Unprotected by the Republican sycophants in Congress and his darling Fox and Friends. NATO leaders ridiculed Donald Trump for his insulting behavior and to his customary barrage of insults. Crushed and thoroughly humiliated Trump made a hasty retreat and returned home sniveling and snarling exposing his razor thin-skinned vulnerability. Traumatized by the looming impeachment, Trump had sought comfort from British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, telling him that his letter to Ukraine’s president was flawless. A thoroughly exasperated Johnson told him he didn’t care a “Brexit” about his problems.  

Mr. Trump, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen, stay home, don’t shatter America’s declining image any further. You have done enough damage. 

Mr. Trump has burnt all his bridges with his uncouth behavior and threats. Alas, he has only two friends, Vladimir Putin and the Saudi prince, MBS, who seems to enjoy decapitating his opponents. Perhaps one day with the release of his tax returns we will all learn the true nature of his friendship with Putin. Is there a quid pro quo with the wily Putin? Why are Mr. Trump and his super hero, Giuliani, trying to promote a bogus theory of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election? Is it to deflect attention away from Russia? Are the chickens finally coming home to roost?

A critical issue for working people at retail establishments, particularly businesses that serve food, is the unpredictability of work schedules that many workers experience. Many employers recognize that their employees need an anticipated schedule. But many do not. The problem is very troublesome for women with children when they are told only a day or two in advance that their schedule must be changed. Also, for both men and women altering schedules disrupts the lives of all employees, who participate in joint activities with friends, take courses in college, or have other obligations that are important to them. Not least, if work schedules are frequently changed, it is psychologically unhealthy. Clearly, giving employees insufficient notice of a change in schedule is an immoral act.  

In Emeryville, which is adjacent to Berkeley, the city requires employers to provide at least a two week notice of a change in the work schedule. However, Berkeley has failed so far to enact a similar ordinance. The reason is that the City’s Labor Commission has delayed the process. The Commision, whose members are appointed by the Berkeley City Council, is responsible for submitting proposals to the City Council. But although this issue was first introduced about two years ago, the Commission has still failed to do so.  

At the Labor Commission’s most recent meeting, one Commission member asked for a vote on the proposal that would then be submitted to the council. But no other member of the Labor Commision supported taking action. The members explained that the proposal needed more work. A major stumbling block is the various differences of opinion among its members. But the Commission members should stop delaying in order to reach a consensus. It will not happen.  

A law to protect workers from unreasonable interference in their daily life is immensely important. And it would certainly not impose an unfair burden on employers. the Berkeley City Council should move immediately on this issue. Please, no more long delays. And the citizens of Berkeley should lobby the members of the council to take the necessary legal steps to address this abuse of working people.

Impeachment shouldn't end with a narrow vote on one narrow issue, important as weakening our national security is. Trump has committed many more impeachable crimes in addition to shaking down Ukraine. The impeachment investigation is our only and best opportunity to get to the bottom of his emoluments, his electoral collusion with Russia, his ceding our foreign influence to Russia in places like Syria, his disruption of our NATO alliances, his obstructions of justice, his personal profiting from governmental expenditures at his hotels ... the list goes on. 

At present, it is expected the Senate will acquit trump of all impeachment accusations. Then he will prance around the country clucking "exonerated, exonerated!" Impeaching by December's end would give him waay too much time to exploit that opportunity. Congress must keep the investigation boiling; keep uncovering more of his impeachable offenses.  

Eventually, the accumulating evidence will overwhelm Republican tribal partisanship.  

* * * 

The impeachment hearings revealed a simple tool that manipulates the President.  

Rudy was cooking up some corrupt scheme with his two indicted co-conspirators (Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman), involving a Ukrainian energy company. Their plan required getting rid of Maria Yovanovitch. How to get trump to dump her? Sure, he could legally fire her for no reason, but Rudy & Co had to motivate trump to do it.  

Three actions get his attention: (1) flatter him, (2) show him how he could profit financially, or (3) tell him someone said something bad about him. 

Too many people have already debased themselves flattering trump to make an impact. We don't know yet if Rudy offered trump a piece of his nefarious scheme. Number 3 got trump's response, a shameful slandering of Yovanovitch's respected reputation.  

Like Putin, Erdogan, and Kim Jong Un, Rudy knows a simple tool manipulates a simple fool.

55 percent of people in California are poor or low-income—a total of 21.4 million residents. This includes 65 percent of children (5.9 million), 57 percent of women (11 million), 66 percent of people of color (15.4 million), and 39 percent of White people (6 million).

I and my son are part of this 55 million. I have Stage 4 cancer and am being held hostage by overwhelming student debt. I am on disability and cannot work more than 20 hours a week. This must stop! We need more visibility of the actual poverty that most of us live in desperately. Please hear my cry!

The Community Environmental Advisory Commission (CEAC) Agenda on Thursday, December 12, 7:00 pm (Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library, 1901 Russell St. @ MLK, Berkeley) is pitching more "cigarette butt receptacles", commonly known as ashtrays, in smokefree commercial areas.


Ashtrays are a universal "okay-to-smoke-here" symbol, the opposite of what's needed in smokefree areas currently without signage or sporting contradictory, out-of-date signage which confuses smokers. We worked hard to make sure CEAC's 2017 pilot program was limited to four receptacles outside of the smokefree areas. But this new push not only reflects no historical knowledge of that discussion, it misrepresents Save the Bay as being in favor of ashtrays in our smokefree commercial zones. 

Nothing is further from the truth. Save the Bay was horrified when they found out their original outreach, which mostly goes to cities without smokefree public places, was being used to subvert Berkeley's award-winning smokefree objectives, and said so publicly. You will not find their public statements opposing ashtrays in smokefree areas in CEAC's current report. 

There are much better ways to address smokefree areas where smokers congregate and litter toxic waste. Signage, education, outreach, and enforcement work. We have seen the positive changes even as youth and communities of color continue to be targeted by Big Tobacco. But Berkeley's robust outreach, signage, and education efforts have foundered since the wonderful Berkeley City College program which accompanied and supported the Public Commons for Everyone ordinance in 2008. 

Ashtrays full of toxic butts are not symbol of success in a smokefree area. They are a message to our city to use the fresh signage the city now has in combination with outreach, education, and enforcement to protect the public from deadly secondhand smoke so that we don't lose sight of our goal -healthy, breathable air. 

Please write to CEAC (vigarcia@CityofBerkeley.info) and the Berkeley City Council (council@cityofberkeley.info) to support our smokefree commercial zones. We all support keeping butts out of the bay. But educating smokers is the most effective way to address the issue, and we know how.

British Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn has again condemned anti-Semitism,to dispel charges leveled at him by Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, who accused Corbyn and his Labor Party of anti-Semitism ahead of national elections on December 12. 

What has incensed Mirvis is Corbyn’s criticism of Israel’s military occupation and siege of Gaza. Accusations of anti-Semitism is a familiar playbook to silence critics of Israel’s apartheid policies. Mirivis’s criticism is a blatant effort to tilt the December 12 election in favor of Boris Johnson. 

Contrary to Maris’s criticism, Corbyn has spent his entire political career as a fierce critic of racism, and has an unblemished record of activism as a backbencher. The Labor Party has traditionally taken the political lead in combating racism and colonialism. 

By speaking out as the voice of British Jews, Mirvis has drawn unwanted attention on Britain’s Jews and made them much less safe. 

Much like the strong position taken by Senator Bernie Sanders, a Jew, Corbyn’s Labor party has promised in its latest manifesto to stop selling weapons to Israel (and Saudi Arabia) which have been used to slaughter innocent men, women and children in Yemen and Gaza. 

Mirvis falsely believes that by wounding Corbyn he can help propel a benevolent Tory party ignoring Tories long history of promoting trade over concerns for human rights abuses by Saudi Arabia and Israel. 

Mirvis’s flagrant intervention in the election campaign actually bolsters the cancer of antisemitism that is rapidly making inroads into the Conservative party. Mirvis seems to have forgotten the actions of arch-anti-Semite Arthur Balfour who signed off the Balfour Declaration of 1917 that sought to end Britain’s “Jewish problem” by encouraging European Jews to migrate to the Middle East displacing e Palestinians who had lived in Palestine for centuries. The pro-business weekly, the Economist, declared that those identifying as “very right-wing”, were three and half times more likely to support Johnson and support hostile attitudes towards Jews and non-whites especially blacks and Muslims. The Labor Party has long history of opposing colonialism, a dark stain on Britain’s history. 

Nations who were finally granted independence from Britain found themselves fragmented and impoverished. India and Cyprus were prime examples of states, often with borders imposed out of naked imperial interest that left them divided and feuding. 

The west helped engineer both the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and Israel’s creation. Israel acquired nuclear technology with the help of Britain and the US ensuring the Palestinians were made Israel’s serfs in perpetuity. Efforts to shame Israel for its gross human rights violations with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction campaign which is modeled on South Africa’s apartheid policies have been vigorously opposed by powerful British and American Jewish organizations. 

Billions of dollars have been diverted from impoverished and homeless Americans to prop up Israel. Many critics accuse Israel and Mirvis of “spitting on the grave of their ancestors” by using the anti-Semitic crimes of the Holocaust to justify the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

Employment for a mental health consumer, and for most people, usually brings self-esteem and self-appreciation. It brings meaning to life. It brings purpose. It gives a reason to get out of bed every morning. It brings hope for something better. 

Many psychiatric consumers mistakenly believe that they can't be employed. Most of us can, if we just give ourselves a chance, or maybe a hundred chances. Doing the proper self-assessment is one of many essentials. 

Conventional, full-time employment is achievable by some mentally ill people, but won't work for a large proportion of mental health consumers. (It doesn't work for me.) There are many reasons for this. Taking high levels of antipsychotics, having issues with sleep, and needing more down time compared to a non-impaired person, are some of the factors that, for many of us, could hinder full-time professional, conventional employment. It is not an indication of being less of a person, less intelligent, or less capable. Full time work is a higher hurdle for us than it is for non-afflicted people, because there are more obstacles. 

(If we decide that we can't handle full-time, conventional employment, it should not become a way to berate ourselves.) 

And there are so many other options! 

We should not rule out doing something that requires brains. Although counselors and vocational social workers may believe we are suited for no better than collecting garbage and pushing a broom, this is usually not so. 

Yet, there is nothing wrong with a cleanup job, (or another unskilled job, for that matter). I once did that kind of work. It is honest work and it provides money in one's wallet. However, many people might want to look for something more. 

We could have a job pushing a broom, and we could do this while we are in school studying to do something more lucrative and better. Most unskilled jobs can be performed on autopilot because of their simplicity. Because of this, they do not take up much space in the mind. This works in favor of being in school or starting up a business. 

On the other hand, if your job is in cutting edge electronics, you must probably live and breathe electronics, including in your off time. This is where the job dominates the main portion of cognitive capacity of the mind, making it difficult to do much else. 

We have only so much mental capacity in a day or in a week. If most of your brainpower is being used at your job, you may not have much mental space left for other things, such as school or a home-based business. 

A home-based business could be an option for a person with a disability. You could create a business plan that accommodates your strengths and your limitations. I've owned businesses. They were sole proprietorships with no employees. The simplicity of this meant that I wasn't making a massive commitment to something that was unproven. 

Self-employment may bring more respect than conventional employment. It also may mean that you could make more money in proportion to the amount of effort you're putting in. But this is so only if you are running your company properly, and if you are charging enough for your services. A mistake many people make who start a small business is to fail to charge enough. If people want your services, they should have to pay. 

Aside from starting a small business, another option, if money is not a concern, is "pro-bono" work, also known as volunteer work. This may bring more respect than a paid, entry-level job. The requirement to show up and to be reliable still exists in these jobs. There are a lot of advantages to doing this. You can't be pressured into working excessively fast. You can't be treated abusively. The type of work will probably be better. Instead of emptying trash, you could have a position as a newsletter editor, for example. Or, another example is what I do for the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

Volunteer work looks good on a resume if you are applying for a professional job. It is not lower in social status than paid work; sometimes it is higher. 

If you need money, then you should go for something lucrative. To do this, you need to find a skills match between what you have to offer and the requirements of the position that you seek. In some instances, the demands could be more than what you can do, even if you are otherwise qualified. This is one reason of many that I don't currently work in television repair. 

I once repaired analog televisions, and the basic skills could be transferred to the televisions that currently exist. I would need to lean the new technology, and this would not be intellectually hard for me. However, I can't handle the demands of such a position, because 99 percent of these jobs are very demanding. 

My self-assessment is that I can handle about 15 hours a week in a job. Experience, and learning what you can handle as well as what you can't, are key to creating a realistic self-assessment. 

This is important: if you are trying to work, you must not bring yourself into a relapse of symptoms, due to pushing yourself beyond what you can handle or because of some other work-related problem. Adjusting medication to facilitate a work attempt could bring risk. If medication is lowered because of its limiting effects on one's energy level, the reduction in medication brings the risk of symptoms re-emerging. 

If medication is raised to deal with symptoms triggered by a job situation, or if an additional medication is added, this can also bring more problems. You could be adding an unknown to a mix that already has a lot in it. 

If the job brings a lot of stress, it can worsen symptoms. If a job interferes with doing enough self-care, it can bring problems. 

Anything you do has risk, including but not limited to crossing the street to go get a quart of milk. Don't let my warnings completely discourage you. 

Before embarking on employment, you should probably be stabilized. Yet, a job can add to mental health. This is because it can bring contact with non-afflicted people, including coworkers, supervisors, or subordinates. Connecting with "mainstream" non-afflicted people can be very grounding, and maybe we can forget, while at work, that we have a mental illness. This can be a very good thing. 

Turning Over a Nude Leaf 

Heading out on my Sunday run, I encountered a lady bent over a rake in her front yard and up to her ankles in fallen leaves. 

"Remember!" I told her with a passing smile, "Leaves are nature's confetti!" 

She met my grin with a grimace and replied tartly: "No! Leaves are nature's graffiti." 

And brandishing her rake, she returned to the business of removing them. 

Warren's Useful 'Conversation Starters' for Thanksgiving 

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren recently shared some cheeky advice for getting through the Thanksgiving holiday. Her suggested Conversation Starters included: 

• Everyone should do their fair share—bring a dish, set the table, clean up. Any billionaires at your table pay a two-cent Ultra-Millionaire Tax. 

• While watching some football, talk about the importance of a level playing field—for our family farmers, and for the hometown team. 

• 1% of the family shouldn't get 99% of the pie. 

• Have fun watching a Thanksgiving parade, and take a minute to laugh at the parade of billionaires who think they can buy this election. 

Wildlife in the Neighborhood 

Heading back from my Sunday run, I rounded the Monterey Market and was jogging west on Ada Street when I was passed by a furry blur—a four-legged creature running full-tilt toward Sacramento Street. 

"Wait a second," I thought, "Was that a?... No, never mind . . . . " 

That's when I heard a woman on a nearby sidewalk yell out: "Hey! Was that a coyote?!" 

The next night brought confirmation. During the early evening hours, our next-door neighbor had to secure her smallest puppy who was barking up a storm in the front yard. The reason for the noise? According to our neighbor: "There was a coyote in the neighborhood." 

More Wildlife in the Neighborhood 

A few days later, the same neighbor had another wildlife encounter. She was driving down Masonic paralleling the BART tracks when the car in front of her suddenly pulled to a stop. 

The cause was easy to spot. The local band of wild turkeys — a male and about a dozen hens — had nonchalantly sashayed into the street, blocking traffic in both directions. 

This is not an unfamiliar sight in our Westbrae neighborhood. But this time, something unusual transpired. 

The driver in the first car was not charmed by the sight of the feathered jaywalkers. The irritated driver was so impatient that he decided to smack his horn and start honking. 

Bad move. The Tom turkey took offense, spun around to evil-eye the driver, and broke into a run, attacking the offending vehicle with a fusillade of beak-blows. 

That was enough for our terrified neighbor. She put her car in reverse, backed up, managed a three-stage U-turn, and beat a swift retreat. 

Native Intelligence 

Later this month, when you assemble with your loved ones to carve a holiday tofurkey and pass the organic cranberry sauce, you might want to pause for a moment to say thanks to the Indigenous people whose land you currently occupy. And now, thanks to the National Education Association, there's a Map App that reveals which Native peoples originally inhabited these lands—long since overwhelmed by "vast caravans" of European migrants.
The NEA recommends prefacing your holiday events by naming the tribal nation on whose land you've gathered, "to show respect and gratitude to Indigenous people and foster awareness of their history and contributions—which are often omitted in the telling of the story of America." 

Looking for more ways to incorporate racial and social justice into your holiday gatherings? Go to: NEAEdJustice.org. 

The Doonesbury Puzzle 

A lot of folk were puzzled by Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury strip in the SF Chronicle's December 1 Sunday Comics. The confusion was stoked by the fact that the Chronicle's page design caused it to drop the first two of Trudeau's eight panels. (Note: Multi-panel comic strips frequently begin with nonessential "intro panels" that can be dropped to accommodate a variety of vertical or horizontal layouts, depending on the local publication. Usually it doesn't make a difference. This time it did.) 

The two panels the Chronicle dropped showed Trump's thoughts floating over the White House. Panel 1: "All of this over a perfect conversation…." Panel 2: "Time to finally build a wall." 

The Chron's version started with panel three, which began with a transcript of Trump's "perfect conversation" with the Ukrainian president. Subsequent panels showed; a truck (labeled "White House Storage") pulling up in front of the White House; workers unloading boxes filled with large stones; workers erecting a stone wall high enough to block out the White House. The last panel showed the completed wall—covered with some mismatched rocks showing hard-to-decipher streaks of graffiti. 

It took a good deal of time to reassemble the messed-up message—and ithe solution indicated just how long these rocks had been in storage. 

Trudeau's unscrambled message read: "IMPEACH NIXON." 

It was something of an inside joke. Here's the "famous Doonesbury 'stonewall' strip" from Nixon's last days in the White House: 

Russian Trolls Ding an Unsuitable Slander 

Believe it or not, there's a pro-Trump, Russian-linked news-op that sends out a daily diss targeting anti-Trump Democrats. Like Trump, these trolls frequently aim their barbs at Hillary Clinton. Here's a recent sample that, nonetheless, makes a valid point about press prejudice in the US: 

"The full measure of demented leftist reporting in America was further displayed by the Trump-hating Democrat propaganda mouthpiece New York Times—who during the 2016 election, praised Hillary Clinton for wearing a white pant suit they said “showed her empowerment”—but when war hero Tulsi Gabbard wore a near-identical white pant suit at this week’s Democrat presidential debate, saw them saying it proved she was “a fringe cult leader." 

'The Squad' May Soon Have Company 

Nabila Islam's family hails from Bangladesh. Islam is a first-generation progressive democrat. And Nabila Islam is openly campaigning for the 7^th district Congressional seat now held by Georgia Republican Rob Woodall. This makes Woodall unique: He hereby becomes the first Republican who actually has a legitimate reason to claim "ISLAMophobia." 

Meanwhile, the campaign slogan on the young contender's bumperstickers is certain to give white-bread GOPers the willies: "ISLAM FOR GEORGIA." 

Republicans More Likely to Attend "College" 

Newsweek recently ran a headline warning that the "Electoral College Overwhelmingly Favors Republicans. Abolishing Entire System Only Remedy." 

Even the activist group Abolish the Electoral College was surprised. "We knew the situation was bad, but this report is worse than anything we’ve read before," AEC wrote. 

"According to researchers, Republicans are favored to win up to 65% of future elections unless we 'completely abolish the Electoral College'. No half-hearted ‘reform’ attempts. Only the complete removal of this antiquated and unjust system can save American democracy!" 

The Good News: The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would make it possible to retire the Electoral College without having to amend the Constitution. Member States simply agree to award their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote—a perfectly legal option that renders the Electoral College vote irrelevant. To date, 15 states, plus the District of Columbia, have signed on, marking 196 of the 270 (72.9%) states needed to ensure that future presidents must win the popular vote. 

Erin on the Side of Caution 

I've been working on an environmental campaign with some other activists. It involves a 15-day tour of California and, since it involves issues of water contamination, the group reached out to pollution-fighter Erin Brockovich, wondering if we could engage her services. 

Not gonna happen: Her agency informs us that we can have the pleasure of Erin's company for a meager $20,000 an hour "plus first-class air travel for two from Los Angeles." 

My question: Does Julia Roberts get a commission? 

What's Up With the AARP App? 

I was wondering recently why the American Association of Retired People (AARP) has not endorsed S.521, the Social Security Fairness Act. So I went to the group's website and clicked on the Contact page. 

To my surprise, when I typed in the question it was answered immediately in real time—by an AARP-bot. 

Thanks to the magic of AARP's algorithms, there's no longer any need to wait when it comes to Q&As. 

It's like dealing with a print version of Siri. 

Unfortunately, the response to my question was too generic to be helpful. 

Feeling playful, I thought I'd follow up by asking a philosophical question to see what kind of response that would evoke. 

I tried: "What is the nature of evil?" The response was a boilerplate intro to AARP services. 

Hoping for something better, I asked the ARPP-bot: "What makes life worth living." The response came in the form of a question: 

How Do I Pay My Bill for AARP Life Insurance Program from New York Life? 

Don't Mess with Miss Willie 

Loved the story about Willie Murphy, an 82-year-old female bodybuilder in Rochester, New York. When a man banged on her door yelling that he needed an ambulance, she refused to open up. When the guy busted inside, the local media reported, Murphy "clobbered him with a table, poured shampoo in his face and was beating him with a broom when police arrived." 

The intruder got his wish—an ambulance ride to a local hospital, 

Murphy, the 2014 World Natural Powerlifting Federation Lifter of the Year, can hoist 225 pounds and do one-handed pullups and pushups. 

And to make the story of Miss Willie's beat-down perfect, the report was broadcast on Rochester's local radio station, whose call letters are WHAM. 

Breaking News: From the Molecular to the Megellanic 

Tired of all the same old news stories? Need a break from your quotidian quota of querulous quotes? If so, you might try putting a little juice in your journalism by checking out the lead stories on a typical day at Science News. Here's a sampling from the November 30 edition: 

• Archaeologists tie ancient bones to a revolt chronicled on the Rosetta Stone

• A newfound black hole in the Milky Way is weirdly heavy

• The solar system may have a new smallest dwarf planet: Hygiea

• How two gamma-ray bursts created record-breaking high-energy photons

• Saharan silver ants are the world’s fastest despite relatively short legs

• Vampire bat friendships endure from captivity to the wild

• How tiny insect larvae leap without legs

• We’ve lost 3 billion birds since 1970 in North America

Supreme Court Could Loosen Gun Restrictions 

The Supreme Court is considering whether to allow registered gun owners to carry their weapons pretty-much-damn-well-wherever-the-freak they want. 

According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2018 saw a record 67 new gun safety laws enacted in 26 states and Washington, D.C. Do these laws make a difference? Well, according to the Giffords Center, seven of the 10 states with the strongest gun laws have the lowest gun death rates in the US. 

The Gun Violence Archive reports that more than 35,000 Americans have been killed by guns so far this year. Most of the gun deaths—21,000—were suicides. There have been more than 380 mass shootings and 29 mass murders in 2019 and the year is not yet over. 

Trump Does TIME 

The thought of artificial intelligence in the hands of so-called public servants’, many of whom regularly ignore individuals’ rights and welfare, makes me squirm. It seems naive to assume that A.I. will not be used against us here in the U.S. 

This week a Mac client in Piedmont gave me a glimpse of what the future may all too easily hold for Americans: 

This year, while traveling in the East, he had arrived in in Singapore, that sovereign island city-state in Southeast Asia. As we know, Singapore has strict laws and zealous enforcement. But how strict? My client crossed a street by stepping into the roadway some distance from the marked pedestrian crossing. In short, he was jay walking—in the city that will cane you for dropping gum on the sidewalk. My client characterizes Singapore as 80 or 90% of a fascist regime. 

At first he was unaware that a surveillance camera was recording his illegal crossing. Concurrently, facial recognition software accurately identified him, because his identity documents had been scanned and his photograph taken when he entered the country. As he stepped onto the opposite sidewalk, he received a text message on his iPhone telling him that he had broken the law and had been fined. The stated amount had already been taken from the bank account that he had to disclose to the authorities before being allowed in the country. Total time from stepping into the street to having his money lifted was less than two minutes. 

When you are in Singapore, the client told me, the government knows where you are at all times to within a foot or so, and maintains an interest in what you are doing and who you are doing it with. Big Brother’s tools are fully developed, and today in parts of Asia he keeps you in full view at all times. 

Next week this space will discuss a few things thoughtful web visitors might do to foil trackers, social media watchdogs, and increasingly bold scammers who regularly prey upon credulous Americans on the ‘Net. 

Correspondence may be directed to: help@machead.info

Berkeley High alum Guy Caldwell (Class of '63) has 40 Micro Paintings on view through January 31 at the East Bay Media Center, 1939 Addison (between Milvia & MLK) in the Downtown Arts District, a block from Downtown Berkeley BART at Addison & Shattuck. 

This Saturday, December 14, there will be a reception for the artist at 7, free and open to the public. 

The exhibit's curated by Mel Vapour of the Media Center. The Center's hours are 10 a. m. to 5:30 p. m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, go to www.eastbaymediacenter.com --or call (510) 843-3699.

On Thursday, December 5, Matthew Shilvock, the company’s General Director, announced from the stage of San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House that 39 year-old Eun Sun Kim, who conducted the highly regarded Rusalka here in June, was named the new Music Director of San Francisco Opera. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Eun Sun Kim becomes the first woman to hold the lead post at an American opera company of major size and stature.  

Ms. Kim’s conducting career has seen her leading major European orchestras, including the Staatsoper in Berlin, where Daniel Barenboim invited her to debut in 2015. Her American conducting debut came in 2017 when she led a Houston Grand Opera production of Verdi’s La Traviata that took place under trying circumstances in the midst of Hurricane Harvey, which flooded much of Houston, including the opera company’s regular home, causing the La Traviata performances to be held in an improvised theater in a convention center. So impressed was Houston Grand Opera that they immediately named Eun Sun Kim their Principal Guest Conductor. 

Ms. Kim will officially begin as Music Director at San Francisco Opera in 2021, but she will conduct a new production of Beethoven’s Fidelio here in 2020. The company’s General Director, Matthew Shilvock, said that from the first rehearsals of Rusalka it was so clear that Eun Sun Kim brought “a special kind of energy,” that he chose to watch one of her Rusalka performances from the orchestra pit. “She’s a conductor who really opens her arms and invites the people around her to make the very best music they can,” noted Shilvock. 

San Francisco Opera is to be applauded for naming a woman to the post of Music Director. I voiced in these pages my disappointment when San Francisco Symphony passed up conductor Susanna Målkki in favor of Esa Pekka Salonen as their Music Director replacing Michael Tilson Thomas. In a bold move, San Francisco Opera now embarks on an exciting new course. If last June’s Rusalka is any indication, we may rightly expect great things to come as Eun Sun Kim assumes the post of Music Director.

Worth Noting and Showing Up:

The City Council winter recess is December 11, 2019 – January 21, 2020. This is the last full week of City meetings in 2019.

• The Council meeting on Tuesday items 16. Purchase of trucks, the ACTION items and Information Report 38. Audit F/U need your attention. (More comments follow the list of meetings)
• Tuesday, Dec 10 the Tool Library is closed all day and Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library is closed from 10 am – 6 pm, reopens 6 – 8 pm. (Planned PG&E Power outage)
• CA Dept of Housing and Community Development workshops, webinars, Community Needs Survey on Fair Housing http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1120322818772&ca=85bf47bc-da07-4971-9168-eb0199ccefb6
• Tuesday, Dec 10, Michael Mann the scientist who published the “Hockey Stick Climate Chart” https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/the-hockey-stick-the-most-controversial-chart-in-science-explained/275753/ is speaking in San Francisco 5pm – 7:30 pm, the event is free, but seating is limited - link to RSVP included in event info https://350bayarea.org/event/beyond-climate-denial
• Sunflower Alliance lists area meetings and Dec 9 comment deadlines to CARB (California Air Resources Board) on air pollution from Diesel Trucks and Shipping http://www.sunflower-alliance.org

• Change to Shattuck Ave Vehicle Traffic between Allston and University begins Dec 16 https://www.cityofberkeley.info/City_Manager/Press_Releases/2019/2019-12-05_Shattuck_Avenue_becomes_a_two-way_street_across_University.aspx

City Council Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Committee, 10 am, at 2180 Milvia, 6^th Floor Redwood Room, Agenda: 2. 15 min of listening to Homeless on conditions in encampments, 3. Presentation on Vector Control, 4. Healthy Checkout Ordinance (nutritious choices at checkout instead of junk food) 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/Policy_Committee__Health,_Life_Enrichment,_Equity___Community.aspx 

Housing Advisory Commission – 1654 Fifth St Subcommittee, 4 – 5 pm at 2180 Milvia, 2^nd Floor Dogwood Room, Agenda: 1654 5^th as Homeless Housing 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Housing_Advisory_Commission/ 

Human Welfare & Community Action Commission – Budget Subcommittee, 5:15 – 6:15 pm at 2000 University, Au Coquelet, Agenda: City FY 2020 & 2021 Biennial Budget 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Human_Welfare_and_Community_Action_Commission_Homepage.aspx 

Youth Commission, 6:30 pm at 1730 Oregon St, Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Services Center, Agenda: 8. Urban Forestry – Environmental Initiatives, 9. Human Rights, 10. Gender Neutral Bathrooms 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Youth_Commission_Homepage.aspx 

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, December 10, 2019 

Berkeley City Council, 1231 Addison Street, BUSD Board Room, 

• Closed Session, 4 pm -6 pm, Agenda: 1. City of Berkeley and Landry’s Inc, Negotiations of Price and Terms 100 Seawall Drive, 2. Pending Litigation, City of Berkeley v. Regents of UC, Case No. RG19023058
• Regular Meeting, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm, Agenda: CONSENT: A. Adopt an Ordinance Legal Rights for Legal Tender (cash) B. Annual appropriations 2^nd reading #7,682-N.S. $146,891,298(gross) 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, C. Fund and Implement Safe Passages Program – parking restrictions to ensure Emergency Equipment Access to all parts of the City, D. . a.&b. 5-yr Paving Plan 31. Multi-year Bidding Process for Street Paving, 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 input to Planning Commission on zoning, the City and BART, INFORMATION REPORTS: 32. Short Term Referrals, 33. 34. Credit Card, Cash Handling, Business License Tax, Contracts Audit, 35. Public Health Update, 36. Worker’s Comp Review, 37. Parking Program, 38. Audit F/U Report (note 911 still understaffed & number of unresolved fire prevention violations grows)

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 

Joint Subcommittee for the Implementation of State Housing Laws, 7 – 10 pm at 2180 Milvia, 6^th Floor Redwood Room, Agenda: 10. Objective Standards for Design, 11. Shadow Priority Matrix 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Joint_Subcommittee_for_the_Implementation_of_State_Housing_Laws_Homepage.aspx 

Police Review Commission, at 2939 Ellis, South Berkeley Senior Center 

• Lexipol Policies, 5:30 – 7 pm, Policies: Emergency Operations Plan, Crime and Disaster Scene Integrity, Traffic Function and Responsibility, Vehicle Towing and Release,
• Regular Meeting, 7 – 10 pm, Agenda: 9.a. Policies on BPD 1) Questioning Detainees about parole or probation status, b. Conducting searches of detainees on parole/probation,

Thursday, December 12, 2019 

Advisory Commission – Block Grant Subcommittee, 10– 11 am at 2180 Milvia, 2^nd Floor Dogwood Room, Agenda: FY 2020 application process and funding 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Housing_Advisory_Commission/ 

Community Facilities Improvements Proposals NOFA Workshop, 2 – 3:30 pm at 2090 Kittredge, Central Library, 3^rd Floor 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/CalendarEventMain.aspx?calendarEventID=16437 

Adeline Corridor Subcommittee Meeting, 7 – 10 pm at 2939 Ellis, South Berkeley Senior Center, 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/AdelineCorridor/ 

Mental Health Commission, 7 – 9 pm at 1947 Center, Multi-purpose Room, Agenda: 8. One-hour training on Commission Mandate 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Mental_Health_Commission_Homepage.aspx 

Zoning Adjustment Board, 7 pm at 1231 Addison St, BUSD Board Room, Draft Agenda: 

• 1632 Stuart – combine 2 parcels, add 3^rd dwelling, consent-approve
• 1600 Walnut – add 457 sq ft and remodel to restore 2^nd dwelling, consent-approve
• 1505 Shattuck – off-site wine sale, consent-approve
• 2307 and 2309 Prince – add 486 sq ft convert habitable space to 5229 sq ft to 4-unit building, adding 8 bedrooms to parcel which is over residential density and non-conforming yard, staff recommend approve 3 of 4 units, deny requested 6^th or more bedrooms
• 1835 San Pablo – demolish one-story commercial building, construct 6-story mixed use with 99 dwellings (including 7 very low income) and 2 live/work, 49 parking spaces, staff recommend approve
• 0 (2435) San Pablo – construct 4-story, 20,526 sq ft mixed-use with 42 Group Living Rooms, 800 sq ft of commercial on 2 vacant parcels, staff recommend approval
• 2650 Telegraph – Project Preview – demolish commercial building, construct 5-story mixed-use with 45 units (including 4 very low income) 20 parking spaces

Community Environmental Advisory Commission is listed on the Community calendar, there is no meeting listed or posted agenda on the website, check before going 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Community_Environmental_Advisory_Commission/ 

Friday, December 13, 2019 

City Reduced Service Day 

Mayor Arreguin First Annual Holiday Party, 6 - 8 pm at 912 Gilman, Gilman Brewing Co. Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble, in lieu of tickets, canned food or monetary donation appreciated, proceeds will go to Alameda Co Food Bank and Berkeley Holiday Fund 

https://www.facebook.com/events/677656562763274/ 

Evening at Eco Marketplace, 6 - 9 pm at 2530 San Pablo, Ecology Center, Zero Waste Holiday Shopping, guest vendors to offer Zero-Waste products 

https://ecologycenter.org/events/evening-eco-marketplace-2/ 

Saturday, December 14, 2019 

McGee Spaulding Neighbors in Action, 9:45 am – 12 pm, at University Terrace Community Room (entrance around back of building from Jefferson parking lot between Allston and Addison) 

Community Meeting John Hinkel Park Improvements, 10:30 am – 12 pm, at North Branch Library 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/CalendarEventMain.aspx?calendarEventID=16431 

Winter on the Waterfront & Lighted Boat Parade, 2 – 6:30 pm, at Berkeley Yacht Club 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/CalendarEventMain.aspx?calendarEventID=16302 

Celebrate West Berkeley Shellmound Victory, 4 - 7 pm, at 2501 Harrison, Oakland First Congregational Church – Reidenbach Hall 

https://www.facebook.com/events/ 

Berkeley Tenants Union December Meeting, 4:15 -6 pm, at 2727 Milvia, Sports Basement 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1353944281437974/ 

Winter Crafts Fair – Berkeley Farmer’s Market, 10 am – 3 pm, at Civic Center Park 

https://ecologycenter.org/events/berkeley-farmers-market-winter-crafts-fair-5-2019-12-14/2019-12-14/ 

Sunday, December 15, 2019 

No City Sponsored Events found 

_____________________ 

Comments on City Council Agenda:  

• item 16. Purchase of fleet of 9 trucks, if the current City trucks are so broken down that they must be replaced before the City completes charging station infrastructure and can purchase hybrid plug-in or EV, then leasing should be negotiated rather than purchase
• item C. Safe passages, if there is a fire in the hills and fire trucks cannot get through to put it out, because of parked cars then a rapidly spreading fire endangers the entire City.
• item D. 5-year paving plan, our streets are a mess
• item 31. MOU ask for funding and community task force, will citizens have any real input/power or will their appointments and work be watered down to fit with predetermined decisions
• item 38. f/u Audit report found 911 is still understaffed and the number of unresolved fire prevention violations continue to grow while fire inspections fall behind.

Public Hearings Scheduled – Land Use Appeals 

0 Euclid – Berryman Reservoir TBD 

2422 Fifth St - TBD 

Remanded to ZAB or LPC With 90-Day Deadline 

1155-73 Hearst (develop 2 parcels) – referred back to City Council – to be scheduled 

Notice of Decision (NOD) With End of Appeal Period 

999 Anthony 12-19-2019 

919 Bataan 12-17-2019 

1634 California 12-9-2019 

800 Dwight Replacement of three illuminated wall signs 12-17-2019 

1449 Grizzly Peak 12-11-2019 

1284 Hearst 12-17-2019 

790 Hilldale 12-17-19 

1407 Kains 12-16-2019 

2026 Los Angeles 12-02-2019 

2965 Magnolia 12-9-2019 

2693 Shasta 12-16-19 

2949 Shasta 12-16-19 

1403 Stannage 12-17-2019 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/planning_and_development/land_use_division/current_zoning_applications_in_appeal_period.aspx 

WORKSHOPS 

Jan 14 – Vision 2050, Civic Center Visioning, Systems Realignment 

Feb 4 – Discussion of Community Poll (Ballot Measures), Adeline Corridor Plan 

March 17 – CIP Update (PRW and Public Works), Measure T1 Update 

May 5 – Budget Update, Crime Report 

June 23 – Climate Action Plan/Resiliency Update, Digital Strategic Plan FUND$/Replacement Website Update 

July 21 – no workshops scheduled “yet” 

Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations 

Cannabis Health Considerations 

Update goBerkeley (RPP) 

BMASP/Berkeley Pier-WETA Ferry (November 2020) 

_____________________ 

To Check For Regional Meetings with Berkeley Council Appointees go to 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Committee_and_Regional_Body_Appointees.aspx 

To check for Berkeley Unified School District Board Meetings go to 

https://www.berkeleyschools.net/schoolboard/board-meeting-information/ 

_____________________ 

This meeting list is also posted on the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website. 

http://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html and in the Berkeley Daily Planet under activist’s calendar http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com 

When notices of meetings are found that are posted after Friday 5:00 pm they are added to the website schedule https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html and preceded by LATE ENTRY