Three victims were shot on eastbound Interstate Highway 80 near the Gilman exit in Berkeley around 3 a.m. today, the California Highway Patrol said. -more-

Several evenings a week I sit on my porch to watch the transition from daylight to twilight to evening. It is a beautiful and magnificent journey. I also notice a luminous object in the sky, often the only luminous object my eyes can see. Someone suggested that it may be a planet. I am hoping that one of you can get your mind off the planet earth for a while -- nowadays that should not be difficult --- and educate me about what I am seeing. -more-

In Part 1 of this evaluation of the report on Berkeley Police racial profiling issued by the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), we examined some of the considerations concerning racial profiling and racialization in the US that were absent from the report, either because of the CPE focus or because the data was withheld by the BPD. In particular, two categories of discussion were omitted in the report that seem important, statistics on arrests made by the police in the course of traffic stops, and the overall national situation with respect to police violence and race, in particular, the many uprisings and demonstrations that occurred across the countyr in 2014. Since that year occurs right in the middle of the period the report addresses, to leave it out decontextualizes what the report intends to study to a large degree. Part 1 of this evaluation can be found here []. And Part 3, if you wish to read ahead, can be found here].
-more-

Who receives more of the antibiotics consumed in the United States- people or livestock? Many people would be surprised to find out that more than 70% of the antibiotics purchased actually go to the meat industry to used on livestock in factory farming. The main reason for this high level of antibiotic overuse is because of how factory farms operate. Animals in factory farms that are fed antibiotics are rarely for the purpose of treating diseases. Antibiotics are used for promoting animal growth to keep up with rapid consumption rates. They can also be used to prevent diseases--when animals are living on top of each other, disease spreads quickly. If one animal gets sick, they all get sick, and none of them can be sent off and processed for consumption. -more-

The corrupting power of money to influence elections is among the most repugnant features of our political system. Although we the people do the voting, it seems that the upper one percent does most of the electing. Moreover, this is not the only hurdle that progressives need to surmount. Our legislative system, which is dressed in democratic garb, poses a serious challenge to those who value democracy. -more-

Donald Trump’s elusive tax returns might finally see the light of day if New York State Attorney General, Barbara Underwood has her way. On June 14 she filed a civil complaint against President Trump and his three oldest children accusing them of “persistently illegal conduct” using the Trump Foundation as their “checkbook for payments regardless of their purpose or legality.” -more-

The full page ad paid for on Friday the 13th by an anonymous "Paid for by Fed Up Populace Campaign" tells the tale of someone consumed by the fear of what a nearby young man might do, claiming her quality of life was seriously compromised while having a sandwich at the Fresh Market Cafe' at Neiman Marcus on Geary Street while seeing someone "acting silent" and holding a pair of scissors. -more-

Breast milk is God’s great gift to mankind. It is the perfect cocktail to nourish newborn babies. So why is Donald Trump trying to discourage women from breast feeding their children in the underdeveloped world? If we follow the money trail, the answer becomes self-evident. -more-

For someone with a schizophrenic diagnosis, a repeat episode of acute psychosis may begin much earlier than many people might think. Many might assume that it begins with the foolish idea of going off medication. And in some instances, that is probably so. -more-

When people contemplate potential disasters ignited by the Trump administration’s foreign policy, places like the South China Sea, Central Asia, or the Korean Peninsula come first to mind. Certainly a dustup with Beijing, Teheran or Pyongyang is a scary thing to contemplate. But the thing that should also keep people up at night is Washington’s approach to international health organizations and the President’s stubborn refusal to address climate change.

Bad bugs are coming, and they are stronger and nastier than they have ever been. A few—like malaria and yellow fever—are ancient nemeses, but they’re increasingly immune to standard drugs and widening their reach behind a warming climate. Others—like Ebola, SARS, MERS and Zika—are new, exotic and fearsome. And antibiotic resistant bacteria threaten to turn the clock back to pre-penicillin days, when a cut could be a death sentence.

Trump’s disdain for international agencies and treaties, plus cuts in public health programs, and a relaxation of regulations on the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry could create a worldwide medical catastrophe. -more-

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Recently, some Democrats have been pondering, "What are liberal values?" Preparing a response, I remembered a values column I wrote seven years ago,"One, Two, Three, What are Liberals Fighting for?" (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/one-two-three-what-are-li_b_925245.html ) With a few changes, the column could have been written today.

The first paragraph sets the tone: "These are hard times. The weather’s bad and the economy awful. Obama has lost his mojo... Many Liberals are discouraged and fearful about the 2012 election. But there’s plenty of time to re-energize, so long as Liberals remember who we are and what we are fighting for." -more-

Brett M. Kavanaugh, now a U.S. Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was nominated by President Trump to be an associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh is a well-credialed Washington insider who compiled a long record as a reliable conservative. Did anyone really believe Trump would nominate a progressive, a liberal, or even a centrist? -more-

On Friday, July 13, and Sunday, July 15, Berkeley Chamber Opera offers Giuseppe Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco/Joan of Arc at the Hillside Club on Cedar Street. Following I Lombardi, Ernani, and I due Foscari, Giovanna d’Arco is Verdi’s seventh opera. It premiered in 1845 during the period Verdi referred to as his “prison” years, that is to say, the years when he churned out operas at a frantic pace to earn a living. Some scholars find more hints of Verdi’s future greatness in Giovanna d’Arco than in its immediate predecessors; but perhaps the most significant way in which this might be true is not musically but in this opera’s focus on father-daughter relations -- a subject that the mature Verdi returned to again and again, often very movingly. Loosely based on a play by Friedrich von Schiller, Giovanna d’Arco tells the tale of Joan of Arc’s mystical visions that inspire her to don helmet and sword to lead the French troops to victory over invading English troops. Departing from Schiller’s play in one respect, Temistocle Solera’s libretto eliminates Joan’s love-interest for the Frenchman Lionel and locates it instead in Carlo, or Charles VII, the French King. In both Schiller’s play and the Verdi-Solera opera, Joan of Arc is tormented by contending inner voices: a chorus of evil spirits urges her to seek the pleasures of the flesh while a chorus of angels entreats her to avoid worldly love and seek only the rewards of heaven. Throughout, Joan’s father, Giacomo, fears that his daughter has fallen in love with Carlo under the spell of evil spirits and a pact with the devil. -more-

Worth Noting:

As is often the case, community, board and commission meetings with interesting agendas are scheduled at the same time, very few are recorded and meeting minutes are sketchy at best.

Monday – the Homeless Commission has a site visit subcommittee meeting a 6:30 pm.

Tuesday – Landmarks subcommittee meets in the morning 10:30 on the Shellmound project. In the evening is the 3^rd Caring for Our Community on the homeless while at the same time City Council will be hearing at the work session about the differences in health outcomes by race and location (the council meeting should be video recorded).

Wednesday – The Commission on Labor will hear from Attorney Michael Grossman on ICE while the Planning Commission sits through a scoping session on the Environmental Impact Report for the Adeline Corridor.

Thursday – the agenda is not published yet for the Joint Subcommittee on Implementation of Housing Law



The agenda for the last City Council meeting (July 24) before summer recess is unbelievably long and available for comment (it is best to comment early if you want your email read council@cityofberkeley.info). At the Council Agenda Committee it was announced that there would be a Council meeting on Urban Shield on July 23, but that is not yet posted in the index.

July 24 City Council meeting Agenda Consent: 8. IKE Smart City Kiosks, 9. ACRO Temporary Staffing Contract, 10. Formal Bid Solicitations, 11. Minuteman Contract, 12. Contract Janitorial Service – Universal Building Services, 13. Ambulance Billing Services, 14. Aging Services Programs, 15. BOSS to Operate secure Storage, 16. Berkeley Way Application A1 Funds, 18. Housing Trust Funds for Housing Rehab, 19. Designating City’s Labor Negotiator, 20. MOU SEIU Local 1021 Maintenance and Clerical Chapters, 21. Unrepresented Employees Agreement, 24. Cyber Resilience Plan, 29. Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, 30. Rental Unmarked Vehicles, 31. Contract Crime Scene cleaners, 32. On-call services Phlebotomy and Sexual Assault Exams, 34. Sanitary sewer services, 35. & 41. Milvia Bikeway Project, 36. KPM Consulting, LLC. on-call Project and Construction, 38. Center Street Parking, 39. Recycling Transfer Station Rebuild Feasibility Study, 43. Use Agreements 1001, 1011 University, 44. Capital improvement paving, 45. Go Berkeley Residential Shared Parking Pilot contract, 46. Reject Bids Woolsley Street Project, 47. Reject Bids, Panoramic Hill Rehabilitation Project, 48. Art & Culture Plan, 49. ADU Pilot House the Homeless, 51. Posting Board and Commission meeting Minutes, 52. Ballot Measure Vision 2050, 54. RRFB Light San Pablo & Addison, 57. – 59. Support of Legislation Sanctuary State, Sexual assault investigations, Keep Families Together Act, Agenda Action: 60. 1446 Fifth Street Appeal, 61. a.&b. U1 Funds to repay Worker’s Comp 1001, 1007, 1011 University and 1925 Ninth Street, 62. Density Bonus, 63. Transfer Tax Ballot Initiative, 64. Rent Ordinance Ballot Initiative, 65. Emergency Preparedness 66. ADU Ordinance Updates, 67. Cannabis Nurseries, 68. Short Term Rental Ordinance, 69. Lobbyists Registration Ordinance, 70. Police Review Commission Charter Ballot Initiative, 71. Community service in lieu of Parking Penalties, 72. Use Nextdoor for Real Time BPD updates, 73. Allow City Staff to Serve as Commissioner, 74. Ballot measure 50-cents per ride tax on Transportation Network Companies, 75. Gender ID on public records, 77. Wildfire App for BPD to provide real time updates

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/2018/07_Jul/City_Council__07-24-2018_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx

-more-