelligence poses a significant threat to truth and democracy as we know it. That’s not science fiction. It’s not paranoia. It’s the hard reality of the world we live in now." 

And, unfortunately, the First Amendment currently offers no protection. "Using AI to mislead or defraud voters goes far beyond protections for political expression, opinion, or satire," Weissman warns. "Forget about yelling 'Fire!' in a crowded theater—this could burn down our very democracy." 

To address this concern, Public Citizen is asking the two major political campaign committees to sign the following pledge: 

• Commit immediately not to use deepfake technology to deceive voters.
• Pledge that no candidate affiliated with your party will use deepfake technology to deceive voters.
• Call for rapid passage of legislation making it illegal to use deepfake technology to deceive voters.
If you think artificial intelligence is at least as dangerous as natural stupidity you can click here to add your name. 

Ending on a Hopeful Note:
Videos of Humans Helping Animals 

The climate crisis has reached a critical point, and the recent record-breaking Canadian wildfires serve as a stark reminder of the urgency of this issue. The skies across much of North America were filled with smoke sending air quality alerts for approximately 100 million people. Shockingly, New York City now holds the unfortunate title of having the worst air quality among major cities worldwide. This is not just an isolated incident; it is a glimpse into our future in the climate crisis. 

The severity of these wildfires is a result of warmer temperatures and dry conditions, which are expected to become more frequent and intense due to climate change. As a consequence, the size and intensity of wildfires globally are escalating, with devastating effects on the landscape itself. 

Moreover, it is essential to recognize the role of fossil fuel companies and their political benefactors like Joe Manchin. We must take immediate action. Transitioning to renewable energy sources, implementing sustainable land management practices, and advocating for policy changes are crucial. to address the root causes of the climate crisis. We must hold those accountable for creating this crisis. Finally, I would like to ask the fossil fuel merchants and other purveyors of death and greed, what do you gain if our beautiful common world becomes uninhabitable?

In mental illness, in some rare instances, a brief neurological quirk might allow for the unlocking of romanticism.

I can look to the past and sometimes I can remember much of the delusional content of past psychotic episodes. When I remember my past delusions, they are framed in terms of them being delusions, and they do not reinstate themselves just because I can remember them. And at the same time, I can see how in some of the delusions, there are tiny bits of speculative truth, even though the beliefs were essentially false.

In my psychotic episode of 1990, the subject matter of the delusions might be worthy of note. Or it might even be worthy of fictionalizing. My mind was jarred back to the memory of it when reading the work of another contributor in the May 28 issue of the Planet. I had musings of birds as a once incredibly advanced, but since devolved form of life, something previously far higher than "homo sapiens." And, when I was in a waiting area of Herrick and was being asked a ton of questions and answering them as well as I could in my mentally disjointed state, at times I could hear the chirping notes of birds. A hallucination? Probably.

The canary in a coal mine is not merely a figure of speech. It was the predecessor of modern air sensing equipment. It was a way for coal miners to know whether it was safe in the tunnels or whether they had better evacuate because of unsafe air. The tunnels of coal mines can contain methane and/or carbon monoxide, both of which can kill humans. The canary in the mine would die first because it was more sensitive to these toxic gases. At that point, the miners knew they had to evacuate. 

Are we being warned of something hugely bad with the disappearance of birds in North America? Birds may know some things that humans can't. Or they may be sensitive to unknown or undefined toxins that may ultimately destroy more forms of life, including humans. We don't know everything birds know. Maybe we should be exploring this. 

And then, in some not-so-long-ago years, I sat on the front balcony of my apartment, and a hummingbird came up to me to check me out. It hovered at eye level a few feet away and looked at me, while I looked back at it (him or her). 

We have some things to learn from birds. We had better have some respect for them. Not all of them are Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkeys and/or chicken lunchmeat. Apologies if that is offensive to vegetarians. 

Humans can't fly without a machine to allow us to do that. Birds are extraordinary and often quite graceful. Just remember this: when you are out bird watching, it is likely the birds are watching you too. 

The above musings are mostly harmless. Yet I had other fully unevidenced thoughts that I am not at liberty to offer for print, that you don't need to read about. 

 

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: 

 

A characteristic of some psychosis includes the assumption that we can know things and see things beyond the five senses. When this is an assumption, any fiction or any material can occupy the mind and can be accepted as real. Secondly, an assumption can exist stating, anything you think is real just because you think it. These are traits of a very severe stage of psychosis. This is dangerous, and when a person is that bad off, they must receive help as quickly and as expertly as practicable. 

*** 

A psychotic episode, or state of severe mental illness, can furnish material which could be entertaining to those not living in it. If you are in it and believe it, you are going through hell. A psychotic episode in which delusional thought has taken over is nothing to sneeze at, trifle with, or shrug off--it is devastating, and it must be avoided if there is any way you can. Psychotic episodes are believed to worsen brain condition, such that when you get restabilized, you are worse off than you were before you became acutely ill. 

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Jack Bragen is author of "Instructions for Dealing with Schizophrenia: A Self-Help Manual," and other works.