How much has UCB's People's Park production cost the public so far? In an attempt to find out, on February 5 I submitted this Public Records Act Request to the Berkeley City Attorney: 

 

The University of California has encircled People’s Park with a two-story-high wall of shipping containers. Section 23.304.080 of the Berkeley Municipal Code, entitled “Fences,” states that an AUP (Administrative Use Permit) is required for fences that are “More than 6 ft. in height and on lot line or within required lot line setbacks for main building” in all districts except ES-R. I ask to see documentation whereby the City authorized UC to encircle People’s Park with a fence that is more than six feet high.

The University has placed razor wire on top of the shipping containers that encircle People’s Park. Section 23.304.080 (C)(1) of the Berkeley Municipal Code, entitled “Fences,” states: “A fence in a Residential District may not contain strands of barbed or razor wire, sharp or jagged glass, sharp or jagged metal components (e.g., razor-spikes), or similar materials. People’s Park is in a residential district. I also ask to see documentation whereby the City authorized UC to place razor wire on top of the shipping containers that encircle People’s Park. [Note: the razor wire is only on the containers on Haste.]  

The shipping container fence/wall covers the sidewalk. I ask to see documentation whereby the City authorized the University to place a wall on a sidewalk in a residential district. 

 

 

On February 29, I received this reply: 

 

 

The City has identified documents which are responsive to your request. A partial production of those records can be found attached to this letter. The City is in the process of compiling and reviewing additional documents and anticipates being able to produce additional responsive documents by March 21, 2024. If you have any questions concerning your request, please feel free to contact me at kperez@berkeleyca.gov.

Contrary to the city’s reply, I fail to see how the records it sent me on February 29 respond to my request. Those documents include: 

 

 

• · The “Indemnification Agreement” between UC and the city permits “authorizing the use of the public right of way (the ‘Subject Permit’) for the purpose of enclosing a future construction site known as the ‘People’s Park Housing Project’”
• · Three copies of one job card issued by the city’s Public Works Engineering office regarding “electrical release to PGE,” and two “Sewer Lateral Certificates,” one for twenty years, the other for seven years
• · The Engineering Permit Application for that job, which described the work as follows: “Undergrounding of existing overhead power and low voltage (phone, cable) wires on Haste and part of Bowditch; Tree removal/replacement/new trees in the ROW [Right of Way] on Haste, Bowditch, and Dwight; Street light removal and replacement/possible temporary lights during construction on Haste; Storm water connections”
• · A January 3, 2024, email from David A. Lopez, the City’s Chief Building Official/Safety Manager” to City of Berkeley Senior Permit Specialist Mariafelisa Baber conveying the City Manager’s approval of issuing one of two job cards—the one copied three times and another, which I didn’t receive.

None of these documents reference the provisions of the Berkeley Muncipal Code cited in my PRA request having to do with the legal placement of fences and razor wire around People’s Park. 

 

Costs to the public incurred by UCB's deal with the City of Berkeley: $127,000 

Of interest however were items in the Indemnification Agreement having to do with costs. 

As stated among the “Recitals”: “The City desires to ensure that the placement of obstructions by the University shall not result in damage to City infrastructure and shall not result in exposure to litigation or liability for the City.” 

But costs incurred by the University of California also make the public liable. 

UC paid the city an initial amount of $126,000, “which is equal to the estimated sum of the lost parking revenues for Phases 1 and 2” of the project. The job card mentioned the loss of 44 parking spaces that would be covered by the shipping containers. The Indemnification Agreement goes on to say: 

 

“Initially, the Subject Permit would result in lost parking revenues at 108 parking stalls, at the rate of $19,413.00 per week for ten (10) days, the expected duration of the first phase of work under the Subject Permit (‘Phase 1’). Upon the completion of Phase 1, 44 parking stalls will remain obstructed at a total rate of $8,189.00 per week for twelve (12) weeks (‘Phase 2’). If the University intends to extend the duration of either Phase 1 or Phase 2, the University shall compensate the City for additional lost parking revenues at the applicable rate.”

By my reckoning, those costs come to $29,119 for Phase 1 and $98,268 for Phase 2—a total of $127,387. 

 

 

Other UC costs to close People’s Park: $15.9 million—and counting 

And there’s more. On February 28, UCB put out a press release listing “preliminary costs related to its work in January to close People’s Park and secure the site for the anticipated construction of housing for students and unhoused people and a revitalized park space.” It notes a payment of $128K to the city of Berkeley “for various permits and associated parking spaces,” which tallies with the figure in the Indemnification Agreement. That’s just a fraction of the $16.M that, the University reported, it has spent on this project since August 2022. 

A breakdown of those other costs was provided on February 28 by Los Angeles Times staff writer James Rainey. In response to a PRA request, UC said that it has already “spent $7.8 million to deploy its own forces to wall off and secure People’s Park.” That figure, Rainey wrote, includes $2.8M to build the 17-foot-high perimeter around the park, which includes the shipping containers (at a cost of $972,000), for gates, lighting, other equipment and supervision ($1.27 million) and for engineering and surveying ($515,000).” Plus “[a]n additional $3.7 million...to pay, house and feed the police and sheriff’s deputies who cleared and surrounded the park in early January,” nearly $1.5M of which “went to pay overtime to officers” from the UC Police Department. “The $7.8-million tally also includes $1.16 million that UC spent to move homeless people from the park to a Quality Inn.” 

The school has still to receive “bills from the California Highway Patrol, sheriff’s departments for Alameda and San Francisco Counties, and from nine other UC and Cal State University police departments.” 

UC Berkeley spokesman Kyle Gibson accompanied the response to the PRA request with a letter stating that, Rainey wrote, “explained...that the extraordinary operation, cloaked in secrecy, was designed to avoid the sort of conflict that had prevented the university from developing People’s Park for more than half a century.” 

“Our highest priorities for closure,” wrote Gibson, “were safety, avoidance/deterrence of conflict, and the minimization of disruption for students and neighboring residents.” 

Meanwhile, the legality of the shipping container “fence” and the razor wire remains questionable. 

I hope others share my personal reaction to Councilmember Ben Bartlett's latest District Three message, sent twice, which was horror and disappointment. I may be clearly wrong that people have gotten past the idea that homeless sweeps are costly, pointless, discriminatory exercises designed to impress those who are at a distance from what works for both unhoused people and the communities trying to assist them. Otherwise Councilmember Bartlett would never have sent out this message, or sent one much more respectful of the lives of the people inside tents. 

I'm not someone who has no traction with tent communities. I live in a commercial district in a city which persistently thinks that "residents" all live in the hills. But it strikes me that either Councilmember Bartlett, or his staff, or both needed to send a message that didn't create an equivalency between unhoused people and trash. Councilmember Bartlett's "Before" and "After" photographs were all about leaving a clear portrait of human pain and human needs erased into the ether. We community members were invited to celebrate the absence of tents, belongings, and people. 

Where did they go? Who are they? Are they permanently warm and safe inside somewhere? Because I keep checking Zillow and related rental and housing sites, and there are plenty of indoor spaces for all of the numbers represented in our city's designated emergency. The last time I checked there were five times as many empty units in our city as people counted in the latest assessment of unhoused people, with clear implications for people who keep imagining that there isn't enough housing. There's more than enough housing. We're just not as interested in housing people as making profits off that housing. After a couple of years of not reducing its rents and still leaving it empty, the city should simple use it for the crying needs we see on our streets every day. 

The majority of Councilmember Bartlett's constituents in District Three may be thrilled at such messaging. But I couldn't sleep last night listening to the rain. We should be better than this by now. Councilmember Bartlett, as one of the city's representatives, and as a candidate for our county's representation, should know better.

The unfolding situation in Gaza, characterized by the tragic loss of innocent lives and widespread destruction, has brought to light a perplexing dichotomy in the Biden administration's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. On one hand, the United States has been actively supplying Israel with military aid, including precision-guided munitions valued at thousands of dollars each, ostensibly to bolster Israel's defense capabilities. On the other, President Biden has been making appeals to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, urging a reduction in the bombing campaigns that have led to significant civilian casualties in Gaza. 

This juxtaposition of actions—arming one side of the conflict while simultaneously calling for restraint—raises profound questions about the coherence and ethical grounding of the U.S. foreign policy stance. Critics argue that by supplying weapons to Israel, the U.S. is indirectly contributing to the very violence President Biden seeks to mitigate. The deaths of innocent civilians, including children, as a consequence of bombings, have only intensified the scrutiny and criticism of the U.S. position. 

In an apparent attempt to balance its stance and respond to mounting criticism both domestically and internationally, the Biden administration has also been airlifting food and other humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. This effort to provide relief to the affected populations in Gaza is seen by some as a way to appease critics of the U.S.'s military support to Israel. However, to many observers and stakeholders, this approach appears contradictory, if not outright confusing. 

The crux of the issue lies in the administration's refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire, a step that many believe would be the most straightforward means to halt the loss of innocent lives and facilitate a more sustained humanitarian response. The reluctance to demand a ceasefire, while continuing to supply weapons to one side and humanitarian aid to the other, presents a paradox that undermines the potential for a peaceful resolution and casts doubt on the effectiveness and moral clarity of U.S. involvement in the conflict.

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC is an annual gathering of some of the most influential far-right politicians that helped launch people like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Matt Gaetz onto the national stage.

The first speaker started off the very first day with, "Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn't get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this, right here."

And the crowd went wild.

Our discourse surrounding global conflicts and the critique of national actions is steeped in accusations of hypocrisy, especially from Russia towards the U.S., citing the latter's history of intervention in Iraq, the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay, and the pending extradition of Julian Assange. However, this narrative of whataboutism overlooks the nuanced stance of many observers and human rights advocates who consistently condemn injustices worldwide, regardless of the perpetrator's identity. 

Currently, Gaza has emerged as a focal point of international concern, labeled by UNICEF as the most perilous place for children globally. The staggering number of casualties there, with over 12,500 children killed in less than five months, surpasses any conflict this century in its lethal impact on infants. This situation demands scrutiny, not just for the scale of tragedy but also for the U.S.'s role in supporting Israel's military actions, which President Biden has criticized as "indiscriminate." 

Senator Bernie Sanders has highlighted the inconsistency in the U.S. condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine while backing Israel's aggressive military campaign in Gaza. This double standard reflects a broader issue of selective condemnation and support that complicates international relations and humanitarian advocacy.

Author's note: This work I had found randomly on my hard drive, and it looked like it had not been used, but I could be wrong. If you are seeing this piece a second time, that would be the explanation.

##

When someone loses good health, it can be very challenging to regain it. This applies to both mental and physical health. In some cases, people lose their mental and/or physical health to the point where it isn't coming back. A lot of this has to do with age. When young, it is far more likely that you can bounce back from a physical or mental health problem. 

A relative of mine was advised by a doctor to "stop and smell the roses." But this doctor seemed to have reached his own point of no return--regarding his attitude about working as a physician. His advice was premature. 

Concerning mental health, a person with chronic mental illness must be serious about treating their condition. Otherwise, they are playing Russian-Roulette with their brain condition. But unfortunately, many psych medications have side effects that affect physical health. 

However, while on medication, there are some things you can do to fend off the physical health problems that meds can bring about. If medication is causing weight gain, you might be able to restrict diet to compensate. 

However, a radical diet to take off unwanted pounds may not be practicable. It may not be sustainable where you can stick to in the long term--and instead it could trigger gaining the weight back, and sometimes more. Too much weight and/or poor nutrition can cause long term health problems. I know an individual who repeatedly went on fad diets and developed stomach cancer. 

Going on and off medication too many times can be bad for long term brain functioning. Often, when losing a faculty of the brain and mind, getting the faculty back can be very difficult if it can be done at all. 

If you do not have physical and mental health, you have nothing. If your mind doesn't work, you lose your chances of having a decent life. If your body needs constant intervention of doctors, your life can seem like going to endless medical appointments. If you reach a point of it being impossible to bounce back, you could regret decisions made when younger. 

The forementioned are just common-sense things that most people know. Yet, I see too many people in the mental health treatment system who only live into their forties or fifties. The mental health treatment system doesn't address this. This is because it is their job to manage us, and beyond that, us being helped with our express needs is harder to come by. 

Often mental health professionals truly have a kind heart. They will do things within their job descriptions, with the intent of helping us do better and live better lives. Others don't care as much. It is a mix. 

I've recently made some bad decisions that have put my life on a bad trajectory. This kind of thing is fixable for a young man or woman. Yet, I am close to sixty, and it will be a very tall order for me to turn my circumstances around. Some say, "Good luck," and this is said in a mocking attitude. There are people who delight in thinking they can poke holes in my confidence. Have I reached a "point of no return"? Maybe in some respects I have. 

Yet, for the most part, my health is holding up. My thinking is improving in respect to properly tracking reality as opposed to being in a delusional system. (FYI: I had to be very persistent with my medication provider to get my antipsychotics increased. This nurse practitioner was afraid of raising my dosage, but I really knew I needed more. More about this in the future.) 

Am I at a "point of no return"? I hope not. It will take a lot of work to turn my life circumstances around. But hope is not gone--it is just obscured by a lot of negative and painful emotions. 

If I want my life to be better, the ball is in my court. If you want to be physically and mentally healthy so that you can enjoy life and live longer, the ball is in your court. In most instances, if we want our lives to be better, we must make that happen and no one will do this for us. 

---

 

Jack Bragen is a fiction, commentary and mental health author in Martinez, California.

As I close out this Diary, late again from my Saturday February 24. 2024 target, the protest vote from Michigan is in with over with 100,000 as uncommitted. The Democratic leadership is banking on the protest voters coming home in November to support Biden against Trump who is known to be worse for Palestinian recognition, but will they? Will the MSNBC weekday and weeknight anchors and pundits falling all over themselves to praise Biden be enough?

Only two of the former three Muslim anchors remain with shows on Saturday and Sunday. Mehdi Hasan who gave the strongest coverage of the Israel Hamas war and toughest interviews is gone.

The Hilary Clinton team thought they could count on Democrats too in 2016, but in Michigan voters checked the down ballot boxes and left the president box blank. Conspiracies abounded over those empty boxes, but it was yet another protest by voters. 

I’ve finished eight books on Israel and Palestine in the recent weeks (listed from last read to first, the bolded are on important to read lists), 1) Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians From Balfour to Trump by Khaled Elginoy, 2) Inter / Nationalism: Decolonizing Native America and Palestine by Steven Salaita, 3) Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi, 4) The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917 – 2017 by Rashid Khalidi, 5) Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, The Bible by Mitri Raheb, 6) The Girl Who Stole My Holocaust: A Memoir by Naom Chayut, 7) Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappe and 8) A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by Nathan Thrall. 

I’m a third of the way through Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman and have seven more books waiting on hold at the library. Rise and Kill First is brutal and it will leave you wondering who should really be called the terrorists. You might be shocked, I know I was, at how many of the assassins and assassination plotters ended up in the formation of the Israeli political parties especially the Likud and various arms of the Israeli government as Israeli prime ministers, members of the Knesset, the Mossad, the IDF and as advisors. 

Sunday, I saw the film Israelism at the Little Roxie in San Francisco. I highly recommend it especially for those of us not raised in a Jewish household and unfamiliar with the free Birthright Israel trips for 18 to 26 year old Jewish young adults and early education locking Israel and Jewish identity as inseparable. Simone Zimmerman, one of the two featured Jewish Americans in the film,v called that education indoctrination. 

I place the current horror in Gaza squarely in the lap of the United States and the failure of every president from Truman to the present including President Biden. It is Elginoy in Blind Spot who pulls it together and so clearly details how the U.S. alliance with Israel makes the U.S. far from an honest mediator to broker peace agreements between Israel and Palestine. 

All the power rests with the United States and Israel. The U.S. negotiators have been Zionists at heart , pushing the right to dignity, self-determination for Palestinians off the table. The Palestinians have no right of return while Jewish persons from around the world are invited to settle in Israel with settlers taking land away from Palestinians and destroying Palestinian homes. 

The history is ugly and sickening like a festering boil that explodes in cycles of violence and retaliation and revenge. 

The vengeance of Israel against the Palestinians under Netanyahu unfolding before our eyes over the last five months is like no other war in history in the number of deaths of children, women, aid workers, journalists, the destruction of hospitals, schools, universities, cultural sites, housing and suffering from starvation and no safe place anywhere. 

Mehdi Hasan wrote in the Guardian on February 21, 2024 “Biden can end the bombing of Gaza right now. Here’s how” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/21/biden-stop-gaza-bombing-genocide-israel 

Reading the early February 29 reports of the IDF opening fire on Palestinians gathering for a food convoy and murdering over 100 with more than 700 injured is no surprise. This kind of violence is described over and over in my reading along with the mindset behind it. We need to ask again who are the terrorists. 

As long as Biden who has self-identified as a Zionist can’t bring himself beyond comments like describing the war on Gaza as “over the top” or reducing this latest massacre to interfering with negotiations while the U.S. continues to veto calls for a ceasefire at the U.N. and funds the Israeli war machine nothing will change. 

The policy turnaround with action to match in the Biden administration will only come with increasing public pressure. We need it to save the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. And, we need to do it to save our own democracy. 

James Carville warns if there is no de-escalation we could be looking at a repeat of 1968 with a splintered party. Nixon won that election. 

All of this is the exact reason why Berkeley City Council with Mayor Arreguin and councilmembers Wengraf and Hahn need to experience a turnaround in their opposition to a ceasefire resolution. We as a City and we as individuals must come together for a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Palestinians. 

As for City meetings It was a quiet week. With Monday as the Presidents’ Day Holiday and City Council off for the week except for the closed session on Tuesday, I made it to only one uneventful City meeting, the Zoning Adjustment Board. All four projects were approved on consent: 1287 Gilman establish a wine bar, 1205 Kains lift a dwelling 18 inches and move it 3 feet 3 inches, 1340 Haskell demolish a single-family home and build 2 new single-family homes on the lot, and 2901-2903 Deakin lift a duplex 10 feet 6 inches and add a new 1st floor and 8th bedroom. 

As for the closed Council session, could someone tell me if it is normal for a city to be in continuous labor negotiations? 

I did watch the Berkeley Mayoral Forum, the Wellstone panel on calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza, part of the Wellstone Candidate Forum for City Council District 7, the presentation by Rex Frazier on the California insurance industry to Livable California and served as the driver for my favorite candidate Margot Smith for the Meet and Greet the Candidates at the Allen Temple Baptist Church. 

Margot Smith is a long shot for State Assembly and I encourage you to vote for her in the March 5th primary. I think she would do a great job. Most importantly, she would break the grip of big money on the Assembly seat. While Margot has attended multiple candidate events (ten and counting), Buffy Wicks (current State Assembly person) showed up once. Forums to debate/speak to the issues have been canceled, because Wicks doesn’t show up. 

Even if Wicks doesn’t think she has real competition to be reelected, these forums are opportunities and not taking them tells me where Wicks places the interests of her constituents. 

You can watch the Mayoral Forum on the Berkeley Community Media YouTube Channel and form your own opinion. https://www.youtube.com/user/BerkeleyCommMedia 

There is no primary for mayor and it seems most unusual for the Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a mayor forum when we need to be focusing on the primary. I don’t have a handle on who pushed for this forum, but it doesn’t settle right. A lot can change between now and November when we cast our rank choice votes for mayor and council districts 2,3,5 and 6. 

Candidates can submit paperwork to run until August 9, 2024. Since Arreguin is running for State Senate he won’t be running for mayor unless he misses the top two in the primary which is very unlikely. When the incumbent does not run, the filing period extends by one day to August 10, 2024. Here is the full schedule: https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/November%20Calendar%202024%20PUBLIC.pdf 

I listened to part of the recording of the Wellstone District 7 Candidate Forum with James Chang and Cecilia Lunaparra and got as far as their stands on Israel and Palestine. I planned to go back to it, but it disappeared from my screen and the forum is not posted on the Wellstone website. Only residents of District 7 can vote in the special April 16 special election. I live in District 4. Our election will be May 28. Wellstone endorsed Lunaparra who supports a ceasefire. Chang does not. 

The entire two-hour Livable California meeting was devoted to the presentation by Rex Frazier on the California insurance industry. Frazier explained how the California FAIR Plan works. The Fair Plan is an insurance option for residents and businesses that cannot obtain insurance through a regular insurance company. Listening to presentation and the questions at the end, I believe we can expect more homeowner insurance companies to leave California. 

There is another problem. John Vailant refers to it over and over in his book Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World. It is the Lucretius Problem, humans have difficulty imagining and assimilating things outside their own personal experience. The very nature of fire is changing. Fires burn hotter and faster. I did not get a sense from the attendees’ questions that they grasped how quickly their homes and everything in them can burn and leave nothing but ashes. 

You can watch the presentation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWCewh-_26g 

 

I’ve found my favorite book for Black History Month, Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity by Michele Norris creator of the Race Card Project. 

Our Hidden Conversations was just released January 16, 2024. I had the audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library read by the author with a full cast. There are long waits for the audiobook at Contra Costa, San Francisco, Alameda County and the Northern California Digital Libraries. The Berkeley library has the hard copy/print and ebook. Oakland has print only. 

The Race Card Project started with Norris (former co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered”) leaving postcards in all sorts of places with the message “Race. Identity. Your Thoughts 6-Words. Please Send”. https://theracecardproject.com/ 

Norris says in the introduction the reader/listener can skip around. I chose to listen from the beginning to the end. Norris writes there is an honesty that comes from the six-word postcards. There was no request for people to sign their names, though many did. The cards expanded into stories of families, connections, pain, worries, grace, love and how race invades and reaches through all of us whether we admit it or not. 

Chapter 5 connects with the book I recommended in the last Activist’s Diary by Susan Nieman, Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil. Norris talks at length about needing conversations about slavery and racism. 

Norris described Arlington, Virginia as taking on a project much like the Stolperstein (stumbling stone) in Berlin. These are stepping stones in the sidewalk in front of the person’s final residence before being sent to the death camps commemorating the lives of Jewish People, Sinti, Roma, disabled, gay and other victims of the Nazis. The plan for Arlington is to commemorate the enslaved. 

This, reminds me of how the Landmarks Preservation Commissioners voted against Steve Finacom’s motion for a plaque to commemorate the history of 1652 – 1658 University (Jefferson and University) where in 1923 the white neighbors objected to the West Gate Masonic Association from building the Masonic Lodge for African Americans. Even though the City Council didn’t change the zoning, the project stalled and the Lodge was never built at the corner of University and Jefferson. Soon a new mixed-use housing development will sit at this corner. The last occupant of the current building headed for demolition was Radio Shack. 

On some days, I think we should recognize the impact of redlining and Executive Order #9066 the forced removal of Japanese Americans from their homes to guarded internment camps with permanent civic art projects. 

Our Hidden Conversations is too new to be censured, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it lands on a banned book list in the future. We are living in a time when history is being aggressively censured and rewritten.

The New York Times is embroiled in controversy and conducting an internal investigation to pinpoint the leak concerning its handling of a contentious article about Israel and Gaza. The article in question, published on December 28, alleged that Hamas members engaged in systematic sexual violence on October 7. However, the article's credibility was soon questioned due to emerging discrepancies, including contradictory statements from key witnesses and a lack of solid evidence.

Adding fuel to the fire, it was revealed that one of the article's authors, Anat Schwartz, had previously liked social media posts advocating violence against Palestinians, raising concerns about bias and journalistic integrity.

This situation took a new turn with The Intercept's in-depth report, which scrutinized the Times' reporting process and the article's genesis, further complicating the narrative. The New York Times' refusal to comment on the internal investigation, as stated by its international editor, Phil Pan, underscores the delicate balance between journalistic trust and accountability. This episode highlights the challenges media outlets face in maintaining objectivity and credibility, especially when reporting on highly sensitive and polarized issues.

This month I have three mystery/thriller novels to recommend and two to avoid.

(A) The Busy Body -- Kemper Donovan (Five stars)

A mystery set in Sacobago Maine.

Great set up: after a narrow loss in a three-way presidential election, Maine Senator Dorothy Gibson retreats to her primary residence and decides to write her memoir with the considerable assistance of an unnamed ghostwriter. Imagine that Dorothy Parker was hired to write Hillary Clinton’s bio and you get the picture. 

After a couple of days, the Senator and the ghostwriter set out for the nearby “Betty’s Liquor Mart” to secure supplies. They run into a Dorothy Gibson superfan who informs them that she and her husband are renting the adjacent property, the Crystal Palace. They take a selfie with the fan, Vivian Davis. Two days later, she’s dead. Initially, the authorities describe Vivian’s death as a suicide. The Senator and the Ghostwriter don’t buy it, so they launch their own investigation. 

Kemper Donovan has written a nifty mystery that works on many levels, because the narrator’s voice is so funny. The biggest problem is the title: “the Busy Body.” This doesn’t work but Donovan and his publisher couldn’t use the obvious, “the Ghostwriter,” because that was the title of a famous thriller by Robert Harris. Tough luck, Kemper Donovan. Your mystery needs to be read by more people. 

 

(B) The Ghost Orchid -- Jonathan Kellerman (Five stars) 

A superb police-procedural mystery set in Los Angeles. 

Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis return in the 39th book in this notable series. It’s a superior police-procedural that begins with a Bel-Air double homicide: a married woman, Meagin March, and her Italian boyfriend, Gio Aggiunta. As usual, the plot features well-constructed twists and turns. 

It’s difficult to write a straightforward police-procedural mystery that holds a reader’s attention for 300 pages. Jonathan Kellerman is the master of this because he combines an intriguing plot will skillful characterizations. 

 

(C) Hero -- Thomas Perry (five stars) 

A chase thriller set in Los Angeles. 

Thomas Perry has written 31 novels, most of them chase thrillers where the protagonist is being pursued by a hitman. In “Hero,” Justine Poole works for a high-end security firm and, in the line of duty, shoots two burglars. Their boss, the evil Mr. Conger, hires a hitman to take out Justine. 

Thomas Perry’s cat-and-mouse thrillers, particularly the “Jane Whitefield” series, are known for their carefully crafted plots and painstaking attention to detail. That’s true in “Hero.” 

The problem with the novel is that Justine lacks depth. Jane Whitefield was a fully developed character; Justine Poole is not. 

Two Novels to Avoid: 

The Year of the Locust -- Terry Hayes (Three stars) 

A spy thriller set (primarily) in Washington DC and Iran. 

The protagonist is master CIA spy, Ridley Walker. (Ridley uses several names: Kane, Sadiqaa Khan, Daniel Greenberg, and Fyodor Petrov.) He is sent into Iran to obtain information about an ISIS spin off, the “Army of the Pure,” that plans a major attack on the west. The mission doesn’t go as planned and Ridley has a traumatic meeting with the “Army of the Pure” military commander, Roman Kazinksy. (Kazinsky is also known as Abu Muslim al-Tundra and “the Locust.”) The novel describes Ridley’s mission to abort the terrorist attack and eliminate Kazinsky. 

SPOILER ALERT: “The Year of the Locust” is a well-conceived spy thriller for the first half of its 800 pages. Then it changes. Imagine that you were eating Thanksgiving dinner at a fancy French restaurant, and they served the courses one at a time: appetizer, soup, salad, bread, vegetable, potatoes, dressing, as you expected. Then, when the main course arrives, in place of turkey, the fancy restaurant served tofu. That’s what happens to the plot in the second half of “the Year of the Locust;” we’re led to believe we will be served a traditional main course, and we get something very different. 

What happened? In 2013, Terry Hayes published “I am Pilgrim.” Many thriller fans eagerly awaited Hayes’ next book, originally promised for 2016. Instead, “The Year of the Locust” arrived in 2023. I suspect that Terry Hayes had a problem with the novel conclusion. When this occurred, he and his publisher had the choice of dividing “The Year of the Locust” into two parts; it could have ended after “part two” – hallway though the novel -- and then he could have taken more time on parts three and four. That choice would have gotten his fans a book closer to 2016. Instead, Terry Hayes and his publisher delayed the novel until 2023 and stuck us with a “tofu” ending. 

 

Last Night -- Luanne Rice (Three stars) 

A police-procedural mystery set at Rhode Island’s famous Ocean House hotel. 

At the onset of a blizzard, famous artist Maddie “MC” Morrison goes for a walk with her six-year-old daughter, CeCe. Later, Maddie’s body is found; her daughter is missing. The murder is investigated by Maddie’s sister, Hadley, and two hotel guests, detective Conor Reid and his fiancée Kate Woodward. 

Luanne Rice is a good writer. Her characterizations are strong, and the novel is helped by the setting at Ocean House. Rice is particularly adept writing about art. 

SPOILER ALERT: Told from multiple points-of-view, “Last Night” moves along briskly only to collapse at the denouement. Luanne Rice lost control of the narrative and ended by resorting to a device similar to, “all of the above.” 

Summary: If you want to read my book reviews, check out my FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/KateSwift.mysteries/

Worth Noting:

The March 12, City Council meeting agenda with notes from Agenda Committee review follows the calendar of meetings and is available for comment.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am – 12 pm and 1 – 3 pm (lunch break from 12 – 1 pm) is the free preteen vaccine clinic for uninsured children up to 18.

• Monday:
  • At 2:30 pm the Agenda Committee meets in the hybrid format to finalize the March 19 draft agenda. Discuss Legislative Systems Redesign and public comment at City Council meetings.
  • At 7 pm the Peace and Justice Commission meets in person,
  • At 7 pm the Personnel Board meets in person.
  • From 6 – 7 pm Speaking Up for Point Molate sponsors a presentation on the Sierra Club Alive Campaign.
• Tuesday – Primary election, turn in your ballots before 8 pm. If having problems https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/march-5-election-vote-mail-drop-box-or-vote-centers
• Wednesday –
  • At 10:30 am is the Solano-Peralta Park Ribbon Cutting.
  • At 3 pm is the Grove Park Playground Ribbon Cutting.
  • At 6:30 pm the Board of Library Trustees meets in person.
  • At 6:30 pm the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets in person.
• Thursday:
  • At 3 pm the City Council meets in closed session in the hybrid format.
  • At 6:30 pm the Landmarks Preservation Commission meets in person.
• Saturday:
  • At 9:15 pm check in opens for the tree planting at Aquatic Park.
  • At 10 am the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council meets by videoconference on ZOOM

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, March 3, 2024 - no city meetings or events found 

 

Monday, March 4, 2024 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1604436779 

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

Meeting ID: 160 443 6779 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve 3/19/2024 -- 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 Worksessions, 6. Referrals for scheduling, 7. Land Use Calendar, REFERRED ITEMS FOR REVIEW: 8. a. Discussion and Possible Action on City Council Rules of Decorum, Procedural Rules and Remote Public Comments, b. Open Government Commission Referral to City Council on Public Comment, 9. City Council Legislative Systems Redesign 10. Harrison – Amends BMC 3.78 to Expand Eligibility Requirements for Representatives of the Poor to Serve on The Human Welfare and Community Action Commission, UNSCHEDULED ITEMS: 11. Modifications or Improvements to City Council Meeting Procedures, 12. Strengthening and Supporting City Commission: Guidance on Development of Legislative Proposals, 13. Discussion and Recommendations on the Continued Use of the Berkeley Online Engagement Portal COUNCIL REFERRALS and UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Dissolution of the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission (15 members) and the Peace and Justice Commission (15 members) and establishment of the Berkeley Community Action Agency Commission (9 members), (packet 458 pages) 

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

 

PEACE and JUSTICE COMMISSION at 7 pm 

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

AGENDA: Discussion/Action Items: 8. Update on possible merger, 9. Update from Gaza Roundtable Subgroup, 10. Update November Roundtable on Fukushima Waste Water, 11. Ethnic Studies at Berkeley High School, 12. Presentation on Opposition to Funding of Fossil Fuels. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/peace-and-justice-commission 

 

PERSONNEL BOARD at 7 pm 

In-Person: at 1301 Shattuck, Live Oak Community Center, Fireside Room 

AGENDA: V. Recommendation to Revise Job Class Specification – Camp Maintenance Mechanic, VI. Recommendation to Align Training and Certification Differentials for Deputy Police Chief and Police Chief with Differentials for Berkeley Police Association Members, VII. Recommendation to Extend Temporary Appointment of Principal Program Manager Shanalee Gallagher. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/personnel-board 

 

SPEAKING UP for POINT MOLATE from 6 – 7 pm 

Email SpeakingUP4PM@gmail.com for zoom link 

AGENDA: Sierra’s Club Bay Alive Campaign, the nature based adaptation to sea level rise to protect and preserve living shorelines. 

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 – Ballot due by 8 pm 

 

Ballot Due by 8 pm - https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/march-5-election-vote-mail-drop-box-or-vote-centers 

 

PRETEEN VACCINE WEEK from 9 am – 3 pm (closed for lunch from 12 – 1 pm) 

Location: at 1900 Sixth Street, West Berkeley Family Wellness Center 

AGENDA: Free vaccines for children up to 18 years without insurance or whose insurance does not cover the cost of vaccines. (All insured children are not eligible to receive vaccines at the West Berkeley Family Wellness Center – call 510-981-5350 if you need help to determine eligibility) 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/preteen-vaccine-week-1 

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 

 

PRETEEN VACCINE WEEK from 9 am – 3 pm (closed for lunch from 12 – 1 pm) 

Location: at 1900 Sixth Street, West Berkeley Family Wellness Center 

AGENDA: Free vaccines for children up to 18 years without insurance or whose insurance does not cover the cost of vaccines. (All insured children are not eligible to receive vaccines at the West Berkeley Family Wellness Center – call 510-981-5350 if you need help to determine eligibility) 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/preteen-vaccine-week-1 

 

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

In-Person: at 1125 University 

AGENDA: II. Consent Calendar – FY 2024 Purchase authorization, III. A. Report on recruitment to fill BOLT vacancy 

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

 

HUMAN WELFARE and COMMUNITY ACTION COMMISSION at 6:30 pm 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, Cypress Room  

AGENDA: 2. Election of Low-income Commissioners, 3. RFP, 4. CA State Letter to BCAA RE: 45-day notice of Anticipated High-Risk Designation Based on the City of Berkeley Failure to Maintain Required CSBG Tripartite Board Structure and Failure to Administer Programs through Tripartite Board; Required response and corrective action due by March 18, 2024, 5. Review City of Berkeley funded agency Program and Financial reports a. Multicultural Institute program and financial reports, 6. Possible merger of HWCAC and Peace and Justice Commission, 7. Discussion Fire Marshall’s Report and implications, 8. Discussion on Public reverse Mortgage, 9. Difficulties of local residents attaining benefits from approved providers, 10. Hybrid meetings. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/human-welfare-and-community-action-commission 

 

SOLANO-PERALTA PARK RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY from 10:30 – 11:30 am 

Location: at 1559 Solano 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/solano-peralta-park-ribbon-cutting-ceremony 

 

GROVE PARK PLAYGROUND RIBBON CUTTING from 3 - 4 pm 

Location: at 1730 Oregon 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/grove-park-playground-ribbon-cutting 

 

PLANNING COMMISSION - canceled 

 

Thursday, March 7, 2024 

 

PRETEEN VACCINE WEEK from 9 am – 3 pm (closed for lunch from 12 – 1 pm) 

Location: at 1900 Sixth Street, West Berkeley Family Wellness Center 

AGENDA: Free vaccines for children up to 18 years without insurance or whose insurance does not cover the cost of vaccines. (All insured children are not eligible to receive vaccines at the West Berkeley Family Wellness Center – call 510-981-5350 if you need help to determine eligibility) 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/preteen-vaccine-week-1 

 

CITY COUNCIL Closed Session at 3 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1607929123 

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

Meeting ID: 160 792 9123 

AGENDA: 1. Pending Litigation a. Ruegg & Ellsworth v. City of Berkeley Alameda County Superior Court No. RG18930003, 2. Conference with Labor Negotiators Employee Organizations: Berkeley Fire Fighters Association, Local 1227 I.A.F.F. Berkeley Fire Officers Association, Berkeley Police Association, SEIU 1021, Community Services and Part-time Recreation Activity Leaders, SEIU 1021 Maintenance and Clerical Public Employee Union Local 1, Unrepresented Employees. 

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

 

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION at 6:30 pm 

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

AGENDA: 6. 2955 Claremont – Advisory Referral for the John Muir School 

7. 2613 San Pablo – Demolition Referral 

8. 2733 San Pablo – Demolition Referral 

9. Certified Local Government (CLG) Annual Report for the State Office of Historic Preservation 

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

 

Friday, March 8, 2024 – reduced service day 

 

Saturday, March 9, 2024 

 

AQUATIC PARK TREE PLANTING: CELEBRATE CALIFORNIA ARBOR WEEK  

Check-in at 9:15 am from 9:30 am – 12 pm 

Location: at 80 Bolivar, use link to register 

AGENDA: 9:15 am check-in, 9:30 am welcome, 10 am planting begins, 11:30 am lunch. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/aquatic-park-tree-planting-celebrate-california-arbor-week 

 

BERKELEY NEIGHBORHOODS COUNCIL at 10 am 

Videoconference:  

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4223188307?pwd=dFlNMVlVZ2d6b0FnSHh3ZlFwV2NMdz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171  

Meeting ID: 422 318 8307 Passcode: 521161 

AGENDA: Check later in the week for the agenda 

https://berkeleyneighborhoodscouncil.com/ 

 

Sunday, March 10, 2024 – no city meetings or events found 

 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm 

DRAFT AGENDA for March 19, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1604436779 

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

Meeting ID: 160 443 6779 

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

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations $120,000
2. Louis, Police – Amend Contract No. 32200150 add $45,000 total $150,000 with Range Maintenance Services LLC for Indoor range cleaning services and extend from 1/8/2024 to 12/1/2028
3. Murray, Public Works - Amend Contract No. 108090-1 add $3,865,300 total $12,79-,172 with IPS Group, Inc. for Parking Management System, Parking Meter Maintenance and Conversion to Pay-by-Plate Pay Stations, and extend from 6/30/2024 – 6/30/2026
4. Murray, Public Works - Amend Contract No.115731-1 add $919,815 total $2,915,355 with SKIDATA, Inc (formerly Sentry Control Systems) for extending parking access and revenue control maintenance services and warranties for equipment nearing the end of its useful life in the City’s three parking garages (Oxford, Center and Telegraph Channing) and extend by 2 years to 6/30/2026
5. Murray, Public Works – Grant Application GRO-23-606 to California Energy Commission (CEC) for Charging Infrastructure for Government Fleets
6. Murray, Public Works – Purchase Order Extension Authorizations for Critical Vendors of Equipment Parts and Services for Multiple Departments total $4,135,803.51, 1. Golden State Emergency Vehicle for Fire vehicle repairs $800.437.50, 2. Pape Machinery, Inc. for heavy equipment parts and repairs $666,667.50. 3. City Auto Supply for vehicle parts $432,447.50, 4. Fleetwash, Inc for vehicle washing $372,615, 5. Coast Counties Truck & Equipment, Co. for heavy equipment parts $351,730, 6. Arata Equipment Company for Zero Waste vehicle parts $305,000, 7. TEC of California, Inc, for vehicle parts and accessories $305,000, 8. Future Ford of Concord for auto/truck parts and service $300,000,9. Acme Rigging & Supply Company, Inc. for wheel loader and heavy equipment $285,995, 10. Western Truck Center $260,000, 11. McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing Co. for Zero Waste Truck parts $200,000, 12. California Covers for upholstery services $110,881.01, 13. Berry Brothers for towing services $50,000
7. Murray, Public Works – Purchase Order $665,000 with Owen Equipment Safes for one combination storm sewer cleaner, Contract #101221-VTR
8. Arreguin – Appoint Councilmember Wengraf to represent City of Berkeley to East Bbay Hills Wildfire Prevention Coordinating Group, Councilmember Humbert as the Alternate

AGENDA on ACTION: 

9. Murray, Public Works – Adoption of a Master License Agreement Template for the Non-Exclusive Installation of Small Cell Telecommunications Facilities on City Owned and Maintained Streetlight Poles in the Public Right-of-Way
10. Arreguin – Sole Source Contract Waiver for Creation of Equitable Black Berkeley Surviving Entity, Adopt resolution that supports efforts to implement the Equitable Black Berkeley Initiative by: 1. Approving sole source procurement on the basis of BDO US, P.C. being the only viable vendor, 2. Approving the contract with BDO US, P.C. $600,000, 3. Accepting grant funding up to $660,000 to cover the cost plus 10% administrative fee paid to the City of Berkeley for administering the contract

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

11. Radu, CM Office - Audit Status Report Response: Code Enforcements Resources Significantly Restrained and Improvements needed in Case Management and Oversight
12. Klein, Planning - LPO NOD: 2144 Shattuck
13. Klein, Planning - LPO NOD: 2274 Shattuck
14. Murray, Public Works – Audit Status Reports: Fleet Replacement Fund Short Millions & Rocky Road: Berkeley Street At Risk and Significantly Underfunded

 

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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for Regular 6 pm Meeting on March 12, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1602817302 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (toll free)  

Meeting ID: 160 281 7302 

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

 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

15. Klein, Planning – 2nd reading Zoning Amendments
16. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations total $3,676,000, Civic Center Park Upper Plaza Improvements $1,676,000, Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention $2,000,000
17. Davidson, HHCS – Grant Application Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Infrastructure in connection with the proposed North Berkeley BART (NBB) BRIDGE Phase 1 Project. 1. Grant Application for award amount of up to $50 million, 2. Authorize CM to accept grant if awarded up to $5.8 million for transportation improvements
18. Davidson, HHCS – Application for Prohousing Incentive Program Funds
19. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Amend Contract #8392 with Innovative Clam Solutions authorizing third-party administration of Worker’s Compensation claims through 6/30/2026
20. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Amend Contract No. 32400083 with WBCP, Inc Recruitment Agency total $350,000 (does not include original contract amount or dates) 10/2/2023 – 6/30/2026
21. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Salary Adjustments: Electrical Supervisor and Communications Supervisor adjust three steps $62.8856 per hour to $66.6047 per hour effective 3/12/2024
22. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Align Training and Certification Differentials for Deputy Police Chief and Police Chief with Differentials for Berkeley Police Association Members
23. Ferris, Parks - Grant Application: Firehouse Subs Foundation for Polaris all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for Berkeley Echo Lake Camp
24. Murray, Public Works – Lease Agreement: 5 year lease retroactively on May 1, 2023 Dorothy Day House d.b.a. Dorothy’s Closet to use and occupy 2425 a Channing inside the Telegraph-Channing Mall and Garage
25. Human Welfare and Community Action Commission – Filling Vacancies Among the Elected Representative of the Poor confirming Catherine Huchting (District 3) and Maria Sol (District 1)

Council Items: 

26. Kesarwani, co-sponsor Wengraf, Taplin, Humbert – Budget Referral FY 2024 – 2025 $160,000 to renovate existing bathroom at James Kenney Community Center to be ADA compliant and permanently accessible to the general public
27. Taplin , co-sponsor Hahn– Vision 2050 Community Engagement Expansion to authorize the City Manager to expand the scope of the Vision 2050 Complete Streets Parcel Tax Community Engagement and Program Plan in the FY 2024 Budget to consider addition revenue sources (1) potential ballot referenda for an increase to Berkeley’s Parks Tax and/or (2) renewing the Measure P Real Property Transfer Tax beyond 2028 – moved to consent – (city attorney office wants additional time to review send to author to modify review for attorney)
28. Hahn – Creating SHARE BERKELEY – A Berkeley Public Library Share Hub for Access, Resilience, and Equity, (vast expansion of tool lending library into wide variety of lending options) – moved to consent Library Director supports item
29. Wengraf , co-sponsor Hahn – Opposition to AT&T Applications: Relief of “Carrier of Last Resort” letter to CPUC expressing opposition to AT&T proposal to discontinue being the default landline phone provider and to reject AT&T’s application to end traditional landline service in all areas until reliable broadband cellular coverage is available

AGENDA on ACTION: - no items on Action 

INFORMATION ITEMS: 

30. Cardwell, City Manager’s Office – Staff Shortages: City Services Constrained by Staff Retention challenges and Delayed Hiring Audit Status Report

DISPOSITION OF ITEMS REMOVED from DRAFT AGENDA: 

• Sent to FITES then to Budget - Environment and Climate Commission – Develop Curb Management Plan (the Environment and Climate Commission passed a referral to the Transportation and Infrastructure Commission to develop a street parking plan that would include handicapped parking and did NOT include in the motion to include the Commission on Disability in evaluating handicapped parking needs – though it is listed in the document to council. The referral from one commission to another needs to be approved by council)
• Scheduled for May 7 to be reviewed by the City Attorney in the interim at the request of the City Attorney - Taplin, co-sponsor Wengraf, Humbert - Relationship Nondiscrimination Ordinance amending BMC to include non-discrimination protections based on family and relationship structure. – issues raised by Hahn to city attorney number of people who can live in an apartment, what does the right imply, suggested to go to policy committee health life and have city attorney to full evaluation,

 

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LAND USE CALENDAR 

2113-2115 Kittredge (California Theater) TBD 

3000 Shattuck (construct 10-story mixed-use building) TBD 

 

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WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• March 12 at 4 pm - BPD Annual Report
• March 19 (ceremonial tentative) AC Transit: Ipdate on the Durant Quick Build Project
• May 21 at 4 pm (tentative)Inclusionary Housing In-Lieu Fee Feasibility Study

 

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

• Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation
• Draft Waterfront Specific Plan (October/November)
• Dispatch Needs Assessment Presentation
• Presentation on Homelessness/Re-Housing/Thousand-Person Plan (TBD regular agenda)

 

PREVIOUSLY LISTED WORKSESSIONS and SPECIAL MEETINGS REMOVED FROM LIST 

• Fire Department Standards of Coverage & Community Risk Assessment

PAST MEETINGS with reports worth reading: 

• May 16 - Fire Facilities Study Report, Wildfire Prevention Plan https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-may-16-2023-6-pm
• June 20 (WS) - Climate Action Plan & Resilience Update, Berkeley Economic Dashboards Update reports available https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas/city-council-2023-06-20

 

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Kelly Hammargren’s summary on what happened the preceding week is posted on the What Happened page at: https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/what-happened.html and in the Berkeley Daily Planet https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/ 

 

The Activist’s Calendar of meetings is posted on the What’s Ahead page 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 want to receive the Activist’s Diary 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. 

______________ 

For Online Public Meetings 

CLOSED CAPTIONING, SAVE TRANSCRIPT OVERVIEW, CHAT, DIRECTIONS and ZOOM SUPPORT LINKS:
.
ZOOM has as part of the program -(for no extra cost)- Closed Captioning (CC). It turns computer voice recognition into a text transcript. Closed Captioning and show full transcript and the save option are only available when the person setting up the ZOOM meeting has activated these options. If you don’t see CC ask for it. If it can’t be activated for the current meeting ask for it for future meetings. 

 

The accuracy of the Closed Captioning is affected by background noise and other factors, The CC and 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 transcript. 

 

For the online attendee, the full transcript is only available from the time the attendee activates Show Full Transcript. But if you sit through a meeting and then remember 10 minutes before it is over to 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. 

 

When you click on Show Full Transcript it will allow you to scroll up and down, so if want to go back and see what was said earlier you can do that during the meeting while the transcript is running. 

 

At the bottom of the transcript when we as attendees are allowed to save there will be a button for, "Save Transcript," you can click on the button repeatedly throughout the meeting and it will just overwrite and update the full transcript. If you lose connection during a zoom meeting your transcript will be from when you started it to the last time you clicked on save transcript. Clicking on the Save Transcript repeatedly as the meeting is coming to an end is important because once the host ends the meeting, the transcript is gone if you didn't save it. 

 

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.) 

 

Saving CHAT: There are three dots at the bottom of the CHAT. If you click on these you should get a menu to save the CHAT. 

 

At the upper corner of the transcript and the chat there is a tiny box with an arrow. If you click on this the transcript and chat will pop out of being connected to the zoom screen. You can then move these on your screen for easier continuous viewing. 

 

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 

 

Here is the link to ZOOM Support for attendees in how to save Closed Captions: 

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

 

How to convert a YouTube video into a transcript 

Copy the YouTube url into the box with “enter a youtube url” and click on go https://youtubetranscript.com/ 

The transcript (not perfect, but very close) will appear instantaneously