Trump was alerted about COVID-19 in January and February but did not acknowledge its seriousness until March. He refused to take charge of the war against the virus, deferring instead to the states, and then continually undermined their efforts. Now he is quitting while he’s behind by encouraging the abandonment of state shelter-in-place orders. 

According to new estimates from Columbia University disease modelers, if the U.S. has enacted social-distancing measures a week earlier than it did — in early March rather than mid-March — about 36,000 fewer Americans would have died. That’s more than one-third of the current death toll, which is rapidly approaching 100,000. If the measures had been taken two weeks earlier, on March 1, the death toll would be 54,000 lower. 

For Trump it's strictly reelection politics now. There is no need for him to appear concerned about the public’s health and welfare. Empathy was never a Trump strong suit. His Republican enablers in Congress, red state governors, and his witting and unwitting followers are following lockstep behind him. 

Remember, however, we are only at the beginning of the pandemic and as of May 21, we already have more than 1.58 million reported cases of COVID-19 and over 93,000 dead — and growing. The expected number of deaths is projected to reach 100,000 by June 1. What will the death rate look like when a vaccine is found and administered? 

Politics has indeed trumped science (PUN intended).

If you can withstand having a full-blown psychotic episode, it isn't a giant intellectual stretch to deal with a society instituting massive changes to battle a deadly pathogen. This is not to claim superiority of any kind, nor do I minimize non-afflicted people's bravery or their fortitude. 

However, in my past, my psychotic episodes took me to bizarre places, with imagined danger and actual danger--the latter caused by being psychotic which caused me to be gravely disabled and, at times, a danger to myself and others.  

It takes bravery to get through a psychotic episode. Yet it is also foolish to stop treatment against medical advice. But once someone is in that place of psychosis, they have lost the ability to think normally, and that often makes a person unable or unwilling to accept or seek treatment. 

The psychotic worlds I lived in were even more bizarre than life in the face of coronavirus. And those bizarre, albeit imaginary worlds make life with coronavirus seem almost familiar. 

Fear is a familiar frenemy to me. It notifies me when there is something I must deal with, or it taunts me to tell me of worst-case scenarios that are highly unlikely to happen. Or, sometimes, fear is just there for no apparent reason, like a sadistic bully lurking within.

From seeing reports of first responders on television news, I see that Americans haven't lost their ability to fight. Even if fighting means keeping very ill people alive, if it equals the strength to carry on in the face of fear, and if it doesn't mean the stupidity of war, it is still fighting--good fighting. 

I respect people who can do things that I cannot do. I can come up with a good literary style and get a few things published. But I can't drive an ambulance, I can't resuscitate a person whose heart has stopped, and I couldn't even do a blood test properly, if I tried out for phlebotomist. 

I can endure ostracism while putting on a front of not being affected by it--the disguise is thin. I can not very well go after and attack someone who insults me. I get hurt feelings sometimes, and maybe a reputation for being weak, among some. Others would just say that I'm civilized. 

When psychotic, I would become verbally assaultive but did not attack anyone. When first mentally ill in 1982, I did do some stunts that were violent and other stunts that could have gotten myself or someone killed. It wasn't my proudest time of life. Yet, taking antipsychotic medication every day for more than thirty-five years with some interruptions, takes work. 

Antipsychotics hinder my capabilities. Yet, they have become so much of a part of normal for me, that I would never be able to successfully withdraw from them. If I stopped these medications now, I could die purely from the shock to my brain. If I didn't die of that, the result would still be a permanent wreck of my faculties. 

It takes resolve to continue to be medication compliant. Not everyone with mental illness is able to voluntarily do this. When it is not done voluntarily, it will be done for us involuntarily, if we are fortunate enough that the mental health establishment is willing to intervene and devote those resources to us. 

I could probably not survive the physical stresses of another psychotic episode. The emotions, the stresses on the body, and not taking care of basic needs, could mean death for someone my age. It helps that I am aware of that. 

If I became homeless, it would be a death sentence. I would not have access to the basic needs of someone with compromising physical and mental medical issues. 

In the above, I am facing facts. I've been noncompliant when young and I barely survived it. I was resilient back then. 

More recently, I've dealt with about four major crises at the same time. I've dealt with a mandated move into a downstairs unit in the apartments where I rent with my spouse. I've dealt with Social Security now doing a review on me to determine whether I continue to be disabled--if they decide I'm not, I'm in massive trouble. I've dealt with increased demands in my environment--I can't be more specific than that. And I've dealt with Earth's upheaval because of a pandemic. Also, a great therapist who has helped me for two years is leaving. None of the above might seem challenging to a skeptical person. Yet, if you were to see it from my perspective, it has been rough. 

Some things can turn out not to be awfully hard if I just try. This is where mental plasticity comes into the picture. I am still sometimes able to adapt to new challenges. I do not have the luxury and restrictions of being taken care of and supervised in a group home. I have responsibilities, and by the same token, I am in charge of me. 

I do not have a case manager, and I do not have a ghost writer. The words you read are written by a 55-year-old schizophrenic man with the aid of Microsoft Word. The books I've produced (available on Amazon and elsewhere) are done through the automated self-publishing platform of LULU, and I did not get any help from anyone in producing them. I've also navigated the electronic copyright system at the U.S. Copyright Office--my books are registered there. The fee, up until recently, was $35 for a simple copyright registration. 

My fiction has appeared in science fiction e-zines. I've had guest commentaries appear in East Bay Times. I am a longtime contributor to the Street Spirit Newspaper. The problem is, even while I've done a lot with respect to writing, the pay is usually little or nothing. But I can do it from home with no immediate pressure, and it keeps me out of trouble. 

My resilience is not entirely gone--I have some left. And we may find that the individuals in society, mentally ill or not, who are able to make something work in the face of this crisis, will still be here a few years from now. I can only hope I am one of them. 

This week, another great issue of Mother Jones hit the newsstands (Hmmm…. Do we still have newsstands?) with a cover showing a tilted statue of Sen. Lindsey Graham in the process of being toppled. 

Oddly, while most magazines (Newsweek, Time, The Nation) are rolling out issues for the month of May, the newest Mother Jones is identified as the "March + April" edition. Still, it's worth waiting for—filled with timely features about national politics, an Indigenous struggle to protect sacred land from becoming a corporate uranium mine, an investigation of online political gamesmanship for profit, reflections on the legal repercussions of sexual harassment and a review of an academic debate over the claim that male and female brains process information differently. 

But one thing that struck me was the undercurrent of feisty "war-speak" that coursed through the pages. It began with the cover title: "Take Down: Inside the fight to topple Lindsey Graham." It continued on the inside with a removable pledge slip that invited readers to write a check and "Fight like Hell with us every month." It popped up in a page-five editorial that praised "hard-hitting journalism." And finally, on page 64, there was an ad for a bladder-control product that bore the headline: "Thanks to BetterWOMAN I'm winning the battle for Bladder Control." [Emphasis added throughout] 

Lorax Lyrics 

Dr. Seuss gave us a storybook creature called the Lorax, a feisty furry defender of Truffula Trees and free-range Brown Bar-ba-loots. 

The Lorax once spake a now-famous refrain that arose from his toes and embraced the terrain. And what was the phrase that arose from his lungs?: "I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues." 

Pleased to report, the Lorax's legacy is alive and well in Berkeley. Several nights ago, during an evening walk down Marin Avenue, we found a sign taped to a tree. The crayon-scrawled message from a young neighborhood environmentalist read: "Hug Me! For I am a Tree! Happy Earth Day!" 

On another night, eight blocks away, we found another hand-drawn note attached to a branch dangling over the sidewalk. It read: "Did you thank a tree today? #LoveTrees @ThankTrees." 

And another tree near the Monterey Markey on Hopkins now hosts a sign that reads: "Didja know . . . Trees can Detect Light and Day Length, Gravity, and Pathogens!!! Wow!!!" 

Wow, indeed! The Lorax Lives! 

Interesting to note: While American children look forward to the annual holiday broadcasts of Dr. Seuss' "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," our country's pro-consumption, commercial networks would never dare broadcast the anti-consumer/anti-capitalist message at the core of The Lorax (be it the 1972 original or the lavish 2012 star-studded 3D animated travesty revision). Here's a taste of the 1972 True-to-Seuss version. 

Bullock Is Bidding for Ballots 

I recently received a fund-raising letter from Steve Bullock, the Montana governor who's hoping to win a US Senate seat in November. Bullock is hoping to boot the GOP incumbent and help flip the Senate. In his four-page cover letter, Bullock claimed he had been contemplating retiring for politics to spend more time with his family. "With only 4 ½ years before the kids are out of the house, I had decided to step back." But decided to sacrifice full-time dad-hood in order to mount a campaign to pursue Democratic reforms in the US Senate. 

Although the Republicans hold a majority in Montana's state government, Bullock claims to have expanded Medicaid, put a freeze on college tuition, protected Net Neutrality, passed the country's "strongest anti-dark money laws," defended the Affordable Care Act, stood up for Americans with pre-existing conditions, stopped Big Carbon from despoiling public lands, and supported the rights of women and the working class. 

Sounds like a man with a plan. But when I took a closer look at the mail-back solicitation from Montanans for Bullock, I spotted a surprise in the small print: A line that instructed donors to make the enclosed check "payable to Bullock for President." 

This leaves me with a question: Was this the most embarrassing campaign typo in US electoral history or does Gov. Bullock really have grander plans for his future? And has he told his family? 

Watch Out, Trump. A Hot Plame May Be Coming Your Way 

Against her will, activist, author, and mom Valerie Plame became "America's most famous ex-spy" when a member of the George W. Bush administration "outted" her as a secret CIA agent. Plame's life was turned inside-out in revenge for her husband's opposition to the Bush Administration's plot to invade Iraq. Plame's husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, challenged Bush's tall tale that Saddam Hussein was secretly buying yellowcake uranium from Niger. As payback for her husband's independence, Dick Cheney's henchman, Scooter Libby, leaked Plame's secret identity to the press. 

Plame and Wilson retired to New Mexico to raise their two children—far from the intrigues of the Beltway. (They divorced in 2017.) 

Today, Plame, while chronologically 56 years old, has the youthful appearance and boundless energy of a twenty-something. And she's getting back into politics—but this time in public—as a progressive candidate for the US House of Representatives. 

Plame is one of four candidates jousting for a Congressional seat in the imminent June 2 primary. Plame, however, is the only candidate who is being attacked in scurrilous ads financed by a steady flow of "dark money." Plame is undeterred. She is promoting her campaign with some of the most awesome TV spots in the history of politics. They are worthy of her background—with car stunts and physical stints that look like out-takes from a James Bond blockbuster. Here's a sample: 

"I have lived all over the world," Plame tells her fellow New Mexicans, "and I have never felt more connected to a place and its special people than in The Land of Enchantment. Our state is magical in many ways, and I want to continue to protect its unique cultures and communities." 

Some of the challenges she's promised to tackle include: lowering healthcare costs, protecting the air and water, improving public education, ensuring equal rights, promote the right to vote, and (ironic for a double-agent) "combating gun violence." 

Bibi's Bid to Say Bye-Bye to Bitter Bummer 

You gotta give Israeli co-leader and indicted criminal suspect Benjiam Netanyahu credit for a breakaway example of chutzpah. Bibi is the first sitting president to face sitting on a prison cot. But first he needs to appear in an Israeli courtroom. 

With this accounting imminent, Netanuayu and his enablers have come up with a stunning argument designed to excuse the Likud leader from making a court appearance. 

Israel, like most of the world, is dealing with the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, Bibi's brilliant alibi. According to the Associated Press, Bibi's attorneys have argued that the tainted leader (who is always surrounded by a phalanx of beefy security guards) must be excused from appearing in court in the interests of public health since "his bodyguards’ presence would violate Health Ministry social distancing requirements." 

Bibi's not the only celebrity to use the coronavirus as a get-out-of-jail-free card. A growing list of Trump conspirators have been leaping out of jail citing their need to be distanced from the crowded confines of our country's unsanitary prisons. The recently released include disgraced general and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Trump campaign honcho Paul Manafort, and Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen. Waiting in the wings: Trump confidant and convicted liar Roger Stone. 

Comic Strip Cliches 

British comic Spike Milligan is said to have observed: "The cliché is the handrail of a crippled mind." Cartoonist John Caldwell snaps back with the defense that "Cliches are the building blocks that we throw at the writing blocks. Often, they're the best way to break through." Here are just some of the recurring, seemingly eternal set-ups for drawn jokes. Which ones have I missed? 

Two men stranded on a dinner-table-sized deserted island. Aliens in a UFO. Aliens in a UFO beaming up a victim. A thirsty loner crawling across a dry desert with vultures overhead. Guy on street with a sign reading 'The End is Near." Dinosaurs Facing Extinction. Meeting St. Peter at the Gate. In Heaven with Angles, Clouds, and Halos. In and Out Trays on a Work Desk. The Grim Reaper. A Job Interview. Adam and Eve. Satan in Hell. Rapunzel's Hair. Cavemen. Psychoanalyst and Couch. "Waiter, there's a fly in my soup." 

And then there are some once-but-no-longer favorites retired for the better-good: Travelers on a Flying Carpet. "Savages" dancing around a hot-tub-sized pot cooking a batch of missionaries. Other queasy clichés now retired and buried include: A caveman dragging cavewoman by the hair; a boss chasing a secretary around an office desk. 

One last cliché. This eternal strip shows a "seeker" climbing a mountain to ask a bearded recluse: 'What's the secret of life?" 

Stephan Pastis, a former lawyer-turned-toonist, delights in skewering clichés in his own Pearls Before Swine strip. On May 19, Pastis posted a strip in the Chronicle that showed a sign at the bottom of a mountain with an arrow pointing upwards and the words "Wise-ass on the Hill." 

The strip's characters, Rat and Pig, make their way to the summit only to discover the Wise Ass is a donkey sitting in a Sukhasana yoga position. 

Freedom of the Press Is Dying in America 

The 2020 World Press Freedom Index is now available and it reflects poorly on the US. When it comes to the Fifth Estate, the Land of the Free has a dismal record. The US now finds itself Number 45 in a field of 180. 

Not surprisingly, most of the top ten countries on this list (as on so many other lists) are Scandanavian—Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands—followed by Jamaica, Costa Rica, Switzerland, New Zealand and Portugal. 

Other countries that aced-out the US for advancing and protecting press freedoms include: Estonia, Uruguay, Suriname, Samoa, Latvia, Namibia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Ghana, Slovakia, Burkina Faso, Botswana, and Taiwan. 

The main reason for this slump in our First Amendment freedoms? Donald Trump. 

Here's the verdict: From the Index's authors at Reporters Without Borders: 

"Press freedom in the United States continued to suffer during President Donald Trump’s third year in office. Arrests, physical assaults, public denigration and the harassment of journalists continued in 2019, though the numbers of journalists arrested and assaulted were slightly lower than the year prior.  

"Much of that ire has come from President Trump and his associates in the federal government, who have demonstrated the United States is no longer a champion of press freedom at home or abroad. This dangerous anti-press sentiment has trickled down to local governments, institutions and the American public.  

"In March 2019, a leaked document revealed the US government was using a secret database tracking journalists, activists and others who border authorities believed should be stopped for questioning when crossing certain checkpoints along the US-Mexico border.  

"A couple months later, the Justice Department charged Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of the WWI-era Espionage Act. If he is convicted, this would set a dangerous precedent for journalists who publish classified US government information of public interest moving forward.  

"Under President Trump, the White House has strategically replaced traditional forms of press access with those that limit the ability of journalists to ask questions of the administration. The last daily, televised White House press briefing led by a press secretary took place in March 2019, and since then, the federal government has made multiple attempts to deny specific journalists and news outlets access to other opportunities for press engagement." 

 

Vikram Aggarwal, the Founder & CEO of EnergySage.com, has some good news: "For the first time in our country's history, we're expected to generate more electricity from renewables than from coal this year." This milestone has been achieved years before prior industry estimates. 

An EnergySage survey found that 63 percent of homeowners considering the move to solar claim they are more motivated to make the transition as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has "actually accelerated their timeline for going solar." 

Famed poet Michael McClure, longtime Oakland resident and teacher at the California College of the Arts at Broadway and College Avenue, died May 4, age 87.

In memoriam, Mel Vapour and Paul Kealoha Blake of the East Bay Media Center of Berkeley have posted a never before released two-camera video of 'Double Moirè,' an hour- long jazz/poetry performance by their longtime friend and collaborator McClure and George Brooks, the well-known jazz and world music saxophonist/composer, produced and shot by the Center at the Jazz Café of the California Jazz Conservatory, where Brooks has taught, on Addison, a block from the Media Center, on May 22, 2009: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=32s&v=FPvreOCUYAM 

Accompanying McClure and Brooks are Chris Lopes and Scott Amendola, with designer electronic graphic projected during the performance before a live audience. 

McClure's particularly famous for his participation in 1955 at the 6 Gallery Reading in San Francisco with Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Philip Lamantia and Philip Whalen, reputed to kick off public recognition of the Beat Movement with Ginsberg's reading of 'Howl;' for his play 'The Beard' and its notorious 60s productions; for his collaborations with Jim Morrison and The Doors--as well as many other cultural manifestations over the past 65 years. 

Mel Vapour reminisced about meeting McClure in the 60s around a production of 'The Beard' at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and other notorious collaborations, including one with Andy Warhol and "The Plastic Inevitable Band" (later, The Velvet Underground), and his publishing of a book of McClure's writing with the Great Lakes Books imprint. 

Decades later, they'd reunite at the East Bay Media Center in the downtown Berkeley Arts neighborhood, where McClure performed many times over the past two decades. 

Worth Noting

There are six City meetings this coming week.

Tuesday

The Budget Committee, 10 am, is meeting weekly, but there seems to be a disconnect between the expressed concerns of the impact of Covid-19 and Council agendas and actions. The FY 2021 budget agenda item was accompanied by page with “No Material Available for this Item.” The last update is from May 19.

The City Council 6 pm meeting contains some mind-boggling items and agenda order. Take a look at Consent items 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 and Action 27. Item 18. $6.1 million on recyclable materials – (recycling/reuse seems to be hitting an all time low with Covid-19 and there needs to be an honest discussion on “wish” cycling), items 19., 20., 21. total $10,193,714 in contracts to generate parking revenue through fees and fines, 23. On CycloMedia system produces high-resolution, 360 degree, 3-d panoramas of every street view it is deployed on (see explanatory letter following the weekly calendar) and item 27. The Emergency Ordinance to enhance tenant protections during the pandemic is placed as the very last item on a long agenda. Will the Council even get to tenant protections.  

Thursday 

The Zoning Adjustment Board, 7 pm, is meeting via Zoom for the first time after the March 16 Shelter in Place order. 

The City Council Agenda for the June 2 meeting is available for comment (agenda follows daily calendar). There are several ballot proposals 

The Saturday noon Town Halls with the Mayor continue. Since questions need to be submitted in advance by 9 am on Saturday using this form and there is no live interchange with the public, watch anytime on the Mayor’s YouTube site or watch as it is live streamed on jessearreguin.com. Video Updates from the Mayor on COVID-19 are on Mondays and Wednesdays and are posted on the Mayor’s YouTube page, the same site as the posted Town Halls. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgXaP2idglejM_r7Iv7my6w 

Sunday, May 24, 2020 

No City meetings or events found 

Monday, May 25, 2020 

Memorial Day Holiday 

Tuesday, May 26, 2020 

City Council Budget & Finance Committee, 10 am, 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84285620387 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID: 842 8562 0387 

Agenda: 2. Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, Unscheduled items not to be discussed at the meeting 3. Open West Campus Pool and MLK Jr Pool for shower during COVID-19 Pandemic, 4. Housing Trust Fund Reserves, 5. Homeless Services Report, 6. Review of Fiscal Policies, (packet 26 pages - there is a link to FY 2021 Budget Update on home page from May 19 meeting). 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/Policy_Committee__Budget___Finance.aspx 

Berkeley City Council,  

Special Closed Session, 5 pm, Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/81197535688 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 811 9753 5688,  

Agenda: Filling Director of Public Works position 

Regular Meeting, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm, 

Public Comments to be read by the Clerk during the meeting need to be emailed to clerk@cityofberkeley.info with the agenda item number. 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84645708594 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID:846 4570 8594 

CONSENT: 1. FY 2020 Annual Appropriations Ordinance $47,770,093 (gross) and $42,815,104 (net), 2. 2^nd reading Dorothy Day License Agreement for services at Veterans Memorial Building and Old City Hall, 4. Resolution designating City Manager as Authorized Agent for COVID-19 Relief Funds, 5. Resolution for FY 2021 to levy an annual assessment for the Downtown Berkeley Property Based Business Improvement District and 6. Levy Assessment Telegraph Property Based Business Improvement District, 7. Notice of Appropriations Limit for FY 2021, 8. Amend Contract add $603,874 total $960,874 and extend for 1 year with Berkeley Food & Housing for Berkeley Food and Housing Project, Berkeley Mental Health, Flexible Spending Programs and Russell Street Residence, 9. Contract $56,000 7/1/2020-6/30/2021 with Bay Area Community Resources for placement of AmeriCorps Members, 10. Resolution Accept Grant from Alameda Co of $32,080 for FY 2021 for Public Health Infrastructure Program, 11. Resolution Accept Alameda Co Grants for FY 2021, Foster Care $93,187, BHS and Berkeley Tech Academy $178,778, School Linked Health Services $193,175 and Tobacco Prevention $193,175, 12. Resolution Accept Grant from State of CA for FY 2021 for Tuberculosis Program $14,000, 13. Contract $436,000 6/1/2020 – 6/30/2023 with Software AG, Inc for software, maintenance and professional services for Data Integration Middleware Platform webMethods, 14. Amend Contract add $95,451 total $399,411 9/14/2016-6/30/2022 with Geographic Technologies Group for Geographic Information system (GIS) Master Plan, 15. Accept Cash Donation $74,266 for Tuolumne Camp Shade structure, 16. Lease 235 University with Hana Japan for 5 years, 17. Set Public Hearing for 6/16/2020 Street Lighting Assessments, 18. Amend Contract add $2,100,000 total $6,100,000 with Community Conservation Centers, Inc for Processing and Marketing Services of Recyclable Materials, 19. Amend Contract add $111,150 total $1,335,257 with SKIDATA for Parking Access and Revenue Control System Maintenance Services and Warranties, 20. Amend Contract add $1,513,540 total $7,033,457 thru 6/30/2022 with IPS Group for Parking Meter Operations to provide parking meters, replacement parts and support services, 21. Amend Contract add $175,000 total $1,825,000 with Portable Computer Systems dba PCS Mobile for Automated License Plate Reader Equipment, ACTION: 22. Electric Bike Franchise Agreement, 23. Contract $187,401 (5/15/2020 – 6/30/2022) with CycloMedia Technology for Geographic Information System Infrastructure Asset Data Acquisition, 24. a, FY 2021 Proposed Budget Update, b. 2020 mid-year Budget Update, 25. Establish COVID-19 Business Damage Mitigation Fund (related to vandalism of business closed due to pandemic), 26. Support Global Ceasefire during COVID-19 Pandemic, 27. Urgency Ordinance – COVID-19 Emergency Response Ordinance to Amend BMC13.110Title 13 to enhance emergency Tenant protections consistent with recently adopted County Laws, INFORMATION REPORTS: 28. FY 2019 4^th Qtr Investment Report, 29. FY 2020 1^st Qtr Investment Report ended 9/30/2019, 

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

Wednesday, May 27, 2020 

Police Review Commission, 7 – 10 pm,. 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88540396983 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID: 885 4039 6983 

Agenda: 5. Review 2019 Draft PRC Annual Report, 7. Closed Session - Consider whether to accept late-filed complaint #2469, 

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

Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force and Tiny Homes Solution Task Force, 5:30 – 7 pm 

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81269252337?pwd=aVhuVVIxY2xjQTJzaGxzS1AwL2tYdz09 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 812 6925 2337 PW 801003 

Thursday, May 28, 2020 

Zoning Adjustment Board, 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/95844922726 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID: 958 4492 2726 

2129 Shattuck – add service of distilled spirits incidental to food within a hotel (on consent) 

1700 Seventh – eliminate single family dwelling and establish child care center (on consent) 

920 Heinz – add sale of distilled spirits at existing grocery that sells beer and wine (on consent) 

1001 Dwight – allow non-conforming nursery with two 1-story buildings and 61 sq ft restroom to change to cannabis retail nursery microbusiness (on consent) 

2139 Oregon – demolish 1-story single family dwelling and construct two detached 2-story single family dwellings (staff recommend approve) 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/zoningadjustmentsboard/ 

Friday, May 29, 2020 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Special Meeting, 6 pm, No Agenda or virtual meeting login information provided – check website during week for update 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/rent/ 

Saturday, May 30, 2020 

Expect a Town Hall announcement from the Mayor at 12 noon, Watch live at jessearreguin.com 

Sunday, May 31, 2020 

No City meetings or events found 

_____________________ 

(ITEM 23 on June 26 City Council Agenda was rescheduled from May 12 where it was listed as ITEM 7. ) 

To:
The Honorable Mayor Jesse Arreguin,
Members of the Berkeley City Council - Rashi Kesarwani, Cheryl Davila, Ben Bartlett, Kate Harrison, Sophie Hahn, Susan Wengraf, Rigel Robinson, Lori Droste,
Berkeley City Manager, Dee Ridley-Brown,
Berkeley City Attorney, Farimah Brown,
David White.

Oakland Privacy is writing about Item 7 on the 5/12/20 Berkeley City Council Agenda, the CycloMedia contract, postponed for consideration at the next meeting. This technology falls under Berkeley’s Surveillance Ordinance, and a use policy that is considered and approved by the Council as required by law, will be needed before the purchase is finalized and the equipment deployed.

Oakland Privacy is a citizen coalition that works regionally to defend the right to privacy, enhance public transparency, and increase oversight of law enforcement, particularly regarding the use of surveillance techniques and equipment. We were instrumental in the creation of the first standing municipal citizens’ privacy advisory commission in the City of Oakland. We have engaged in privacy enhancing legislative efforts with Berkeley and with several other Northern California cities and regional entities. As experts on municipal privacy reform, we have written use policies and impact reports for a variety of surveillance technologies, conducted research and investigations, and developed frameworks for the implementation of equipment with respect for civil rights, privacy protections and community control.

The CycloMedia system produces high-resolution, 360 degree, 3-d panoramas of every street view it is
deployed on. It is our understanding that Berkeley intends to deploy this system over many, if not all, Berkeley streets.

According to Berkeley’s Surveillance Ordinance, surveillance technology is defined (in part) as

“[any] tool... used to... collect... information specifically associated with, or capable of being associated with, any individual or group.”

As well as identifying and geolocating signs, lampposts, streetlights and other City of Berkeley property, the raw data captured by the panoramas will include houses, cars and people. Post-processing of the data for public works purposes may blur or delete image components not needed for such purposes but the data collected by the equipment will be capable of being associated with an individual – a property owner or resident, by street address on a house or geolocation, a vehicle owner by license plate, and a person by recognition of their physical characteristics.

A use policy defines the allowed uses for a technology and/or the data it creates and defines the prohibited uses. On its website CycloMedia talks about its technology being used for such things as enhancing tax assessment capability and public safety. It must be the Council’s decision, after taking into account public input, what uses will be allowed and prohibited. As noted in the ordinance itself:

Decisions regarding whether and how Surveillance Technologies should be… used should be governed by the City Council as the elected representatives of the City.

In addition, a reasoned use policy defines allowable data sharing and data retention. Neither prohibited uses nor these things are specified, or even alluded to, in the short writeup attached to the consent-calendar Agenda item that the Council was presented with on 5/12/20.

The intent of the surveillance ordinance passed by the Berkeley City Council unanimously in March of 2018 was
to have intended uses and purposes defined in a written policy that is approved by the City Council and noticed to the public.

The City’s stated purpose for using the Cyclomedia equipment for handling the city’s public infrastructure assets is reasonable and does not seem to present significant surveillance concerns, so we would not anticipate significant community concerns once a use policy is presented to the Council. But we will insist that the City follow the straightforward process laid out in Berkeley’s Surveillance Ordinance before acquiring and deploying this technology.



Respectfully,

Oakland Privacy
contact@oaklandprivacy.org 

__________________________________ 

City Council June 2, 2020 meeting agenda is available for comment. 

Email comments to council@cityofberkeley.info 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82518774480 

Teleconference: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID: 825 1877 4480 

CONSENT: Contract add $37,046 total $249,653 with City of Albany for Animal Care Services FY 2021-2023, 2. Contract extend to 6/30/2021 & increase $20,400 total $121,600 with Koefran Industries to pick up and dispose of deceased animals for Berkeley Animal Care Services, 3. Ballot Measure Increasing City’s Appropriation Limit to Allow Expenditure of Tax Proceeds for FY 2021-2024, 4.add $127,947 total $303,527 (7/1/2016 – 6/30/2022) with Persimmony Electronic Case Management System for Software Licensing, Implementation and Maintenance for Online Electronic Case Management System 5. Contract $534,000 total $989,335 (7/1/2017 – 6/30/2025 with AMS.NET for Network Support and Maintenance, 6. Contracts June 15, 2020 – June 30, 2023 for on-call waterfront engineering, design, environmental permitting and construction for capital improvement projects, (1) Anchor QEA, LLC not to exceed $1 million, (2) COWI North America, In not to exceed $1 million, (3) Moffatt & Nichol not to exceed $1 million, (4) Transystems Co. not to exceed $1 million, 7. Reject all bids and negotiate in open market for Grove Park Field Renovation and Park Improvements Project, 8. Amend Capital Contribution Agreement with 200 Marina Blvd for Doubletree Hotel and assign to parent company Apollo Bright, LLC and change payment schedule to $3M due in June to $375,000 due in Oct 2020 and $2,675,000 due upon Council approval of Marina streets construction contract estimated Jan 2021, 9. Contract $1,011,006 includes $131,871 contingency with Alta Group, Inc for T1 Corp Yard Maintenance Building Upgrade at 1326 Allston and 201 University, 10. Contract $114,576 (7/1/2020-6/30/2023) with Urban Ore, Inc for Salvage Operations at City Transfer Station, 11. Berkeley Safe Open Air Dining, ACTION: 12. FY 2021 Proposed Budget Update Public Hearing #2, 13. Presentation & Discussion Community Survey Results on possible Ballot measures, 14. Ballot Measure Charter Amendment to change Council and Mayor Status to full-time with FT salary, 15. Ballot Measure to Create a Climate Action Fund in response to Fossil Free Berkeley, 16. Contract extend by 1 year add $117,000 total $217,000 with Youth Spirit Artworks for Transition Age Youth Case management and Linkage Services and Tiny House Case Management, 17. Contract $782,715 15% contingency total $900,122 with ERA Construction for Strawberry Creek Park Play Area and Restroom Renovation Project, 18. Amend Berkeley’s Minimum Wage Ordinance to reinstate youth wages at $14.50/hr for youth training services for FY21, then increase annually per CPI, INFORMATION REPORTS: 20. Short Term Referral Process – Quarterly Update. 

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

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Use Appeals 

1155-73 Hearst (develop 2 parcels) - 6/9/2020 

0 Euclid – Berryman Reservoir (denial of 4G telecom facility) - 7/7/2020 

1449 Grizzly Peak Blvd (single family dwelling) – 7/7/2020 

2650 Telegraph (construct new mixed-use building) – 7/7/2020 – possible change in date 

1533 Beverly (single family dwelling) - 7/14/2020 2020 

2133 University (Acheson Commons – sign alteration) 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 

1711 Allston 5/28/2020 

2417 Browning 5/28/2020 

2945 College 5/26/2020 

933 Creston 5/26/2020 

2224 Stuart 6/2/2020 

611 Vistamount 5/28/2020 

(Link to review zoing applications in appeal period is broken and has been reported) 

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

LINK to Current Zoning Applications https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications.aspx 

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WORKSHOPS 

June 23 – Special Meeting on City Budget 

July 21 – Crime Report, Climate Action Plan/Resiliency Update, 

Sept 29 – Digital Strategic Plan/FUND$ Replacement Website Update, Zero Waste Priorities 

Oct 20 – Update Berkeley’s 2020 Vision, BMASP/Berkeley Pier-WETA Ferry 

Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations 

Cannabis Health Considerations 

Vision 2050 

Ohlone History and Culture (special meeting) 

Presentation from StopWaste on SB1383 

Systems Realignment 

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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 

If you wish to stop receiving the Weekly Summary of City Meetings please forward the weekly summary you received to kellyhammargren@gmail.com, 

_____________________ 

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 

If you wish to stop receiving the Weekly Summary of City Meetings please forward the weekly summary you received to kellyhammargren@gmail.com,