Opinion

Trying to keep up with the last days of the Berkeley Municipal Election 2012, I feel like I’ve landed in the middle of a French bedroom farce. For those of you too young to remember when sex could be silly, that would be, per Wikipedia, a “light comedy centered on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors.”

Not, of course, that sex itself has much to do with most of the Berkeley elections, with the possible exception of the endorsement of one of the mayoral candidates by a state senator. Oh, and perhaps with one of the Rent Board candidates

But “pairings and recombinations” with “improbable plots and slamming doors’? Sure, we’ve got those in spades. -more-

This morning on our doorstep we found a letter from a neighbor asking us to vote against Measure T. I won't use his name because I don't have his permission, but here's part of what he says: -more-

I've punted on endorsing school board candidates until now because I really don't know much about school board politics, since the Planet no longer has a reporter to assign to covering education. I did get the idea that current school boards members, whoever they are, and some of whom I've supported in the past, were badly misinformed in a variety of ways in their recent attempt to find a superintendent. But on Saturday I encountered candidate Judy Appel campaigning at the Farmers' Market, talked to her for a long time, and decided to vote for her. She's smart and has had a variety of experiences which should improve her perspective on the information she'll have to process, and she has kids in school now. You can vote for one more candidate, but you're on your own for that one. -more-

On Telegraph Avenue at Haste, around 2:10pm today [Sunday], the Berkeley Police ticketed Measure S opponents for having a campaign event outside of a "designated free speech zone". -more-

People have asked me which local candidates and ballot measures I am supporting. With the election just 2 days away, I want to share with you who I am supporting and why.

Here are my recommendations (please see explanation below): -more-

Measure M: -more-

The stakes are high.

These issues matter to me and they should matter to you! -more-

Editor's Note: The latest issue of the Pepper Spray Times is now available.

You can view it absolutely free of charge by clicking here . You can print it out to give to your friends.

Grace Underpressure has been producing it for many years now, even before the Berkeley Daily Planet started distributing it, most of the time without being paid, and now we'd like you to show your appreciation by using the button below to send her money. -more-

Most Americans have one eye on the nation’s economic crises and the other on the presidential election. And they are asking themselves, “Are the Democrats or the Republicans better for the economic health of the country as well as for my own financial well-being?” That is the defining question of this election. -more-