The Berkeley Police Association PAC, an independent expenditure committee, has now spent $37,443 to send mailers supporting District 5 City Council candidate Stephen Murphy. While most of the money in the police PAC has come from the member dues of police officers, $8000 was contributed by developers: -more-

"Every time they evict us we get bigger." - Mike Lee, candidate for mayor. -more-

Here are previous Planet articles about the November election:

Election endorsements in the works 10-07-2016

Berkeley Daily Planet Endorsements for the Berkeley City Races Becky O'Malley 10-08-2016

Berkeley Democratic Caucus endorses Jesse Arreguin for Mayor Elisa Cooper 10-08-2016

Endorsements for state ballot measures Tim Redmond, San Francisco Bay Guardian 10-08-2016

Measures and Propositions: Progressive endorsers Margot Smith 10-07-2016

East Bay state Senate District 9: Sandré Swanson Becky O'Malley 10-08-2016

What's beyond Reich's endorsement? (Public Comment) Joanna Graham 10-07-2016

New: About Robert Reich: Things Are Seldom What They Seem!!! Harry Brill 10-08-2016 -more-

As if the country doesn't have enough problems a new malady has hit the American public--ESD, "election stress disorder" has affected more than half the voters in the nation. According to a new report by the American Psychological Association the symptoms are headaches, nausea, sleeplessness, light headedness and spiking of blood pressure. Small wonder given the sordidness and tawdriness of the past political year. It began with the Republican primary debates, not unlike 8th grade food fights in the school cafeteria and transitioned into "boy talk" in the locker room. And as we head into the final weeks Trump has said the election is rigged and called for vigilantes to monitor voting "in neighborhoods you know where." History will say that this election cycle, like none in our history, demeaned public discourse, denigrated the public good and diminished the democratic process.

As we head down the home stretch I think I can sum up the over-arching stakes in a nutshell. Hillary Clinton is an imperfect person in an imperfect world. She will not lead us into an ascent to heaven but she can prevent Donald Trump from leading us into a descent into hell. And it would serve the nation well for the following groups-- millennials, white male working-class , moderate Republicans, the undecided, and those planning to stay at home on election day-- to reflect upon their choices. -more-

Dear Neighbor,

I am writing to invite you to join me in supporting an outstanding representative for Berkeley City Council’s 5^th District: Sophie Hahn.

I was honored to serve District 5 and the City of Berkeley for 23 years, on the Council and then as your Mayor. I can’t think of anyone better qualified to represent us than Sophie.

Sophie grew up in District 5 and is raising her own family here. Dedicated to core Berkeley values, she has been an effective leader for our schools, libraries and community. On the Zoning Board, Sophie has a reputation for being the most prepared and reasoned member, respectful of the public and fellow Board Members. She cares deeply about the people and neighborhoods of Berkeley.

My support for Sophie is wholehearted, and is based on her exceptional qualities. Reinforcing my choice, I recently learned of her opponent’s history of misconduct, which I believe renders him unfit to serve on the Council. -more-

Donald Trump has been widely criticized for attacking the foundation of American Democracy because he threatened to refuse to accept the legitimacy of the presidential election. He insisted that the election will be rigged. But like many of his claims, he presented no evidence. However, fraud has invaded other presidential elections. When Bush was running against Gore, voter fraud was extensive. To cite one instance, 12,000 registered voters in Florida, who were disproportionately African American, were purged from the rolls because they were wrongly labeled as felons. There was evidence that the majority of voters in Florida actually supported Gore. To assure a fair election the State Supreme Court ordered a recount. But in a five to four decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against allowing a recount of the vote. The close split decision suggests that the court made a political rather than a judicial decision. -more-

We need to pay attention to our Presidential nominees.Republican nominee and Democratic nominee have different views on bringing peace, security and economic stability in the Country. I paid attention to Presidential candidates, their policies and their thoughts on ending terrorists activities etc.I also learned about their public and private life. Secretary Hillary Clinton has done a lot to help the communities to improve their lives. I also believe that who have translated their words into actions are more trust worthy to hold the highest official chair.I believe that there will not be any reason to feel that the most qualified candidate lacks any quality to be the President if elected on November the 8th 2016. -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.

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

I have studied ‘education’ for 70 years. I’ve seen over and over the futility of the constant, always unsuccessful reform efforts. We’re still left with school. The reforms do not, cannot! begin to rectify the inadequacy that school is, the role it plays in our singly-minded society directed at continuing our Owners’ profiteering by our labor. -more-

A company headed by a former Moscow redevelopment official has received approval for a mixed-use project in the Adeline Corridor from the Zoning Adjustments Board, as a majority embraced the view that Berkeley needs to build more housing for all income groups, including affluent newcomers from out of town.

Read the rest at eastbaytimes.com . -more-

Wow, am I impressed! The Daily Cal has endorsed all of the Berkeley Progressive Alliance candidates. And not only do they agree with us, their endorsement essays are very intelligent, well written and well reported. See their editorials here: Berkeley Election

By the way those of us with long memories will recall that when they endorsed Tom Bates' opponents he stole and threw in the trash a bunch of Daily Cals--didn't even recycle.

Will he do this again because the paper rejected his hand-picked successor? Who, by the way, seems not to mention Bates on his campaign propaganda. Will it happen again? Keep an eye on those Daily Cal free boxes near you! -more-

Both Councilmember Linda Maio and Mayor Tom Bates have used their city-paid email to solicit readers for their election slates. The latest, from Bates:

"Several people have asked for my recommendations. If you'd like to see my local and Loni's state suggestions, you can contact me at tomhbates85@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send those to you. I cannot send them directly as City officials and staff are not permitted to use constituent email addresses for ballot purposes."

Is this legal? City Attorney Zach Cowan seems to have told them it is, but even though it's one remove from directly promoting candidates with their city mail it adds up to the same thing in my analysis. What is this letter but "using constituent email addresses for ballot purposes"? You'd think they would have learned from Hillary Clinton's unfortunate mismanagement of her own email.

If you agree that it's illegal, or think that it should be, you might just send your own comments to Mayor Bates at the above address. Or, you could file a complaint with the city's Fair Campaign Practices Commission, which might be addressed in, oh, maybe 2018 or so. -more-

As usual, and as time permits, there will be more in this "current issue" eventually, but we're going to post it early before it's really finished, to see if that works. Don't forget, you can always click on "Previous issue" if you have finished reading that one. -more-

The 2016 election has been defined by Hillary Clinton's performance in the three presidential debates. Snap polls indicated she defeated Donald Trump in each encounter. And since the first debate, Clinton's lead over Trump has expanded both in terms of estimates of the popular vote and share of the Electoral College. Clinton's decisive victory was due to her talent and preparation. Trump lost because of obvious defects. -more-

On October 28, 2016, FBI Director sent a letter to Congress "in connection with the Secretary Clinton email investigation." The emails were found on a computer used by Huma Abedin, former deputy chief-of-staff to Secretary of State Clinton, and backed up on her husband's (disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner) computer. -more-

In his inaugural State of the Nation Address on July 25, newly-elected Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte declared that there were 3.7 million “drug addicts” in the Philippines. But according to a 2015 survey by the Office of the President’s Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the main drug policy and research unit, the Philippines has fewer than half that many drug users.

Whether the drug problem in the Philippines is as drastic as Duterte makes out, since assuming the presidency of the Philippines in June, more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and traffickers have been killed in his war on drugs. Many of those executions have been carried out via the Philippine National Police (PNP), who have aggressively worked to locate and punish all individuals linked to the movement of drugs under the president’s new anti-crime agenda. But vigilantes, empowered by Duterte’s rhetoric and call for citizen action, have also taken matters into their own hands, with staggering results. While the PNP have been responsible for approximately 712 deaths, individual citizens have been linked to 1,067. -more-

People suffering from schizophrenia, depression, or bipolar are not as able to gain benefit from stretching our limits compared to someone not afflicted. The old saying that you should "lift yourself by your bootstraps" should not be generously applied to persons with severe mental disabilities. "Tough love" does not always work for mentally ill people.

It is said that for a number of persons with mental illness, including some suffering from "dual-diagnosis" (which is a substance abuse problem combined with a psychiatric disorder) death may happen before a person "hits bottom."

But today's column isn't really about substance abuse. I am talking about, in general, how people are expected to sink or swim, or where a bird is shoved out of the nest and expected to fly. This strategy shouldn't necessarily be applied to persons with psych disabilities. -more-

It's time, once again, to roll out the red carpet on Addison Street and get ready for six days of Small Screen glory with The Berkeley Video and Film Festival (BVFF), the East Bay's one-and-only, week-long celebration of film and video from around the block and around the world.

As Mel Vapour, one of the visionary EBMC honchos behind this cinematic superfest, recently put it: "What film festival in the East Bay screens the most current and cutting-edge indie cinema? Year after year, it's the Berkeley Video & Film Festival."

The 25th edition of the BVFF opens for business this Friday, offering six full days of films and videos in two distinct sessions—the first runs from October 28-30 followed by another that extends from November 4-6. It all takes place at the East Bay Media Center's intimate performance space in Berkeley's Downtown Arts District (1939 Addison Street).

This year's BVFF features more than 50 indie documentaries, features, film school shorts, experimental cinema and works from Russia, Spain, Hong Kong and Sweden. Filmmakers will be on hand for Q&A's following screenings of The Return (Tribeca Winner), Hearing Is Believing, and Ghost Town to Havana. -more-

Opens at the Rialto Elmwood and the Roxie Theatre on October 28; Opens at the San Rafael Film Center on November 6.

With a testy November election ahead of us, the last thing you might be looking forward to watching would be a documentary about a contentious city election back in November 2015. But don't let that discourage you. Company Town is a sassy, intimate, and engrossing retelling of a David and Goliath battle for control of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. (Spoiler alert for out-of-towners: This is a "downer doc" with a certified "feel-good" finish.)

Company Town is the work of two award-winning Berkeley-based filmmaker-journalists—Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow. The star of this "little guy"-vs.-the-corporate-Godzillas tale is Aaron Peskin, a Berkeley High graduate. A former SF Supervisor, Peskin rises to the comeback challenge as a pint-sized contender with a gallon-sized wallop. His enemy is the misnamed "sharing economy"—Airbnb, Uber, Lyft—an upstart, entrepreneurial force that has no room for the poor and marginalized.

There's a lot at stake in the race for District 3—a major tourist destination that includes Chinatown, North Beach, Coit Tower, and the asphalt slalom-course known as Lombard Street. District 3 also is a neighborhood plagued by forced evictions spurred by the economic disruptions of Tech Company cash. An unlikely Peskin upset would return the board's progressive majority.

-more-