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. -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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 -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

Reflections on da Vinci's Heavenly Ceiling -more-

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. -more-

It's Dan Ellsberg Week in the Bay Area -more-

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." -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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: -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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. -more-

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



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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS -more-

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

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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS -more-

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.

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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS -more-

< 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.

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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS -more-