Public Comment

I don't want a Hsiung victory any more than any of you. I happen to think Hill would arrive green, learn quickly, and do the job quite well, and he has my vote, but I'm not here to persuade you of that. What I do wish to do is to point out some elements of your op-ed on Berkeleyside.com that suggest you have a mistaken understanding of certain issues. To wit: 

"We’ve flattened the curve of this pandemic and avoided the tragic outbreaks and high death rates seen in other communities." 

I am deeply curious why you believe this? Who is making this claim? Can the public please see their math and reasoning? 

From where I stand, the confirmed cases data is noisy, due to testing getting going in fits and starts, but seems quite consistent with a slow but steady tripling of the initial case rate, followed by a current slight dip that is likely the result of people self-isolating due to wildfire smoke. Meanwhile, the City has consistently, stubbornly refused to do meaningful outreach to the communities where spread is highest and is repeatedly relaxing restrictions at the same time more and more research is saying those specific restrictions should not be relaxed. It's astonishing how bad the city's response has been and I don't call the choices made by elected officials and Dr. Hernandez "murderous" lightly. I mean it. 

"To ensure no one is left behind, Mayor Arreguín launched the Berkeley Relief Fund the same day shelter-in-place was declared, raising $4.4 million to support local businesses, arts organizations and at-risk tenants." 

Oh, please. The fund raised $1.312 million, nor $4.4 million,. The City of Berkeley, meanwhile, transferred ~$3 million of public money to fairly well off and secure people, business owners, and investment property owners. Concurrently, the City of Berkeley did nearly jack sh*t to take care of those most in need. If you can not be honest with yourselves and the public about this kind of thing, how do you expect to legislate judiciously? 

"Mayor Arreguín committed to putting Berkeley at the forefront of reimagining public safety." 

This is a tremendous insult to everyone who has been mistreated by the police because we all see that what Rigel and the Mayor did here is to block more direct efforts to redirect significant funding from policing to professional mental health crisis emergency responses and similar services. It is unambiguous that Council cynically undermined the overwhelming demand of the people, protecting the cop budget, protecting the cop grift on the City dollar. 

What is it that TV judge - Judge Judy - likes to say? Don't piss on our legs and tell us its raining. 

Lastly, I have observed that you really don't bother to put any effort into learning actual climate science but for the love of god please stop spreading propaganda and lies like this: 

"Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan and Resilience Strategy articulate our goals: energy-efficient buildings, universal access to clean energy, support for alternative modes of transit and electric vehicles, accelerating the implementation of our bicycle and pedestrian plans, zero waste, locally sourced food, a prepared, connected and resilient community, racial equity, and climate justice. On every one of these goals, Mayor Arreguín has been at the forefront, writing policies and launching programs that have made a significant impact. And with his persistent work over many years, some of these goals have already been met." 

The "Cilmate Action Plan" is absolutely known to be wildly inadequate. Boasting about it is simple climate science denial. 

Meanwhile, Kate and Rigel, for almost an entire year you two have blocked meaningful action on the climate emergency in committee. From your overall behavior, I have to conclude you have blocked efforts to quickly end petrol sales and so on for no greater reason than a petty political vendetta on Councilmember Davila. On behalf of every young member of my community and family - go to hell with that nonsense. All the council majority has done, under the leadership of this mayor, is pursue policies of ruin and climate science denial. Shame on you. These are crimes against humanity. 

No less a personage than Michael Mann himself was on 60 minutes --- 60 Minutes -- the other night talking about how in as few as 5 years it may become socially impossible to reduce emissions quickly enough if we don't take deeply transformational action NOW, and you clowns can't even be arsed to learn what the hell he's talking about, nevermind respond truthfully and effectively. 

Moreover you know, because I've shown you in detail, that we have a serious, foreseeable housing crisis because we can not convert residences away from natural gas fast enough. You ignore that fact. It's shamefully irresponsible. 

I used to be a very optimistic person with great hopes for the future of humanity. Then I had to deal more directly with the likes of you lot. 

Thomas Lord (District 2)