The issue of homeless encampments keeps coming up. The reason is the insistence on the part of the police of Berkeley on raiding encampments, dispelling the groupings of the homeless, disrupting their comunities, and thereby forcing them to move, to resettle themselves, to figure out new procedures for survival.

During the Obama administration, the Dept. Of Justice formulated an argument for how and why and under what circumstances this practice of raiding and disbanding homeless encampments is unconstitutional, in violation of the 8^th Amendment. The 8^th Amendment prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment.” It therefore limits what can be punished and what not. In particular, certain conduct can be punished, but mere status cannot be under certain circumstances (such as illness, poverty, unemplyment, etc.). To the extent homelessness is a (involuntary) status, camping cannot be punished unless a city provides an alternative, such as shelter.

What I include below is an edited (by me) version of a writ introduced into a trial in Boise, Idaho, in 2015, on this issue. It was a case in which the homeless of Boise had filed suit against the city, and the US government had filed an amicus brief in favor of the plaintiffs (the homeless). I have redacted the footnotes and references in the interest of length, and to make the text more palable to those who would have trouble wading through all the legal citations and rhetoric. I tried to only leave the meat of the government’s argument there. For those who have no trouble with legalese, and would like to look at the precedents and citations, the name of the case is Bell vs. City of Boise, its trial number is 1:09-cv-00540-REB, held on 08/06/15. And the full text of the government’s writ can be found here – https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/643766/download -more-

A report of a person with a gun at University of California at Berkeley today was a private armored guard who was authorized to be on campus, police said. -more-

If three trees fall on University Avenue in Berkeley, do they make any noise? Last week three felled redwoods created a reasonably substantial hullaballoo, proving once again that we’re a city of tree huggers. Online stories (Berkeley disciplines developer after redwood trees chopped down, City orders removal of 3 potentially dangerous trees at construction site, City orders redwood removal after trees destabilized at construction site ) prompted an outflow of outraged complaints from the little people, some of whom actually signed their real names, a refreshing contrast to the usual comments from the surly entitled trolls who spend too much time anonymously carping on these news sites.

Lost in the chorus was another disaster waiting to happen, the City of Berkeley Planning Department's surreptitious extension of the entitlements for 2211 Harold Way, a project which threatens to undermine the Shattuck Hotel in much the same way that this small-time developer undermined the redwoods. More about that later. -more-

The only time I ever saw Nancy Pelosi in person was at a 2012 fundraiser for Ami Bera, the second time he ran for Congress in a Sacramento-area district which was at best on the edge. He’d lost a previous run, as I recall, but it was a close race and he was trying again, benefited by a re-drawn district.

This was not an event for the big-time donors, not held in a Pacific Heights mansion, but in a routine San Francisco restaurant with admission price about on a par with a ticket to a San Francisco Symphony concert. I went out of curiosity, wondering where the middle of the road, not my usual hangout, was going. Bera was of interest in particular because he’s a physician, and health care was and is a crucial need, not just a lefty’s dream.

Nancy Pelosi (then House Minority Leader) was a surprise guest, dropping in towards the end of the party to make a very brief speech before she worked the room on Bera’s behalf. When she got to my corner, for some reason I chose to ask her an arcane question about an obscure Ohio race that I’d been wondering about.

To my genuine amazement she gave me a detailed specific answer, with all the facts at her fingertips and cleverly analyzed to boot. She’s usually been depicted in the media as charming, shrewd and a terrific fundraiser, but smart as a whip on fine points of issues? Not often mentioned, but clearly her ace in the hole.

So what’s this cryto-campaign by some smart-ass young-uns who think saying they won’t vote for Pelosi to be Speaker of the House will help them get elected to Congress? Exactly what’s that all about?

Most of these wannabes are running as Republicans-lite in districts where Clinton did relatively well against Trump. One special election Democratic winner, Colin Lamb, even ran commercials showing himself with his guns, presumably angling for the NRA vote. Ugh. -more-

Since it's Labor Day weekend, I'm taking my time. There are more submissions which I'll be posting at my leisure this weekend--stay tuned -more-

The sinking Millennium Tower has captivated San Francisco. Is Berkeley sliding toward its own scandal?

Berkeley Planning Director Timothy Burroughs succumbed to City pressure to sign yet another extension for the project planned for 2211 Harold Way, so presumably the developers who carried the project through entitlement and won the CEQA lawsuit can find a buyer to build it and an institution to finance the project.

With a perceived shortage of housing and a captive student rental audience, why has this project been so hard to flip?
Location.


The project site consists of interconnected buildings (the Shattuck Hotel Complex) which are divided into three overlapping commercial condominiums: Units A, B and C.

The developers of the Harold Way project own Unit A and Unit B, the Postal Annex, the storefronts along Shattuck Avenue, the Shattuck Cinemas and the basements underneath. Longtime residents recognize these portions as the former Hink’s Department Store.

Unit C includes the operational Shattuck Hotel, the restaurant, the hotel lobby, the basement service area and the hotel rooms, including the hotel rooms along Shattuck Avenue, floors two through five above UNIT A. These are owned by BPR, an independent family operation.

The 2211 Harold Way project as entitled calls for demolition and excavation under the hotel rooms (which the developer does not own) to build the three subterranean movie theaters and a lobby area which are promised under the permit.

It may be possible to properly brace the upper floors of the historic Shattuck Hotel to prevent damage and/or collapse during demolition and excavation for these promised theaters, but if (and some would say when) something goes wrong, who is responsible and what is the cost?

The City of Berkeley approved the project. As San Francisco has been with the Millennium Tower, Berkeley could very likely be pulled into lawsuits along with the developer.

The other question is why any investor group would buy a project which requires demolition and excavation under a building it does not own when there are sites all across the country without this complication and risk. Maybe there is a different plan: an expectation of an easy ride, of dumping the cinemas in the current Harold Way project plan, especially if they start demolition and problems develop.

Over five thousand cinema patrons from all across the Bay Area signed petitions to save Shattuck Cinemas. Just a few spoke in favor of the project, many of whom were vying to be recipients of the project's supposed “community benefits.”

Citizens by the hundreds wrote and testified against this project, objecting to:

• the lack of inclusionary affordable housing,
• intrusion into the view from Campanile Way,
• demolition of Shattuck Cinemas and portions of the landmarked Shattuck Hotel Complex,
• allowing a seismic report instead of a seismic study with soil borings,
• location in a school zone impacting approximately 3500 students,
• a transportation study that challenged common sense with the project parking entrance/exit across from the Central Library on Kittredge and
• impact on City infrastructure.

It might be a good time for backers with career ambitions to start looking for a different job, before this project goes wrong as predicted by many. -more-

UPDATE: This morning, at 7 am, displaced homeless from the shelter, FTCFTH, and supporters took city hall. The reason is obvious. 90 out of the old, 60 into the new. The other 30?

The city had plenty of time to make sure no one was displaced. They did not care enough to. These homeless are all disabled. They are seniors. And the city again, did not care about the most vulnerable.

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Recently, at a town hall meeting hosted by Berkeley’s Mayor Jesse Arreguin and Vice Mayor Cheryl Davila, the public was asked to think about ways we could house the residents of the soon to be closed Berkeley Emergency Storm Shelter at 9^th and University. A number of good possibilities, short and long- term were offered. I would like to lend my support to several of them.

I request that the Mayor’s office to do whatever is necessary to extend the operation of the shelter at its current location. Declare a state of emergency and request the County of Alameda and State of California governments extend the 180 days to whatever time is necessary. Comply with any and all repairs needed. In addition, build several bathrooms on site, add showers and washing machines. The Dorothy Day House does a spectacular job of making this place a well-run center and we should see that the City does everything it can to continue the operation of this good shelter they have created. -more-

Every so often a writer produces a phrase that vividly encapsulates the political spirit of the times.

Becky O’Malley, in this space, did this for me when she coined the term “wisdom of the locals,” saying that this is what we need instead of endorsements from outside famous politicians. She named what is now flooding into my race for Assembly District 15.

I’m astonished and humbled. I am the grateful beneficiary of the wisdom of the locals.

Every day I seem to receive another endorsement from local activists, politicians and organizations brimming with expertise and knowledge of our dynamic East Bay and state. These people, together, represent centuries of experience and they know a huge amount about what we need to rectify the abiding problems we’re facing, from climate degradation, to a dysfunctional justice system, to deficient charter schools set up for profit not for children.

Only this week, when I thought there could be no more, more came. I welcome the help of the wise - maybe that’s why they keep coming! -more-

Among the serious problems that working people confront particularly in the retail industries, which include food service establishments, is that their work schedules are subject to change with very short notice. This is problematic for women with children. It poses major hurdles for those who want to advance themselves by attending school or just taking courses they would enjoy.

Also, many workers in the retail industries who work part time need another part time job as well. Without steady and predictable hours, schedule changes make that impossible. For workers generally it makes planning difficult and even at times impossible. Most employees do not complain to avoid the risk of losing their jobs.

Unfortunately, these workers are treated as things that employers can manipulate rather than as real people. There should be a federal law as there is in other countries to protect working people against this abuse. Instead it is up to the states and cities to enact predictive scheduling laws. But very few communities have done so.

Two bay area cities, San Francisco and Emeryville, have each enacted a predictive scheduling law. San Francisco was the first city to enact a scheduling law (2014). The law applies to retail and chain restaurants, which are required to provide two weeks' notice of work schedules. If schedules change in less than seven days employers are subjected to a small penalty. However, there are no heavy fines. Moreover, most workers are not protected. The ordinance covers only those retail establishments that have at least 40 locations worldwide and 20 or more employees in San Francisco. As a result, only a small minority of workers benefit from the law. -more-

Despite the gain in earnings that many women have made, obtaining equality is a long way off. The current wage gap of 80.5 percent of male earnings is still substantial. As a result, women who work full time year-round are losing on the average over $10,000 a year. Moreover, If working women were receiving equal pay with men, their poverty rate would be cut in half.

Yet as revealing as this summary statistic is, it also conceals very important, contrary data. In over a third of all husband and wife families the woman is the main and in many instances the sole breadwinner. The changes in family work patterns have been considerable since 1970, when in almost half of all families only the father was employed. Now. the male as the sole family provider is in the minority.

In the last few decades, an increasing number of women have been entering the labor market. Women, who comprised fewer than thirty percent of the workforce in 1950 ,now make up 47 percent. In fact, the Department of Labor predicts that women for the first time in history will soon constitute a majority of working people.

Many women have been successfully competing for jobs that were once held only by men. Women have been able to do so in part because an increasing number have been going to college. In fact, they have been exceeding the number of males who receive higher education degrees. -more-

In recent weeks, I’ve asked why Mayor Arreguín hasn’t vocally opposed Assembly Bill 2923, the state legislation that would remove zoning authority over BART stations in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties from the host cities and give it to BART. On May 29, he voted with the council majority to oppose the bill and staunchly defended community say in land use. But his name was missing from the strong letter of opposition signed by ten other mayors and published on August 4 in the East Bay Times. He’s continued to remain silent, leaving Berkeleyans to speculate on the reasons for his reticence. -more-

As we head for the November 6th midterm elections, it's worth remembering that Donald Trump was elected President because he promised to "drain the swamp." Instead of doing that, Trump has unleashed a tidal wave of corruption. Over the next two months, Republican corruption is the key topic Democrats must talk about. A 2016 Washington Post/ABC News poll (http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/politics/post-abc-tracking-poll-oct-30-nov-2/2124/ ), released a few days before the presidential election, found that Hillary Clinton had a narrow lead over Trump on all issues except corruption -- where voters trusted Donald to address "corruption in government." In the presidential election exit polls (https://www.cnn.com/election/2016/results/exit-polls ), 39 percent of respondents said the candidate quality that mattered the most was the ability to "bring change;" 82 percent believed Trump was more likely to do this. It can be argued that ending corruption was Trump's key issue. -more-

“Boxing the compass” is an old nautical term for locating the points on a magnetic compass in order to set a course. With the erratic winds blowing out of Washington these days, countries all over Asia and the Middle East are boxing the compass and re-evaluating traditional foes and old alliances.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars in the past half-century, and both have nuclear weapons on a hair trigger. But the two countries are now part of a security and trade organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), along with China, Russia and most of the countries of Central Asia. Following the recent elections in Pakistan, Islamabad’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, has called for an “uninterrupted continued dialogue” with New Delhi to resolve conflicts and establish “peace and stability” in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is a critic of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and particularly opposed to the use of U.S. drones to kill insurgents in Pakistan. -more-

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Labor Day became an official federal holiday in 1894. This year, Labor Day will be celebrated on Monday, September 3.

Corporations did not all of a sudden give workers two days off each week, which we now call weekends, or paid vacations and sick leave, or rights at the workplace, or pensions, or overtime pay. Virtually all the benefits we have at work, whether in the public or private sector, are because unions fought hard and long against big business who did everything they could to prevent giving us these rights. -more-

When mental health consumers are paranoid about everything, this can become an obstacle to accepting treatment.

Treatment practitioners generally intend to help us. This makes sense for a number of reasons. If we can get our symptoms under control, it is less likely that we will be a nuisance or a threat to society. In addition, it is cost-effective to treat severe symptoms. Services given to people in crisis are usually much more expensive compared to preventative maintenance.

Thus, it is in society's interest and it is in our own interest to accept treatment. If we accept treatment, it becomes possible to create good lives for ourselves. Without treatment, we are shortchanging ourselves of the possibility of good things. -more-

Roll Out the Barrels

Alarmed that pot-puffing might lead to a decline in suds-sucking, beer-brewer Heinekin has announced plans to purchase Petaluma's Lagunitas Brewery Company, a firm that produces non-alcoholic sparkling water infused with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. (The brewery's "Hop Water" gives new meaning to the phrase "potable water." Remember, kids: It's important to remain HIGH-drated. Presumably these pot-water bottles will be labeled and thirsty customers will need to be carded before making a purchase.)

We're happy to report that the cafe at the Berkeley Bowl in West Berkeley is already a jump ahead of Heinekin. There were four specialty brews on tap at the coffee counter this week including Lavender Lemonade and "Cannabliss." -more-

As the United States approaches the critical November 6th midterm elections, Democratic candidates convey three themes: costs, wages, and corruption. While aspects of the corruption theme are readily apparent -- almost every week some Republican big wig is indicted for corruption, what has been lacking is a "big picture" proposal to address inequity. Now, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has proposed a sweeping reform of capitalism. -more-

There are numerous things that society, people, and the mental health treatment systems expect from mentally ill people, and these expectations are often unreasonable.

When a person with a psychiatric disability is facing expectations from others that such person could not possibly fulfill, sometimes he or she experiences an overload, or a "does not compute" which can result in breaking down. Society is set up intentionally to make mentally ill people fail. That is the only conclusion I can draw, when I look at my entire history, which is riddled with me being sabotaged and attacked. Also, if I look at the outcome of so many other people with my problem, their lives almost always end in tragedy. This tragedy could be an early death, or it could mean being permanently incarcerated or institutionalized. Society and people are set up to prove that they were right about us. They then create circumstances that are unsolvable.

Many people may feel this way. What can you do in a situation that is clearly impossible to resolve? You must learn to accept the unacceptable. This idea did not come from me, it came from a spiritual teacher who was teaching a form of Buddhism. -more-

Empirical evidence shows that global warming is real and is largely caused by man. This is not a theory; it is a fact. If someone tells you that this is not true, then they are lying or stupid or stand to make lots of money by ignoring it. By denying global warming, you have an excuse to do little or nothing about it. Global warming is no longer about science; it is now a political, economic, social debate. In other words, what do we do about global warming? -more-

Roll Out the Barrels

Alarmed that pot-puffing might lead to a decline in suds-sucking, beer-brewer Heinekin has announced plans to purchase Petaluma's Lagunitas Brewery Company, a firm that produces non-alcoholic sparkling water infused with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. (The brewery's "Hop Water" gives new meaning to the phrase "potable water." Remember, kids: It's important to remain HIGH-drated. Presumably these pot-water bottles will be labeled and thirsty customers will need to be carded before making a purchase.)

We're happy to report that the cafe at the Berkeley Bowl in West Berkeley is already a jump ahead of Heinekin. There were four specialty brews on tap at the coffee counter this week including Lavender Lemonade and "Cannabliss."

Lest there be any mistake, a nearby card touted the benefits of toking CBD (Cannabidiol) via a tasty beverage. According to the signage, CBD is an antidote for fatigue, pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and nausea and it also "fights cancer, may treat seizures, lowers incidence of diabetes, and promotes cardiovascular health." -more-

Worth Noting: -more-

Worth Noting:

Boards, Commissions and Council are still on August recess with few City meetings.

The emergency Homeless Shelter which houses 95 people per night at 9^th and University closes after August 31. No new location has been identified.

On Monday the Agenda Committee reviews the proposed agenda for the first City Council meeting after summer recess

On Tuesday there will be community meeting on safety and the recent shooting at San Pablo Park.

Future Events:

There are events and forums planned before the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) (September 12 – 14) http://globalclimateactionsummit.org. There is a march on Saturday, September 8 and a forum on Tuesday September 11 with a very impressive list of international presenters.

September 8 - Rise for Climate March (National Day of Action for Climate), 10 am San Francisco https://peoplesclimate.org/takeaction

September 11 - Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice 1:00 pm – 8:30 pm, local and international leaders, free and open to the public, wecaninternational.org/pages/sept2018,



The LeConte Neighborhood is postponing the meeting on Traffic Circles and Peoples Park until the end of September.

-more-

During the 2018 Berkeley Early Music Festival & Exhibition in June, I took time to visit the Exhibition, where rare and unusual instruments were on display and available for musicians to try them out. While at the Exhibition, I was offered four compact discs of music for lute, all produced by Gamut Music. I was asked by the people from Gamut Music if I would review these discs. I replied that I’d be happy to review them but couldn’t promise when I’d have the time to do so. Well, now in the last days of August I am delighted to fulfill my promise. -more-

Each year, the Merola Opera Program takes in a new class of young singers. In some years, the last two, for example, there is a bumper crop, and the Grand Finale concert at summer’s end features one standout performance after another. This year that is not exactly the case. At the Saturday, August 18 concert at War Memorial Opera House, the overall level of technical artistry on display was high, but the truly incendiary, standout performances were few and far between. This year’s Grand Finale program got under way with Dean Williamson conducting the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a somewhat subdued rendition of the Overture to Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri. Director Marcus Shields employed a unit stage set throughout which consisted of a semicircle of what looked like boxes in an opera house, though two staircases led from ground level to the first tier of three. -more-