This is the beginning of the June 2024 issue, the second monthly issue of the confusingly named Berkeley Daily Planet. It was started as a print paper early in this millennium by three Stanford MBAs who thought there was big money in small papers.Wrong.

The Planet was never daily. After a couple of years using up the venture capital the founders tired of losing money and left town. The remains of the enterprise (a few macs, some software and a bit of old furniture) were acquired by the O’Malley family for $15,000, just in time . We went on to further demonstrate the axiom that the way to make a small fortune in the newspaper business is to start with a larger one.

Eventually, after several excellent but expensive years with a very fine staff, marred by an unpleasant tangle with a few local theocrats, the never-daily print newspaper morphed into an online weekly journal of opinion. Some of the unpaid contributors opine on the topic of“Berkeley” and others on the fate of the whole “Planet”, but they’re all opinionated and also good writers. We're blessed with a great group of literate and interesting regulars.

We maintain our longstanding policy of requiring people to sign their own real names if they want their opinions published unless they have a very convincing reason for needing to be anonymous.

My job is to shoehorn their work into an archaic software framework, plus writing my own occasional topical essay. Nowadays even weekly publishing takes more work than I’m able to contribute myself, especially with a recent broken ankle, so under this new plan pieces will be posted whenever they come in, top down, with a new list in a new issue started around the first of each month.

As always, let us know what you think: opinion@berkeleydailyplanet.com.

A few months ago, President Biden seemed frustrated as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ignored his calls for restraint in Gaza. In March, Biden was asked if his calls for Israel not to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah marked a “red line,” indicating serious consequences if crossed. “It is a red line,” Biden said, “but I’m never gonna leave Israel.” It was unclear what this meant, but it seemed to imply that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would lead to a suspension of offensive weapon transfers while maintaining defensive aid.  

In April, Biden urged Netanyahu to announce and implement specific steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, linking U.S. policy to Israel's actions. In May, Biden reiterated a red line, telling CNN, “If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons” used against cities. This suggested Biden was finally willing to stand up to Netanyahu and prevent a humanitarian disaster in Rafah. 

Despite these declarations, Biden has since allowed Netanyahu to act without consequences. Israel invaded Rafah, reduced food supplies to southern Gaza, killed at least 15 additional aid workers, and conducted reckless bombings. Now, as Biden proceeds with an $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel, it sends a signal that there are no consequences for ignoring his warnings. 

Former administration official Jeremy Konyndyk observed, “What Biden has shown Netanyahu over and over is that he will wag his finger but he won’t enforce the finger-wagging.” Netanyahu has shown ingratitude by criticizing the Biden administration and preparing to bypass the White House to speak to Congress. Diplomacy involves sticks and carrots, but Netanyahu doesn’t take Biden seriously because Biden mostly speaks softly and carries a big carrot. Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper, asked, “How much more proof does Biden need that Netanyahu is not a U.S. ally?” If Biden’s red lines are meaningless in Gaza, why should Russia, China, or Iran find him credible? The Biden administration needs to reassess its approach and enforce consequences to maintain international credibility and uphold a rules-based order. G The war in Gaza may drag on, and Israel is contemplating an attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Biden’s perceived weakness in dealing with Netanyahu limits his influence and undermines efforts to prevent further conflicts. While navigating real-world policy is complex, Biden must recognize that his Gaza policy is a failure. It has not helped anyone but Netanyahu and has damaged the U.S.'s standing. Biden needs to cut Netanyahu off and stop treating Israel as the 51st state. It’s time for the administration to enforce its red lines and demonstrate that there are consequences for actions that undermine peace and stability. 

Why now, after 75 years, and the great success Israel has enjoyed, must our hands be tied by Netanyahu and his hard-right cabinet? Why must billions of our tax dollars go to Israel, year after year, with little help in finding a lasting peace in the Middle East? 

Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, and hundreds of senators received substantial donations from AIPAC. And we worry about Russian interference in our elections? Really.

How CNN Can Improve the Biden-Trump Debate
The first presidential debate is looming on the calendar and steps have been taken to keep the confrontation from running amuck. CNN has wisely opted for an empty studio without raucous outbursts from an audience of rival political factions. Another preventative prep promised by CNN: muting microphones so neither candidate can try to shout down the other. 

I think the Mute Mike strategy is flawed—for two reasons. (1) Trump will claim it's a part of the ongoing witch-hunters' plan to silence him and (2) Trump can bellow so loudly he doesn't need a microphone to amplify his displeasures. 

So, here's an option. Instead of using silencers to control Trump's unhinged zingers, rants, and insults, how about if CNN includes a table of fact-checkers to flash a scoreboard warning whenever either candidate says something that is untrue. I'd love to watch Trump seethe helplessly as he is forced to watch his numbers mount on a CNN Lie Board. 

Publisher Leaves Subscribers Holding the Bag
A respected academic publisher recently mailed a quarterly journal inside a black plastic envelope. Printed on the envelope was an inscription that invited recipients to recycle the bag. Well, not "recycle" exactly. The bag lacked any official recyclable logos. Instead there was the image of a pair of scissors alongside instructions on how to "CUT. PULL. REUSE" the empty bag. For storing turnips from a backyard garden perhaps? 

So why not just admit that your unrecyclable plastic baggie is just another piece of long-lasting crud from the bowels of the Carbon/Oil Barons. And here's another suggestion: Next time, mail your journal in a fully recyclable paper envelope. 

Kimmel's Verses Versus Colbert's
Once again the Smithereens jury box has declared late-night host Jimmy Kimmel guilty of crafting the best "episode taglines" of the week—mostly directed at Donald Trump, the Ochre Ogre. Stephen Colbert's writers offered the following titles: His Holiness, Hey, Solsticer, Vice to Meet You
The best Kimmel's team could offer was: Trollier Than Thou. 

A few Trump-dumping late-night slights I'd like to see: His Hole-iness, Orange Appeal, Jail to the Chief, Best Celler. 

Bleach-Blonde Bad-Built Butch-Body Redux
Postscript: Jimmy Kimmel recently invited Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett on his show and offered some further descriptions of Marjorie Taylor Green that had that his team of writers had cooked up. They included:
Hoagie-Head Horse-Hair Hitler-Happy Hate-Hobbit,
Tank-Top Tramp-Stamp Traitor-Tot,
Q-Anon-Hot-Pocket Gazpacho-Goblin Guinea-Pig,
Tugboat-Torso Trump-Stump Two-Bit Tonya Harding,
Ding-Dong Dye-job Dipstick-in-Lipstick,
Hulk-Hogan-Headed Honey-Baked Ham-and-Legs. 

Fashion Plates
Personalized license plates spotted about town. (Notable note: Five of these plates were spotted on Teslas. I draw no conclusions.)
5 KATES
B NATRL
KUH 549
UHVROOM
WN BUGI
E2BIG
BS8VAGE
MZ DRAYA
CHCATS (Chicago Cats?)
BEANSNX (Bean Snacks?)
STY4CZD (Stay for CZD Auto Parts?) 

Bumpersnickers
2024 Vote, Any Sane Adult
Governing over Gaslighting
Do You Follow Jesus This Close?
Condoms Prevent Minivans
Weapons of Mass Deception
First in Prisons. 37^th in Healtcare
Take America Back. Demand a Refund
If you Don't Vote Don't Complain
It Takes a Village to Elect an Idiot
Don't Blame Me I Voted for Revparblems
In a Time of Universal Deceit Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act 

 

 

24 Hour Peace Wave: No to Militarization
World BEYOND War recently invited the online community to explore "the work of great activists for peace from all over the world and talk with them" in real time, as part of the third annual 24-hour worldwide online video event called the Peace Wave. Times and locations of this globe-hopping broadcast — which moved around the entire planet in twelve two-hour installments were available by signing up at 24hourpeacewave.org. 

Once signed in, participants could tune in anggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg out at any time during for a globe-roaming Zoom event featuring peace activists and activities from live around the world. Regional broadcasts included highlight videos of recent events followed by live discussions with the activists behind the actions. 

This Peace Wave coincided with the Pentagon's RIMPAC war rehearsals in the Pacific and prior to protests of NATO’s meeting in Washington in July. 

Peace Wave 2024 will be archived for online visits at World BEYOND War and at 24hourpeacewave.org. 

Here's a snippet from Peace Wave 2024: 

 

 

 

How Corporate Kooks Profit from Nukes
On June 16, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) released its latest annual report on the impact of spending on global nuclear arsenals. "Surge: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending 2023" exposes the massive increase in global nuclear weapons spending in 2023. In this ICAN video, Alicia Sanders-Zakre and Susi Snyder reveal the key findings of the report: who spent what, what does the money go to, who is profiting, and what we can do about it? 

 

How Bombmakers-and-Banks Profit from War
The diabolical links between the Military-Industrial-Complex are spelled out in the words of a new poster now circulating on the Web. It reads: 

The bankers want war
So they can lend $$ at interest to governments on both sides
Defense contractors want war
So they can sell their military products to governments on both sides
Governments want war
So the bankers and corporations keep them employed and in power
Wars are big business
They are manufactured by the elites, not by enemy rivals. 

A right-wing PAC funded entirely by the Berkeley Property Owners Association, the Los Angeles police union, and the corporate insurance industry illegally hid its major funders in a hit piece attacking progressive Soli Alpert 

This week, the Berkeley People’s Alliance (BPA) filed an amended complaint with the City of Berkeley’s Fair Campaign Practices Commission against “Californians for Safety and Security,” a right-wing PAC based in Sacramento and funded entirely by the Berkeley Property Owners Association, the Los Angeles police union, and the Personal Insurance Federation Committee. The PAC launched numerous hit pieces against City Council candidate Soli Alpert. 

The Berkeley Election Reform Act (BERA) requires most communications by PACs about city elections to include a disclosure of who the PAC’s major funders are. The PAC received $5,000 from the Personal Insurance Federation Committee two weeks before launching its hit pieces and is required to disclose that corporate funding on its communications. But this right-wing PAC has refused to comply with this basic and crucial sunshine requirement in its numerous hit pieces against Alpert, choosing instead to illegally hide its corporate funding in order to trick voters and buy a city council seat for its favored candidates. BPA originally filed numerous campaign finance complaints with the city in late May. 

After the election ended, BPA discovered even more rampant violations by the PAC. These included additional hit pieces that illegally failed to list the PAC’s major funders, a failure to declare under penalty of perjury that they did not coordinate with any candidates (known as a form 462), and illegally filing all of their campaign finance reports in a way that minimizes transparency. 

“It is clear that Berkeley’s largest landlords, out-of-town cops, and the insurance industry were willing to stop at nothing to buy this City Council seat,” said BPA Treasurer George Lippman. “And it’s clear that they blatantly violated the law in order to do so.” 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

The City’s Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets tonight at 6:30PM at City Hall to vote on beginning an investigation into these numerous violations. Additionally, Berkeley Municipal Code 2.12.460 makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly or willfully violate the Berkeley Election Reform Act. 

Berkeley People’s Alliance is a community alliance of local organizations dedicated to advancing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in the City of Berkeley.h

The California Supreme Court took the easy route out of its decision on People's Park. It could have stood up for itself as an independent judiciary. It could have stood up for the California Environmental Quality Act's (CEQA) respected and historic provision for the public's right to a voice in environmental and cultural resources. But this is no way constrains the current crop of politicians from taking action to protect the public's voice. 

Politicians wishing to represent Berkeley, to respect CEQA, to maintain parks rather than increase the imbalance of parks to people and who respect the necessity of an independent judiciary are numerous. They have the appellate court at their back should they have the common sense to call for a pause in the terrifying precedent of sacrificing historic parks and sightlines of priceless historic architectural treasures. 

It's the perfect moment now, now that Berkeley's mayor's ambition has overwhelmed his interest in putting to right a town he's wrecked so badly that a sizeable proportion of the city council, the department heads, and even the city manager have jumped ship. The university's Berkeley campus will also have new leadership, leading to the possibility of a more thoughtful moment about living with a park on the National Register of Historic Places surrounded by shipping containers and police at the public's expense. 

The California Commission on Historic Resources and the National Register's support finally has a chance for a measure of political and public respect. Ask any prospective leaders to show some common sense on this issue. Ask now, before the next park comes under fire to become more profitable. 

# # # 

g The Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, was originally intended to allow for the formation of militias to defend the new nation. However, with the establishment of modern law enforcement agencies and the National Guard, the need for civilian militias has become obsolete. How many more children and innocent civilians must die before we prioritize human lives over corporate profits and political interests? The epidemic of mass shootings in our country demands decisive action, not regulatory rollbacks. Bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to function like fully automatic weapons, are only the latest example of this insanity, enabling mass murder at an accelerated pace. Australia's response to mass shootings by implementing a comprehensive ban on assault weapons offers a powerful example of effective gun control. Following their lead, we should ban all assault weapons, including bump stocks, to ensure the safety of our communities. Our children deserve to live in a society where their safety is paramount, and innocent lives are not sacrificed for the sake of preserving outdated interpretations of the Second Amendment. Let us not wait for another tragedy to occur.

WE NEED TREATMENT AND WE NEED MORE PERKS

I have lived with psychotic illness my entire adult life, a span of more than four decades. I can tell you that people with psychiatric conditions don't lead enviable lives. Aside from stereotypes, myths, social rejection, and being an unacknowledged minority, symptoms of a mental illness--by themselves--without all the add-ons, are enough to ruin our lives. vc Medications that usually allow manageable behavior are given and/or forced on mentally ill people. Some of the meds can help resolve delusional thinking and others can relieve severe depression or a bipolar elevation. Yet many psychiatric medications cause a lot of side effects, including but not limited to physical suffering. To me it seems likely the unhappy circumstance of side effects could be closely related to the reason for the drugs' effectiveness. Antipsychotics are apparently designed to suppress brain activity, and that's why they work. With psychosis and with being on antipsychotics, the nature of the brain is changed, and this means everything is affected. These illnesses, including when we are in treatment, make it hard to live in society at large. It can be challenging to be in a public place, sometimes due to the higher amounts of stimuli. If subject to paranoia, too much stimulus may cause our symptoms to temporarily flare up. This can look like an individual being distressed in a public place. Symptoms of untreated, severe psychosis can lead a person's mind into an internally generated hell. Despite a major malfunction of the brain, and speaking by experience, I was conscious during the psychotic episodes I had, and this is despite the content of my mind being fully erroneous. 

PUBLIC PERCEPTION 

Those of us who have a chronic, severe psychiatric condition could be seen as members of the most underrepresented minority in the U.S. And that's merely one of many facets to our very harsh predicaments. A mental condition is sometimes concealable, and we can sometimes be closeted about it. But usually, it is apparent to most people that we are not quite the same as they are. And people react to this, often by being disrespectful and believing disrespect is justified. It is not justified, and it is not acceptable. People with psychiatric conditions deserve common decency and common respect. There are stereotypes about mentally ill people. Some people might expect us to live in a separate supervised clinical setting. And they might imagine us riding around in vans and being supervised by workers. And many of the uninformed might believe that we have very limited minds. And this includes treatment professionals. A clinical mental health worker is trained to believe we lack mental resources. Yet this error made by practitioners probably can't be debunked, because I can't force anyone to see it my way. I can tell you that many people with mental illness are highly intelligent. Some have above average intelligence, and some have below average. Yet members of the public often presume that we are automatically stupid. Being mentally ill and medicated is apparent to people. This could be due to mannerisms. Or it could be due to a difference in grooming and clothes. In some instances, it is at least clear to people that I am low-income. This alone is enough to prevent being afforded respect. And then when we speak and when we have mannerisms affected by medication, an onlooker may conclude I am a mentally ill dumb idiot. And added to that, many citizens presume criminality.  

WE ARE NOT "NORMAL" 

A mentally ill person is different. Many of us lack social skills. We may be conditioned by our living situations to relate well to other mentally ill people and to counselors. But when it comes time to try to hobnob with proper folk, we may face a huge gap. This is due to conditioning. Additionally, many well-to-do people are classist and intolerant. When in a social situation, the first question is "What do you do?" I have been asked that question at a writer's group that once met in Walnut Creek at a coffee place. It is the norm that ninety nine or more percent of writers to have a day job. If we reply to the question that we do nighttime cleanup of a supermarket, or if we report that we are unemployed because of a psychiatric disability, it creates the instant perception we are different. People may not want to be seen talking to us.  

EMPLOYABILITY 

We are not normal. And this also impacts employability. For a position involving brains, or involving responsibility, potential employers will not knowingly hire a mentally ill person. This was different a few decades back. Intolerance is a bigger problem than it was in the nineteen eighties and nineties. In present day if you want to earn enough to live on, you must have a college degree and you must be prepared to produce a ton of work. This is often beyond what a mentally ill medicated person can do.  

A PURITANICAL AND INTOLERANT CULTURE 

Certain things in modern times cause people to be excluded. If you are a smoker, you are abruptly rejected by the proper people. If you have a record of incarceration, it never goes away, and people cannot or will not forget what happened decades earlier. If you lack college, you are presumed a lower-class person and unsuitable for a middle-class social group. If your income isn't high enough, you are excluded. Or maybe you're the person hired to take out the trash. If you have a psychiatric condition, you might encapsulate all of the above marks against you. And there may be a few mentally ill who are accepted into the upper crust group by virtue of birth, but you are not one of them. In an episode of "Seinfeld" the protagonist was accused of picking his nose. It is a perfect example of how being a person with normal behavior can get you excluded. Society has stiflingly strict norms of acceptable behavior. And if you can't measure up to them, you could be out of luck.  

PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS HAVE IT ROUGH 

I have outlined some elements of the predicament of mentally ill adults. This manuscript is far from a complete description of our challenges. For example, I have not addressed housing here, which is one of the foremost concerns. I have not addressed run-ins with law enforcement either. Mentally ill people deserve to have a decent home, we deserve acceptance, and we should not be harassed or otherwise intimidated by authority. We have it rough. And anyone who can make the best of it should be proud of themselves.  

Jack Bragen lives in Martinez and writes commentary and fiction.

Reflections on da Vinci's Heavenly Ceiling 

Gazing at a photo of the Sistine Chapel recently, I found myself considering a few odd questions that had never before crossed my mind, beginning with: How old is God? 

To Leonardo da Vinci, the gray-bearded Lord of Creation appears to be in His seventies. The Sistine scenario prompted more curious questions: Who cuts God's hair? How come God doesn't have a halo? Was God ever a child? 

If Adam and Eve were created in God's image, does that mean that the Creator is trans? If Adam and Eve were "created in God's image," was God also unclothed until Satan tempted Adam to snack on an apple? (Not according to da Vinci, who shows his Sistine God wearing a clinging nightgown surrounded by a small, devoted crowd of naked boys.) 

But—waitaminute!—if God is in the process of creating Adam (the first human) where did all those kids come from? Chalk it up to the artist taking some libertine liberties with the Holy Writ. 

And that got me thinking about Mother Mary. If Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, would that mean that Jesus is the "Nephew of God"? 

Mary is called both "The Mother of God" and the mother of Jesus. The savior's mom is worshipped as the Virgin Mary because she is said to have remained a virgin even after giving birth to the Holy Child. It is said that Mary remained a virgin her entire life. But according to The Book of Mark, Jesus had four brothers also apparently virgin-birthed by Mary. According to Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55, their names were James, Joses, Judas (aka Jude), and Simon. 

All this news has given me a holy headache. It's not easy being a believer. 

Peace in Gaza, Post Haste
Support for the Palestinian people has been evident in the proliferation of pro-statehood posters in yards and windows and the surging appearance of kufiya shawls and headscarfs. No surprise then to discover a US Postal Service mailbox that's been politicized. It takes a second to spot it but a USPS mailbox near the North Berkeley BART station now bears a USPS Priority Mail label glued to its side that bears the hand-written instruction:
Priority. Mail From the River 

To the Sea 

(A hand-drawn image of the Palestinian flag has been added between the two lines of mailing instructions.) 

100,000 Surround the White House and It's Not News
With war-hawkish world leaders barking the news of their latest "red lines" on the path to global destruction, 100,000 Americans gathered in Washington, DC on June 8 to create a "Peoples' Red Line" for peace in Ukraine and an end to the genocide in Palestine. The massive peace throng surged through the streets holding an historic red banner that was two miles long! Chanting and waving flags, the telegenic demonstrators converged on the nation's capitol and literally surrounded the White House in a rousing pitch for peace. 

So how was the news coverage?
• NBC Nightly News, 8 seconds!
• ABC World News Tonight. Nothing. (Viewers were, however, alerted to the news that Caitlin Clark not would not be going to the Paris Olympics). 

• CBS Evening News. Zilch. 

• NPR News Hour. Nada. 

For a sampling of the US peace movement's latest media-masked mass-protest, click the following links.
Watch the recap video of the mobilization
Watch the people’s verdict being delivered 

Kimmel's Verses Versus Colbert's 

Once again the Smithereens jury box has declared late-night host Jimmy Kimmel guilty of crafting the best "episode taglines" of the week—mostly directed at Donald Trump, the Ochre Ogre. Stephen Colbert's writers came in a close second, with the following titles:
Colbert: The Hunter Games, Vice to Meet You, Q and A-hole
Kimmel: Shark and Awe, Tannie Oakley, Bible Trumper 

My Trump tag-lines for the week: Tight-Fraud, Bottled Whine, For He's a Jolly Good Felon 

Fashion Plates
Personalized license plates spotted about town.
CAMILA
ALIXANN
GMC FIT
NV YOGA
G700R1
SARGE1
GUBBINA
INSAYTN
SHE [heart] ART
BUCHARU (Buckaroo) 

Bumpersnickers
Think While It's Still Legal
Keep Calm Stay Wired
Keep Calm Go Vegan
Keep Your Distance: You Never Know What Might Fall Off
A Good Bumper Sticker Makes You Think
My Mind Was Changed by a Bumper Sticker: Said No One Ever 

Signs of our Times
Trader Joe's is known for its clever signage—ranging from hand-drawn price-tags to seasonal produce announcements dangling overhead. The Berkeley franchise is also known for economically pressed solicitors stationed at entrance and exist points, brandishing their own hand-crafted messages in hopes of scoring enough hand-outs to buy food for hard-pressed families. I suppose it was only a matter of time but a new signboard recently showed up resting against a door near an entrance to the Berkeley TJ's. It read:
"Your Right to Distraction-Free Shopping.
Out of respect to our customers, Trader Joe's doesn't permit solicitation at or near the front of our stores regardless of the issue. Please feel free to ignore anyone who ignores our request for your right to shop w/o distraction." 

Got to admit, I found the sign a wee bit distracting. 

Putin Proposes Peace Talks 

A major weekend summit of world leaders planned for Switzerland claimed its aim was to end the Ukraine/Russia war before the bloody conflict gets further out of hand, expanding to include NATO nations and risking an all-out escalation to nuclear war. One problem: Russia was not invited to participate. 

On June 14, the day before the summit, Russian President Putin addressed Moscow's top Foreign Ministry officials and outlined measures to be taken "for the protection of Eurasia, the largest continent on Earth, from the socialist Western colonial powers." 

Putin called for a ceasefire and talks to end the conflict in Ukraine stating: “Moscow rejects Kiev’s claims of sovereignty over five formerly Ukrainian regions, four of which have joined Russia amid the ongoing hostilities.... People in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions voted for the transition in late 2022... Our side will order a ceasefire and start negotiations the minute Kiev declares that it is prepared to take this decision and starts actual withdrawal of troops from those regions, and also formally informs us that it no longer plans to join NATO... We are counting on Kiev to take such a decision on withdrawal, neutral status, and dialogue with Russia…, guided by the true interests of the Ukrainian people and not at Western orders." 

Putin (who recently won his third election as Russia's leader) also took a swipe at Volodymyr Zelensky, noting that Zelensky's presidential term expired in April and Ukraine is currently in a state of martial law. 

F-16s and Acts of War 

Andrey Kartapolov, chair of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, has warned that Moscow would consider any NATO/European bases used to accommodate "nuclear-capable" F-16 fighter jets on loan to Kiev would become "legitimate military targets." 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that Moscow would view the shipment of F-16s to Ukraine as a nuclear threat, given that the jets have long been used as part of the US-led bloc’s joint nuclear missions. 

Another destabilizing development: US long-range maneuverable drones have been used to strike critical defense radar sites deep inside Russia—far from the battlefields in Ukraine. 

It is widely believed that these missions could not have been carried out without the support of US operators, US satellite surveillance data, and US intelligence. If so, these attacks on two or three of Russia's ten missile-detecting stations—including a particularly damaging strike in Armavir, in Russia's southeastern Krasnodar region—would appear to qualify as "acts of war." Even more chilling, given the radars' role in detecting incoming ballistic missiles, these attacks could be seen as preparations for "an act of nuclear war." 

A Rousing Anti-Trump Tribute from Randy Rainbow 

Not to end on a dismal note, here is an applause-winning, dance-worthy, Trump-thumping anthem from the notorious Randy Rainbow. 

U.S. Army Major Harrison Mann. Major Mann, who served at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for 13 years, resigned in protest over the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. His resignation, effective last week, was a direct response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from this conflict. 

In a public letter, Mann criticized the U.S. government's near-unconditional support for Israel, stating it has "enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians." He expressed profound disillusionment with his role, highlighting that continuing in his position would mean contributing to the Israeli campaign, which inflicted massive civilian casualties from the outset. 

Mann’s decision was profoundly influenced by his Jewish heritage. He reflected on the moral implications, drawing uncomfortable parallels between the current devastation in Gaza and the horrors of the Holocaust. He described how witnessing images of charred bodies and emaciated children in Gaza today mirrored the suffering of Holocaust victims, a connection that deeply troubled him. 

Despite potential career repercussions, Mann chose to act on his ethical convictions. He underscored the internal and external pressures within the military and intelligence community that stifled open discussion about the morality of U.S. support for Israel. He found solace in the positive feedback from colleagues who shared his concerns but felt unable to voice them. 

Mann’s resignation is a powerful statement on the ethical responsibilities of military and intelligence officers. His actions remind us of the importance of scrutinizing the moral dimensions of our foreign policies and the dire consequences of unexamined support in international conflicts.

It's Dan Ellsberg Week in the Bay Area 

On Wednesday, June 12, as part of Daniel Ellsberg Week, CodePink will be visiting the offices of several Bay Area "Merchants of Death"—weapons companies that are making a killing on killing. These are the firms that provide the Israeli government with genocidal weapons and surveillance tools. There will be "mini teach-ins at each stop" and activists will attempt to "connect with employees offering information and encouragement for transitioning their companies to peacetime industries such as clean energy and transportation." 

More than half of the US military budget goes to enrich weapons industries a sector of the Military-Industrial-Complex that is dominated by just six corporations—Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics, and L3Harris. Their 2022 revenue from military contracting topped $210 billion. This map summarizes what each facility produces and suggests how the Arms Industry could shift production to peaceful, beneficial ends. 

According to CodePink: "We are choosing 3 or 4 stops that we are keeping confidential until we gather for the tour." In addition to transportation, folks who RSVP not only get transportation but will also be offered a picnic lunch on the Stanford campus in exchange for a donation to help cover. "We will pick people up in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Palo Alto for the tour and return them to the pick-up spots in the afternoon. We are estimating leaving at 9am and returning at 3pm." People who don't want to board a bus are welcome to join a "car caravan." 

Seats are limited. You can RSVP by replying to this email—codepinksfbay@gmail—and providing your name, email address, phone number, and the number of people in your party. 

Here's Every US Factory Making Bombs for Israel 

 

US weapons corps receive substantial handouts from Feds, mostly in the form of huge government contracts. The government generates revenue by taxing workers' wages—i.e., taxing labor instead of taxing consumption. With the ever-swelling federal debt now approaching $1.8 trillion, the government has to borrow additional money to feed the war economy. Bankers profit by making loans to the government and attaching fees for, among other things, borrowing billions to arm Ukraine and Israel. 

Mega-tribe's Astonishing Turnout for Trump's SF Fundraiser 

Thanks to KRON for daring to report on the notable size of the crowd that turned out to greet Donald Trump at SF's Marina Green. You would never have guessed the size of the crowd without a camera crew on hand to record the unprecedented numbers. 

SF Trump Rally Draws 8 People

 

Kimmel's Verses Versus Colbert's 

Once again the Smithereens jury box has declared late-night host Jimmy Kimmel guilty of crafting the best "episode taglines" of the week—mostly directed at Donald Trump, the Ochre Ogre. Stephen Colbert's writers came in a distant second, with the following titles:
Colbert: Law and Border, Stop Gun, Guilt Pleasure…. What's Going on Over There?
Kimmel: R. Smelly, Trolled Glory, Lepre-con Man, Old Yeller, Contradict Head, 

A few bright slights I'd like to see: Top Con, Grift Wrapped, Trumpled FlintSkin, Grilled Ham 

Fashion Plates
Personalized license plates spotted about town.
CAMILA
CT1ON31
2FIVE1
S 9 R (Senior?)
CA DUBZ (California Dubzy?)
LA JEFE (The chief is a lady)
SUPAROO (On a Subaru) 

Bumpersnickers
Republicant
If You Didn't Vote Don't Complain
Tax the Rich and Shelter the Poor
The Constitution Is a Shield Not a Sword
The Republican Party: The Best Government Money Can Buy
Bipartisanship: I'll Hug Your Elephant If You'll Kiss My Ass
Vote Republican: Help Us Profit from the Suffering of Others
On the Advice of Legal Counsel, This Sticker Contains No Message 

 

Biodegredation
A recent Facebook ping alerted me to a new case of "inappropriate problem-solving"—an instance where the misdiagnosis of a problem leads to "an ingenious solution" that's really just a new problem. 

The Facebook message contained the following giddy announcement of a new, never-before-seen product: "Bioplastics made from avocado pits that completely biodegrade in 240 days created by Mexican chemical engineering company." 

This opened the door to a number of recommendations for similar reader-promoted eco-savvy products—including this salute to Potatopak. 

"A firm in Britain called Potatopak has developed plates made from potato-starch. Potato plates are made from starch 100% biodegradable, 100% compostable, non-toxic, and made from natural ingredients. They are suitable for all fast food applications, being stronger, more rigid, and more insulative than conventional disposables." 

Hold your ponies, Facebook. 

The good news is that these products aren't some form of plastic. Plastic has no business being biodegradable. "Biodegradable" and "compostable" are just fancy words for "polluting." When plastic bags, boxes and utensils "biodegrade," what you get is a world filled with microplastics—in our water, our air, our food, our bodies. 

"Not plastic" is good: "Disposable" is not. "Use once and toss" is not a mantra for a clean, tidy planet. Instead of focusing our inventive talents on "disposable" items cleverly crafted from various plants and vegetables, why not rely on traditional utensils that are designed to last for decades? Washable and reusable beats biodegradable in my book. 

Dennis Kucinich Questions the Ukraine Conflict
Dennis Kucinich served 16 years in Congress, representing Cleveland, Ohio and he ran for US President twice. Gerrymandered out of his district in 2012, he is now running for Congress as "an independent, with allegiance to America, not a political party." 

Kucinich recently took issue with Joe Biden's D-Day Speech in Normandy, in which the President "went on to conflate the hallowed D-Day counter-offensive against the Nazis, with the current US-backed proxy war with Russia. This is a total mischaracterization of the current conflict." 

Here is a further taste of Kucinich's essential counter-history (read the full essay here): 

"The Ukraine war is a wholly unnecessary conflict ignited by NATO expansionism and a $5.2 billion, US-led coup against a democratically elected government a decade ago. The conflict is now fueled by hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons and cash from NATO countries, spurred by the US.
"The slaughter continues because the American people are being lied to, daily.
A proposed peace agreement was sabotaged on April 9, 2022, by the US and the UK. According to Davyd Arakhamia, the leader of Ukraine’s ruling party, Russia would have withdrawn its troops merely in exchange for Ukraine’s neutrality. Now Ukraine is likely to lose territory in any peace agreement.
"The UK’s Boris Johnson carried the message to Ukraine, which scuttled an end to the war: Fight to the last Ukrainian…. 

"[T]o keep the propaganda-cash machine churning, we have the US State Department’s confabulated narrative, Russia = Nazis. This is a dangerous equation, which requires not just historical amnesia, but a willful, wholly corrupt distortion of gargantuan proportions which can only incite hatred of America. 

"Alliances can shift, but when the narrative shifts, and history is reshaped and edited and retold to fit the political convenience of the moment, when Lies = Truth, we have arrived not at Election Day 2024, but the eve of our own destruction." 

Enter the Weird World of NATO
This propaganda-loaded video is from NATO's Cognitive Warfare site.  

 

Will CODEPINK Attempt a Citizens' Arrest?
On January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) charged Israel with the crime of genocide. On May 24, the ICJ ordered Israel to halt its planned attack on Rafah. Instead, Israel continued to bomb Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians. 

Recently, Israeli conducted what it called "a precision intelligence-based strike" targeting Hamas. More than 40 (including 14 children and nine women) were killed and more sustained serious injuries. 

On May 20, Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor obtained arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders. 

On May 31, leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress. 

Netanyahu has to be careful in planning his itinerary, especially avoiding transit through nations that have ratified the ICJ and the ICC, and are bound arrest anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant should they pass through their sovereign territory. 

The Grab -- Opening June 14

THE GRAB (view the full film here beginning June 14) is a "high-stakes global thriller" from the San Francisco-based Center for Investigative Reporting that follows director Gabriela Cowperthwaite ("Blackfish") as she circles the globe to uncover one of the world’s largest and least-known scandals. "The Grab" reveals how "governments, private investors and mercenaries are working to seize food and water resources at the expense of entire populations." 

As climate change continues to disrupt the global food chain, the international intelligence community is warning world leaders that "food is power" in the 21st century. "As water and food conflicts are erupting around the world, the most vital resources on the planet are being weaponized and used to wage war." 

For more information, visit: http://thegrabthemovie.com/ 

Here's the trailer: 

 

 

The war in Ukraine is widely seen as a "proxy war" where Washington (having orchestrated a 2014 coup that toppled Ukraine's pro-Russian government and subsequently enlisted British PM Boris Johnson to sabotage the Ukraine-Russia Minsk Agreement that could have brought peace to the region) is prepared to "fight to the last Ukrainian." 

Within the last few weeks, however, the situation has taken some troubling steps upwards on the ladder of nuclear escalation. NATO partners are now sending "instructors" to Ukraine to prepare soldiers to use ever-more-powerful Western weapons—including nuclear-capable F-16 Lockheed Martin fighter jets. French leader Emmanuel Macron is desirous of sending French troops to bolster Ukraine's fighting forces. Several NATO states have agreed to store US nuclear weapons on bases close to Russia's border. 

The nuclear threat has become so ominous that one Russian dignitary, Dmitry Suslov, has openly suggested that one way to halt the quickening pace towards a world-ending nuclear conflagration would be for Moscow to explode a single "demonstration" nuke to remind everyone of the horrendous force of a nuclear weapon. 

And it is in these fraught times that the US has broken its taboo against providing Ukraine with US-made weapons that can reach deep inside Russian territory. These weapons (including long-range drones guided by US technicians and Pentagon satellite intelligence specialists) were recently used to strike two of Russia's ten Nuclear Launch Early Warning Detection radar systems. 

These early warning systems (EWS) are designed to scan vast regions of the planet's sky ready to pick up any signs of incoming nuclear-armed missiles. These shockingly provocative attacks are especially troubling given Washington's recent refusal to join China and other nuclear-armed nations in adopting a "No First-Use" policy. 

Washington's attacks on Russia's nuclear warning system is gravely concerning but the story has yet to receive any substantive reporting in the US media. 

These aggressive US military strikes deep inside Russia are especially alarming given that the EWS plays no role in the Ukraine War. The US-backed attacks on two radar-warning station—hundreds of miles from the frontlines of the Ukraine war—have left Russia fearing that the strikes were intended to "blind" Russian defensive sites as a "prelude" to a US nuclear first-strike. Or, a Russian strategist asked, perhaps these attacks were "an attempt by the US/NATO to provoke a Russian nuclear strike against Western targets." 

In the aftermath of the attack on the Voronezh M early-warning radar near Orsk, Russia is now weighing Paragraph 19c of its Nuclear Response Doctrine, which reads: 'attack by an adversary against critical governmental or military sites…. would undermine nuclear forces response actions" and would justify a Russian retaliatory strike. 

The Western media has insulated readers to a sobering fact: Today's thousands of missile-ready nuclear weapons are many times more destructive than the bombs that erased two Japanese cities from the map. As Russian affairs specialist Gilbert Doctorow recently noted, a single "fully loaded Sarmat [a nuclear-armed Russian missile] can level to the ground a country the size of the UK." 

Meanwhile, Washington and the Pentagon have so far failed to address—let along justify—the "blinding" attack on one-fifth of Russia's defensive radar systems. 

Imagine this scenario: You live in a ten-story apartment complex. One of your neighbors is known to be a serial arsonist. One day you wake up to discover that 20% of the building's smoke detectors have been smashed…. 

What would you do?

Donald Trump is now the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes. On May 30, 2024, a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges related to a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn actor who testified that they had a sexual encounter. It seems Trump's misogynist past may have finally caught up with him. 

Incomprehensibly, Trump’s campaign announced that it had raised nearly $53 million within 24 hours of his felony conviction. While it is too early to predict the impact of these convictions on the upcoming presidential election, looking back, perhaps Stormy Daniels played a role in preserving democracy by disproving Trump’s boast: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" 

The "2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey" ranks Trump last, while Joe Biden is rated fourteenth. Despite being a convicted felon and facing three other criminal indictments, two impeachments, a $5 million sexual abuse judgment, and a $2 million charity abuse judgment, Trump remains the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. His fake charity and university were shut down, and he has 26 sexual assault allegations pending. Additionally, his six bankruptcies cast doubt on his self-proclaimed business prowess. 

The Washington Post documented that Trump made 30,573 untrue statements during his presidency. This raises the question: how could such a deceitful and duplicitous figure win the White House and retain the loyalty of so many voters? 

Trump supporters often claim he did a great job as president, though they struggle to list specific accomplishments. Despite his serious legal issues and history of lies, they continue to stand by him. As the late George Carlin once said, "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."

Berkeley City Hall’s efforts to enable the University of California's expansion in Berkeley have taken a new turn. Having already facilitated the school’s colonization of residential areas in Southside and Downtown, Berkeley city officials are now trying to expedite UCB’s appropriation of Berkeley’s commercial districts, as well as industrial zones in West Berkeley. 

On June 1, the city Planning Commission reviewed a draft of zoning amendments that would permit with a Zoning Certificate (no public hearing) Research and Development (R&D) businesses, including biolabs, under 20,000 square feet in West Berkeley, as well as on several commercial corridors (University, San Pablo, and Telegraph) that back up on residential neighborhoods. Staff also proposed revising or removing the regulation of Biological SafetyLevel (BSL) organisms from the Zoning Ordinance. (See Item 10 on the agenda. A video of the meeting and a transcript of the proceedings have been posted on the just-launched Berkeley Public Eye website.) 

According to the June 1 staff report, the impetus for the proposed changes comes from a March 2022 referral from the council entitled “Keep Innovation in Berkeley,” which is attached to the staff report. Authored by now-former Councilmember Rigel Robinson and co-sponsored by Councilmember Terry Taplin, Mayor Jesse Arreguín, and now-former Councilmember and now mayor candidate Kate Harrison, the referral was designed “to provide relief from regulations that are ‘inhibit[ing] innovation in Berkeley.’” 

Translation: Planning staff report that R&D startups founded by UC professors and graduate students are having a hard time finding Berkeley space “that meets their operating needs.” Companies “have grown out of their facilities on the UC Berkeley campus or in local incubators and coworking spaces” but still want to be close to the “talent, facilities and entrepreneur support programs” on campus and/or at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. If they can’t find such space in Berkeley, they will go to “[n]eighboring jurisdictions, including Oakland, Emeryville, San Leandro, and Alameda,” that “have a wider selection of eligible real estae opportunities. Updated zoning codes which permit R&D uses and streamlined permitting processes will give the City of Berkeley a competitive advantage for business retention and attraction.” 

Deregulating biolabs 

Most concerning is the proposed “relief from regulations” of biolabs smaller than 20,000 square feet. The staff report explains: 

“Biological Safety Levels (BSL) are define by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National In Istitute of Health (NIH) to prescribe the work practices, engineering controls, personal protect equipment, and facility requirements for working with biological agents in a lab setting.” 

There are four levels of safety. “The lower the number, the lower the risk....[T]he factors considered in the rating include the nature of the work conducted and the infectivity, severity of disease, and transmissibility associated with the biological agents used in the lab.” 

BSL-1 labs present minimal risk and thus are “not required to be isolated from surrounding facilities.” BSL-2 labs, which “are ubiquitous on research university campuses such as UC Berkeley,” must include enhanced safety measures. The staff report claims that there is only one BSL-3 lab in California. 

Currently, the Berkeley Zoning Ordinance prohibits “Commercial or physical or biological laboratories using Class 3 organisms” in the Mixed-Use Light Industrial (MU-LI) district in West Berkeley. It allows the use of Class 2 organisms, i.e., BSL-2 labs, “only in locations at least 500 feet from a Residential District or a MU-R [Mixed Use-Residential] district in West Berkeley.” 

City staff reviewed the zoning ordinances for nineteen other Bay Area jurisdictions (p. 11), “as well as cities across the country that support a broad range of R&D uses, such as Sacramento, San Diego, and Cambridge,” and “found that the City of Berkeley’s regulation of BSL activities is more restrictive than all of these jurisdictions.” (Fremont, offered as a model for Berkeley in the council referral, doesn’t appear in the staff’s list.) Most of the nearby cities “do not note BSL at all in their zoning ordinances.” Moreover, UC Berkeley “has many labs utilizing class 2 organisms within 500 feet from other types of buildings, including student housing and classrooms, and has not encountered safety problems with such co-location.” 

We are told that the “West Berkeley Plan includes a policy to ‘periodically review the City’s regulation of biotechnology to assure that it both meets City regulatory objectives and does not unnecessarily interfere with the creation and expansion of biotechnology firms.” We are not told, however, whether such reviews have actually taken place, how often, and with what outcomes. 

Also missing from the staff report is information about exactly any of the twenty-two referenced cities allow BSL-2 biolabs. It’s one thing to permit such facilities in, say, Oakland, San Jose, or South San Francisco, all of which are much larger places than built-out Berkeley. Do they allow BSL-2 biolabs next to residential neighborhoods? What about the smaller referenced jurisdictions, such as Belmont and Millbrae? 

 

Killing the street 

What makes commercial streets lively are businesses with interesting objects or activities in their windows—typically retail establishments. At the May 1 meeting, staff noted R&D startups are usually working on projects whose details are secret. It follows that they don’t want the public peering into their spaces. The shades will be drawn. Promoting the location of such businesses on Telegraph, San Pablo, and University will deaden the ambiance of those streets. 

 

Commercial and industrial gentrification 

Also unmentioned by staff was the effect that R&D business would have on rents. That’s long been an explicit issue in West Berkeley. As stated in the Zoning Ordinance, the purposes of the Mixed-Use Light Industrial (MU-LI) District include: 

3. Encourage development of an area where light manufacturers can operate free from the economic, physical and social constraints caused by incompatible uses; 

and 

4. Encourage the creation and continuation of well-paid jobs which do not require advanced degrees. 

The stated market for R&D expansion is people with advanced degrees—UC professsors and graduate students. Their start-ups can pay rents that light manufacturers, who include artisans, cannot afford. Encouraging their start-ups to locate in West Berkeley will increase the economic constraints on the town’s surviving light manufacturers and artisans, few of whom own their buildings. 

And what about rents on the commercial corridors? What can retailers, especially independent retailers, afford? How do those rents compare to the rents that R&D start-ups can make? 

City staff didn’t ask these questions. Instead, their major concern, as stated in the penultimate sentence of the staff report, is to foreclose “the possibility that Berkeley’s additional limitations on laboratory uses may put the city at a competitive disadvantage compared to nearby jurisdictions that do not supplement existing regulations with city-specific regulations.” 

The question isn’t what other cities are doing. It’s why they’re doing it, and whether their rationales are valid. Again, neither staff nor the council raised that point. 

Instead, we’re told that having more biolabs and other R&D businesses in town will “create new wealth for our community,” a claim followed by the statement that “in 2023 alone, 84 Berkeley companies raised $840 million of venture and seed capital and 11 companies received nearly $17 million in federal and state government grants for R&D.” (p. 12). Exactly how this “bring[s] economic benefits to the economy citywide” is never specified. 

The real goal here is to continue remaking the city of Berkeley in the image of UC. 

On June 26, the commission was scheduled to hold a special meeting to conduct a public hearing on a draft West Berkeley Research and Development Zoning District and accompanying EIR, but as of June 5, the agenda had not been published. Now that meeting has been postponed, or perhaps cancelled. 

 

The recent report on the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank amid the ongoing war in Gaza sheds light on the increasing number of Israeli settlers, supported by what Prime Minister Netanyahu has called "the most moral army in the world." This development, alongside ongoing terror attacks and the weak stance of the Biden administration, has intensified efforts to seize land long used by Palestinians, exacerbating the already volatile situation in the region. 

In the town of Tuqu, Palestinian mayor Moussa al-Shaer points to new Israeli military guard posts, roads, and a gate installed by the Israeli army that now blocks access to lands traditionally farmed and herded by Palestinians. The gate, inscribed with Hebrew graffiti referencing biblical justification, starkly divides the Palestinian community from the Israeli settlers of Tekoa, symbolizing the growing chasm and heightened tensions between the two groups. 

Since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, settlers have reportedly taken over 37,000 acres of Palestinian land across the West Bank, with Tuqu alone losing over 550 acres. This expansion has not only disrupted daily life but has also led to violent confrontations. The tragic deaths of young Palestinians like Rani al-Shaer and Eissa Jibril at the hands of Israeli soldiers underscore the severe human toll of these actions. 

Despite these escalations, there appears to be little recourse for the Palestinians. Efforts to contest these land grabs through the Israeli legal system are slow and often unfruitful. Meanwhile, international criticism, including from the United States, remains largely unheeded as Israel continues to prioritize settlement expansion over peace negotiations. The Israeli government’s policies and the settlers’ actions, often justified on religious or historical grounds, undermine any prospects for a two-state solution. The settlement expansions and the harsh restrictions imposed on Palestinians not only violate international law but also perpetuate a cycle of violence and resentment that jeopardizes any hope for lasting peace. 

It is imperative that the international community, including the United States, take a firm stance against these illegal settlements and support efforts to protect the rights and livelihoods of Palestinians. The ongoing expansion is not just a local issue but a significant impediment to peace and stability in the region.

Kimmel's Verses Versus Colbert's

Once again, the Smithereens jury box has declared late-night host Jimmy Kimmel guilty of crafting the best "episode taglines" of the week—mostly directed at Donald Trump, the Ochre Ogre. Stephen Colbert's writers came in a distant second, with the following titles: 

Colbert: The Stoned Age, To Sketch a Predator, The Truth Is…. 

Kimmel: Convict-in-Chief, Commander-in-Thief, The Fraudfather, Don Whoreleone. 

Grounds for Disagreement
Having spent a lotta years crafting and editing articles for eco-groups like Friends of the Earth, Earth Island Institute, and Pesticide Action Network, I've become a tad sensitive about references to the rich soil of our dear planet Earth. Call me hypersensitive, but I experienced a cringe recently while reading a fund-raising letter from one of my fave eco-groups. 

After a sentence praising thoughtful stewardship for the soil, the author praised "agriculture that is grounded in the principles of agroecology and the farmers who are paving the way for a more sustainable future" (italics added). 

When I'm addressing the sanctity of nature's living soil, I'm happy to feel "grounded" but my eyes hit the brakes when I spot a road-sign reading: "paving the way." You don't honor the soil by paving it over. 

Related kvetch: I hardly make it through a month without reading some otherwise well-grounded earth-lover's proud boast to have accomplished some "ground-breaking" achievement. 

Coca Cola Knew 

As a founding member of Berkeley's Ecology Center (and later as a member of the Center's board) I was gobsmacked to discover that whole generations of ecoistas had been scammed by a major recycling myth—conjured by Coca Cola and the US Petro Giants—that claimed mountains of plastic waste was being "100% recycled." 

While that "full-recycling" standard used to be true—back when Coke was sold globally in reusable glass bottles—plastic recycling has proven to be an historic fraud. 

Fact is, while the plastics industry has produced 7 billion tons of waste over the past decades, less than 10% of this plastic trash has actually been recycled. Most of the plastics that eco-conscious shoppers dutifully carried to recycling bins wound up being burned or dumped in landfills. 

As consumer activist Jim Hightower notes: "the plastic-industrial-complex has been like Big Tobacco and Big Oil—intentionally fabricating, promoting and profiting from a mass-market scam for decades." It's not surprising that Big Plastic has followed in the faux-steps of Big Oil. After all, plastic products are by-products of the world's oil titans. 

Big Plastic is currently on track to increase plastic production a whopping 300%. That's good news for Big Oil, which plans to start building 42 new plastic plants in the US—24 of them in Texas, conveniently close to major petroleum operations. 

Adding eco-insult to injury, Big Oil has also profited from Big Plastic's container con-job—raking in more money from the sales of tons of costly fuels consumed by fleets of massive urban recycling trucks and millions of gallons of maritime fuel used to power ships hauling plastic wastes for "disposal" in China and other distant dump sites. 

With microplastics now having been found in every living creature on Earth (including humans),175 countries pledged to introduce UN rules to halt plastic pollution. The crackdown was supposed to happen at a UN conference in Canada on April 30, 2024. Why didn't it happen? According to The Guardian: "Developed countries [were] accused of bowing to lobbyists." 

Fashion Plates
Some personalized license plates spotted about town.
GACE 5
CT1ON31
RA FI L (Rafael)
EK BLK
2FIVE1
JOBDONE 

Bumpersnickers
Support Wildlife. Have a Party
I Have No Idea Where I'm Going
Don't Tailgate Me. I Have Rabies
This Is It. I Don't Have Another Car
My Mother Was The Travel Agent For Guilt Trips
Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I! 

"Pieces of Children": Made in the US 

After reading a slew of news reports about the horrific airstrike on homeless refugees in Rafah, there are three words that will haunt me forever: 

"... pieces of children...." 

After the media reported on Israel's deadly attack on a refugee camp in Rafah that killed 45 civilians and published horrific images of "burned bodies, beheaded children and civilians frantically attempting to escape," I began sending the same three-word message to the White House on a daily basis. The note read: "pieces of children." 

Weapons experts who visited the incinerated remains of "Peace Camp 1" confirmed that the deadly airstrike was the result of a US-made GBU-39 "small diameter" bomb manufactured by Boeing. Looking at videos of the weapon, it was possible to read the serial number on the bomb's metal tail. 

Using a clearly visible street address and zip-code, I went online and tracked the source of the weapon to H. R. Textron in Valencia, California. Here is the full contact information: H. R. Textron, 25200 Rye Canyon Rd, Valencia, CA, 91355. (661) 294-6000. Category: Aerospace Research and Development. https://aerospace-research-facilities.cmac.ws › h-r-textron 

AI Trump 

Here is a political "deep fake" to commemorate Donald Trump's conviction on multiple counts of criminal acts. 

 

Crockett's a Rocket!
And, on the off-chance you haven't seen one of Jasmine Crockett's SixB videos yet, here's a couple to round out the day. 

Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body Congresswoman 

 

 

Gospel Version of “Bleach-blonde” Clapback!

 

 

My latest diagnosis is: "Atypical Psychosis." It was given to me by an unknown doctor at psych emergency in Martinez. The translation: I have psychosis and it impairs my ability to function in life. It does not sound as scary as "Schizophrenia: Paranoid-Type." And it sounds less severe than "schizoaffective disorder."

However, I have been spending long hours staring off into the space in front of me, with my thoughts jumbled and disorganized but not loud, and me not writing, and not doing anything productive or enjoyable. It makes me wonder, is my psychiatrist being straightforward with me? It is a question brought about by paranoid thinking.

The past year has been more difficult than anything I have seen in the past twenty. I am affected by multiple environmental factors. I am in a very different environment from what I'd been in for two decades. The strain of adapting makes it difficult just to survive and to meet my basic needs. My writing has been affected. Everything has been affected.

Surprisingly, I have not fallen apart. I continue to have neuroplasticity. I have become acclimated to the current conditions in which I live. There are some difficult aspects to how I live, and there appears to be some level of danger. Yet, I've taken steps, some of them external and some internal, toward adapting. And now it is harder for me to claim my environment is bad for me. And this is probably a good thing. 

I might have to wait decades or indefinitely for my living conditions to conform to my expectations. I would be waiting for a situation that would probably never happen. On the other hand, as I have begun to make friends where I live and have increased exercises in mindfulness, I have become more at ease, and this spills over into most of what I try to do. 

To be well and do well, for a person with psychotic issues, we must feel safe in our surroundings, we must not feel inundated with things that detract, and we must be medicated. We need the basic physical needs met, such as food. 

If, according to your doctor, you don't really need medication, it is harder to know whether you have a mental illness. You might be a member of the worried well. The reader should not take the forementioned sentence as an opening for quitting your prescribed medication. If a doctor prescribes it, you need it. Yet if a doctor believes you don't need medication, they may be right. If you don't agree with your doctor, get a second opinion from another doctor. 

However, if you don't need medication but if a mental condition stops you from holding a job and stops you from being able to adapt and to do what is needed, then maybe you have a psychiatric condition. Some people have "disorders", (I prefer to call them "conditions") that don't call for medication. In my case, I absolutely need medication and I respond well to it. 

Concerning other people than me, I couldn't tell you. I'm an expert at my own problems, but I don't have the experiences of a treating psychiatrist. They would know what it is like to work with a wide and diverse cross-section of their patients. 

If I am in a position of "teacher", then my teaching is through example. If I can be a good example of making the most of what is offered, it could help many of my readers. 

My philosophy is that of cooperation wherever possible. It is an example of nonviolence and non-abuse. It is that of accomplishing the most with the least effort. And many more things. I try to think about things and understand what will work and what won't. 

I don't believe in a "work ethic" entailing self-punishment. If I work at a task, I far prefer it is from a space of being happy. I might wait twenty minutes before picking up the floor and get myself into a more positive mental state so that I can be happy while I pick up things on the floor. This is not as efficient as immediately doing what I think I ought to do. But since I am not a lawnmower or laundry machine, efficiency doesn't need to be the only consideration. 

I participated in the New Age Spirituality Movement of the nineteen eighties. It espoused being happy on the inside regardless of what the external environment has to dish out. And to an extent this is very valid. Yet there are some notable exceptions. And if you think life is going to work by "reprogramming" yourself, you stand a chance of falling flat on your face. To resolve a problem, you have to take action. Life is uncomfortable, period. 

For me, ideally, work is like play. With many kinds of work, I don't find inherent happiness; I need to change my attitude to at least make it tolerable. I can sometimes get into the joy of cleaning up after myself. Yet this varies, and there are times when I hate cleanup. On the other hand, a cockroach never hates to feed on your food mess. (The same goes for an army of ants, some will invade your space just so they can access water.) 

To be balanced we should not be entirely unfamiliar with work. An appropriate level of laziness, astoundingly, is a virtue--it will inspire you to find easier ways to accomplish a given task. We should not go through life with the idea of doing everything in the hardest possible way. Self-punishment is not a virtue. It's right up there with self-hate. 

A mental illness can have less impact on us when we do something entirely unrelated to mental illness, psychiatry, or any institutionalized mumbo jumbo. An institutionalized life never lets you forget you're not normal. Finding areas in life where we can have and be some semblance of normal will inspire happiness and wellness. A game of badminton. A trip to the beach. A meal at IHOP. 

In my future, I hope for better living conditions. Part of this includes pleasing at least some people other than me. To some I might be seen as rude and abrasive. Yet where I live, I am thought of by some as a good tenant. I'm hoping to live at a better property in which conditions are more comfortable. Meanwhile, I need to continue to adapt. 

 

---

 

Jack Bragen lives in Martinez, California, and writes commentary and fiction.

GENERAL
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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). 

I created a “transcript” folder and rename transcripts with date first followed by meeting name. 

 

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 (sometimes at the top) of the CHAT. If you click on these you should get a menu to save the CHAT. 

How to FLOAT / DETACH the CHAT or TRANSCRIPT from the ZOOM SCREEN so you can see one or both  

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. 

If you activated the CHAT or the TRANSCRIPT and it has disappeared look for the header at the top of the zoom screen that says “exit full screen”. Click on that and you should see the CHAT or TRANSCRIPT again. 

 

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 

FOR THE HOST Creating / Scheduling a ZOOM Meeting 

HOW TO SET UP TRANSCRIPTS, CLOSED CAPTIONING 

When scheduling a meeting go to “Settings” scroll down to “Automated Captions” and allow captions, then allow “Full Transcript” and “Save Captions”. Once you change these settings, they will stay as part of your profile. 

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 

+++++++ HOW TO CONVERT a YOUTUBE VIDEO INTO a TRANSCRIPT ++++++++ 

Open the website https://youtubetranscript.com/ 

Copy the YouTube URL into the box with “enter a youtube url” and click on go  

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

When Sharing a YouTube URL you can designate where the shared video starts. Click on Share. A new screen will appear with the URL. At the bottom of the Share screen there is a box Start at (it will show the time where you left off) type in 0 to start at the beginning or another time if you want the shared YouTube video to start at another point. 

Kaija Sarriaho’s final opera, Innocence, is currently being given its US première performances at San Francisco Opera’s War Memorial Opera House., where I attended this new opera on Friday evening, June 7. The plot of Innocence, based on a libretto in Finnish by Sofi Oksanen and restyled in a multilingual libretto by Aleksi Barrière, opens at a wedding party in Helsinki, where Tuomas, the Finnish bridegrrom, is set to marry Stela, a Romanian woman he met while vacationing in Roma-nia. In the opening scene, Stela speaks of how happy she is to find a new, loving family, and she reveals that as an infant she was abandoned by her mother at an orphanage. This is the opera’s first of many backstories that reveal traumatic personal histories that lie beneath the smiles of cele-brants at a wedding party.  

The parents of Tuomas, Henrik and Patricia, are delighted to welcome their new daughter-in-law into the family, but they differ on whether to tell Stela of a tragic event that happened to the family ten years earlier. Patricia argues that Tuomas’s brother should be invited to the wedding. Henrik, stridently disagrees, saying the older brother no longer is a part of this family. Just what this event was is not divulged initially in this opera. It is, apparently, too sensitive to be named and spoken of directly by the bridegroom’s family. However, Henrik acknowleges that he failed to keep the gun securely locked away and that he himslf taught his older son to shoot. Little by little, the nature of the tragic event is revealed as different characters who experienced this event reveal how difficult it has been for them to move on and put the past behind them.  

Several of them, in fact, were victims of this event and were killed ten years ago. Their younger selves discuss what they thought was happening at the time of this tragic event. The first character to recognise that the bridegroom and his parents were intimately involved in the tragedy that un-folded ten years ago is the Czech waitress Tereza, whose daughter Marketa was killed in the tragic event. Marketa, at the time, like many of her friends, was a student at an International Schooli n Helsinki. Several of these students, from diverse countries, tell in their own languages what led up to the tragic event. (There are nine different languages spoken and/or sung in this opera.) Gradual-ly, it becomes clear to the audience that a mass shooting was carried out at the International School by Tuomas’s older brother. Seven students and a teacher were killed.  

In keeping with the sombre, tragic issue at hand of school shootings, Kaija Saariaho’s music is largely, though by no means always, full of turbulence and stress. Vocally, soprano Claire de Sévigné was excellent as Patricia, the mother-in-law. Baritone Rod Gilfry was a stellar father-in-law. Likewise, soprano Lilian Farahani was superb as Stela. Mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose was outstanding as Tereza. In the role of Tuomas, the bridegroom, tenor Miles Mykannen was credita-ble though lacking any star power. As Marketa, soprano Vilma Jaa was remarkable, this role having been created for her by Saariaho. The International School teacher killed in the shooting was finely sung by soprano Lucy Shelton. Interestingly, the shooter himself, much less the shooting, are never shown onstage in this opera, a choice not to allow spectacle to overwhelm the audience. However, a priest, admirably sung by bass Kristin Sigmundsson, reveals that he saw the future killer poison a bird as a youth and sadistically watch it die; but the priest never warned anyone of what he sensed was not right about this boy. 

To complicate matters still further, a character is introduced, Iris, who reveals she was a close friend of the shooter and partiicipated as an auxiliary in his shooting spree. Iris, admirably sung by Julie Hega, also reveals that Marketa and a group of her friends frequently bullied the future shoot-er and may very well have led him to seek revenge by shooting them. Finally, in yet another shock-ing development, Tuomas acknowledges that he idolized his older brother and supported him in planning the shooting. However, once the shooting began, Tuomas ran safely away with all who could escape, an act for which Iris accuses Tuomas of betraying his brother.  

In the all too frequent annals of school shootings, one must offer a reservation that largely excludes prior school bullying as a reason for the shooter’s actions. If in this opera it seems an element of overdetermination, at least it has the merit of pointing out the possibility of the psychological dam-age that being bullied can have on young people’s psyche. By the way, there was one confusing moment late in this opera when a young man reveals in Sprechgesung (or “talk-singing”) that after the tragic event he left the country, assumed another name, and began to make a new life for him-self. At first I thought this character was the shooter. But a woman from the audience assured me it was not. When I asked why she was so sure, she replied, “I have the libretto.” Point taken. Howev-er, since we know from his parents that the shooter is still alive and apparently free to attend his younger brother’s wedding — though how this could be is unthinkable — it is natural to assume, or at least to conjecture, that this character who speaks of starting a new life is the shooter himself making his one-and-0nly appearance in the whole opera.  

The final words in Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence are spokekn by Marketa to her mother, Tereza. And these words are simply, “Let me go,” as she exits the stage. This seems to be Saariaho’s intuition that people may need to let go of their deepest hurts in life in order to move beyond a traumatic past. But, as this opera demonstrates, this is not an easy task when the hurts have been so traumat-ic, devastatiing, and deep.  

Throughout Innocence, this production’s sets were constantly revolving, offering different multi-leveled perspectives on the actions and remembered actions of the protagonists. The set designer was Chloe Lanford. The production itself was by Simon Stone. The revival director was Louise Bakker.. Costumes were by Mel Page. Lighting designer was James Farcombe. The chorus was never seen onstage but was admirably led by Chorus Director John Keene. Last but by no means least, conductor Clement Mao-Takacs did an outstanding job of bringing this avant-garde music to a fine-tuned and emotive musical fruition. Hats off to Clement Mao-Takacs.

The current San Francisco Opera production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), whose second performance of this spring season I attended on Sunday, June 2, is yet another example, perhaps even the most egregious example yet seen, of directorial overreach, a phenomenon that unfortunately has marked — one might say marred — Mathew Shilvock’s tenure as SF Opera’s General Director. In his search for new interpretations of opera’s standard repertoire, Shilvock seems obsessively drawn to modern takes on operas from earlier periods, thereby introducing often outrageous interpretations that diverge far from the opera’s original place in history. In the current production of The Magic Flute, directed by Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade, it is nominally set in Berlin in 1927 and offers myriad references to German Expressionist silent films as well as Hollywood silent films and early experiments in animation. 

But many of these directorial choices are decidedly wrong-headed. For example, the choice to have Pamina portrayed as a Louise Brooks lookalike is extremely misguided. Louise Brooks is mostly famous for her roles in the films Pandora’s Box and Lulu, two roles that portray highly dangerous, even misogynist versions of womanhood. In Mozart’s Magic Flute Pamina is, or should be, a sweetly innocent, naïve yet utterly sincere young woman who finds true love that guides her to take the right path in this opera’s plot. Portraying Pamina as a Louise Brooks lookalike is just totally wrongheaded. On the other hand, likening the vile, lustful Monostatos to German film’s Nosferatu is just a film buff’s allusion that few audiences will catch much less approve. Further, the huge preponderance of animated visuals in this production simply distracts from the music— as conductor Eun Sun Kim acknowledged is what happened to her at this production’s first rehearsal, a remark she made in Sunday’s post-opera public discuss\on. Moreover, by adding extremely fanciful elements, the animation can easily overwhelm audiences, often in the worst way. One flagrant example of this is when Papageno laments that in his initiation trials there is no wine, animation suddenly offers him a gigantic wineglass filled not with wine but a pink cocktail, which he downs avidly, then has visions of pink flying elephants reminiscent of Dumbo. What this has to do with Mozart is utterly unfathomable. Finally, this production’s intertitles occasionally reverse the libretto’s meaning. One flagrant example of this is when Papageno sings of wishing for a girlfriend or little wife, and in Shkaneder’s libretto Papageno says if he had a woman he’d have no interest in dining with princes. However, this production’s intertitles change this to “I’d be dining with princes.” This change is unconscionable, for as a simple man of the common people, Papageno clearly has no desire to dine with princes. 

Where the singing is concerned, this Magic Flute offered one outstanding performance, that of Polish soprano Anna Simińska as The Queen of the Night. However, the animators’ portrayal of this character as a giant spider-woman prevented the audience from seeing Anna Simińska as she sang, offering only an animated vision of a huge spider. While Simińska’s Act II aria “Der Hölle Rache” was sung splendidly, Simińska’s Act I aria began faintly, as if from a vast, removed distance, which should not be the case. However, Simińska quickly picked up the volume, and henceforth her singing was powerful and dramatic. In the role of Tamino, Samoan-born tenor Amitai Pati used his light lyric tenor well, though sometimes failing to project his voice powerfully. As Pamina, Austrian soprano Christina Gansch was more than creditable though not outstanding in any way. As Papageno German baritone Lauri Vasar was excellent, though the fact this opera’s dialogue was not spoken but rendered only in intertitles robbed his Papageno of some of his funniest comic lines. (This decision to render the spoken dialogue as intertitles was part of the directors’ misguided effort to emulate the world of silent films.) Papagena was sung creditably by soprano Arianna Rodriguez. 

In the role of Sarastro, South Korean bass Kwangcul Youn occasionally failed to project his bass voice on the lowest notes, but he was otherwise fine. As the evil Monostatos, Chinese tenor Zengy Bai was creditable; and the Three Ladies were admirably sung by soprano Olivia Smith, mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon, and mezzo-soprano Marie Therese Carmack. The Three Boys (or Spirits), were admirably sung by boy-sopranos Niko Min, Solah Mali, and Jacob A. Rainow. Chorus Director John Keene led the Opera Chorus in a fine performance. Conductor Eun Sun Kim adroitly held together all the varied musical styles Mozart employed in this opera and found the unifying thread that makes the music all come together, even, in this case, in spite of all the diverting nonsense of the animation. Brief excerpts from Mozart’s Fantasias for Pano K. 475 in C-minor and K, 397 in D-minor were heard as transitional music. Though these excerpts were by Mozart, they were decidedly out of place in this opera.

Worth Noting:

Busy week. Council has a lot to finish up before Summer Recess July 31 – September 9, 2024.

• Monday, June 24, 2024:
  • At 1:30 pm Igor Tregub is sworn in as District 4 Councilmember.
  • At 2:30 pm the Agenda and Rules Committee meets in the hybrid format to finalize the July 9 Council draft agenda and to discuss/take action on the Council Legislative Redesign.
  • At 4:30 pm the Council meets in closed session.
• Tuesday, June 25, 2024:
  • At 3:30 pm the Council meets in the hybrid format to take action on the Demolition Ordinance.
  • At 6 pm is the Council regular meeting with items 49 & 50 on the North Berkeley BART housing project funding and Compliance Plan. Item 53 is the FY 2025 / 2026 biennial budget.
• Wednesday, June 26, 2024:
  • From 11:30 am – 2 pm is the Berkeley Mental Health Pride Celebration.
  • At 6 pm the Civic Arts Commission meets in person.
  • At 6 pm the Environment and Climate Commission meets in person.
  • At 6:30 pm the Police Accountability Board meets in the hybrid format.
  • At 7 pm the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets in person.
• Thursday, June 27, 2024:
  • From 10 am – 4 pm is a free Berkeley picnic with activities for all ages.
  • At 6:30 pm the Community Health Commission meets in person.
  • At 7 pm the Mental Health Commission meets in person.
  • At 7 pm the Zoning Adjustment Board meets in the Hybrid format on 3031 Adeline.
• Friday, June 28, 2024:
  • From 4 – 8 pm is the free Mpox vaccine pop-up.
  • At 8:35 pm is the movie Top Gun in the park.
• Saturday, June 29, 2024:
  • From 12:30 – 3:30 is the Adopt-A-Spot picnic.
  • From 4 – 8 pm is the free Mpox vaccine pop-up.

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

At the bottom are the directions for getting on or off the email list for the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary.

For how to make the most out of ZOOM with closed captioning, zoom transcripts, saving CHAT and converting YouTube to a transcript go to https://tinyurl.com/3jau6ym8



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS 

 

Sunday, June 23, 2024 – no City meetings found 

 

Monday, June 24, 2024 

 

Igor Tregub sworn in as District 4 Councilmember at 1:30 pm.  

ZOOM link: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1612011070 

 

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/1606547705 

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

Meeting ID: 160 654 7705 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve -7/9/2024 -- 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.Discussion and Possible Action on City Council Rules of Decorum, Procedural Rules, and Remote Public Comments, 9. City Council Legislative Redesign, Unscheduled Items: 10. Modifications of Improvements to City Council Meeting Procedures, 11. Strengthening and Supporting City Commission: Guidance on Development of Legislative Proposals, 12. Discussion and Recommendations on the Continued Use of Berkeley Considers Online Engagement Portal, 13. Consideration of Changes to Supplemental Material Timelines 

• Removed from list of unscheduled items - Discussion Regarding Design and Strengthening of Policy Committees Process and Structure (Including Budget Referrals),

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

 

CITY COUNCIL Closed Session at 4:30 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1608132858 

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

Meeting ID: 160 813 2858 

AGENDA: 1. Conference with Legal Counsel – existing litigation regarding National Prescription Opiate Litigation US District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, MDL 2804, Case No. 1:17-md-2804, 2. Conference with Labor Negotiators – employee organizations Berkeley fire fighters Local 1227 I.A.F.F., Berkeley Fire Chief Officers Local 1227 I.A.F.F., Berkeley Police Association, SEIU 1021 Community services and Part-Time Recreation Activity leaders, SEIU 1021 Maintenance and Clerical Public Union Local 1, Unrepresented Employees. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-closed-meeting-eagenda-june-24-2024 

 

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 

 

CITY COUNCIL (same login for both meetings) – Special meeting at 3:30 pm and Regular meeting at 6 pm  

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1602106200 

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

Meeting ID: 160 210 6200 

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

 

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING at 3:30 pm 

AGENDA on ACTION: 

1. Zoning Ordinance BMC 23.326 Demolition and Dwelling Unit Controls (Demolition Ordinance)

 

CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING at 6 pm (follows 3:30 pm meeting) 

AGENDA: Use the link and choose the html option to review by agenda item, choose pdf for the entire packet or see the agenda listed at the end of the calendar. 

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

 

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 

 

BERKELEY MENTAL HEALTH PRIDE CELEBRATION and Resource Fair from 11:30 am – 2 pm 

Location: 2640 Martin Luther King Way, Adult Mental Health Clinic 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/berkeley-mental-health-pride-celebration 

 

CIVIC ARTS COMMISSION at 6 pm 

In-Person: at 1901 Russell, Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library  

AGENDA: 6. Presentations, Discussion & Action a) Approval of Design Development Phase of Artwork for the West service Center by Lara Kaur, b) FY 2025 Community Festivals and Art Programs Grant Process Memo, c) FY 2025 Community Festivals Grant Awards, d) FY 2025 Arts Programs Grant Awards. E0 Approval of Commission Subcommittees and Subcommittee members, f) Discussion of Potential arts Ballots Measure and Approval of Letter to Council, g) Berkeley Arts and Music Summit and Berkeley Cultural Trust, h) Report on Community Convening to Discuss a West Berkeley arts & Culture District, i) Presentation: State Designation Process for Cultural Districts, j) Presentation: FY 2023 Artist Grantee Showcase Video, k) Presentation: FY 2024 Public Art Accomplishments, l) FY 2025 Civic Arts Commission Work Plan. 

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

 

ENVIRONMENT and CLIMATE COMMISSION MEETING at 6 pm 

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

AGENDA: 7. General Plan Update: Disaster Preparedness and Safety, Environmental Justice and Climate Metrics, 8. Consider action on joint City Council item with the Zero Waste Commission requesting support for BHS reusable tableware program, 9. Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, 11. Cesar Chavez landfill GHG management a. New information: May 24 2024 off-agenda memo providing an Update on Environmental Testing at former City landfill. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/environment-and-climate-commission 

 

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD at 6:30 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: 2020 Milvia, Suite 250 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82653396072 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833  

Meeting ID: 826 5339 6072 

AGENDA: 3. Public comment on agenda and non-agenda items, 5. ODPA Staff Report c) Use of Force, d) Recap of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy Symposium, 7. Police Chief Report, 9. a. Specialized Care Unit (SCU), b. July 18, 2024 Community Forum at the Hope Center, c. Initiate policy review on Computer Voice Stress Analysis technology and use by BPD (Recent Article June 4, 2024 in SF Chronicle “It’s been called junk science as accurate as a Ouija board. Why are police agencies using this tool?” names Berkeley Police Department as using the described junk science - Computer Voice Stress Analysis https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/law-enforcement-technology-investigations-18756947.php 10. Public comment, Closed session. 

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

 

DISASTER and FIRE SAFETY COMMISSION at 7 pm 

In-Person: at 997 Cedar, Fire Department Training Center 

AGENDA: 4. Support of the Grizzly Peak Mitigation Project, Recommendation to Support Vegetation Management in Fire Zones, 5. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), 6. Ad-Hoc LHMP Workgroup for DFSC feedback on First Draft LHMP for action at August 7, 2024 meeting. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/disaster-and-fire-safety-commission 

 

Thursday, June 27, 2024 – Presidential Debate from 6 - 7:30 pm 

 

FREE COMMUNITY CARNIVAL and PICNIC at GROVE PARK from 10 am – 4 pm 

Location: at 1730 Oregon, Grove Park 

Free Picnic and activities for Kids, Teens and Adults, Games, Inflatables, Music, Obstacle Course, Petting Zoo, Sports Zone, Tot Zone, Treats 

Tots lunch begins at 11 am, everyone else begins at noon 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/free-community-carnival-and-picnic-grove-park-june-27 

 

COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMISSION at 6:30 pm 

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

AGENDA: 2. Public Health Officer’s Report, 5. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, 6. Letter from Community Member Concerning Wood Burning, 7. Review Workplan, Priorities and Goals. 

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

 

MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION at 7 pm 

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

AGENDA: 3. Presentation Police Captain Schofield on Response by Police Department to Mental Health Crisis calls, 4. SCU Update, 5. Letter to the City Auditor, 6. Discussion and review of Berkeleyside article about “Berkeley returns $400,000 in housing funds meant for homeless hotel” write and vote on an opinion to be sent to the city manager, city council and/or Berkeley Mental Health Division, 7. Mental Health Manager’s Report and Caseload Statistics. 

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

 

ZONING ADJUSTMENT BOARD at 7 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82823674905 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171 

Meeting ID: 828 2367 4905 

AGENDA: 2. 3031 Adeline @ Emerson – Use Permit #ZP2018-0156 – to demolish a single-story, approximately 1,000 sq ft commercial building and 10,000 sq ft parking lot and construct 52,000 sq ft 75-ft tall mixed-use building with 60 dwelling units (including 8 very low income and 7 low income) 4,000 sq ft commercial and 21 off-street parking spaces. Project per DRC is to resolve Bird safe issues, high hazard corner windows (DRC issues page 12). 

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

 

Friday, June 28, 2024 

 

FREE Mpox Vaccine Pop-Up from 4 – 8 pm 

Location: at 2107 Fourth Street, Steamworks Baths 

Note: It takes 2 vaccine doses for protection 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/free-mpox-vaccine-pop 

 

MOVIES in the PARK: TOP GUN from 8:35 – 11 pm 

Location: at 1301 Shattuck, Live Oak Park  

NOTES: If driving, early arrival is recommended as there is limited parking, bring blankets, and/or low back beach chairs and flashlights for walking out to go home. This is an alcohol-free event. 

Use link for details and to Register for Childcare 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/movies-park-top-gun-maverick 

 

Saturday, June 29, 2024 

 

ADOPT-A-SPOT VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PICNIC from 12:30 – 3:30 pm 

Use link to Register 

Location: at 1231 Addison, Strawberry Creek Park 

Note: This is a potluck style event 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/adopt-spot-volunteer-appreciation-picnic 

 

FREE Mpox Vaccine Pop-Up from 4 – 8 pm 

Location: at 2107 Fourth Street, Steamworks Baths 

Note: It takes 2 vaccine doses for protection 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/free-mpox-vaccine-pop 

 

Sunday, June 30, 2024 – no City meetings found 

 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm on June 24, 2024 

DRAFT AGENDA for City Council July 9, 2024 Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1606547705 

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

Meeting ID: 160 654 7705 

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

 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Police Accountability Board (PAB) – Appointment of new member by Taplin
2. Numainville, City Clerk - Policies and Timeline for Filing Ballot Measures Arguments
3. Louis, Police – Grant Application $300,000: Bureau of Justice Assistance Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program to Support Law Enforcement Agencies
4. Sprague, Fire – Contract $150,000 ($75,000/year) with Gallup, Inc. for Employee Engagement and Development, 8/1/2024 – 9/30/2026
5. Sprague, Fire – Purchase Agreement $7,353,115, sales tax $751,206, prepay discount $951,353 with Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. and contract amendment No. 078804-1 (8068) add $9,492,845 (prior to sales tax, equipment only) NTE amount $26,693,305 with Banc of America Public Capital Corp. for Master Equipment Lease/Purchase Agreement paid over 7 years at an annual interest rate of 4.1438% and 1st payment not later than 4/9/2025 for 3 Pierce Enforcer 1500 GPM Type 1Fire Engines and 2 Aerial Fire Trucks
6. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Civilian Instructor – Establish Job Class Specifications and hourly salary range of $31.5568 - $38.7241
7. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Amend Contract No. 32000224 total cost $375,000 with Goinvest, Inc. for Labor Costing Software and Analysis Services 5/23/2024 – 6/30/2026
8. Ferris, Parks – Contract $3,080,000 which includes $28,000 contingency with Rincon Consultants for Environmental Support Services for the Berkeley Water Transportation Pier Ferry Project
9. Davis, Public Works – Contract $12,361,800 with Bay Cities Paving & Grading, Inc. for Street Rehabilitation FY 2024 Project.
10. Hahn, co-sponsors Bartlett, Taplin – Relinquishment of Council Office Budget Funds for co-sponsorship of Port Chicago Weekend 2024

AGENDA on ACTION: 

11. Brown, City Attorney – Ordinance Providing for Voting by persons aged 16 and 17 for Office of School Director in November 2024 School Board Elections
12. Numainville, City Clerk – Initiative Petition – Initiative Ordinance Establishing Direct Rental Payments and Amending the Rent Stabilization Ordinance for 11/5/2024 election and designate by motion councilmembers to file ballot measure arguments
13. Numainville, City Clerk – Initiative Petition – Initiative Ordinance to Adopt a Special Tax on Natural Gas Consumption in Buildings 15,000 sq ft or larger for 11/5/2024 election and designate by motion councilmembers to file ballot measure arguments
14. Numainville, City Clerk – Initiative Petition – Initiative Ordinance creating a Parcel Tax for the Purpose of Funding Repairs and Improvements to Streets, Sidewalks and Pedestrian Paths (Fix the Streets & Sidewalks) for 11/5/2024 election and designate by motion councilmembers to file ballot measure arguments
15. Numainville, City Clerk – Initiative Petition – Initiative Ordinance Requiring the Adoption of Minimum Indoor Air Quality Standards in City-Owned and City-leased Buildings for 11/5/2024 election and designate by motion councilmembers to file ballot measure arguments
16. Numainville, City Clerk – Initiative Petition – Initiative Ordinance creating a Parcel Tax for the Purpose of Funding Repairs and Improvements to Streets, Sidewalks and Pedestrian Paths (Safe Streets) for 11/5/2024 election and designate by motion councilmembers to file ballot measure arguments
17. Radu, City Manager Office – Referral Response: Gap analysis of Berkeley’s Homelessness System of Care
18. Community Health Commission – Dark Skies Ordinance
19. Harrison – Amendments to BMC 23C.22 Short Term Rentals – negative recommendation by the Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Committee
20. Lunaparra – Amend 1/30/2024 Council action and remove Dwight Way/Telegraph Intersection from list of intersections being considered for additional surveillance technology
21. Lunaparra – Condemn University of California’s Anti-Labor Actions and Legal Tactics

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

22. Klein, Planning – LPO NOD 1401 Le Roy Ave #LMSAP2024-0002

 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

 

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for Special Meeting at 3:30 pm and Regular 6 pm Meeting on June 25, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1602106200 

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

Meeting ID: 160 210 6200 

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

 

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING at 3:30 pm 

AGENDA on ACTION: 

2. Zoning Ordinance BMC 23.326 Demolition and Dwelling Unit Controls (Demolition Ordinance)

 

CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING at 6 pm 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,912-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on Neighborhood Branch Library Improvements Project General Obligation Bonds (Measure FF, November 2008 election) at 0.0048%
2. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,913-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Street and Watershed Improvements General Obligation Bonds (Measure M, November 2012 Election) at 0.0064%
3. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,914-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on 2015 Refunding General Obligation Bonds (Measures G,S & I) at 0.0111%
4. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,915-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Infrastructure and facilities General Obligation Bonds (Measure T1 November 2016 election) at 0.0136%
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,916-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Affordable Housing General Obligation Bonds (Measure O November 2018 election) at 0.0250%
6. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,917-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Business License Tax on Large Non-Profits $0.8207 per square foot of improvements
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,918-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Maintenance of Parks, City Trees and Landscaping at $0.2210 per square foot of improvements
8. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,919-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Provision of Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic Tax) at $0.0468 per square foot of improvements
9. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,920-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Emergency Services for the Severely Disabled (Measure E) at $0.02094 per square foot of improvements
10. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,921-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Firefighting, Emergency Medical Response and Wildfire Prevention (Measure FF) at annual tax rate of $0.1220 per square foot of improvements
11. Wong, Auditor – 2nd reading 7,922 - Amendments to BMC 2.24 to Establish Whistleblower Program Authority, to formally establish the City Auditor’s authority to receive and refer reports of fraud, waste or abuse as well as investigate those reports and any reports of retaliation against whistleblowers
12. Numainville, City Clerk – Minutes
13. Arredondo, CM Office – Contract $2,000,000 ($1,000,000/FY) with Community Initiatives | Live Free USA to design, implement, and assess the Custom Notification and Street Outreach Services component of the CoB Gun Violence intervention and Prevention Program for a 2-year pilot
14. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Fire Protection and Emergency Response and Preparedness (Measure GG) at annual tax rate of $0.0629 per square foot of improvements
15. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations Total $2,730,000 1. $2,250,000 On-call Landscape Architectural Services, 2. $480,000 FY 2023 Streetlight Maintenance Project
16. Oyekanmi, Finance – Appropriations Limit for FY 2025 $353,538,057
17. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Reaffirm the Investment Policy and Designation of Investment Authority
18. Sprague, Fire – MOU with City of El Cerrito to provide year-round automatic aid in each jurisdiction for fire, technical rescue, emergency medical and other emergency response, rescinding Resolutions No. 68,820-N.S. and 66,821-N.S. and maintaining the existing mutual response area agreement until the year-round fire and emergency services agreement is ratified
19. Sprague, Fire – Contract $200,000 for Fire Records Management Software from 7/1/2024 – 3/3/2027 with 1 3-year option to extend
20. Sprague, Fire – Purchase Order $400,000Wildfire Defense Mesh from 6/1/2024 – 5/31/2027 with option to extend for 3-years
21. Gilman, HHCS – Adopt Resolution Prioritizing City-Owned Land for Affordable Housing and Noticing of Potential Disposition of City-Owned Land consistent with Surplus Lands Act
22. Gilman, HHCS – Revised operating Budget for Golden Bear Homes (1620 San Pablo) with understanding the operating of Homekey may necessitate a future reservation of Approximately $500,000 if other sources are not identified
23. Gilman HHCS – Reserve additional $4,496,669 in Housing Trust Fund program funds for development loan agreement for BRIDGE Housing affordable housing project at 1740 San Pablo
24. Gilman, HHCS – Revenue Grant Agreement $375,000 for FY 2025 from State of California for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program
25. Gilman, HHCS – Revenue Grant Agreement from Alameda County for public health promotion, protection and prevention for FY 2025, 1. BHS & Berkeley Tech $183,918, 2. School Linked (Measure A) $200,011, 3. Tobacco Prevention $81,329
26. Kouyoumdjian, HR – MOU SEIU Local 1021 Maintenance & Clerical Chapters6/27/2024 – 7/26/2027 approves a new Classification and Salary table
27. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Unrepresented Employee Group Salaries, Longevity Differential, and Vision Insurance
28. Kouyoumdjian, HR – MOU Berkeley EMS Professionals IAFF Local 1227 from 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2026
29. Fong, IT – Contract $1,324,193 with Accela, Inc for Software Upgrade and Maintenance 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
30. Fong, IT – Amend spending authority with AHEAD, Inc for purchase of Varonis subscription software licenses utilizing California Department of General Services software Licensing Program add $550,890 total $973,804.51 1312023 – 9/28/2025
31. Mayer, Library – FY 2025 Special Tax Rate to Fund the Provision of Library Services $0.2800 (28 cents) per sq foot for dwelling units and $0.4233 (42.33 cents) per sq foot for industrial, commercial and institutional buildings
32. Ferris, Parks – Grant Application $25,000 California Fire Foundation-Camps Wildfire Response Equipment
33. Louis, Police – Audit Recommendation Status Overtime and Security Work for Outside Entities
34. Davis, Public Works – Approve Proposed Projects Anticipated to be paid for by State’s Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds for FY 2024-2025
35. Davis, Public Works – PO $1,500,000 with WEX Fuel Card Program for Fueling City Vehicles through 6/30/2029
36. Davis, Public Works – Contract $1,069,200 includes contingency $97,200 with Bay Construction for Second Street STAIR Center Site Improvements and Shelter Units Project
37. Davis, Public Works – Accept Grant $1,500,000 from U.S. EPA for West Berkeley Aquatic Park Stormwater Improvement Project to plan, design and construct bioretention garden for the Channing Way Micro-Watershed and the installation of 2 Hydrodynamic separators on the Bancroft Street culvert and Channing Way
38. Davis, Public Works – Accept Grant from Alameda CTC CIP 2024 Adeline Corridor Transportation Improvements
39. Davis, Public Works – Contract $1,461,394 includes $145,616 contingency with B Brothers Construction, Inc. for West Berkeley Service Center Improvements Project
40. Davis, Public Works – Contract $850,000 with Edgeworth Integration, LLC for Installation of External Fixed Video Cameras at Council Approved Intersections
41. Housing Advisory Commission – Adopt a Resolution Supporting the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s 2024 Regional Affordable Housing Bond
42. Mental Health Commission – Appointment of Ajay Krishnan to Mental Health Commission 6/25/2024 – 6/24/2027
43. Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission – FY 2024 / 2025 Budget Referral Allocation of $100,000 to fund a Nexus Study as a first step toward adopting a Parks Impact Fee for new developments
44. Arreguin, co-sponsor Kesarwani, Hahn – Relinquishment of council office budget funds up to $500 to DBA for Front Row Festival
45. Arreguin, co-sponsors Kesarwani, Bartlett, Hahn – Support for ACA 14 – The Basic Standards at UC Act
46. Arreguin, co-sponsor Hahn – Accept grant $100,000 from San Francisco Foundation and engage Planet DMA (DBA DMA INK) in consulting work associated with the Equitable Black Berkeley Iniative and execute a new contract with Gail McGuire (at weekly rate $2000 for 12 weeks) to support EBB community engagement
47. Arreguin – Amend Contract No. 32000196 add $32,500 total $336,000 with Szabo & Associates for communication consulting services for the Mayor’s Office and extend to 11/30/2024
48. Taplin, co[sponsors Arreguin, Lunaparra - Relinquishment of council office budget funds up to $500 to Downtown Pride on the Plaza

AGENDA on ACTION: 

49. Gilman, HHCS – Reserve $24,500,000 to support the development of affordable housing at the North Berkeley BART Site, Phase 1 a. Bridge Housing $10,657,975, b. East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation $5,473,534, c. Insight PSH Project $8,368,491, 2. Waive section 1.A.1 of Housing trust Fund Guidelines for Applicant Experience for Insight Housing, 3. Authorize CM of designee to disburse up to $2,000,000 of the $24,500,000 for predevelopment,
50. Gilman, HHCS – Approval of North Berkeley BART Affordable Housing Compliance Plan,
51. Davis, Public Works - Levy and Collection of FY 2025 Street Lighting Assessments
52. Davis, Public Works – Approval and Levy of 2018 Clean FY 2025 Stormwater Fee
53. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – Adopt Biennial Budget for FY 2025 & 2026
54. Friedrichsen, Budget – FY Annual Appropriations $776,943,545 (gross) and $670,897,257 (net)
55. Oyekanmi, Finance - Borrowing of $36,000,000 and the sale and issuance of FY 2024-2025 Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes
56. Harrison – Adopt Ordinance adding chapter BMC 12.75 to establish protections relating to horses held, owned, used, exhibited or otherwise kept for racing or other sport, entertainment or profit
57. Oyekanmi, Finance -Accept Risk Analysis for Long-Term Debt (Bonding Capacity) Report provided by Government Finance Officers Association
58. Harrison, co-sponsors Bartlett, Hahn – Adopt Ordinance adding chapter BMC 12.01 Establishing Emergency GHG limits, Process for Updated Climate Action Plan, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Regional Collaboration
59. Kesarwani, co-sponsors Humbert, Wengraf – Referral to CM and FY 2025 & FY 2026 Biennial Budget $400,000 ($200,000/ year) to develop and fund a RFP to support Berkeley Based non-profit food assistance providers serving food insecure households,

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

60. Friedrichsen, Budget – Voluntary Time Off Program
61. Friedrichsen, Budget – Status Report – Berkeley’s Financial Condition (FY 2012 – 2021) Pension Liabilities and Infrastructure Need Attention
62. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 2nd Quarter Investment Report ended 12/31/2023
63. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 3rd Quarter Investment Report ended 3/31/2024
64. Zero Waste Commission – FY 2024-FY 2025 Work Plan

 

DISPOSITION of ITEMS REMOVED from DRAFT AGENDA: 

• Referred to Parks Commission - Bartlett – Officially name the raised concrete bed at the southeast corner of Alcatraz and Adeline in honor of Richie Brook-Cole Smith (Ms. Richie)
• Continued to July 9 - Community Health Commission – Dark Skies Ordinance

 

+++++++++++++++++++ Land Use - Work Sessions - Special Meetings +++++++++++++++ 

 

LAND USE CALENDAR 

2600 Tenth Street 7/30/2024 

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

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• June 25 - 3:30 pm – Demolition Ordinance
• June 25 – 3:15 pm – Adopt results of May 28 election
• September 17 - open
• October 22 - Draft Waterfront Specific Plan

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

• Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative July)
• Feasibility Study Follow Up Session (housing feasibility moved to fall)
• 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

 

++++ How to get on or off the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary email list ++++++++ 

 

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. 

v Worth Noting:

The City Council Agendas for the two meetings on June 25 are available for comment: (1) Special Council meeting at 3:30 pm is the Demolition Ordinance, (2) Regular Council meeting at 6 pm includes FY 2025 / 2026 biennial budget (item 53) and North Berkeley BART affordable housing development (items 49, 50). (Agenda and links posted near end of calendar above Land Use and Worksession / Special Meetings)

• Sunday, June 16, 2024: From 11 am to 7 pm is the Juneteenth Festival with the Dedication of Mildred Howard’s sculpture by/south of Ashby BART at 11:30 Delivered, Mable’s Promissory Note.
• Monday, June 17, 2024: At 10 am the Civic Arts Commission Grants Subcommittee meets on zoom.
• Tuesday, June 18, 2024: At 6 pm the Community meeting to provide input on the Mental Health Services Act meets in the hybrid format.
• Wednesday, June 19, 2024, Juneteenth Federal Holiday:
  • At 12 pm the Budget Committee meets in the hybrid format to finalize the FY 2025 / 2026 proposed Budget for full council review and approval on June 25.
  • At 1:30 pm the Commission on Aging meets in person at 1:30 pm.
  • At 3 pm the 4 x 4 Committee meets in the hybrid format with agenda item 7 proposed amendments to the Demolition Ordinance.
  • At 6 pm is the last Community meeting to provide input on the Mental Health Services Act. The meeting is in the hybrid format.
  • At 7 pm the Commission on the Status of Women meets in person.
  • No agenda is posted for the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission – check after the weekend.
• Thursday, June 20, 2024:
  • At 5:30 pm the Zero Waste Commission meets in person.
  • At 6:15 pm the Transportation and Infrastructure Commission meets in person with the proposal on the Virginia Street bicycle lane expected to start around 7:45 pm.
  • At 6:30 pm the Design Review Committee (DRC) meets in person on 1598 University.
  • The agendas for the Fair Campaign Practices Commission (6:30 pm) and Rent Board (7 pm) are not posted. Check after Monday.
• Friday, June 21, 2024:
  • The CoB offices observe the Juneteenth Holiday.
  • At 7 pm is Jazz at Live Oak Park Community Center

At the bottom are the directions for getting on or off the email list for the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary.

For how to make the most out of ZOOM with closed captioning, zoom transcripts, saving CHAT and converting YouTube to a transcript go to https://tinyurl.com/3jau6ym8

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS 

Sunday, June 16, 2024 – Father’s Day 

RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY for NEW SCULPTURE from 11:30 am – 12:15 pm 

Sculpture: Delivered, Mable’s Promissory Note by Mildred Howard 

Address: Corner of Martin Luther King Jr Way and Adeline / South of Ashby BART 

AGENDA: Use link for speaker list. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/ribbon-cutting-ceremony-new-sculpture 

BERKELEY JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL from 11 am – 7 pm 

Location: The website does not provide details of the location of festival activities.  

https://berkeleyjuneteenth.org 

Monday, June 17, 2024 

CIVIC ARTS COMMISSION Grants Subcommittee at 10 am 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1605915710 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 

Meeting ID: 160 591 5710  

AGENDA: 5. FY 2025 Individual Artist Projects grant funding scenarios 

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

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT (MHSA) COMMUNITY INPUT Meetings at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8446733966?pwd=OGp3Tm5LQTc5TGdhb2tYWllKcDVhdz09&omn=89471660365 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171 

Meeting ID: 844-673-3966 Password: 081337 

AGENDA: Last week of community meetings to share information and provide input on CoB Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Funding and Services and Proposition 

For more information contact Karen Klatt 510-981-7644, kklatt@cityofberkeley.info 

Wednesday, June 19, 2024 – Juneteenth Federal Holiday 

BUDGET & FINANCE COMMITTEE at 12 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 1st Floor – Cypress Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1613129131 

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

Meeting ID: 161 312 9131 

AGENDA: 2. FY 2025 / 2026 Proposed Budget 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-budget-finance 

COMMISSION on AGING at 1:30 pm 

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

AGENDA: Discussion / Action Items 1. City Council referral Ask City Council to include Senior programs in the monthly newsletters, 2. City Council referral Companion Report Achieving Goals of 2018 Berkeley age-Friendly Action Plan, 3. Presentation Proposal : Berkeley’s Missing Middle zoning, Justin Horner, 4. Presentation Proposal Senior Services Coalition of alameda County to discuss the groups work, 5. Presentation Proposal Street Trauma Prevention Initiative and the commission’s report to city council – Disaster and Fire Services Commissioner Mike Wilson, Presentation Proposal Violence Affecting elderly Women and Men, trends, analysis, and proposals for public and private actions to improve safety. 

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

 

4 X 4 JOINT TASK FORCE (Council and Rent Board) at 3 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: 1947 Center, Magnolia Room 3rd Floor 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89668320203?pwd=ZyBHMqaARp9dyspi5HrdJ6jI0obygl.1 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833  

Meeting ID: 896 6832 0203 Passcode: 201457 

AGENDA: Discussion and possible action: 6. To recommend the Council place a ballot measure to amend the Berkeley Rent Ordinance on the November 2024 election, 7. Proposed amendments to the Demolition Ordinance to be considered on June 25, 8. Planning Department issuing permits for elective work that triggers the Relocation Ordinance (BMC 13.840 for tenant-occupied rental units. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/4x4-joint-task-force-committee-housing 

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT (MHSA) COMMUNITY INPUT Meetings at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8446733966?pwd=OGp3Tm5LQTc5TGdhb2tYWllKcDVhdz09&omn=89471660365 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171 

Meeting ID: 844-673-3966 Password: 081337 

AGENDA: Last Community meeting to share information and provide input on CoB Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Funding and Services and Proposition 

For more information contact Karen Klatt 510-981-7644, kklatt@cityofberkeley.info 

COMMISSION on the STATUS of WOMEN at 7 pm 

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

AGENDA: 7. Proposed Recommendation to Council regarding Drafting and Distribuation of Materials to Inform Older Homeowners, Many of Whom are Older Women, and Minority Homeowners Vulnerable to Exploitation from Realtors, Appraisers, Mortgage Lender, Speculators and others, 8. Proposed Letter on Support for Families Displaced from Golden Gate Fields. 

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

HUMAN WELFARE and COMMUNITY ACTION COMMISSION at 7 pm 

Meetings are noted as the 3rd Wednesday of the month. No meeting announcement or agenda is posted. Check after Monday. 

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

Thursday, June 20, 2024 

DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE (DRC) at 6:30 pm 

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

AGENDA: 1. 1598 University – Continued Final Design – to demolish an existing non-residential structure and construct a 134,409 sq ft 8-story mixed-use residential building containing 207 dwelling units (including 21 very-low income units), 5787 sq ft commercial space, 39 parking spaces and 92 bicycle parking spaces. 

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

TRANSPORTATION and INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION at 6:15 pm 

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

AGENDA: Discussion / Action Items 1. 7:10 pm - Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) Rail Safety Enhancement Program (RSEP) proposes to implement pedestrian and roadway safety improvements at 27 (5 in Berkeley) existing at-grade crossings, 2. 7:45 pm - North Berkeley BART Station Bike Access Improvements – Virginia Street Bike Blvd – two options to be presented Option A wider bikeway, retains adjacent sidewalk width, remove 5-8 parking spaces, Option B narrower bikeway, narrows sidewalk, retains parking spaces between Acton and West on north side of Virginia.  

Announcement Flyer: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CABERKE/bulletins/3a1df7e 

Street Diagrams: https://cityofberkeley.app.box.com/s/csnouo7qnkqhakebc8llscbu1e5r9fpj Commission webpage: 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/transportation-and-infrastructure-commission 

ZERO WASTE COMMISSION at 5:30 pm 

In-Person: at 1326 Allston, CoB Corporation Yard, Ratcliff Building, Willow Room 

AGENDA: 6. 6 pm - Staff update progress on SB-1383 Implementation, Discussion / Action Items 1. 6:15 pm – presentation of Zero Waste Legislative Updates from Californians Against Waste Representative, 2. 6:45 pm – Report out from the Special Events Subcommittee and Green Building Subcommittee, 3. 7 pm – Discuss the City’s First Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) 

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

FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES COMMISSION (FCPC) – OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMISSION (OGC) at 6:30 pm 

FCPC and OGC normally meet the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm in the Cypress Room at 2180 Milvia, 1st floor. No meeting announcement or agenda is posted. Check after Monday. 

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

RENT STABILIZATION BOARD at 7 pm 

The Rent Board normally meets the 3rd Thursday of the month in the hybrid format. In person location is at 1231 Addison St. in the School District Board Room 

No meeting announcement or agenda is posted. Check after Monday. 

https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov 

Friday, June 21, 2024 – Juneteenth Observed by City of Berkeley 

LIVE at LIVE OAK: JAZZ MUSIC at 7 pm, doors open at 6:15 pm 

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

Use link for event details and to register. Cost $25 per person for event, cost for onsite child care $25 per child. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/live-live-oak-jazz-music 

Saturday, June 22, 2024 – No City meetings found 

Sunday, June 23, 2024 – No City meetings found 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for Special Meeting at 3:30 pm and Regular 6 pm Meeting on June 25, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1602106200 

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

Meeting ID: 160 210 6200 

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

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING at 3:30 pm 

AGENDA on ACTION: 

1. Zoning Ordinance BMC 23.326 Demolition and Dwelling Unit Controls (Demolition Ordinance)

CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING at 6 pm 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,912-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on Neighborhood Branch Library Improvements Project General Obligation Bonds (Measure FF, November 2008 election) at 0.0048%
2. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,913-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Street and Watershed Improvements General Obligation Bonds (Measure M, November 2012 Election) at 0.0064%
3. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,914-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on 2015 Refunding General Obligation Bonds (Measures G,S & I) at 0.0111%
4. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,915-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Infrastructure and facilities General Obligation Bonds (Measure T1 November 2016 election) at 0.0136%
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,916-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Affordable Housing General Obligation Bonds (Measure O November 2018 election) at 0.0250%
6. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,917-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Business License Tax on Large Non-Profits $0.8207 per square foot of improvements
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,918-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Maintenance of Parks, City Trees and Landscaping at $0.2210 per square foot of improvements
8. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,919-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Provision of Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic Tax) at $0.0468 per square foot of improvements
9. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,920-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Emergency Services for the Severely Disabled (Measure E) at $0.02094 per square foot of improvements
10. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,921-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Firefighting, Emergency Medical Response and Wildfire Prevention (Measure FF) at annual tax rate of $0.1220 per square foot of improvements
11. Wong, Auditor – 2nd reading 7,922 - Amendments to BMC 2.24 to Establish Whistleblower Program Authority, to formally establish the City Auditor’s authority to receive and refer reports of fraud, waste or abuse as well as investigate those reports and any reports of retaliation against whistleblowers
12. Numainville, City Clerk – Minutes
13. Arredondo, CM Office – Contract $2,000,000 ($1,000,000/FY) with Community Initiatives | Live Free USA to design, implement, and assess the Custom Notification and Street Outreach Services component of the CoB Gun Violence intervention and Prevention Program for a 2-year pilot
14. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Fire Protection and Emergency Response and Preparedness (Measure GG) at annual tax rate of $0.0629 per square foot of improvements
15. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations Total $2,730,000 1. $2,250,000 On-call Landscape Architectural Services, 2. $480,000 FY 2023 Streetlight Maintenance Project
16. Oyekanmi, Finance – Appropriations Limit for FY 2025 $353,538,057
17. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Reaffirm the Investment Policy and Designation of Investment Authority
18. Sprague, Fire – MOU with City of El Cerrito to provide year-round automatic aid in each jurisdiction for fire, technical rescue, emergency medical and other emergency response, rescinding Resolutions No. 68,820-N.S. and 66,821-N.S. and maintaining the existing mutual response area agreement until the year-round fire and emergency services agreement is ratified
19. Sprague, Fire – Contract $200,000 for Fire Records Management Software from 7/1/2024 – 3/3/2027 with 1 3-year option to extend
20. Sprague, Fire – Purchase Order $400,000Wildfire Defense Mesh from 6/1/2024 – 5/31/2027 with option to extend for 3-years
21. Gilman, HHCS – Adopt Resolution Prioritizing City-Owned Land for Affordable Housing and Noticing of Potential Disposition of City-Owned Land consistent with Surplus Lands Act
22. Gilman, HHCS – Revised operating Budget for Golden Bear Homes (1620 San Pablo) with understanding the operating of Homekey may necessitate a future reservation of Approximately $500,000 if other sources are not identified
23. Gilman HHCS – Reserve additional $4,496,669 in Housing Trust Fund program funds for development loan agreement for BRIDGE Housing affordable housing project at 1740 San Pablo
24. Gilman, HHCS – Revenue Grant Agreement $375,000 for FY 2025 from State of California for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program
25. Gilman, HHCS – Revenue Grant Agreement from Alameda County for public health promotion, protection and prevention for FY 2025, 1. BHS & Berkeley Tech $183,918, 2. School Linked (Measure A) $200,011, 3. Tobacco Prevention $81,329
26. Kouyoumdjian, HR – MOU SEIU Local 1021 Maintenance & Clerical Chapters6/27/2024 – 7/26/2027 approves a new Classification and Salary table
27. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Unrepresented Employee Group Salaries, Longevity Differential, and Vision Insurance
28. Kouyoumdjian, HR – MOU Berkeley EMS Professionals IAFF Local 1227 from 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2026
29. Fong, IT – Contract $1,324,193 with Accela, Inc for Software Upgrade and Maintenance 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
30. Fong, IT – Amend spending authority with AHEAD, Inc for purchase of Varonis subscription software licenses utilizing California Department of General Services software Licensing Program add $550,890 total $973,804.51 1312023 – 9/28/2025
31. Mayer, Library – FY 2025 Special Tax Rate to Fund the Provision of Library Services $0.2800 (28 cents) per sq foot for dwelling units and $0.4233 (42.33 cents) per sq foot for industrial, commercial and institutional buildings
32. Ferris, Parks – Grant Application $25,000 California Fire Foundation-Camps Wildfire Response Equipment
33. Louis, Police – Audit Recommendation Status Overtime and Security Work for Outside Entities
34. Davis, Public Works – Approve Proposed Projects Anticipated to be paid for by State’s Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds for FY 2024-2025
35. Davis, Public Works – PO $1,500,000 with WEX Fuel Card Program for Fueling City Vehicles through 6/30/2029
36. Davis, Public Works – Contract $1,069,200 includes contingency $97,200 with Bay Construction for Second Street STAIR Center Site Improvements and Shelter Units Project
37. Davis, Public Works – Accept Grant $1,500,000 from U.S. EPA for West Berkeley Aquatic Park Stormwater Improvement Project to plan, design and construct bioretention garden for the Channing Way Micro-Watershed and the installation of 2 Hydrodynamic separators on the Bancroft Street culvert and Channing Way
38. Davis, Public Works – Accept Grant from Alameda CTC CIP 2024 Adeline Corridor Transportation Improvements
39. Davis, Public Works – Contract $1,461,394 includes $145,616 contingency with B Brothers Construction, Inc. for West Berkeley Service Center Improvements Project
40. Davis, Public Works – Contract $850,000 with Edgeworth Integration, LLC for Installation of External Fixed Video Cameras at Council Approved Intersections
41. Housing Advisory Commission – Adopt a Resolution Supporting the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s 2024 Regional Affordable Housing Bond
42. Mental Health Commission – Appointment of Ajay Krishnan to Mental Health Commission 6/25/2024 – 6/24/2027
43. Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission – FY 2024 / 2025 Budget Referral Allocation of $100,000 to fund a Nexus Study as a first step toward adopting a Parks Impact Fee for new developments
44. Arreguin, co-sponsor Kesarwani, Hahn – Relinquishment of council office budget funds up to $500 to DBA for Front Row Festival
45. Arreguin, co-sponsors Kesarwani, Bartlett, Hahn – Support for ACA 14 – The Basic Standards at UC Act
46. Arreguin, co-sponsor Hahn – Accept grant $100,000 from San Francisco Foundation and engage Planet DMA (DBA DMA INK) in consulting work associated with the Equitable Black Berkeley Iniative and execute a new contract with Gail McGuire (at weekly rate $2000 for 12 weeks) to support EBB community engagement
47. Arreguin – Amend Contract No. 32000196 add $32,500 total $336,000 with Szabo & Associates for communication consulting services for the Mayor’s Office and extend to 11/30/2024
48. Taplin, co[sponsors Arreguin, Lunaparra - Relinquishment of council office budget funds up to $500 to Downtown Pride on the Plaza

AGENDA on ACTION: 

49. Gilman, HHCS – Reserve $24,500,000 to support the development of affordable housing at the North Berkeley BART Site, Phase 1 a. Bridge Housing $10,657,975, b. East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation $5,473,534, c. Insight PSH Project $8,368,491, 2. Waive section 1.A.1 of Housing trust Fund Guidelines for Applicant Experience for Insight Housing, 3. Authorize CM of designee to disburse up to $2,000,000 of the $24,500,000 for predevelopment,
50. Gilman, HHCS – Approval of North Berkeley BART Affordable Housing Compliance Plan,
51. Davis, Public Works - Levy and Collection of FY 2025 Street Lighting Assessments
52. Davis, Public Works – Approval and Levy of 2018 Clean FY 2025 Stormwater Fee
53. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – Adopt Biennial Budget for FY 2025 & 2026
54. Friedrichsen, Budget – FY Annual Appropriations $776,943,545 (gross) and $670,897,257 (net)
55. Oyekanmi, Finance - Borrowing of $36,000,000 and the sale and issuance of FY 2024-2025 Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes
56. Harrison – Adopt Ordinance adding chapter BMC 12.75 to establish protections relating to horses held, owned, used, exhibited or otherwise kept for racing or other sport, entertainment or profit
57. Oyekanmi, Finance -Accept Risk Analysis for Long-Term Debt (Bonding Capacity) Report provided by Government Finance Officers Association
58. Harrison, co-sponsors Bartlett, Hahn – Adopt Ordinance adding chapter BMC 12.01 Establishing Emergency GHG limits, Process for Updated Climate Action Plan, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Regional Collaboration
59. Kesarwani, co-sponsors Humbert, Wengraf – Referral to CM and FY 2025 & FY 2026 Biennial Budget $400,000 ($200,000/ year) to develop and fund a RFP to support Berkeley Based non-profit food assistance providers serving food insecure households,

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

60. Friedrichsen, Budget – Voluntary Time Off Program
61. Friedrichsen, Budget – Status Report – Berkeley’s Financial Condition (FY 2012 – 2021) Pension Liabilities and Infrastructure Need Attention
62. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 2nd Quarter Investment Report ended 12/31/2023
63. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 3rd Quarter Investment Report ended 3/31/2024
64. Zero Waste Commission – FY 2024-FY 2025 Work Plan

DISPOSITION of ITEMS REMOVED from DRAFT AGENDA: 

• Referred to Parks Commission - Bartlett – Officially name the raised concrete bed at the southeast corner of Alcatraz and Adeline in honor of Richie Brook-Cole Smith (Ms. Richie)
• Continued to July 9 - Community Health Commission – Dark Skies Ordinance

+++++++++++++++++++ Land Use - Work Sessions - Special Meetings +++++++++++++++ 

 

LAND USE CALENDAR 

2600 Tenth Street 7/30/2024 

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

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• June 25 - 3:30 pm – Demolition Ordinance
• June 25 – Adopt results of May 28 election
• September 17 - open
• October 22 - Draft Waterfront Specific Plan

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

• Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative July)
• Feasibility Study Follow Up Session (housing feasibility moved to fall)
• 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

++++ How to get on or off the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary email list ++++++++ 

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. 

Worth Noting:

The Agenda Committee packet lists a City Council 2 pm meeting on Friday, June 14 on Community Survey Results and Ballot Measure Development for November 2024. There is no posting of the meeting under the City Council agendas. Check after 2 pm Tuesday (72 hour notice). https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas

June 19th is the Juneteenth National Independence Day. Juneteenth celebrations are starting around the Bay Area as early as June 8, but most Juneteenth Festivals are June 16th including Berkeley https://berkeleyjuneteenth.org The City of Berkeley (CoB) holiday calendar lists Friday, June 21, 2024 as “Juneteenth observed” and June 19, 2024 as a regular day. (Friday, June 14 is a CoB reduced service day.)

• Monday, June 10, 2024: At 2:30 pm the Agenda and Rules Committee meets in the hybrid format to finalize the June 25 City Council agenda. Legislative Systems Redesign is on the agenda for review.
• Tuesday, June 11, 2024: At 11 am the Solano Avenue Business Improvement District meets in person.
• Wednesday, June 12, 2024:
  • At 6 pm is the community meeting on the Mental Health Services Act in the hybrid format.
  • At 7 pm the Parks, Waterfront and Recreation Commission meets in person with an update on Cesar Chavez Park as agenda item 9 and Cal Sailing Club berths as item 10.
• Thursday, June 13, 2024: At 6 pm is the 2nd of 4 hybrid community meetings on the Mental Health Services Act.
• Friday, June 14, 2024: At 8:35 pm is the first summer movie in the park.
• Saturday, June 15, 2024: From 9 – 11 m is the regular 3rd Saturday Shoreline Cleanup.
• Sunday, June 16, 2024 from 11 am to 7 pm is the Juneteenth Festival in South Berkeley and at 11:30 am is the dedication of Mildred Howard’s sculpture at the corner of MLK Jr Way and Adeline (near Ashby BART).

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

At the bottom are the directions for getting on or off the email list for the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary.

Attached is how to make the most out of ZOOM with closed captioning, zoom transcripts, saving chat and converting YouTube to a transcript and sharing. The weekly calendar will no longer include these hints so you might want to save the document.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS 

Sunday, June 9, 2024 – Berkeley Taste of Downtown 

Monday, June 10, 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/1605781315 

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

Meeting ID: 160 578 1315 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve -6/25/2024-- 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. Discussion and Possible Action on City Council Rules of Decorum, Procedural Rules and Remote Public Comments, 9. Discussion of Potential Changes to City Council Legislative Systems Redesign, UNSCHEDULED ITEMS: 10. Modifications or improvements to City Council Meeting Procedures, 11. Strengthening and Supporting City Commission: Guidance on Development of Legislative Proposals, 12 Discussion and Recommendations on the Continued Use of Berkeley Considers, 13. Consideration of Changes to Supplemental Material Timelines,  

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

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 

SOLANO AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT DVISORY BOARD at 11 am 

In-Person: at 1849 Solano 

AGENDA: 4. Financial Update PSC 3rd quarter contract renewal, current account status, 5. Discussion Items: Update on traffic safety at Solano/Colusa intersection, Solano beautification (e.g., tree and hanging planter replacement, matching grant program, Budget and finance, North Shattuck Association. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/solano-avenue-business-improvement-district-advisory-board 

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 

PARKS, RECREATION, and WATERFRONT COMMISSION at 7 pm 

In-Person: at 2800 Park, Frances Albrier Community Center 

AGENDA: 7. Chair’s Report, Director’s Report on Capital, Budget, Grants, 9. Presentation on Update on Cesar Chavez Park Landfill Issues, 10. Update on Cal Sailing Club 6 berth slips on J-Dock, 11. Recent Community Survey of City needs and potential ballot measures for Nov. 2024, 12. Create a subcommittee on new dog parks in Berkeley, 13. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan update. 

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

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT (MHSA) COMMUNITY INPUT Meetings at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8446733966?pwd=OGp3Tm5LQTc5TGdhb2tYWllKcDVhdz09&omn=89471660365 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171 

Meeting ID: 844-673-3966 Password: 081337 

AGENDA: Share information and provide input on CoB Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Funding and Services and Proposition 1. (there will be 4 hybrid meetings from 6 – 7:30 pm on June 12 and June 19 at North Berkeley Senior Center and on June 13 and June 18 at South Berkeley Senior Center) 

For more information contact Karen Klatt 510-981-7644, kklatt@cityofberkeley.info 

Thursday, June 13, 2024 

 

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT (MHSA) COMMUNITY INPUT Meetings at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8446733966?pwd=OGp3Tm5LQTc5TGdhb2tYWllKcDVhdz09&omn=89471660365 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171 

Meeting ID: 844-673-3966 Password: 081337 

AGENDA: Share information and provide input on CoB Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Funding and Services and Proposition 1. (there will be 4 hybrid meetings from 6 – 7:30 pm on June 12 and June 19 at North Berkeley Senior Center and on June 13 and June 18 at South Berkeley Senior Center) 

For more information contact Karen Klatt 510-981-7644, kklatt@cityofberkeley.info 

Friday, June 14, 2024 – Reduced Service Day 

CITY COUNCIL Special meeting at 2 pm 

Possible meeting on Community Survey Results and Ballot Measure Development for November 2024 

Check for posting after 2 pm Tuesday. 

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

MOVIES in the PARK: THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE from 8:35 – 10:45 pm 

Location: at 2800 Park, San Pablo Park, 

NOTES: If driving, early arrival is recommended as there is limited parking, bring blankets, and/or low back beach chairs and flashlights for walking out to go home. This is an alcohol-free event. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/movies-park-super-mario-bros-movie 

Saturday, June 15, 2024 

3rd SATURDAY SHORELINE CLEANUP from 9 – 11 am 

Location: 160 University, Shorebird Nature Center 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/3rd-saturday-shoreline-cleanup-7 

Sunday, June 16, 2024 

RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY for NEW SCULPTURE from 11:30 am – 12:15 pm 

Sculpture: Delivered, Mable’s Promissory Note by Mildred Howard 

Address: Corner of Martin Luther King Jr Way and Adeline / South of Ashby BART 

AGENDA: Use link for speaker list. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/ribbon-cutting-ceremony-new-sculpture 

BERKELEY JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL from 11 am – 7 pm 

Location: The website does not provide details of the location of festival activities.  

https://berkeleyjuneteenth.org 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

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/1605781315 

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

Meeting ID: 160 578 1315 

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

DRAFT AGENDA for CITY COUNCIL Regular 6 pm Meeting on June 25, 2024 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,912-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on Neighborhood Branch Library Improvements Project General Obligation Bonds (Measure FF, November 2008 election) at 0.0048%
2. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,913-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Street and Watershed Improvements General Obligation Bonds (Measure M, November 2012 Election) at 0.0064%
3. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,914-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on 2015 Refunding General Obligation Bonds (Measures G,S & I) at 0.0111%
4. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,915-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Infrastructure and facilities General Obligation Bonds (Measure T1 November 2016 election) at 0.0136%
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,916-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Affordable Housing General Obligation Bonds (Measure O November 2018 election) at 0.0250%
6. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,917-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Business License Tax on Large Non-Profits $0.8207 per square foot of improvements
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,918-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Maintenance of Parks, City Trees and Landscaping at $0.2210 per square foot of improvements
8. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,919-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Provision of Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic Tax) at $0.0468 per square foot of improvements
9. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,920-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Emergency Services for the Severely Disabled (Measure E) at $0.02094 per square foot of improvements
10. Oyekanmi, Finance – 2nd reading 7,921-N.S. – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Firefighting, Emergency Medical Response and Wildfire Prevention (Measure FF) at annual tax rate of $0.1220 per square foot of improvements
11. Wong, Auditor – 2nd reading 7,922 - Amendments to BMC 2.24 to Establish Whistleblower Program Authority, to formally establish the City Auditor’s authority to receive and refer reports of fraud, waste or abuse as well as investigate those reports and any reports of retaliation against whistleblowers
12. Numainville, City Clerk – Minutes
13. Arredondo, CM Office – Contract $2,000,000 ($1,000,000/FY) with Community Initiatives | Live Free USA to design, implement, and assess the Custom Notification and Street Outreach Services component of the CoB Gun Violence intervention and Prevention Program for a 2-year pilot
14. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Fire Protection and Emergency Response and Preparedness (Measure GG) at annual tax rate of $0.0629 per square foot of improvements
15. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations
16. Oyekanmi, Finance – Appropriations Limit for FY 2025 $353,538,057
17. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Reaffirm the Investment Policy and Designation of Investment Authority
18. Sprague, Fire – MOU with City of El Cerrito to provide year-round automatic aid in each jurisdiction for fire, technical rescue, emergency medical and other emergency response, rescinding Resolutions No. 68,820-N.S. and 66,821-N.S. and maintaining the existing mutual response area agreement until the year-round fire and emergency services agreement is ratified
19. Sprague, Fire – Contract $200,000 for Fire Records Management Software from 7/1/2024 – 3/3/2027 with 1 3-year option to extend
20. Sprague, Fire – Purchase Order $400,000Wildfire Defense Mesh from 6/1/2024 – 5/31/2027 with option to extend for 3-years
21. Gilman, HHCS – Adopt Resolution Prioritizing City-Owned Land for Affordable Housing and Noticing of Potential Disposition of City-Owned Land consistent with Surplus Lands Act
22. Gilman, HHCS – Revised operating Budget for Golden Bear Homes (1620 San Pablo) with understanding the operating of Homekey may necessitate a future reservation of Approximately $500,000 if other sources are not identified
23. Gilman, HHCS – Reserve $24,500,000 to support the development of affordable housing at the North Berkeley BART Site, Phase 1 a. Bridge Housing $10,657,975, b. East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation $5,473,534, c. Insight PSH Project $8,368,491, 2. Waive section 1.A.1 of Housing trust Fund Guidelines for Applicant Experience for Insight Housing, 3. Authorize CM of designee to disburse up to $2,000,000 of the $24,500,000 for predevelopment,
24. Gilman HHCS – Reserve additional $4,496,669 in Housing Trust Fund program funds for development loan agreement for BRIDGE Housing affordable housing project at 1740 San Pablo
25. Gilman, HHCS – Support Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s 2024 Regional Affordable Housing Bond
26. Gilman, HHCS – Revenue Grant Agreement $375,000 for FY 2025 from State of California for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program
27. Gilman, HHCS – Revenue Grant Agreement from Alameda County for public health promotion, protection and prevention for FY 2025, 1. BHS & Berkeley Tech $183,918, 2. School Linked (Measure A) $200,011, 3. Tobacco Prevention $81,329
28. Gilman, HHCS – Approval of North Berkeley BART Affordable Housing Compliance Plan,
29. Kouyoumdjian, HR – MOU SEIU Local 1021 Maintenance & Clerical Chapters6/27/2024 – 7/26/2027 approves a new Classification and Salary table
30. Kouyoumdjian, HR – Unrepresented Employee Group Salaries, Longevity Differential, and Vision Insurance
31. Kouyoumdjian, HR – MOU Berkeley EMS Professionals IAFF Local 1227 from 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2026
32. Fong, IT – Contract $1,324,193 with Accela, Inc for Software Upgrade and Maintenance 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
33. Fong, IT – Amend spending authority with AHEAD, Inc for purchase of Varonis subscription software licenses utilizing California Department of General Services software Licensing Program add $550,890 total $973,804.51 1312023 – 9/28/2025
34. Davis, Public Works – Approve Proposed Projects Anticipated to be paid for by State’s Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds for FY 2024-2025
35. Davis, Public Works – PO $1,500,000 with WEX Fuel Card Program for Fueling City Vehicles through 6/30/2029
36. Davis, Public Works – Contract $1,069,200 includes contingency $97,200 with Bay Construction for Second Street STAIR Center Site Improvements and Shelter Units Project
37. Davis, Public Works – Grant $1,500,000 from U.S. EPA for West Berkeley Aquatic Park Stormwater Improvement Project to plan, design and construct bioretention garden for the Channing Way Micro-Watershed and the installation of 2 Hydrodynamic separators on the Bancroft Street culvert and Channing Way
38. Davis, Public Works – Grant from Alameda CTC CIP 2024 Adeline Corridor Transportation Improvements
39. Davis, Public Works – Contract $1,461,394 includes $145,616 contingency with B Brothers Construction, Inc. for West Berkeley Service Center Improvements Project
40. Mental Health Commission – Appointment of Ajay Krishnan to Mental Health Commission 6/25/2024 – 6/24/2027
41. Arreguin – Relinquishment of council office budget funds up to $500 to DBA for Front Row Festival
42. Arreguin – Support for ACA 14 – The Basic Standards at UC Act

AGENDA on ACTION: 

43. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – Adopt Biennial Budget for FY 2025 & 2026
44. Davis, Public Works - Levy and Collection of FY 2025 Street Lighting Assessments
45. Davis, Public Works – Approval and Levy of 2018 Clean FY 2025 Stormwater Fee
46. Davis, Public Works – Contract $850,000 with Edgeworth Integration, LLC for Installation of External Fixed Video Cameras at Council Approved Intersections
47. Harrison – Adopt Ordinance adding chapter BMC 12.75 to establish protections relating to horses held, owned, used, exhibited or otherwise kept for racing or other sport, entertainment or profit
48. Friedrichsen, Budget – FY Annual Appropriations $776,943,545 (gross) and $670,897,257 (net)
49. Oyekanmi, Finance - Borrowing of $36,000,000 and the sale and issuance of FY 2024-2025 Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes
50. Oyekanmi, Finance -Accept Risk Analysis for Long-Term Debt (Bonding Capacity) Report provided by Government Finance Officers Association
51. Louis, Police – Audit Recommendation Status Overtime and Security Work for Outside Entities
52. Community Health Commission – Dark Skies Ordinance
53. Harrison – Adopt Ordinance adding chapter BMC 12.01 Establishing Emergency GHG linits, Process for Updated Climate Action Plan, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Regional Collaboration
54. Arreguin – Accept grant $100,000 from San Francisco Foundation and engage Planet DMA (DBA DMA INK) in consulting work associated with the Equitable Black Berkeley Iniative and execute a new contract with Gail McGuire (at weekly rate $2000 for 12 weeks) to support EBB community engagement
55. Kesarwani, co-sponsors Humbert, Wengraf – Referral to CM and FY 2025 & FY 2026 Biennial Budget $400,000 ($200,000/ year) to develop and fund a RFP to support Berkeley Based non-profit food assistance providers serving food insecure households,
56. Bartlett – Officially name the raised concrete bed at the southeast corner of Alcatraz and Adeline in honor of Richie Brook-Cole Smith (Ms. Richie)

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

57. Friedrichsen, Budget – Voluntary Time Off Program
58. Friedrichsen, Budget – Status Report – Berkeley’s Financial Condition (FY 2012 – 2021) Pension Liabilities and Infrastructure Need Attention
59. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 2nd Quarter Investment Report ended 12/31/2023
60. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2024 3rd Quarter Investment Report ended 3/31/2024
61. Zero Waste Commission – FY 2024-FY 2025 Work Plan

+++++++++++++++++++ Land Use - Work Sessions - Special Meetings +++++++++++++++ 

 

LAND USE CALENDAR 

2600 Tenth Street 7/30/2024 

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

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• June 14 (2 pm) – Community Survey Results and Ballot Measure Development for November 2024
• June 25 (start time ? 3 or 4 pm) – Demolition Ordinance
• June 25 – Adopt results of May 28 election
• September 17 - open
• October 22 Draft Waterfront Specific Plan

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

• Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative July)
• Feasibility Study Follow Up Session (July 23 tentative)
• 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, 2023 - Fire Facilities Study Report, Wildfire Prevention Plan https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-may-16-2023-6-pm
• June 20, 2023 (WS)Climate Action Plan & Resilience Update, Update reports available https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-june-20-2023
• February 1, 2024 - Berkeley Economic Dashboards https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Economic%20Dashboard%202023.pdf

. 

++++ How to get on or off the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary email list ++++++++ 

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. 

< p> Worth Noting – Very Busy Week Ahead:

If attending meetings in person, note meeting locations, some meetings are NOT at the usual sites.

• Sunday, June 2, 2024: From 11 am – 5 pm is day 2 of the Book Festival and the outdoor marketplace
• Monday, June 3, 2024:
  • At 10 am the Land Use Committee meets in the hybrid format with a full agenda.
  • At 2:30 the Civic Arts Commission Grants Subcommittee meets on Zoom.
  • At 3 pm City Council meets in closed session.
  • From 5:30 – 7:30 pm is the first community meeting on updating the federally required Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP).
  • From 6 – 8 pm is the in-person meeting on the African American Holistic Resource Center.
  • At 7 pm the Peace and Justice Commission meets in person with planning for Gaza Peace Conversation as item 8.
  • At 7 pm the Personnel Board meets in person.
• Tuesday, June 4, 2024:
  • City Council meets in the hybrid format with agenda items 43 - Fire Codes, 44 - Building Codes, 45 - appeal of 18-story mixed-use project at 2113-2115 Kittredge (site of California Theater) and 46 - the biennial 2025 & 2026 budget.
• Wednesday, June 5, 2024:
  • At 2 pm FITES meets in the hybrid format with a full agenda.
  • At 5 pm the Commission on Disability is hybrid for commissioners and in-person only for the public. (Check packet for CoB response to videoconferencing for commissioners.)
  • At 6 pm the Planning Commission meets in person with LHMP on the agenda.
  • At 6:30 pm Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) meets in person.
  • At 6:30 pm the Police Accountability Board (PAB) meets in the hybrid format.
  • At 7 pm the Homeless Services Panel of Experts (HSPE) meets in-person.
• Thursday, June 6, 2024:
  • At 11 am is the online community meeting on the Mental Health Services Act and Proposition 1.
  • At 12 pm the Budget and Finance Committee meets in the hybrid format on the 2025 & 2026 budget and Measure P.
  • At 6:30 pm the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) meets in-person.
  • At 7 pm the Housing Advisory Commission meets in-person.
• Saturday, June 8, 2024:
  • The Berkeley Neighborhoods Council meets on Zoom with tentative agenda CoB response to Homelessness and AC Transit Realignment.

Check out Calscape and Bringing Back the Native Garden Tour websites to brighten up outdoor spaces. https://www.youtube.com/c/BringingBacktheNativesGardenTour



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

At the bottom are the directions for getting on or off the email list for the Activist’s Calendar and Activist’s Diary and how to make the most out of ZOOM with closed captioning, zoom transcripts and converting YouTube to a transcript.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS 

Sunday, June 2, 2024  

BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL from 11 am – 5 pm plus evening ticketed events 

Outdoor Fair/Literary Marketplace (free) from 11 am – 5 pm 

For indoor speakers, ticketed events go to the book festival website 

https://www.baybookfest.org/2024festival/ 

Monday, June 3, 2024 

LAND USE, HOUSING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT at 10 am  

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1608156546 

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

Meeting ID: 160 815 6546 

Committee Members: Wengraf, Lunaparra, Humbert 

AGENDA: 2. Harrison – Amendment to BMC 23C.22: Short Term Rentals, 3. Just Transition Framework for West Berkeley Plan. 4. Harrison – Adopt BMC 13.89: Community/Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) 5. Bartlett – Refer to CM Eminent Domain Feasibility Analysis for 2902 and 2908 Adeline and 1946 Russell, 6. Taplin, Bartlet – Incentives for Equitable and Affordable Middle Housing, CM – Proposed Amendments to the Building Emissions Saving Ordinance (BESO), 8. Affordable Housing for Artists: AB-812 Implementation and Cultural District Statutory Standardization. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-land-use-housing-economic-development 

CIVIC ARTS COMMISSION Grants Subcommittee at 2:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1607849047 

AGENDA: no agenda posted. 

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

CITY COUNCIL Closed Session at 3 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1617883838 

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

Meeting ID: 161 788 3838 

AGENDA: 1. Pending Litigation a. Government Claim of Peter Wong damage to apt building at 1735 Highland Place by garbage truck, b. Margaret Wotkyns v. CoB, c. Lisa Romero v. RI 1031 Gilman LLC, et.al, c. Selamawit Tezare v CoB, e. Scarlet Toor v. CoB, 2. Conference with labor negotiators, employee unions Berkeley Fire Fighters Association Local 1227 I.A. F.F., Berkeley Chief Fire Officers Association Local 1227 I.A.F.F., Berkeley Police Association, Community Services and Part Time Recreation Activity Leaders SEIU 1021, Maintenance and Clerical SEIU 1021, Public Employee Union Local 1, Unrepresented Employees. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-closed-meeting-eagenda-june-3-2024 

LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN PUBLIC REVIEW WORKSHOP #1 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm 

In-Person: at 2090 Kittredge, Central Library, Commons Room 

AGENDA: Introduction to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan followed with questions and comments. Is is a federal requirement to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan every 5 years. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/local-hazard-mitigation-plan-public-review-workshop-1 

AFRICAN AMERICAL HOLISTIC RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNITY MEETING from 6 – 8 pm 

In-Person: at 2800 Park, Francis Albrier Community Center in San Pablo Park 

AGENDA: Discuss new conceptual concepts. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/african-american-holistic-resource-center-community-meeting-0 

PEACE and JUSTICE COMMISSION at 7 pm 

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

AGENDA: 8. Update on Planning Gaza Peace Conversation for Berkeley Residents, 9. Discussion on History of Commission Actions and Potential 2024 Actions, 10. Discussion and possible action on Request to name a street after Daniel Ellsberg, 11. Discussion and possible action on sister city proposal. 

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

PERSONNEL BOARD at 7 pm 

In-Person: at 1301 Shattuck, Live Oak Park 

AGENDA: V. Recommendation to Revise Job Class Specification – Communications Specialist, VI. Recommendation to Revise Job Class Specification – Associate Transportation Engineer and Supervising Traffic Engineer, VII. Recommendation to Establish Job Class Specification and Salary – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Instructor. 

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

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 

CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1607556641 

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

Meeting ID: 160 755 6641 

AGENDA: Use the link and choose the html option or see the agenda listed at the end of the calendar. 

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

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 

FACILITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY (FITES) at 2 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1607670708 

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

Meeting ID: 160 767 0708 

Committee Members: Humbert, Lunaparra, Taplin 

AGENDA: 2. Harrison – Discussion: Progress on the Bike and Pedestrian Plans, 3. Taplin – Discussion: Train Quiet Zone, 4. Bartlett – EVITP (Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program) Ordinance, 5. Environment and Climate Commission – Referral to Develop Curb Management Program, 6. City Manager – Street Rehabilitation 5-year Plan for 2024 - 2028 

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

COMMISSION on DISABILITY at 5 pm 

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

AGENDA: 9. Global Accessibility Awareness Day, 10. Framing the July Discussion with Rex Brown, CoB DEI Officer, 11. Emergency Preparedness: New CoB draft plan Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), 12. Work Plan 

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

PLANNING COMMISSION at 6 pm 

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

AGENDA: 10. Discussion – Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), 11. Geeral Plan Update: Disaster Preparedness & Safety, Environmental Justice and Climate Metrics. 

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

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

In-Person: at 1170 The Alameda, North Berkeley Library 

AGENDA: III. A. Contract $107,305 with Imperial County Office of Education for Advanced Network Data Services, IV. A. Appointment of Trustee to fill vacancy. 

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

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD (PAB) at 6:30 pm 

A Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2020 Milvia, Suit 250 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82653396072 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 

Meeting ID: 826 5339 6072 

AGENDA: 3. Public Comment on agenda and non-agenda items, 5. ODPA staff Report, 6. Chair and Board Reports, 7. Police Chief’s Report, 8. Subcommittee Reports, 9. New Business: a. Discussion and action relating to the interconnection between the Specialized Care Unit and BPD, b. Section 125(19)(e) – (h) Training with DPA Aguilar: Option to contest the Chief of Police’s determination to the Director of Police Accountability, c. Discussion and action concerning the status of pending policy reviews undertaken by PAB, d Overview of the Berkeley Police Accountability Webpage, 10. Public comment, 11. Closed session. 

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

HOMELESS SERVICES PANEL of EXPERTS (HSPE) at 7 pm 

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

AGENDA: 6. Presentation on Mental Health Services by Karen Klatt and Jeff Buell, 7. Jennifer Stark, Managing Attorney at Disability Rights California (DRC) on DRC v. County of Alameda involving unnecessary psychiatric institutionalization and the lack of sufficient community-based alternatives. 

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

Thursday, June 6, 2024 

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT (MHSA) COMMUNITY INPUT Meetings from 11 am – 12:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8446733966?pwd=OGp3Tm5LQTc5TGdhb2tYWllKcDVhdz09&omn=89471660365 

Teleconference: 1-669-444-9171 

Meeting ID: 844-673-3966 Password: 081337 

AGENDA: Share information and provide input on CoB Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Funding and Services and Proposition 1. (there will be 6 community meetings, 2 zoom only on June 6 and June 10 from 1 – 2:30 pm, and 4 hybrid meetings from 6 – 7:30 pm on June 12 and June 19 at North Berkeley Senior Center and on June 13 and June 18 at South Berkeley Senior Center) 

For more information contact Karen Klatt 510-981-7644, kklatt@cityofberkeley.info 

BUDGET & FINANCE COMMITTEE at 12 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 1st Floor, Cypress Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1617292239 

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

Meeting ID: 161 729 2239 

Committee Members: Arreguin, Hahn, Kesarwani 

AGENDA: 2. FY 2025/2026 Proposed Budget, 3. Measure P FY 2025/2026 a. Homeless Services Panel of Experts Recommendations, b. City Manager recommendations, 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-budget-finance 

 

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION (LPC) at 6:30 pm 

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

AGENDA: 6. 8 Greenwood Common – Structural Alteration Permit - #LMSAP2024-0001 

7. 2128 Oxford – Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) – Use Permit #ZP2022-0135 

8. Annual Report to City Council. 

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

HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION (HAC) at 7 pm 

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

AGENDA: 6. Presentation on Zoning Ordinance Amendments to BMC 23.326 Demolition and Dwelling Unit Controls, 7. Discussion/Action on 1740 San Pablo Funding Recommendation, 8. Update North Berkeley BART, 9. Work Plan. 

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

Friday, June 7, 2024 – no city meetings found 

Saturday, June 8, 2024 

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: 1. Peter Radu on CoB homeless response, 2. AC transit realignment plan. 

https://berkeleyneighborhoodscouncil.com 

Sunday, June 9, 2024 – no city meetings found 

 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

 

++ AGENDA FOR JUNE 4, CITY COUNCIL MEETING ++ 

 

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for Regular 6 pm Meeting on June 4, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

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

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1607556641 

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

Meeting ID: 160 755 6641 

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

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

 

1. Brown, City Attorney - 2nd reading repeal BMC 12.80 natural gas ban
2. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager - 2nd reading Annual Appropriations Ordinance $64,638,408 (gross) and $52,785,663 (net)
3. Davis, Public Works – 2nd reading Revised fees Public Use of City-Owned EV charging ports
4. Arreguin – Amendment to Commission Leave of Absence Process
5. Brown, City Attorney – Contract $70,000 with Amira Jackmon Attorney at Law for Loring and Gilman Parking Benefit District Formation Services
6. Hollander, Economic Development – Assessments: Berkeley Tourism Business Improvement District (BID)
7. Hollander, Economic Development – Assessments: North Shattuck Property Based BID
8. Hollander, Economic Development – Assessments: Telegraph Property Based BID
9. Hollander, Economic Development – Assessments: Downtown Berkeley Property Based BID
10. Hollander, Economic Development – Contracts for on-call fine art services for the City of Berkeley’s Public art Collection the 6/30/2026, Gizmo Art Production, Inc $200,000. ARG Conservation Services $150,000, Atthowe Fine Art Service Contract No. 32300137 add $200,000 total $400,000.
11. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on Neighborhood Branch Library Improvements Project General Obligation Bonds (Measure FF, November 2008 election) at 0.0048%
12. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Street and Watershed Improvements General Obligation Bonds (Measure M, November 2012 Election) at 0.0064%
13. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on 2015 Refunding General Obligation Bonds (Measures G,S & I) at 0.0111%
14. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Infrastructure and facilities General Obligation Bonds (Measure T1 November 2016 election) at 0.0136%
15. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Debt Service on the Affordable Housing General Obligation Bonds (Measure O November 2018 election) at 0.0250%
16. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Business License Tax on Large Non-Profits $0.8207 per square foot of improvements
17. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Maintenance of Parks, City Trees and Landscaping at $0.2210 per square foot of improvements
18. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund the Provision of Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic Tax) at $0.0468 per square foot of improvements
19. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Emergency Services for the Severely Disabled (Measure E) at $0.02094 per square foot of improvements
20. Oyekanmi, Finance – FY 2025 Tax Rate: Fund Firefighting, Emergency Medical Response and Wildfire Prevention (Measure FF) at annual tax fate of $0.1220 per square foot of improvements
21. Oyekanmi, Finance – Temporary Appropriations FY 2025 sum $50,000,000 to cover payroll and other expenses from 7/1/2024 until the effective date of the FY 2025 Annual Appropriations Ordinance
22. Sprague, Fire – Amend Contract No. 32300165 add $200,000 with KLD Associates for Evacuation and Emergency Response Analysis through 6/30/2026 with option to extend for an additional 5 years through 6/30/3031 total plus extension $600,000
23. Sprgue, Fire – Contract $510,000 with Pinnacle Training Systems, LLC (Contractor) to provide nurse practitioner services for a pilot alternative medical response unit from 6/10/2024 – 1/31/2025 with option to extend for 3 additional 1-year terms total not to exceed $2,700,000
24. Sprague, Fire - Contract $77,250 with Tablet Command for Mobile CAD and Incident Command 7/1/2024 – 9/30/2024 piggybacking on a contract with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). May be extended for up to 4 additional 1-year renewal terms at $65,000 per year.
25. Gilman, HHCS – Amend 5-year Permanent Local Housing Allocation Program plan and apply for and accept funds from the State of California’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation Program in an amount not to exceed $3,321,617
26. Gilman, HHCS – Amend Contract No. 32300134 add $500,000 (from American Rescue Plan) total $5,345,500 with Bonita House for SCU
27. Gilman, HHCS – Amend Contract No. 32400236 add $25,300 total $75,000 with Creative Educational Consultants, Inc. for positive youth development for African American/Black and Latinx youth 6/1/2024 - 6/30/2025
28. Gilman, HHCS Amend Contract No. 32300197 add $160,000 total $539,830 with Resource Development Associates for Results Based Accountability Consulting Services 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2026
29. Gilman, HHCS - Revenue Grant Agreements $120,000, submit grant application to Essential Access Health to support reproductive health services, as well as individual and community health education and outreach activities at Berkeley High School Health Centers.
30. Gilman, HHCS – Shelter Plus Care Renewal Grants, a. Shelter Plus Care from HUD $2,327,914 for COACH Project 1/1/2024 – 12/31/2024, b. federal Shelter Plus Care grants via Alameda County$927,164 to provide tenant-based rental assistance to individuals who are chronically homeless and disabled 3/1/2024 – 2/28/2025, c. two HUD grants 1. $4,165,069 for Supportive Housing Collaborative Project (SHC) 6/1/2024 – 5/31/2025 and 2. $2,438,926 for COACH Project 1/1/2025 – 12/31/2025
31. Lois, Police – Approve 2023 Police Equipment & Community Safety Ordinance Annual Report
32. Davis, Public Works – Active Transportation Program Cycle 7 Grant Funding Applications to Caltrans Active Transportation Program (ATP) for $4,000,000 for Southwest Berkeley Bike Blvds, $1,050,000 for Adeline Street Quick-Build
33. Davis, Public Works – Purchase Order $1,269,808.20 with National Auto Fleet Group for 20 Ford Police Interceptor Utility (K8A) and Vehicles
34. Davis, Public Works – Contract $850,000 with Edgeworth Integration, LLC. For installation of Security Cameras at Council approved intersections
35. Davis, Public Works – FY 2024/2025 Transportation Development Act Article 3 Fund Allocation request to Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) prior to 6/14/2024 for $151,950 for FY 2024/2025
36. Mental Health Commission – Reappointment of Monica Renee Jones to Mental Health Commission for second 3-year term beginning 6/4/2024 – 6/3/2027
37. Wong, Auditor – Contract $120,000 with GPP Analytics Inc. for independent Third-Party Audit of Payroll Audit Division
38. Wong, Auditor – Amendments to BMC 2.24 to Establish Whistleblower Program Authority, to formally establish the City Auditor’s authority to receive and refer reports of fraud, waste or abuse as well as investigate those reports and any reports of retaliation against whictleblowers
39. Arreguin – Appointment of La Tanya Bellow as the Interim City Manager effective July 11, 2024 o September 15, 2024 at a prorated rate of pay based upon an annualized salary of $401,722.10 for the period of service in this role in addition to employee benefits
40. Arreguin – Appointment of Paul Buddenhagen as the City Manager effective September 16, 2024 an annual salary of $401,722.10 and additional employee benefits
41. Taplin – Relinquishment of Council Budget Funds Berkeley Humane Bark (&Meow) Around the Block
42. Wengraf , co-sponsors Bartlett, Hahn – Support for H.R. 7849 (Thompson and LaMaifa) support for the Disaster Resiliency and Coverage Act of 2024

AGENDA on ACTION: 

 

 

43. Sprague, Fire – 2nd reading of Berkeley Fire Code Amendments
44. Klein, Planning – 2nd reading of Re-adoption of the Berkeley Building Codes including local amendments
45. Klein, Planning – ZAB Appeal 2113-15 Kittredge, Use Permit #ZP2022-0144, SB 330 density bonus 18-story, 211 dwelling units including 22 very low income units, and 24,273 sq ft live theater space
46. FY 2025 and 2026 Proposed Budget and FY 2025 – 2029 Capital Improvement Program
47. Harrison, co-sponsor Bartlett – Amend BMC 3.78 to expand eligibility requirements for representatives of the Poor to Serve on the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission

DISPOSITION of ITEMS REMOVED FROM DRAFT AGENDA: 

 

 

• Sent to Budget Committee - Homeless Services Panel of Experts - Measure P Allocations FY 2025-2026 a. Homeless Services Panel of Experts, b. Gilman, HHCS approve the Homeless Services Panel of Experts recommendations but continue to partially fund 5150 transports from Measure P until alternative sources can be identified
• Sent to Land Use Committee - Taplin – Affordable Housing for Artists AB-812 Implementation and Cultural District Statutory Standardization 1. Refer to City Manager to study and develop ordinance to reserve for artists up to 10% of Below Market Rate units under BMC 23.328 (Inclusionary Housing) within 0.5 mile of state designated cultural district or within any similar locally designated cultural district, 2. Consider common standards for locally designated cultural districts, including but not limited to Overlay Zones3. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 8758, consider solicitation of state designation for cultural districts in the City of Berkeley

+++++++++++++++++++ Land Use - Work Sessions - Special Meetings +++++++++++++++ 

 

 

LAND USE CALENDAR 

2113-2115 Kittredge (California Theater) 6/4/2024 

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

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

 

• October 22 Draft Waterfront Specific Plan

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

 

 

• Demolition Ordinance - Zoning Amendments BMC 23.326 Demolition and Dwelling Unit Controls

• Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation
• 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, 2023 - Fire Facilities Study Report, Wildfire Prevention Plan https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-may-16-2023-6-pm
• June 20, 2023 (WS)Climate Action Plan & Resilience Update, Update reports available https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-june-20-2023
• February 1, 2024 - Berkeley Economic Dashboards https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Economic%20Dashboard%202023.pdf

. 

 

+++++++++ HINTS for MANAGING CLOSED CAPTIONING and TRANSCRIPTS ++++++++ 

For ZOOM Meetings 

CLOSED CAPTIONING, SAVE TRANSCRIPT OVERVIEW, CHAT, DIRECTIONS and ZOOM SUPPORT LINKS: 

GENERAL
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. 

ATTENDEES 

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. 

How to FLOAT / DETACH the CHAT or TRANSCRIPT from the ZOOM SCREEN so you can see one or both  

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. 

If you activated the CHAT or the TRANSCRIPT and it has disappeared look for the header at the top of the zoom screen that says “exit full screen”. Click on that and you should see the CHAT or TRANSCRIPT again. 

 

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 

FOR THE HOST Creating / Scheduling a ZOOM Meeting 

HOW TO SET UP TRANSCRIPTS, CLOSED CAPTIONING 

When scheduling a meeting go to “Settings” scroll down to “Automated Captions” and allow captions, then allow “Full Transcript” and “Save Captions”. Once you change these settings, they will stay as part of your profile. 

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 

+++++++ HOW TO CONVERT a YOUTUBE VIDEO INTO a TRANSCRIPT ++++++++ 

Open the website https://youtubetranscript.com/ 

Copy the YouTube url into the box with “enter a youtube url” and click on go  

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