Several issues ago in the Berkeley Daily Planet, an article on this nation’s political deficiencies astutely spelled out various structural factors that undermine our democracy. There is still another serious shortcoming that also deserves our attention. We should be concerned about the lack of electoral fusion in most states. Electoral fusion is when two or more political parties on a ballet support the same candidate. This pools the vote for that candidate, who could otherwise lose the election. Also, it enhances the influence of minor parties, who could support a candidate of another party if the candidate would be willing to accept some of the minor party’s platform.
According to historians, electoral fusion was once widespread in the United States. But as minority parties, by using fusion, became increasingly successful, state legislatures enacted bans to prohibit fusion. They outlawed fusion in 18 states.
Currently there are only eight states where fusion is legal. New York City is among those states. The Working Families Party, which is a small political party, has taken advantage of fusion by assuring the election of some progressive candidates. Although California is one of the eight states, it recognizes electoral fusion only in presidential elections.
To improve the chances of enacting progressive legislation in California and elsewhere, a serious attempt should be made to restore electoral fusion. But it is very unlikely that state legislatures would support fusion. Instead, this issue would have to be placed on the ballot so that voters can decide. Although enacting fusion would be very difficult, it is winnable if most voters realize that it would enhance their political influence considerably. In other words, it would be a major victory for democracy.
An event was held on November 13, 2019, in a fairly large auditorium at Berkeley City College, with the somewhat glib title of “How to Save the World with Local Politics.” That the hall was less than half full may be sign that most people think it is too late. Or it may be that those losing their world knew something these attendees didn’t know. Whatever the case, it raised the question, “which world?”
The event sported a panel of four speakers, who presented in three different directions. One spoke about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the carbon footprint of the Bay Area. He used a map strangely and counter-intuitively reminiscent of the one about recent fire danger. A second spoke about the difficulties faced by people trying to rent housing in this area. She didn’t ask why no one from among the homeless communities of Berkeley had been invited to be a panelist. A third gave a brief outline of housing economics, and why it was appropriate to advocate building more market rate rental units. And the fourth kind of filled in gaps in the other three. She had a big job.
Two of the speakers were elected officials, one from the state Senate, and the other from the state Assembly. In an election year (even one with a candidate glut), one would have expected heavy hitters like that to be a greater draw. But neither had changed the world yet, nor gotten us back on track to stop global warming (the real name of our future). Two organizations, “South Berkeley Now,” and “North Berkeley Now,” were listed as sponsors. But the real sponsor, the power behind the panel, was the Berkeley Democratic Club, which ran the panel as an in-house affair. Questions were only taken on 3x5 cards and filtered by the MC before being handed to a speaker for response. Thus, it was a purely informational gathering.
Here’s their housing program in a nutshell (I won’t tell you what kind of nut it is:
The reason there is a housing crisis is not because there are runaway rent increases or on-going displacement of people who can’t afford housing anymore. It is because there is a housing shortage. No substantial housing had been built for 40 years in Berkeley. Admittedly, rent gouging and displacement have been problems, but a new bill passed in Sacramento that places a cap on rent increases, and tightens the rules against eviction should (belatedly) resolve those problems. Therefore, building more units (both market rate and affordable) becomes a viable program.
But this is old news. Pro-developer organizations, many pretending to represent neighborhoods, have been saying the same thing for years. And having their way, to the point where there is already a glut of market rate housing in Berkeley. We see “For Rent” and “Now Leasing” signs on new apartment buildings all over town. Yet people are still having to leave their homes because they are getting priced out of the area.
Left unquestioned was the assumption that rent-increase caps could be a substitute for repealing the Costa-Hawkins Act. That is the act that gives landlords arbitrary control over rents. It is the act that has allowed rent-gouging to proceed unchecked for decades now. Which is a major reason there is no affordable housing being built.
Surrendering to the idea that there is no space in which to build affordable housing, pro-developer programs are now advocating use of the parking lots at Ashby BART and North Berkeley BART. This was what the two "Now" organizations were pushing. In some of their statements, they advocate for 100% affordable housing on those sites. Yet one of their own panelist explained that 100% affordable housing is not an option (on these parking lots or elsewhere). Any affordable housing would require federal subsidies, which the feds are cutting back on. We therefore have to build market rate units in the buildings in which there are to be affordable units in order to pay for the maintenance and profit earnings on the buildings.
And there’s the rub (or at least, one of them). If there is a glut of market rate housing now, what will happen to those buildings, even though the affordable units be rented, if the market rate units stay empty, and the building has to close for lack of maintenance? After all, "maintenance" is the main argument landlords have used to get a ban on all rent control (presumably a form of “for-profit maintenance”).
This was all stuff we’ve heard discussed for years now. It didn’t seem to be “saving the world.”
The big question is, why hasn’t housing (mainly apartment buildings) been built for 40 years? When someone accuses a city of having been remiss about building housing for so long, they are generally pointing a finger at the city government – which signifies that the accusation is mainly for electoral purposes. Very few people want to talk about the real reason for the lack.
In the period from 1970 to 2000, there had been very low demand for housing. That was in part because the population of Berkeley (and other parts of the Bay Area) had decreased during that period. It had decreased for a reason that the political policy makers, and their component clubs, do not want to recognize “now” (again for electoral reasons). Back then, this area was a center of political activity, especially Civil Rights and cultural sovereignty (Black Power, AIM, women’s organizations, etc.), while also including anti-war and environmental activity. A significant result was a demographic shift that came to be known as “white flight.” Many white people left, moving to surrounding counties where they could construct new white neighborhoods for themselves. As time went by, many of them (and their children) moved up the employment ladders to high paying jobs in IT, high tech, and the growing financial center in SF. And they commuted back into town each day.
About 10 years ago, a maverick organization called ABAG (Assoc. of Bay Area Governments, founded in 1972) decided to rock the boat. After the Reagan era, after the quelling of the movements, and after the Orchards of San Jose had been plowed under to make space for hi-tech manufacturing campuses, things changed. The “Vietnam Syndrome” became a name for something to blame on the movements and not on the war itself. After the Clinton years, during which the US became incarceration-nation, a new financial paradigm replaced the previous one (one of its names was “Washington Consensus”). The financial district in SF was beefed up, as was the Haas Business School and the port of Oakland, so that the Bay Area (as a metropolitan area) could offer real politico-economic competition to Singapore and Jakarta in the Pacific Rim economy.
ABAG decided it was time to bring all those nice white people back into town. With the world dedicating itself to reducing GHGs, ending that horrendous commute by providing housing for these suburbanites right here in town could be seen as a real service to the world. It was, however, a play straight out of the "gentrification" play book. The mere promise of the arrival of these suburbanites looking for housing started the rent-gouging ball rolling, along with immediate and massive real estate speculation. These became the dynamics of a huge enrichment game for landlords. "Enrichment game" for some is a sign for an "impoverishment machine" for others.
In short order, the Bay Area became the most expensive place in the US to find housing. Landlords who wanted to raise the rents on their housing units simply jacked up the rent, displacing families who then generally had to leave town to find affordable housing. And landlords generally found that displacing tenants of color was easier than white low income families. This juggernaut of displacement (making room for incoming white middle class technocrats) was the prelude to building new housing. By the time new apartment buildings started appearing, market rate rent levels had already sky-rocketed. And the white middle class suburbanites who moved in kept rent levels high while the black community was essentially decimated. The black population of Berkeley found itself reduced from around 20% to its present 6%. The social process of racialization can privilege some people only by de-privileging others.
And in particular, there can be no influx without a comparable displacement. One produces the other through its assumption of priority and superiority, inferiorizing the displaced as the effect of their deprioritization. Displacement reflects a form of racialization.
Displacing low income people through rent-gouging wasn’t the only dynamic at work. Building market rate apartment buildings that neighborhood people could never afford to inhabit was the other dimension of it. Gentrification, the shift in class and racial character of an area, was the force behind both. To take a situation that is diverse and multicultural, and make it a wholly white social location, is a form of racialization.
In other words, what resides at the foundation of the affordable housing crisis is racism. It was not just a shortage of housing. Nor did housing construction simply express an incidental displacement of people of color. It was an institutional process of providing privilege to white middle class people. It created the means whereby they could re-colonize an area the previous generation of white people had abandoned. Like all colonialism, the new settlers disrupted the economy and culture by means of their checkbooks.
Those who discuss the “housing crisis” generally do not give recognition to this historical process. They prefer to see housing as simply an "issue." They ignore the fact that the entire trajectory of social transformation had both the earlier struggles against racism and the later quelling of social justice movements as its foundation. The re-racialization of the Bay Area means making it white again. Complicity in this required nothing more that serious racist indifference
Ironically, while the low income communities and the people of color demographic were reduced by this racializing process, the production of GHGs did not go down. Those who were displaced from their neighborhoods, after they found housing in other towns, had to commute to work. They filled the space on highways left by those suburbanites who no longer had to commute. In other words, there was simply a shift in the class nature of GHG emissions.
Interestingly, as noticed by one of the speakers on the panel, though without explanation, surveys show that the use of public transportation has declined in recent years. Public transportation has become an important issue with respect to global warming, and carbon footprints. It is also an issue used to call attention to the low income communities on which gentrification is imposing itself, as an infrastructure problem. Why would demand decline with the price of gas up, the traffic jams getting bigger, and the volume of demands for GHG reduction louder?
Public transportation is for low income people. The white middle class, the wealthy suburbanites who arrive on the crest of this demographic shift, take gig-taxis like Lyft or Uber around town rather than face a parking problem or sit in a bus with a bunch of strangers (aka residents). On the other hand, the working class people who now commute into town, taking the suburbanites’ place on the highways, have their own cars to use. So fewer people get on the bus. It is an ancillary effect of the return of the “white flight” population to the Bay Area, a class outcome of the racialized shift fostered by the state (via ABAG).
Where transit use has actually increased is in transbay movement. It is much more efficient to take BART across the Bay than drive, since parking is, for everyone, a nightmare in the city. So a Transbay Terminal was built.
Insofar as the Democratic Club of Berkeley and its panel ignores the dissolution of low income communities, claiming it wants to meet neighborhood needs by building more housing for the influx (rather than for the displaced), it positions itself as the party of middle class whiteness, though still paying some lip service to diversity.
It looks like, to save the world, we are going to have to get radical. One radical solution to the housing crisis would be to set zoning standards so high that for-profit developers would turn and run, leaving their building sites for non-profit developers to construct 100% affordable housing for low income people (“affordable” meaning at most 30% of a tenant’s income).
The "world" that the “Save the World” panel is saving is the restoration of a white upper middleclass demographic in Berkeley. It is for this restoration that the local Berkeley Democratic Club has become an advocate. Ironically, this club recently elected a black woman as its president. In announcing her election, she proudly stated that she is the first black woman to be elected to that post in the club’s 85 year history, a fact to be sincerely celebrated. But she takes that post just in time to participate in presiding over the above mentioned "restoration."
The university is a place where intellectuals gather to exchange and teach ideas. Intellectuals are people who are passionate seekers of truth. They seek this truth by employing rigorous methodologies peculiar to their fields. A responsible intellectual is self-effacing and personally disciplined. He/she has learned to see and release him/herself from the demons that inhabit us and distort the truth. The most common of these demons are of greed and pride. The kind of people who are and should be invited to campuses are other intellectuals, researchers and authors who share these traits.
People like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos are not seekers of truth. They employ their intellects in the SERVICE of the demons of greed and pride. They repeatedly lie outright. Their methodology is that of propaganda. They don't merely represent a point of view.
Those in the position in the university to invite or not invite guests are capable of making this distinction. I implore them to do so in the future.
It did not appear in the evening news, nor in the Chronicle, but last Sunday (11/24), some citizens of Oakland and Berkeley made a vain attempt to keep the city of Oakland honest. They failed miserably – at the hands of Oakland’s absolute refusal of honesty, as well as of civic virtue.
These citizens were a subgroup of the community of residents known as the unhoused, or as they say, those living curbside. They had previously taken the city at its word, that it was sincerely interested in resolving the problem of shelter for the homeless with winter coming on. But since the city’s word proved to be empty, and devoid of humane effort or intent, they decided to avail themselves of higher law (i.e. the US Constitution), and by that means, bestow honesty and virtue where it had been refused.
The Facts: in a highly organized manner, about 30 people took it upon themselves to set up tents as shelters on the civic center lawn in front of City Hall, an area that is public land, on a brisk but sunny Sunday morning, and prepare themselves for the coming rains. They had an information table, and a food table, offering both to the public, out of their own generosity and community-mindedness. But at 1:30 that night, the city sent the police in to destroy this effort at morality and true democratic spirit at around 1:30 am, that same night, seizing property and eliminating for them the ability to survive the elements.
What do you call a political entity that commits a crime rather than accept a gift? The gift? Keeping the city true to its word.
A partial list of the crimes committed by the city.
1- Oakland violated the Martin vs. Boise decision by the Ninth Circuit Court which states that refusal to allow homeless people to sleep on public land is a violation of the 8th Amendment of the US Constitution unless the city can provide shelter for those people.
2- The police confiscated the tents, the possession needed to defend against the elements, the radios and phones, the medicines and talismans of the campers, without due process, and thus violated the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution.
3- The police violated their oaths of office which says they swear to uphold and defend the US Constitution (against all enemies, internal and external).
4- The city administrators and councilmembers who ordered and permitted this raid on the encampment violated their oaths of office which says they swear to uphold and defend the US Constitution (against the same enemies, viz. those who substitute tyranny for democracy).
5- Arbitrary and gratuitous assaults on harmless, peaceful, oppressed people, victims of economic and cultural impoverishment by the society at large, who are simply attempting to survive, is a gross violation of the right of self-defense of all people subject to unprovoked aggression.
The statement of purpose of the encampment
WHO ARE WE?
We are a group of Oaklanders who are homeless,
or who are housed, or who are on the verge of
becoming homeless.
Over the past two years, we have been survivors
of and/or witnesses to the cruel and inhumane
treatment of The City government to Oakland's
unhoused.
In the past two years these government offices
have spent more than $30 million dollars towards
"solving" homelessness. But during those two
years homelessness doubled in Oakland, and
dozens of unhoused residents who used the city's
programs are back on the streets.
WHAT DO WE WANT?
1. An immediate end to evictions of curbside communities, demolitions of homes and towing of vehicles people live in or store belongings in.
2. An immediate end to the destruction of curbside residents‘ personal property and survival gear.
3. The City Council directed the Mayor and her Administration two years ago to identify and make available at least two parcels of public land in each district to be used for sanctuaries, villages or other community-led emergency approaches to support and shelter curbside communities. This never happened, and must happen immediately.
4. No more fundraising for or building any more Tuff Sheds. These programs are a waste of money and not effective to meet the scale of the homeless state of emergency or the actual needs of curbside residents.
5. An end to market rate and above market rate development. The City must turn its attention to the neglected, deeply affordable housing development goals in the next year.
6. Immediately upgrade all curbside communities with adequate portapotties, trash services, clean drinking water, solar power and improvements to self-built homes.
7. Due to his anti-homeless tendencies, his abuse of power, his complete disregard of the humanity and rights of curbside residents, his mismanagement of millions of dollars to go towards solutions to homelessness — we call for an immediate dismissal of Assistant to the Administrator Joe De Vries. Due to his deep anti-homeless biases and arbitrary decision making that impact the lives and well-being of Oakland's unhoused, he cannot lead the approaches to solve this crisis.
8. The immediate implementation of City Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas' recommendations to align all The City's approaches to homelessness with a human rights lens.
A politics of encampment – what it does and means
In a very organized and orderly manner, the people of this community set up a number of tents on the lawn in front of city hall, in the very place where Occupy Oakland took root back in 2011. It carefully and conscientiously applied the classical US tradition of civil disobedience, fostered by such philosophers of the 19th century as Thoreau, Emerson, and Thomas Jefferson.
Their food table was supplied with food they had cooked themselves, as part of their community of self-caring and communal survival. They offered a pasta dish, a large potato salad, and various breads, chips, and dips.
The various Berkeley communities of the homeless were represented, helping in solidarity and participation to set up the camp, as a humanitarian effort against a city in bad faith. What the encampment means, above all else, is that this is the only real form of survival these people, who live curbside, have. Only their own community takes their survival and health as a concern. Only their own community is left to them in a social environment that politically scorns them and leaves them on the street to die.
When the homeless explain that the actual attempts to provide shelter by the city (whether Oakland or Berkeley) are designed to separate the people from each other, and to thus dissolve the community that they need for survival, they are also pointing out another more important and critical meaning. It is to destroy.
In none of the efforts to resolve the condition of the homeless, or to provide them with shelter, has either city ever involved the homeless themselves in articulating and formulating the policies that might then alleviate their situation. Democracy means that those who will be affected by a policy should be the ones to articulate and decide the policy that will affect them.
It is the refusal of this principle that points to the most egregious form of bad faith on the city’s part – both cities. All positions of overlordship or elitism, when manifest in this society, are in bad faith. The proof of their bad faith is that their rhetorical efforts cover social programs that only make the condition of the homeless worse.
And the solution to the problem of the homeless?
There are dozens of solutions, spoken every day, and unheard only because of a refusal to hear.
· Open buildings that have been vacant for years for occupancy. There are hundreds.
· Protect tenants that are falling beneath the inflation juggernaut.
· End rent gouging.
· Use public land for public good, that is, to take care of keeping people alive – instead of that cynical guarantee that "all" have equal use.
· Foster dialogue between the homeless and the neighborhoods so that they can figure out how each can help and be of service to the other.
When a person’s life is at stake, a refusal to help them is a crime – against them and against humanity.
When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an economic meeting in the city of Sivas on Sept. 4 that Turkey was considering building nuclear weapons, he was responding to a broken promise.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the government of Iran of lying about its nuclear program, he was concealing one of the greatest subterfuges in the history of nuclear weapons.
And the vast majority of Americans haven’t a clue about either.
Early in the morning of Sept. 22, 1979, a US satellite recorded a double flash near the Prince Edward islands in the South Atlantic. The satellite, a Vela 5B, carries a device called a “bhangmeter” whose purpose is to detect nuclear explosions. Sent into orbit following the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963, its job was to monitor any violations of the agreement. The Treaty banned nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, underwater and in space.
Nuclear explosions have a unique footprint. When the weapon detonates, it sends out an initial pulse of light, but as the fireball expands, it cools down for a few milliseconds, then spikes again.
“Nothing in nature produces such a double-humped light flash,” says Victor Gilinsky. “The spacing of the hump gives an indication of the amount of energy, or yield, released by the explosion.” Gilinsky was a member of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a former Rand Corporation physicist.
There was little question who had conducted the test. The Prince Edward islands were owned by South Africa and US intelligence knew the apartheid government was conducting research into nuclear weapons, but had yet to produce one. But Israel had nukes and both countries had close military ties. In short, it was almost certainly an Israeli weapon, though Israel denied it.
In the weeks that followed, clear evidence for a nuclear test emerged from hydrophones near Ascension Island and a jump in radioactive iodine-131 in Australian sheep. Only nuclear explosions produce iodine-131.
But the test came at a bad time for US President Jimmy Carter, who was gearing up his re-election campaign, a cornerstone of which was a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.
If the Israelis were seen to have violated the Partial Test Ban, as well as the 1977 Glenn Amendment to the Arms Export Control Act, the US would have been required to cut off all arms sales to Israel and apply heavy sanctions. Carter was nervous about what such a finding would have on the election, since a major part of Carter’s platform was arms control and non-proliferation.
So Carter threw together a panel of experts whose job was not to examine the incident but to cover it up. The Ruina Panel cooked up a tortured explanation involving mini-meteors that the media accepted and, as a result, so did the American public.
But nuclear physicists knew the panel was blowing smoke and that the evidence was unarguable. The device was set off on a barge between Prince Edward Island and Marion Island (the former should not be confused with Canada’s Prince Edward Island) with a yield of from 3 to 4 kilotons. A secret CIA panel concurred but put the yield at 1.5 to 2 kilotons. For comparison, the Hiroshima bomb was 15 kilotons.
It was also clear why the Israelis took the risk. Israel had a number of Hiroshima-style fission bombs but was working on producing a thermonuclear weapon—a hydrogen bomb. Fission bombs are easy to use, but fusion weapons are tricky and require a test. That the Vela picked it up was pure chance, since the satellite had been retired. But its bhangmeters were still working.
From Carter on, every US president has covered up the Israeli violation of the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, as well as the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). So when Netanyahu says Iran is lying about its nuclear program, much of the rest of the world, including the US nuclear establishment, rolls their eyes.
As for Turkish President Erdogan, he is perfectly correct that the nuclear powers have broken the promise they made back in 1968 when the signed the NPT. Article VI of that agreement calls for an end to the nuclear arms race and the abolition of nuclear weapons. Indeed, in many ways Article VI is the heart of the NPT. Non-nuclear armed countries signed the agreement, only to find themselves locked into a system of “nuclear apartheid,” where they agreed not to acquire such weapons of mass destruction, while China, Russia, Great Britain, France and the US get to keep theirs.
The “Big Five” not only kept their weapons, they are all in the process of upgrading and expanding them. The US is also shedding other agreements, like the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Agreement. Washington is also getting ready to abandon the START treaty that limits the US and Russia to a set number of warheads and long-range strategic launchers.
What is amazing is that only four other countries have abandoned the NPT: Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and India (only the latter three have been sanctioned by the US). But that situation cannot hold forever, especially since part of Article VI calls for general disarmament, a pledge that has been honored in the breach. The US currently has the largest defense budget in its history and spends about 47 percent of what the entire rest of the world spends on their militaries.
While the US doesn’t seem able to win wars with that huge military—Afghanistan and Iraq were disasters—it can inflict a stunning amount of damage that few countries are willing to absorb. Even when Washington doesn’t resort to its military, its sanctions can decimate a country’s economy and impoverish its citizens. North Korea and Iran are cases in point.
If the US were willing to cover up the 1979 Israeli test, while sanctioning other countries that acquire nuclear weapons, why would anyone think that this is nothing more than hypocrisy on the subject of proliferation? And if the NPT is simply a device to ensure that other countries cannot defend themselves from other nations’ conventional and/or nuclear forces, why would anyone sign on or stay in the Treaty?
Turkish President Erdogan may be bluffing. He loves bombast and effectively uses it to keep his foes off balance. The threat may be a strategy for getting the US to back off on its support for Israel and Greece in their joint efforts to develop energy sources in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
But Turkey also has security concerns. In his speech, Erdogan pointed out “There is Israel just beside us. Do they have [nuclear weapons]? They do.” He went on to say that if Turkey did not response to Israeli “bullying,” in the region, “We will face the prospect of losing our strategic superiority in the region.”
Iran may be lying—although though there is no evidence that Teheran is making a serious run at producing a nuclear weapon—but if they are, they in good company with the Americans and the Israelis.
Sooner or later someone is going to set off one of those nukes. The likeliest candidates are India and Pakistan, although use by the US and China in the South China Sea is not out of the question. Neither is a dustup between NATO and Russia in the Baltic.
It is easy to blame the current resident of the White House for world tensions, except that the major nuclear powers have been ignoring their commitments on nuclear weapons and disarmament for over 50 years.
The path back to sanity is thorny but not impossible:
One: re-join the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty, thus making Russia’s medium range missiles unnecessary, and reduce tensions between the US and China by withdrawing ABM systems from Japan and South Korea.
Two: re-instate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Agreement and find a way to bring China, India and Pakistan into it. That will require a general reduction of US military forces in Asia coupled with an agreement with China to back off on its claims over most of the South China Sea. Tensions between India and Pakistan would be greatly reduced by simply fulfilling the UN pledge to hold a referendum in Kashmir. The latter would almost certainly vote for independence.
Three: continue adherence to the START Treaty but halt the modernization of the Big Five’s nuclear weapons arsenals and begin to implement Article VI of the NPT in regards to both nuclear and conventional forces.
Pie in the sky? Well, if we don’t make these moves we might not be around for the worst part of climate change.
--30--
Conn Hallinan can be read at dispatchesfromtheedgeblog.wordpress.com and middleempireseries.wordpress.com
The holidays are coming. And with them, more opportunities to talk to those recalcitrant Trump supporters in your family. Such as Aunt Bertha who believes God sent Donald on a mission. And Uncle Bert who wants Trump to blow up Washington. Here are ten tips on how to talk to them about the impeachment process. Ten responses to familiar Republican (false) arguments.
Contention 1: "Democrats are trying to overthrow the 2016 election." This a good place to start the conversation because there is an element of truth in this Republican argument. Response: Yes, impeachment is about removing the President from office and replacing him with the Vice President. Democrats are using this process because they believe Donald Trump has committed grave offenses that threaten our Democracy. (Helpful hint: Don't mention that Vice President Mike Pence could also be a candidate for impeachment because of his involvement in the Ukraine scandal.)
Contention 2: "Democrats are making a false charge. Trump's call to Ukraine was perfect." Helpful hint: take a deep breath. Response: have you read the White House memo on the July 25th call? (It's not a transcript.) Trump discusses U.S. aid to Ukraine and then says "I would like you to do us a favor" and mentions an investigation of Hunter and Joe Biden. Many constitutional lawyers have stated that Trump's action is bribery. That's why there is an impeachment inquiry.
Contention 3: "The Whistleblower was out to get Trump." Time for another deep breath. Response: everything that was mentioned in the Whistleblower report has been confirmed by the White House memo on the July 25th call and witnesses to the event. Trump has admitted the basic facts so the Whistleblower is no longer relevant to the investigation.
Contention 4: "All the evidence is second hand." Response: While the original Whistleblower report was indeed second hand, this information has been confirmed by the White House memo on the July 25th call and witnesses to the event. For this reason, the critical evidence is first hand; it's been provided by Donald Trump or others who listened to the phone call.
Contention 5: "What about the Bidens? Shouldn't they be investigated?" Response: Democrats have no objection to an investigation of the Ukraine activities of Hunter and Joe Biden. However, this investigation has nothing directly to do with the impeachment inquiry; it is a separate matter. [Pause for emphasis.] Donald Trump controls the Department of Justice and and the FBI and they have yet to initiate an investigation into the activities of Hunter and Joe Biden. [While this was being written, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham -- chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- launched a problem into the Bidens (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/graham-launches-probe-into-bidens-burisma-and-ukraine/2019/11/21/5a5675b4-0ca5-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html ). ]
Contention 6: "There was not a crime because no damage was done; Ukraine got the money." Take another deep breath. Response:" After the July 25th phone call, military aid to Ukraine was put on hold by Trump. The aid was not released until September 11th, after the whistleblower report and after the House of Representatives launched related investigations. Because of this sequence, many characterize what happened as a failed bribery attempt. Nonetheless, a bribery attempt that fails is still a crime.
Contention 7: "The Impeachment process is flawed." Response: The Impeachment process is similar to that used in previous impeachment inquiries -- for example, the Clinton impeachment -- except for the fact there is no special counsel involved. This process follows the rules set down by the House of Representatives and those rules include the involvement of Democrats and Republicans at each phase.
In addition, it would help the process if Donald Trump did not forbid the testimony of relevant witnesses. (Of course, it would also help if Trump testified before the impeachment panel.)
Contention 8: "Trump should be able to confront his accusers." Take a deep breath. Response: There are two phases of the impeachment process; the inquiry -- held in the House of Representatives -- and the trial -- held in the Senate. Trump will be able to confront his accusers during the Senate trial. In addition, House Speaker Pelosi has offered Trump a chance to give testimony during the inquiry and offered his counsel an opportunity to present evidence during the House process.
Contention 9: "Whatever... it's not an impeachable offense." Take two deep breaths. Response: Whether or not Trump's acts -- bribery, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power -- are impeachable offenses needs to be decided after the process has played out -- by a vote in the Senate. It's serious enough that it should not be dismissed on a purely partisan basis.
Contention 10: "I don't care what Trump did. As long as the economy works for me and my family, I'm supporting Trump." Take many deep breaths. Response: "I will pray for your moral compass to be restored."
Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and activist. He can be reached at bburnett@sonic.net
About fifteen years ago, maybe more, I participated in a pilot program intended to prepare mentally ill people for IT careers. The executive director of the program was mentally ill and was believed to be cured of her condition, or something to that effect. The program also involved mental health professionals, including, I think, a psychiatrist.
The executive director did something unethical, and this caused the program to end. The individual, it seemed to me, hid behind the cloak of continuing symptoms to explain and excuse the behavior. Yet, according to that person, he/she was supposedly not fit to run the program because he/she was still ill.
I take exception to this logic. Mentally ill people, to be valid individuals, should not be expected not to be mentally ill.
When someone has a psychiatric illness and has errors as a consequence, it doesn't mean that you should "write-off" or invalidate the whole person. Expecting someone with schizophrenia never to be psychotic is not a reasonable expectation. A mentally ill person is a mix, just as anyone is. Non-mentally ill people are capable of errors also.
A few years ago, a mentally ill person was helping me and my wife with housecleaning. She dropped and broke a fragile item. This didn't mean that she should be thrown out as a housecleaner. The rest of what she was doing was fine.
A figure skater or gymnast will invariably fall on their butt at some point, either in practice or, unfortunately, while competing. This doesn't negate that they are good at what they do.
The person in the first example could have been fired and the program could have continued. Mental illness doesn't negate culpability for a premeditated unethical action. On the other hand, mental illness can affect a person's faculty of judgment. Perhaps I am being too hard on the person, as they could have been suffering from a lapse in judgment. Yet, it is still not reasonable to end a program because a mentally ill person in charge continues to be mentally ill.
The fact that I continue to suffer from schizophrenia does not disqualify me from writing about mental health. On the contrary. Someone who continues to have symptoms is eminently qualified to write about mental health. The main requirement, however, is to prevent paranoid beliefs from skewing the writing in a way that the material would not serve the readers.
The concept that some miracle treatment is supposed to fix diseases that truly don't go away is bogus. If someone has schizophrenia, it is my impression that they will always have it. That said, within bounds of being schizophrenic, there is a lot of ability to raise level of functioning and to pursue lifetime goals. This is accomplished partly by remaining in treatment.
Parkinson's is analogous to mental illness. Someday a cure for both conditions could be found. Psychotherapy won't cure mental illness, and neither will medication. These treatments can, however, help a patient do a lot better in life.
If you use me as an example, I continue to have lapses in judgment, continue to have phobias, and continue to sometimes have too much anger (which is expressed verbally). I also have delusional systems that periodically develop, ones that I need to trim down through reality-checking and other cognitive methods. Medication alone is not good enough. However, I'm currently benefiting from an increase in a mood stabilizer.
Even while having symptoms of mental illness, I do not consider myself unable to do things to better my life conditions. You should not expect a schizophrenic person never to be psychotic, but you should not expect them never to be worthy of responsibility.
On November 20, 2019, Ann Coulter — American conservative media pundit, syndicated columnist, lawyer, and supporter of Trump’s wall — spoke at U.C. Berkeley sparking angry protests.
The Berkeley College Republicans invited Coulter for a talk entitled, “Adios, America!” Advertising said the writer would discuss the “current United States immigration system and the dangers of mass immigration.” Many protestors carrying signs condemning her as a fascist. While some masked protesters were arrested at the event, there was no violence or destruction of property.
Coulter’s 2017 speech was canceled because of threatened riot-like demonstrations.
Perhaps, UC Berkeley has found a balance between their commitment to free speech with campus safety unlike the two Yiannopoulos incidents in 2017.
Back in February 2017, amid an organized violent attack and destruction of property at UC Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, the UC
Police Department was forced to cancel a scheduled speech by Milo Yiannopoulos, then a Breitbart News editor, who has made a career of insulting people online with racist and sexist diatribes.
Over 200 police officers were deployed including some from the Oakland Police Department. Twenty people were arrested. Eleven people were injured with six taken to the hospital. The police confiscated stun guns, knives, flag poles, baseball bats, and metal pipes. Fireworks and other objects were thrown into the crowd and pepper spray was used.
In September 2017, Yiannopoulos returned to UC Berkeley for a speech during his much hyped “Free Speech Week.” He spent about 15-minutes at Sproul Plaza on campus without a microphone. He was then hustled away amidst mostly peaceful shouting matches between conservative supporters of Yiannopoulos and anti-fascist protesters.
UC Berkeley spent about $800,000 on a massive security detail that drew police from eight law enforcement agencies and campuses across the state. “It feels like probably the most expensive photo op in the university’s history,” said UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof.
I suspect the Berkeley College Republicans sponsored Yiannopoulos and Coulter hoping that the event would cause controversy at Berkeley, the symbol of the Free Speech Movement of 1964. If either had been forced to cancel, they could scream, “we were denied our free speech rights” but also claim, "it's good for business.”
While I am not followers of Yiannopoulos and Coulter, I do recognize their First Amendment right of free speech for themselves and their opponents have the right to peacefully protest. The UC Berkeley community seems to have learned from past experiences that peaceful demonstrations can co-exist with controversial speech.
During a November 12 speech to the Economic Club of New York, Donald Trump proudly and loudly boasted that his daughter, Ivanka, had personally "created 14 million jobs—14 million and going up."
It will come as no surprise that Trump's claim didn't actually jibe with the facts.
Since Trump became president, the entire US economy has added fewer than 6 million jobs. So Trump's boast must mean that the other 8 million of the First Daughter's job-creation miracle must have occurred in low-pay, overseas factories, where most of her lines of designer goods have been manufactured.
Meanwhile, at the same time Trump was digging for dirt on Joe Biden's son (forget, if you will, Donald Trump Jr.'s secretive meeting with those Russians in Trump Tower), White House advisor Ivanka was busy harvesting the fiscal fruits that come with Oval Office access.
In Trump's first year in office, for instance, Ivanka joined China's President Xi Jinping for a dinner at her dad's Mar-a-Lago resort and walked away with a prized set of trademarks that allowed her to start selling her jewelry, bags, and "spa-services" to the good people of China.
The nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has long-demanded an investigation into whether Ivanka employed her executive access to profit in ways that violated federal law. (The controversy led Ivanka to step down as head of Ivanka Trump Marks LLC in 2017. She officially closed shop in 2018.)
Not to worry: Ivanka and husband Jerrod Kushner continue to thrive. In 2018, their combined income ranged somewhere between $29 and $135 million.
If the House Intelligence Committee wants to expand its investigations into White House corruption, the saga of Ivanka and Jerrod is ripe with possibilities.
And I think I've got the perfect name for the scandal:
Daughtergate.
Don Jr.'s Sinister Crusade to Provoke Civil War in America
Donald Trump Jr. recently staged a visit to UCLA where he appeared with Charlie Kirk from Turning Point (which has been described as "an astroturf nonprofit funded by the Koch Brothers").
According to Mari Matsuoka, a volunteer with Refuse Fascism, Trump Jr. "is not the joke on Saturday Night Live" or "the obnoxious persona exchanging banters on The View." In fact, Matsuoka says, "Donald Trump Jr.'s attack dog role is serious and vicious and can be seen in this Turning Point video."
The NRA: Gunning for its Critics
Trump's video is not unique. It unspools in lock-step with another video from the National Rifle Association that also pushes the message that liberals, leftists, and young activists pose a threat to American freedom and democracy.
In a time when mass shootings are occurring on a daily basis in shopping malls and schools across the nation, the NRA wants to be seen, not as a powerful right-wing political lobby that values weapons over safety, but as "Freedom's Safest Place." The NRA is promising to "fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth."
It was the following video that helped convince the City of San Francisco to label the NRA a "terrorist organization."
Quid Pro Quo
There's nothing inherently evil about a quid pro quo exchange. You give me a dollar, I'll give you a cupcake.
The problem with Ukrainegate is not the withholding of favors in exchange for foreign cooperation. As Mick Mulvaney underscored, this happens all the time. It's a big part of how nations conduct foreign policy.
You want $400 million? Okay, we've got that quid; here's your standard, run-of-the-mill quo: (1) Our enemies have to be your enemies and (2) you have to spend that money on weapons built by US companies.
(Here's an interesting, overlooked fact: "foreign military assistance" is actually a shadowy scam used to "launder" money from taxpayers' wallets into the corporate coffers of politically powerful military contractors like Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman, et al.)
Trump's real crime is not quid pro quo (although he could be charged with probe pro quim); the key here is whether the "quo" involved traditional acts of statecraft in the service of clear foreign policy objectives or whether the "quo" was intended to personally benefit our cumquat-complected Quid Kid—in this case, by manipulating the electoral process to steal a second term.
(Here's another example of illegal Trump-style quid pro quo: handing out hush-money in exchange for covering up flings with porn stars and an alleged "love-child.")
Quo Pro Quid
In his dealings with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump has been accused of bribery. But his greatest crimes involve sanctions—the opposite of bribery.
Unlike bribes, which promise to grant money, access, or acceptance, sanctions impound wealth, restrict access, and ostracize the unfortunate targets. In Trump's case, he has used economic sanctions against foreign nations that have earned his disfavor. He employs sanctions to hobble entire economies, to reduce trade in food and fuel, to drive citizens into poverty in hopes of igniting "popular rebellions" capable of toppling governments. Sanctions have been called an "act of war."
Sanctions are war, comparable to weapons of mass destruction. They impact whole countries, resulting in chronic shortages, economic dislocation and chaotic hyperinflation. Those who impose sanctions aim to induce artificial famines, disease, poverty, and despair among the most vulnerable. In every country, the poorest and the weakest—infants, children, the chronically ill and the elderly—suffer the worst impact of sanctions.
So far, Trump has unleashed this weapon against the citizens of Cuba, Honduras, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela.
Needed: A Constitutional Amendment
When Washington drops the Sanctions Hammer on a foreign government, it risks committing a crime against humanity—as defined by the Nuremberg Principles, the United Nations’ Charter, and the Geneva Convention.
This is why we need a new law—perhaps even an amendment to the US Constitution.
Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution (also known as the War Powers Clause), the power to declare war is vested in the Congress, and Congress alone.
After the attack of September 11, the House of Representatives abrogated its constitutional role by granting the president an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Terrorists (AUMF). Responding to the 9/11 attack (carried out by a team largely composed of terrorists from Saudi Arabia and bankrolled by Saudi money), George W. Bush used this new power to attack . . . Afghanistan.
Since its passage, the AUMF has been used by three presidents to attack foreign nations that never threatened the US. So far, the targets have included Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Now the fear is that Trump may invoke the AUMF to attack Iran.
Attempts are currently underway to strip the AUMF exemption from the FY2020 Pentagon Budget. This is an essential step if we are to return to the rule of constitutional law.
Now, another Amendment is needed: An extension of Article I, Section 8 that would declare that only Congress can impose sanctions on a foreign country.
Cholesteral Hands on Deck
According to presidential press secretary Stephanie Grisham, the president's recent hospital visit is no cause for alarm. Trump, she assured, "remains healthy and energetic without complaints, as demonstrated by his repeated vigorous rally performances in front of thousands of Americans several times a week.” According to a White House press statement, during his brief hospital stay, Trump met with the family of an injured soldier and thanked the medical staff “for all the outstanding care they provide to our Wounded Warriors."
Why was "Wounded Warriors" in upper case? Does the White House now recognized this term as a new branch of the military, alongside the Special Forces and Navy SEALS?
Impeach All the Presidents
Maj. Danny Sjursen is a retired US Army officer and former history instructor at West Point who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sjursen recently penned an article for TruthDig that offered a blistering critique of the Trump impeachment scandal, the congressional response, the media coverage, and the public response:
Oh, it’ll make for great entertainment, thrilling a corporate media that long ago abandoned news for spectacle. But as has become the American way, it will invariably ignore the systemic rot that made Trump’s election, and the dictatorial actions of recent presidents, possible in the first place.
So here’s my modest proposal for Congress and the American people, if (or more likely when) the former fails to deliver:
Impeach the military-industrial complex and the venal corporate arms dealers, the “merchants of death” who profit from worldwide slaughter.
Impeach the “revolving door” generals like Jim Mattis who slide seamlessly from the military to the boards of the nation’s largest defense contracting firms.
Impeach the militarized police forces and mass incarceration structure that transform impoverished black and brown communities into occupied enemy territory.
Impeach yourselves, Congress, for being asleep at the wheel for decades now, for wallowing in tribal stalemate and eschewing your constitutionally mandated duty to declare and oversee this nation’s wars.
Impeach the whole damn system of American empire, both at home and abroad.
Mark These Words
On November 20, Reader Supported News posted a special online message: a Funding Appeal that included the following quote from Mark Twain:
"The liberty of the Press is called the Palladium of Freedom, which means, in these days, the liberty of being deceived, swindled, and humbugged by the Press and paying hugely for the deception."
(Sadly, rumors of the death of the printed word have not been "greatly exaggerated.")
Recreating Nature by Removing Life
At the same time the world is undergoing a Sixth Mass Extinction, clever men in lab-coats and business suits are working with the military-industrial-academic-complex to create an alternative universe of robotic fauna. This electrically powered, remotely controlled menagerie of mechanical mutants includes replicants built to resemble insects, birds, dogs, horses, eels, snakes, and dolphins. (You can watch them all on YouTube.)
But most of this lab labor has been devoted to creating humanoid robots endowed with the agility, speed, and power needed to perform as super-troopers on the battlefield and robo-cops in our neighborhoods.
One peculiar aspect of what we might call Creation 2.0 is the gender divide. The humanoid robots paraded by the Pentagon are built to resemble muscular, hulking men. So why aren't there humanoid replicants that resemble women, you might ask?
Unfortunately, there are. But because these robots are being created by male scientists (who tend to be young, single men) these humanoid machines have been configured to resemble attractive young women. These so-called "fem-bots" are currently part of the workforce in Japan, where they serve as hotel check-in clerks, karaoke singers, and even sex-partners ready to rent in Tokyo's robot brothels. According to reports in the Japanese media, these sex-bots have become so popular with Japanese men that the ready availability of "silicon women" has lead to a troubling decline in Japan's birth rate.
Cyber Dating Is about to Get Really Weird
Why waste time on Tinder when you can purchase your own plug-in girlfriend? I'm here to tell you that this stuff is for real, and here's the proof. A San Marcos company is now marketing Harmony, an "anatomically correct" sex doll with a patented animatronic talking head, programmable personalities and a personal memory.
The fellow featured in the videos been obsessed with these robots for the past 20 years. Swap a new face; reprogram the voice and personality. Dating made easy or dating made queasy?
The San Diego Union-Tribune has some reservations, citing concerns that the doll’s artificial intelligence could be hacked to make it kill its owner (a la “Westworld”).
A Think Tank for Peace?
Invitations are being sent out announcing the imminent debut of a unique, new Washington landmark—a think-tank devoted to the cause of peace. The "launch reception" for The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is set for December 4. Its founders explain that the Quincy Institute exists "to promote ideas that move US foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace."
An admirable goal, to be sure. But couldn't the QIRS's founders have found a venue with a more peaceful vibe than the one they chose? The celebration is set to be held in the Ballroom of the Reserve Officers' Association of the United States (1 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002).
Agenda follows the weekly list of meetings and rallies, City Council Winter Recess is December 11, 2019 – January 21, 2020
Sunday, December 1, 2019
350 Bay Area sponsored Action at Annual Auto Show, 1-3 pm, at Moscone Center in SF, FORD, BMW, HONDA and VW agreed to meet CA standards, GM, Fiat-Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia sided with Trump to oppose CA standards
Berkeley City Council, 1231 Addison Street, BUSD Board Room,
Closed Session, 4 pm -6 pm, Anticipated Litigation, The CA Jazz Conseratory sewer backup, Pending Litigation Guzman,Richard vs. City of Berkeley
Regular Meeting, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm, Agenda: December 3 Regular Council Meeting, CONSENT: 2. Standby Officers, 3. $210,000 Public Art contract with Michael Arcega for San Pablo Park Measure T1, 4. $2,871,500 Formal bid solicitations and RFP, 5. $357,000 contract thru June 30,2021 with Berkeley Food & Housing Project for Berkeley Mental Health Flexible Spending Programs and Russell St Residence, 6. $68,442 thru June 30, 2020 contract with Bay Area Hearing Voices Network for Hearing Voices Support Group, 7. $100,000 contract amendment with Youth Spirit Artworks for Transition Age Youth Case Management and Linkage Services, 8. $450,000 contract for FY2020 with Trip Stop Sidewalk Repair, Inc for Sidewalk inspection and shaving services, 9. Add $220,000 to contract total $270,000 with David L. Silva d.b.a. Silva Business Consulting for real property management services, 10. Reimbursement Agreement with Wareham for City’s share of traffic signal at San Pablo and Dwight, 11. $10,260 tax refund to Bay Area Community Trust for renovation of 1638 Stuart and operation of property as affordable housing. 13. Reaffirm support for Artic National Wildlife Refuge and refrain from conducting business with companies that purchase, lease or develop oil fields within the Refuge, 14. Reappoint Dr. P. Robert Beatty to Co. Mosquito Abatement, 15. Oppose Transportation and Handling of Coal and Petcoke in our community, 16. Ordinance requiring Legal Rights for Legal Tender (accept cash), 18. Urge CPUC to address its failure of oversight and to transform PG&E into Mutual Benefit Corporation, ACTION: 19. 2nd reading 2019 CA Fire Code with Local Amendments, 20. 2nd reading Berkeley Building Codes, 21. Milvia Bikeway Project Conceptual Design, 22. Surveillance Technology Report, 23. City Council Rules of Procedure and Order Revisions, 24. FY 2019 Year-End Results and FY 1st Quarter Update, 25. FY 2020 Annual Appropriations, 26. goBerkeley Residential Shared Parking Pilot Project Update, 27. a.&b. Allocation Measure P Funds, 28. Fund and Implement Safe Passages Program – parking restrictions to ensure Emergency Equipment Access to all parts of the City. 29. a.&b. Taxi Scripts to residents of Pathways/STAIR, 30. a.&b. 5-yr Paving Plan 31. Multi-year Bidding Process for Street Paving, INFORMATION REPORTS: 32. Condo Conversion Program, 33. Small Sites Update, 34. Equal Pay: Classification and Compensation Process City Employees.
Board of Library Trustees, 6:30 pm at 1901 Russell St, Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch, Agenda: III.A. Contract $28,000 HR Consulting recruitment Library Director
Disaster and Fire Safety Commission,7 – 9 pm at 997 Cedar St, Fire Department Training Center, Agenda Discussion items: Wildfire Prevention Special Tax Assessment, 6. Power Shutoff, 7. Disaster Prep Fair Report, 8. Emergency Preparedness, 9. Underground Utilities Wires, 10. Expand Automatic Gas Shut-off, 11. Update Outdoor Alert System.
Planning Commission, 7 – 10 pm at 2939 Ellis, South Berkeley Senior Center, Agenda: 9. Proposed Transportation Demand Management Program and Reduction of Parking Requirements, 10. 2740 and 2744 Telegraph for General Plan Re-designation and Zoning Map Amendment
City Council Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Committee, 10:30 am, at 2180 Milvia, 1st Floor, Cypress Room, Agenda: 2. Inclusionary Units in Qualified Opportunity Zones, Unscheduled (future meeting) Proposed Retail (Chain Store) Regulations,
City Council Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment & Sustainability Committee, 2 pm, at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor Redwood Room, Agenda: 2. Electric Moped Ride-Share Franchise Agreement, 3. Introduce Ordinance terminating sale of gasoline, diesel and natural gas passenger vehicles in Berkeley by 2025, 4. Referral to City Manager (CM) Establish New Dept Climate Emergency Mobilization Dept, 5. Ordinance to Regulate Plastic Bags at Retail and Food Service Establishments, 6.Establish GHG Emission Free as East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) Default, 7. Bright Streets Initiative (painting crosswalks and signage near school), Unscheduled (future meeting) Traffic Circles.
Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board – Outreach Committee, 5 pm, at 2001 Center, 2nd Floor, Law Library, Agenda: 6. A. Tenant Survey 2020, b. Response to Disasters, c. AB 1482 Tenant Protection Act, d. Preventing Scams, e. Safety Checklist Compliance
Landmarks Preservation Commission, 7 – 11:30 pm at 1947 Center St, Multipurpose Room, Basement, Agenda: DISCUSSION: A. Proposed Landscape Improvements Piedmont Ave, B. 1602 Oxford, C. 2650 Telegraph, D. 2000 Dwight Way, 6. A. 1399 Queens Road Landmark or Structure of Merit, B. 2211 Harold Way – Final Design Review,
December 10 Regular Council Meeting, CONSENT: 2. Bid Solicitations/RFP $2,913,252, 3. 36-month contract $2,100,000 with option to extend 2 yrs, total $3,550,000 with First Alarm Security & Patrol, Inc. for Citywide Security Services, 4. 2020 Block Grant $266,863, 5. MOU with Alameda Co. $75,000 (revenue) for Winter Relief Program to provide homeless housing respite thru May 1, 2020, 6. Apply for Infill infrastructure Grant Funding, 7. Apply for State Funding No Place Like Home for Maudelle Miller Shirek Community at 2001 Ashby, 8. 2020 Health Plan Changes, 9. COBRA Administration $405,000, 10. Add $266,076 total $527,832 with ServiceNow, Inc to extend IT Software Licenses, 11. Waive Sanctuary City Ordinance (7,650-N.S.) for Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Reconstruction Contracts, 12. Increase Contract by $241,451 plus contingency $48,290, total $5,705,668 with Mar Con Builders, Inc for Live Oak Park Community Center Seismic Upgrade, 13. Add $2,900,000 total $7,200,000 with Siegel & Strain Architects for Tuolumne Camp Project, 14. Modification T1 Phase 1 Project List, 15. Make Telegraph Loading Zone and Parking Project permanent and establish similar loading zone and parking in all parking meter districts, 16. Purchase 9 Ford Super Duty F-Series Pick-up Trucks for $492,284 and $245,000 using Fleet Technology to convert to plug in hybrid vehicles when commercially available, 17. Add $54,560 total $106,616 (total for 2 contracts) for Server Storage with Edgeworth Integration, LLC, 18. Contract add $131,556 total $557,553, to extend term by 3 years to June 30, 2026 with ABM Industries for purchase additional EV charging stations and maintenance, 19. Contract $3,821,569 includes $347,415 contingency for Sanitary Sewer Rehab and Replacement with Pacific Trenchless, Inc., 20. Contract $2,246,219 includes $204,202 contingency for Sanitary Sewer Rehab and Replacement with Precision Engineering, Inc., 21. Contract $3,654,358 includes 10% contingency with Cratus, Inc, for Sanitary Sewer Rehab and replacement, 22. Add $100,000 total $300,000 and extend term to Dec 31, 2022, with Du-All Safety LLC for Safety Consulting and Training Services, 23.Contract add $500,000 total $5,386,293 with B Bros Construction to complete 2640 MLK Jr Way Adult Mental Health Services Center renovation and seismic upgrade, 24. Measure O Bond funding reservations $36,002,64026. 25.Support for Non-Violent Activists and Protections of Animals in Commercial Operations, 27. Feb 2020 Black History Month discretionary funds, ACTION: 28. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, 29. RPP (residential parking) 1500 Block of Lincoln, 30. Amend ADU ordinance to comply with new State Law and establish interim limits on development, 31. MOU between City of Berkeley and BART on implementation AB 2923 at Ashby and North Berkeley BART, Establish a Community Advisory Group (CAG) to provide inut to Planning Commission on zoning, the City and BART,
Agenda for the December 3 Regular City Council meeting follows the weekly list of meetings and rallies.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
No City meetings or events found
Monday, November 25, 2019
City Council Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Committee, 10 am, at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor Redwood Room, Agenda: 2. f/u Leonard Powell case a. Create policy that receivership only be used when property is a danger to the public and approved by Council, b. Bring justice to Leonard Powell, establish policies that provide housing stability and reimburse $68,000 in legal and administrative fees, c. Plan a Public meeting on receivership, 3. Healthy Checkout Ordinance require nutritious food and beverage options in checkout areas in stores greater than 2500 sq ft, 4. Listening Session on conditions at encampments from homeless population at large, 5. Establish Outdoor Emergency Shelter, 6. a.&b. Modify Policies related to enforcement of Smoke-free multi-unit housing ordinance, 7. Vector Control Presentation
Agenda and Rules Committee, 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm, at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor Redwood Room Agenda planning for Dec 10 Council Regular meeting – the last Council meeting of 2019, CONSENT: 2. Bid Solicitations/RFP $2,913,252, 3. 36-month contract $2,100,000 with option to extend 2 yrs, total $3,550,000 with First Alarm Security & Patrol, Inc. for Citywide Security Services, 4. 2020 Block Grant $266,863, 5. MOU with Alameda Co. $75,000 (revenue) for Winter Relief Program to provide homeless housing respite thru May 1, 2020, 6. Apply for Infill infrastructure Grant Funding, 7. Apply for State Funding No Place Like Home for Maudelle Miller Shirek Community at 2001 Ashby, 8. 2020 Health Plan Changes, 9. COBRA Administration $405,000, 10. Add $266,076 total $527,832 with ServiceNow, Inc to extend IT Software Licenses, 11. Waive Sanctuary City Ordinance (7,650-N.S.) for Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Reconstruction Contracts, 12. Increase Contract by $241,451 plus contingency $48,290, total $5,705,668 with Mar Con Builders, Inc for Live Oak Park Community Center Seismic Upgrade, 13. Add $2,900,000 total $7,200,000 with Siegel & Strain Architects for Tuolumne Camp Project, 14. 61-yr term lease agreement with 200 Marina Blvd, LLC for Doubletree Hotel, 15. Modification T1 Phase 1 Project List, 16. Make Telegraph Loading Zone and Parking Project permanent and establish similar loading zone and parking in all parking meter districts, 17. Purchase 9 Ford Super Duty F-Series Pick-up Trucks for $492,284 and $245,000 using Fleet Technologyto convert to plug in hybrid vehicles when commercially available, 19. Add $54,560 total $106,616 (total for 2 contracts) for Server Storage with Edgeworth Integration, LLC, 19. Contract add $131,556 total $557,553, to extend term by 3 years to June 30, 2026 with ABM Industries for purchase additional EV charging stations and maintenance, 20. Contract $3,821,569 includes $347,415 contingency for Sanitary Sewer Rehab and Replacement with Pacific Trenchless, Inc., 21. Contract $2,246,219 includes $204,202 contingency for Sanitary Sewer Rehab and Replacement with Precision Engineering, Inc., 22. Contract $3,654,358 includes 10% contingency with Cratus, Inc, for Sanitary Sewer Rehab and replacement, 23. Add $100,000 total $300,000 and extend term to Dec 31, 2022, with Du-All Safety LLC for Safety Consulting and Training Services, 25. Measure O Bond funding reservations $36,002,64026. Support for Non-Violent Activists and Protections of Animals in Commercial Operations, 27. Feb 2020 Black History Month discretionary funds, ACTION: 28. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, 29. RPP (residential parking) 1500 Block of Lincoln, 30. Amend ADU ordinance to comply with new State Law and establish interim limits on development, 31. MOU between City of Berkeley and BART on implementation AB 2923 at Ashby and North Berkeley BART, Establish a Community Advisory Group (CAG) to provide inut to Planning Commission on zoning, the City and BART, 32. Update Telecom Ordinances, 33. Prohibit use of Cell Phones, email, Texting, Instant Messaging and Social Media by Council members during official City Meetings, , 34. Regulate Plastic Bags and Retail and Food Service Establishments, 35. Enroll all Eligible Berkeley residential and commercial EBCE accounts to Brilliant 100 (100% GHG free) enroll municipal EBCE accounts to Renewable 100 (100% renewable and 100% GHG free), 36. Bright Streets Initiative – paint all (except those done in last 3-yr) crosswalks, midlines, bike lanes, street markings, curbs and improve signage within 3-block radius of all public schools, 37. Refer to Zero Waste Compulsory Composting for compliance with SB 1383 for all businesses and residences and an Edible Food Recovery Program.
Zero Waste Commission, 7 – 9 pm at 1326 Allston Way, Willow Room, City of Berkeley Corporation Yard, Agenda: 3. T1 Phase 1 update and Phase 2 Public Process, 4. Zero Waste Division Budget, 5. Zero Waste Metrics, 6. Creation of Design Guidelines for New Construction Subcommittee, 7. AB1080/SB54 CA https://www.cawrecycles.org/sb-54-ab-1080-bill-page Plastic Pollution Reduction Act phase out date 2030.
Tax the Rich Rally, with music by Occupella, 4 – 5 pm (winter hours), at the Top of Solano in front of the Closed Oaks Theater, Rain Cancels
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
No City meetings found
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
No City meetings found
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Thanksgiving Holiday
Friday, November 29, 2019
Berkeley City Government Holiday
Protest Rally Toyota’s Decision to team up with Trump to weaken California’s car emissions standards, 3 – 4 pm, at 2400 Shattuck, Rain Cancels, can’t come call Toyota USA CEO Jim Lentz @ 800-331-4331
Saturday, November 30, 2019
No events found
Sunday, December 1, 2019
350 Bay Area sponsored Action at Annual Auto Show, 1-3 pm, at Moscone Center in SF, FORD, BMW, HONDA and VW agreed to meet CA standards, GM, Fiat-Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia sided with Trump to oppose CA standards
December 3 Regular Council Meeting, CONSENT: 2. Standby Officers, 3. $210,000 Public Art contract with Michael Arcega for San Pablo Park Measure T1, 4. $2,871,500 Formal bid solicitations and RFP, 5. $357,000 contract thru June 30,2021 with Berkeley Food & Housing Project for Berkeley Mental Health Flexible Spending Programs and Russell St Residence, 6. $68,442 thru June 30, 2020 contract with Bay Area Hearing Voices Network for Hearing Voices Support Group, 7. $100,000 contract amendment with Youth Spirit Artworks for Transition Age Youth Case Management and Linkage Services, 8. $450,000 contract for FY2020 with Trip Stop Sidewalk Repair, Inc for Sidewalk inspection and shaving services, 9. Add $220,000 to contract total $270,000 with David L. Silva d.b.a. Silva Business Consulting for real property management services, 10. Reimbursement Agreement with Wareham for City’s share of traffic signal at San Pablo and Dwight, 11. $10,260 tax refund to Bay Area Community Trust for renovation of 1638 Stuart and operation of property as affordable housing. 13. Reaffirm support for Artic National Wildlife Refuge and refrain from conducting business with companies that purchase, lease or develop oil fields within the Refuge, 14. Reappoint Dr. P. Robert Beatty to Co. Mosquito Abatement, 15. Oppose Transportation and Handling of Coal and Petcoke in our community, 16. Ordinance requiring Legal Rights for Legal Tender (accept cash), 18. Urge CPUC to address its failure of oversight and to transform PG&E into Mutual Benefit Corporation, ACTION: 19. 2nd reading 2019 CA Fire Code with Local Amendments, 20. 2nd reading Berkeley Building Codes, 21. Milvia Bikeway Project Conceptual Design, 22. Surveillance Technology Report, 23. City Council Rules of Procedure and Order Revisions, 24. FY 2019 Year-End Results and FY 1st Quarter Update, 25. FY 2020 Annual Appropriations, 26. goBerkeley Residential Shared Parking Pilot Project Update, 27. a.&b. Allocation Measure P Funds, 28. Fund and Implement Safe Passages Program – parking restrictions to ensure Emergency Equipment Access to all parts of the City. 29. a.&b. Taxi Scripts to residents of Pathways/STAIR, 30. a.&b. 5-yr Paving Plan 31. Multi-year Bidding Process for Street Paving,
