Extra

Rallies Held to Protest Family Separation at Border

Jeff Shuttleworth (BCN)
Thursday June 14, 2018 - 02:47:00 PM

Several events are being held in the Bay Area today in conjunction with a nationwide protest against the Trump Administration's immigration policies, particularly the separation of family members along the U.S. border. -more-


Updated: Contra Costa Vote Appears to Give Beckles Second November Slot in AD15 Race

Rob Wrenn
Wednesday June 13, 2018 - 11:48:00 PM

UPDATE, 3:26 pm, 6-14-18:

Latest figures confirm that Beckles will be the the November candidate.


t looks Jovanka Beckles has edged out Dan Kalb for second place in the Assembly District 15 race.

About 8500 more votes in the AD-15 race were counted in Contra Costa County and those put Jovanka Beckles back in the lead by 300 votes. A very small number of votes were counted in Alameda County from AD-15, probably not more than about 100; Kalb gained 5 votes reducing Beckles lead to 295. Very few votes remain in Alameda County: only 252 as of 10:35 p.m. last night so today’s update is probably it. See Unprocessed Ballots Status on the Secretary of State’s Web site: https://vote.sos.ca.gov/unprocessed-ballots-status. Provisional ballots appear to remain in Contra Costa County but those are not going to help Kalb.Unless the unprocessed ballot numbers on the Secretary of State Web site are wrong, Beckles has come in second behind Buffy Wicks, who spent far more money than Beckles, much of it from out of state. -more-


Suspect Arrested for Shooting on Essex Street in Berkeley

Jeff Shuttleworth
Wednesday June 13, 2018 - 11:05:00 AM

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting in Berkeley late this morning that seriously wounded a victim, police said. -more-


Improper Staff Action re Berkeley's Campanile Way Landmark

Former Mayor Shirley Dean
Monday June 11, 2018 - 05:05:00 PM

TO: Mayor Arreguin and Council Members Maio, Davila, Bartlett, Harrison, Hahn, Wengraf, Worthington and Droste

City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley

Director Timothy Burroughs, Planning and Development Department

FROM: Shirley Dean

SUBJECT: June 12 Council Meeting, Item 48

Landmarks Preservation Commission Notice of Decision

I am deeply disappointed to learn that City staff has placed this item on the Action Calendar of your June 12, 2018 Council Meeting. I have had a long history of experience with the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance: first working as a co-author of the Ordinance; then as a person who worked hard to gain approval from the Council in 1974; followed by being a Council Member for 19 years, and serving as Mayor for eight years. Today, after working since 2002 to turn back various attempts by the previous administration to weaken the Ordinance, the community once again faces yet another challenge to its provisions. In this instance, my concerns are twofold: 1) procedural; and 2) substance issues. -more-


Updated: Kalb Pulls Ahead of Beckles for Second Slot on AD 15 November Ballot

Rob Wrenn
Sunday June 10, 2018 - 10:58:00 PM


UPDATE: June 11, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Buffy Wicks (Dem)32,557 votes ,31.9%

Dan Kalb (Dem) 16,297 votes ,15.9%

Jovanka Beckles (Dem) 15,504 votes ,15.2% -more-


State Assembly District 15 - Beckles Second in Districtwide Results as of June 10, 2018, 5:43 p.m.; Kalb Not Far Behind

Rob Wrenn
Sunday June 10, 2018 - 07:34:00 PM

100.0% (341 of 341) precincts are reporting, but many are partial totals.

Buffy Wicks (Dem) 25,279 votes, 31.5 %

Jovanka Beckles (Dem) 12,135 votes,15.1 %

Dan Kalb (Dem) 11,851 votes, 14.8 %



The numbers are new for the State Web site but nothing new has been counted, the state has just caught up; the county totals are the same as they were at 8 p.m. Friday.

Because Contra Costa County (CC) turnout is now at 29.6%, while Alameda County (AC) turnout is at 25.1%, and because it’s reported that there are a lot more uncounted ballots countywide in AC than countywide in CC and because more AD-15 voters live in AC than in CC, I would expect Kalb to overtake Beckles when the rest of the vote is counted.

In AC, he’s at 19.4% to 13.9% for Beckles. This is an improvement for Beckles because it was at the end of election night 19.3% for Kalb and 13.2% for Beckles in AC, but it’s not a huge improvement.

In CC, it’s 13.9% for Beckles and 7.6% for Kalb, only a slightly bigger margin than in AC.

Of course, provisionals might favor Jovanka, so after Votes by Mail are counted the remaining provisionals might swing things back a bit for Beckles. For Beckles to win, I think the remaining AC votes have to be disproportionately from areas where she did well. Votes handed in at the polls are, I assume, counted after votes that were mailed in. If there's a late shift toward Beckles, maybe she’ll end up the winner. But if I had to bet, my money would be on Kalb. -more-



Page One

Latest AD 15 results

Rob Wrenn
Friday June 08, 2018 - 06:48:00 PM

As of 6 p.m.Friday: Adding latest Contra Costa numbers to latest Alameda County numbers:

Wicks: 22,505

Beckles: 10,718

Kalb: 10,151

Appel: 7,906

Contra Costa County updated today; Alameda County did not (as of 6 p.m.) When AC updates again, there will probably be some shift toward Kalb and he may take the lead again. Turnout in AC is only at 21.62 so far while turnout in the latest update in Contra Costa County is at 29.61% suggesting that most remaining votes are in AC, which has favored Kalb over Beckles 19% to 13%. If these percentages hold, he could pick up 60 votes for every additional thousand counted in the AC part of AD 15, and the number of uncounted votes numbers in the thousands. It’s likely to be close.

AC: https://acgov.org/rovresults/235/1414.htm

CC: http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Contra_Costa/75371/Web02.195726/#/cid/740

CA Secy of State (behind county counts not up to date as of 6 p.m. ): https://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/state-assembly/district/15http://http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Contra_Costa/75371/Web02.195726/#/cid/740

In San Francisco, Mark Leno is ahead of London Breed but only by 144 votes after today’s count. -more-



Public Comment

Ani: Living on the Street in Berkeley

Marcia Poole and John Paulin
Saturday June 09, 2018 - 10:22:00 AM

We call to your attention the case of Ani Mauck, an 80-year-old American ordained Buddhist nun of the Tibetan Buddhist Karma Kagyu lineage, who received teachings and empowerments from the 16th Karmapa, KaluRinpoche, and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, among others. Ani has been homeless in Berkeley for over 5 years and has been a member of the First They Came For The Homeless (FTCFTH) encampment community for the last year. Although she had fallen through the social services safety net, she was welcomed into that community. FTCFTH provided her shelter, and to the best of its ability, accommodations for her special dietary and physical needs. Ani not physically well. For quite some time she has been afflicted with severe diabetes, has suffered several small strokes, and recently broke her toe, which significantly exacerbated her mobility problems. Although she very much appreciates living with the FTCFTH community, she believes she will not survive another winter living on the street. -more-


New: Has Trump Lost It?

Tejinder Uberoi
Tuesday June 12, 2018 - 12:42:00 PM

Is Donald Trump losing it? It appears that there was complete agreement at the conclusion of the G7 meeting. Trump professed to be pleased, calling the summit wonderful and rating his relationships with other leaders as ten out of ten (the G6 members rated it as a zero). -more-


President Trump's Deceptive Immigration Policy

Harry Brill
Friday June 08, 2018 - 07:05:00 PM

According to a recent Gallup poll President Trump achieved a 46 percent approval rating with regard to his role in making the United States (U.S.) prosperous. Although there is certainly disagreement about Trump's accomplishments, he nevertheless commands considerable support. A main reason for his high rating is his stance on immigration. Most of all, Trump has apparently convinced many Americans that he will work to improve the economy and provide good paying jobs primarily for American workers. Trump claims that he is not only unhappy about illegal immigration. He also wants to impose more restrictions on legal immigration as well. In his own words, "We will reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers, the forgotten people. We're going to take care of our workers".

These proclamations are perspectives that American workers and their families like to hear. But it certainly doesn't reflect the views of Republicans who value the availability of cheap, compliant foreign labor. We would expect, then, that they would be unhappy with Trump's immigration agenda. Yet according to the polls, 84 percent of Republicans believe that Trump is doing a good job making America prosperous. How is that possible? That's an easy question to answer. The Republicans realize that Trump's message to the public is only propaganda. In fact, this characterizes the posturing of the Republicans generally. Let us take a look at the gap between Trump's rhetoric and what he is actually doing and not doing on behalf of working people. -more-


A Song and a Me Too Moment

Carol Denney
Friday June 08, 2018 - 07:12:00 PM

It started with a slightly salacious lyric that moved quickly through what any woman would recognize as the typical trajectory; he loves her, he kills her, he mutilates her body in an effort to humiliate her and/or cover his tracks. It elicited a couple of nervous laughs, but most of the audience quietly endured it. -more-


Re: A Song and A Me Too Moment

Mugg Muggles
Monday June 11, 2018 - 05:39:00 PM

Since I am the unnamed 'song writer' referenced in this article, I am puzzled as to why Ms. Denney has chosen to "edit' reality. She has left out the real 'punch line' for some unknown personal reason. The truly remarkable thing about this encounter was that the women who called me out on my song was able to convince me to NEVER sing it again. -more-


Response to Muggles

Carol Denney
Thursday June 14, 2018 - 10:56:00 AM

Dear Editor,

I did not identify Mugg Muggles as the "mutilation song singer" in my essay "A Song and a Me Too Moment." But I'm glad he outed himself. He apparently thinks it's enough to retire one of his many racist, sexist songs while privately showering me, the one who tried to write about the damage such songs do, with insults and personal attacks, thus missing the point. -more-


June Pepper Spray Times

By Grace Underpressure
Friday June 08, 2018 - 07:42:00 PM

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.

This is a Very Good Deal. Go for it! -more-


Editorial

New: Who Won? Who Knows? Does It Matter?

Becky O'Malley
Friday June 08, 2018 - 04:58:00 PM

So I’ve been waiting to share my meditations on the electoral process until we got a final vote count for Assembly District 15, but I’m realizing that it could be a long time coming. If you want the latest version, possibly even the final, click here for the very competent web site which will tell you the latest numbers.

As I wait, I’m realizing that it really doesn’t matter much. The short answer is that well-endowed newbie candidate Buffy Wicks got a short third of the votes, less than 20,000 as the polls closed, and all the others, some of them very plausible, got all the rest. At the time of writing Dan Kalb and Jovanka Beckles, both well qualified in their own ways, were divying up another 19k or so, with a ~300 vote margin pointing to Kalb as Wicks’ November opponent, but that could change. Another short 20k was divided among candidates Katz, Bartlett, Appel and Pardue-Okimoto, all knowledgable East Bay officeholders, each with appeal to various segments of the progressive voter populations.

How many more votes are out there, still to be counted?

I posed this question to Berkeley voting statistics maven Rob Wrenn of the Berkeley Progressive Alliance. He opined that based on trends in Alameda and Contra Costa counties from 2014 to 2016, with only 20% of possible votes reported when the polls closed on Tuesday, there could easily be a third of the total still to be counted to get close to the 50% who voted in the 2016 presidential primary. -more-


Columns

THE PUBLIC EYE:Politics by Walking Around

Bob Burnett
Friday June 08, 2018 - 07:02:00 PM

When I was a technology developer, in Silicon Valley, I adopted the technique of "managing by walking around." Recently I've talked to two outstanding 2018 Democratic political candidates who've adopted this same technique in their campaigns. While it may not be obvious, "politics by walking around" addresses one of 2018's burning political questions: what does the Democratic Party stand for?

"Managing by walking around" was originally developed in the 1970's at Hewlett Packard. I adopted "managing by walking around" because I was working on a large IBM campus, in Santa Clara, and the engineers who were developing different aspects of my product were widely dispersed. While I could have relied upon emailed progress reports or formal meetings, I found it more informative to talk to them in person. (I also thought that engineers were likely to be more candid in a face-to-face conversation.) -more-


ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Why Life is Hard for People with Mental Illness

Jack Bragen
Friday June 08, 2018 - 07:04:00 PM

In American culture, and probably in most cultures, people are fond of saying "Life is hard..." And most people would agree. Even privileged people born into wealth sometimes feel sorry for themselves. So, is life in fact hard, or is this merely a perception? -more-


ECLECTIC RANT: Judge Persky’s recall

By Ralph E. Stone
Friday June 08, 2018 - 07:10:00 PM

Judge Aaron Persky's recall should be celebrated. What is disturbing about his decision in the Brock Peters case is that this made every women less safe at colleges and universities because that description of Turner’s sexual assault fits most campus rape cases, which essentially takes campus rape from the category of crimes you can go to prison for and instead be awarded a lighter sentence. The recall is a victory for the #MeToo movement. -more-


Arts & Events

New: Berkeley Festival Closes in Style with Bach & Company

Reviewed by James Roy MacBean
Monday June 11, 2018 - 05:20:00 PM

For me, at least, and perhaps for many others as well, the final two days of the 2018 Berkeley Festival presented under the aegis of the San Francisco Early Music Society were dominated by the towering figure of Johann Sebastian Bach. For me, it all started with a 1:00 PM concert on Saturday, June 9, at St. Mark’s Church featuring an ensemble called Cantata Collective and featuring the amazing soprano Sherezade Panthaki. This was an all J.S. Bach concert featuring local instrument-alists who joined together just this year to form Cantata Collective dedicated to the cantatas of J.S. Bach. The members of Cantata Collective will be familiar to Bay Area audiences for their involvement in many prestigious local chamber music groups. Marc Schachman played oboe; violinists were Kati Kyme and Lisa Weiss; violist was Anthony Martin; cellist was William Skeen; Kristin Zoenig played bass; and Avi Stein played organ and harpsichord. In the works where they teamed up with soprano Sherezade Panthaki, this was J.S. Bach at his best. -more-


Telemann and Purcell Featured at Berkeley Festival

Reviewed by James Roy MacBean
Friday June 08, 2018 - 06:59:00 PM

On Thursday, June 7, I attended two concerts of the ongoing Berkeley Festival & Exhibition presented by The San Francisco Early Music Society. The 4:00 concert at St. Mark’s Church featured Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players performing works known as the Paris Quartets by Georg Philipp Telemann. The 7:30 concert at First Congregational Church featured Voices of Music performing a semi-staged version of Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas with the San Francisco Girls Chorus. -more-


Susanna Mälkki’s Greatness As A Conductor

Reviewed by James Roy MacBean
Tuesday June 12, 2018 - 10:30:00 AM

When a conductor puts together a program that is bold and wide-ranging, including works that are relatively unfamiliar to the audience, and succeeds in making each work stand out clearly and forcefully, that is a sure sign of greatness. Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki returned to Davies Hall this weekend to lead the San Francisco Symphony in just such a bold and wide-ranging program, and Ms. Mälkki showed once again her greatness as a conductor. For my money, Susanna Mälkki ought to be considered the front-runner to succeed Michael Tilson Thomas when he retires in 2010 as the San Francisco Symphony’s Music Director. -more-


Events

New: The Berkeley Activist's Calendar, June 10-17

Kelly Hammargren, Sustainable Berkeley Coalition
Sunday June 10, 2018 - 06:41:00 PM

Worth Noting:



  • City Council meets Tuesday. Even if you don’t plan to go to the 5:00 pm special session it is worth taking a cruise through the City Council referrals to the City Manager/staff. The regular 6:00 pm meeting agenda is heavy with the proposed charter amendment for the Police Commission near the end of the agenda.
  • Urban Shield subcommittee meets Wednesday.
  • The Follow-up meeting to Caring For Our Community – Responding to the Houseless is Thursday evening. So often the message to the homeless seems to be top down. The last meeting included a panel of homeless people who responded to the question of what are their most immediate needs. The responses included: access to bathrooms (or porta potties), drinkable water, showers, food, a place to store their belongings, pick-up of trash, a place to be (evictions, raids, towing of vehicles)
  • Friday is special event Uniting Against Hate
  • The City of Berkeley labor negotiations with Firefighters, Police, SEIU, Clerks and Maintenance workers continues with 2 closed sessions this week.
-more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

New: Who Won? Who Knows? Does It Matter? 06-08-2018

Public Comment

Ani: Living on the Street in Berkeley Marcia Poole and John Paulin 06-09-2018

New: Has Trump Lost It? Tejinder Uberoi 06-12-2018

President Trump's Deceptive Immigration Policy Harry Brill 06-08-2018

A Song and a Me Too Moment Carol Denney 06-08-2018

Re: A Song and A Me Too Moment Mugg Muggles 06-11-2018

Response to Muggles Carol Denney 06-14-2018

June Pepper Spray Times By Grace Underpressure 06-08-2018

The Don Jagjit Singh 06-02-2018

Legal Immigrants in Illegal States Harry Brill 06-02-2018

Root Cause of Depression among the Young Romila Khanna 06-02-2018

Roseanne Tejinder Uberoi 06-02-2018

News

Rallies Held to Protest Family Separation at Border Jeff Shuttleworth (BCN) 06-14-2018

Updated: Contra Costa Vote Appears to Give Beckles Second November Slot in AD15 Race Rob Wrenn 06-13-2018

Suspect Arrested for Shooting on Essex Street in Berkeley Jeff Shuttleworth 06-13-2018

Improper Staff Action re Berkeley's Campanile Way Landmark Former Mayor Shirley Dean 06-11-2018

Updated: Kalb Pulls Ahead of Beckles for Second Slot on AD 15 November Ballot Rob Wrenn 06-10-2018

State Assembly District 15 - Beckles Second in Districtwide Results as of June 10, 2018, 5:43 p.m.; Kalb Not Far Behind Rob Wrenn 06-10-2018

Latest AD 15 results Rob Wrenn 06-08-2018

Berkeley City Workers Authorize Strike Scott Morris (BCN) 06-08-2018

Press Release: Berkeley City Workers Vote by 99% to Authorize Strike Carlos Rivera, SEIU 06-07-2018

Berkeley City Employees Consider Strike Janis Mara (BCN) 06-06-2018

New: Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition Returns Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 06-06-2018

Investigation Continues into Weekend Gunfight Sgt. Andrew Frankel, Berkeley Police Department 06-04-2018

Columns

THE PUBLIC EYE:Politics by Walking Around Bob Burnett 06-08-2018

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Why Life is Hard for People with Mental Illness Jack Bragen 06-08-2018

ECLECTIC RANT: Judge Persky’s recall By Ralph E. Stone 06-08-2018

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Delusional Systems Jack Bragen 06-02-2018

THE PUBLIC EYE:All The President’s Men: Mike Pompeo Bob Burnett 06-02-2018

ECLECTIC RANT:West Bank Israeli Settlements Ralph E. Stone 06-02-2018

SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits and Pieces Gar Smith 06-02-2018

Arts & Events

New: Berkeley Festival Closes in Style with Bach & Company Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 06-11-2018

Telemann and Purcell Featured at Berkeley Festival Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 06-08-2018

Susanna Mälkki’s Greatness As A Conductor Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 06-12-2018

New: The Berkeley Activist's Calendar, June 10-17 Kelly Hammargren, Sustainable Berkeley Coalition 06-10-2018

Telemann and Purcell Featured at Berkeley Festival Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 06-08-2018

David Robertson Returns to Lead San Francisco Symphony Program Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 06-02-2018

The Berkeley Arts Calendar Tom Hunt and Bonnie Hughes 06-02-2018

The Berkeley Activist's Calendar, June 3-June 10 Kelly Hammargren, Sustainable Berkeley Coalition 06-02-2018