Will children homeschooled during the pandemic be scarred for life?

My friend Becky O’Malley, the Berkeley Daily Planet’s editor, has asked for my thoughts on that—given my own childhood experience spending years outside a classroom.

My missionary parents took me to West Africa in 1948 when I was three—first to the Gold Coast, then to Nigeria. Until I went to a mission boarding school at 13, I did most of my learning at home—except for second and sixth grade, when we were in the United States on furlough. -more-

I am writing to address the resolution on exclusionary zoning. Since the early 1970s, I have worked in housing development, construction, and sales. I worked for the Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley Redevelopment Agencies in housing planning and was the lead planner for the Savo Island housing in Berkeley. After that, I have been involved in the construction of high, medium, and low-income units in Berkeley and Oakland. From that background I make my comments.

I find the title of the resolution to be staggeringly misleading. It slants the housing history in the U.S. and in Berkeley in a way that is inaccurate and unproductive. It dresses itself up as a racial equity plan when it is actually a trojan horse for wealthy real estate and tech interests. When addressing housing, we need to look carefully and be guided by facts, not false flags.

We all know that housing discrimination was an issue that was overturned by the Rumford act in 1968. During my real estate career, I have seen historic title restrictions in the Claremont area barring people of Jewish descent, had Japanese clients who had to buy their house secretly in the hills due to housing discrimination that restricted people of color from buying above Martin Luther King. I built a house next to four homes on Cragmont Avenue that were built by a white developer in the 1950s and sold only to black buyers in order to make an attempt at breaking housing discrimination. Discrimination existed but it was not caused by zoning. -more-

The Berkeley Neighborhoods Council (BNC) is writing this letter because of deep concerns expressed by many Berkeley neighborhoods over the increasing threat to the well-being of residents and the unshakable hope that the year 2021 will provide the opportunity for a fresh start for cities everywhere. While these concerns include the broad spectrum of urban life issues, this letter focuses on existing land use policies, procedures and practices that affect the daily lives of residents in every part of our City. The Berkeley Neighborhoods Council is not anti-development, anti-housing or anti-business, we are pro-people.

These concerns have been expressed over a long period of time, mostly at meetings of the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) and on appeals to the City Council. Today, they have grown to the extent that there are increasing calls for a holistic approach, a new visioning of our City that considers social, economic and age diversity, public health and safety, racial justice, livability, climate change and resilience, in a process driven by residents, not by paid consultants, nor the preconceived concepts of City staff. On January 9, 2021 at the regular meeting of BNC, we heard loud and clear the voice of the people in neighborhoods throughout the City.

Those concerns centered around four basic objectives as follows: -more-

America’s misguided priorities are rapidly driving more Americans into a downward spiral of poverty and despair fighting the COVID pandemic, systemic racism and economic inequality. We continue to pour obscene amounts of money into the Pentagon’s bottomless pit, with weapons systems they don’t need (example Space Force) and pay raises for failed military adventures. While our lawmakers obsess on the rights of the unborn child little concern is given for soldiers sent on failed missions or the millions of foreign civilians slaughtered, dismissed as necessary collateral damage for “the greater good”. Returning soldiers are often haunted by the horrors of war, many unable to return to civilian life, others ending their lives. Our leaders never admit their political blunders but send more of our men and women into battle convinced that our military firepower will eventually prevail. Remember President Nixon “we see light at the end of tunnel” and decades of deceit by General Westmorland. Daniel Ellsberg, who stole the Pentagon Papers at great personal peril, was the unsung hero. -more-

An impeachment trial is not a fair trial. In a civilian court of law, a suspect faces a judge and jury that are expected to be unbiased, to review facts, to review evidence, to hear and see witnesses, and to make a simple decision: Did she/he do it, or not? -more-

Kudos to the House impeachment managers who presented their case with devastating impact using video footage to prove that former President Trump incited the violent insurrection at the Capital in a vain attempt to negate the certification of the 2020 election. There was little doubt the spineless Republicans would vote their conscience and convict their cult leader. Most Republicans had made up their minds prior to the commencement of the trial. Few made any effort to focus attention on the trail looking bored, irritated, while others were caught doodling on bits of paper. -more-

On February 11, my wife and I got our first dose of the coronavirus Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; we get our second dose on March 3. We are relieved to get some protection from the virus even though we will continue to wear masks when we leave the house, observe social distancing, avoid crowds, and generally stay at home most of the time. -more-

The mental health treatment system and other authorities can force us to accept treatment. And much of the time, this is helpful. But they cannot force us to believe their spiel that we are intrinsically inferior.

It is hard enough for a young adult to acknowledge and accept that they have a serious mental disorder. They should never, on top of that, try to swallow the pill that says they will never amount to anything, that they will never be able to have a professional career, that they will not be accepted in society, and that they will never be normal.

A psychiatric disability doesn't equate with dumb. Ignorance is widespread concerning psychiatric problems, and even people of high intelligence and achievement often do not really understand that being mentally ill does not mean you can't do anything of substance. Talented people often fall prey to the same ignorant beliefs as anyone else. -more-

Trump Ups Room Rates for His "Second Inauguration"

Not all QAnon cultists have abandoned ship since the failed arrival of "Judgment Day" on January 6. Q's most fervent followers are now looking forward to Donald Trump being sworn in as the next president—on March 4, 2021(the official Inauguration Day until 1933). And apparently, Trump still believes he has a chance to return to power.

The evidence? According to Forbes, the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC has raised the prices of its room rentals three-fold for the period of March 3-4. No other DC hotels have raised their daily rates—let alone tripled them.

This "Trump Bump" also happened last month, when the Trump Empire jacked up the price of its rooms for January 5-6—coincidentally coinciding with the day that Trump Tweet-ordered his true believers to show up in Washington with the veiled promise: "Big protest in D.C. … Be there, will be wild!”

The cheapest rooms for the day of Trump's March 4 "inauguration" start at $8,000 a day.

It looks like Trump has not given up on his hopes to regain control of the White House—nor has he given up on schemes to enrich himself at the expense of the Always-Trumpers. -more-

Thankfully, some city meetings were canceled this week so the impeachment trial could take center stage during the day and space was left for the evening rehash.

With only four meetings of significant note and a need for shifting your attention, this Activist’s Diary starts with where you can have the most impact to shape an ordinance or influence a decision, City Council Policy Committees.

It was December 11, 2018 when City Council voted to create six standing Council Committees. After two years with this new arrangement, it still feels like people think the place to comment to influence a decision is at the regular Council meeting. Council meetings are the fallback position when we lose in committee or an item skates through to the regular meeting agenda without going through committee.

The six committees are: 1) Agenda & Rules Policy Committee, 2) Budget & Finance Policy Committee, 3) Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment & Sustainability Policy Committee, 4) Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Policy Committee, 5) Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Policy Committee and 6) Public Safety Policy Committee https://www.cityofberkeley.info/citycouncil/.

These meetings are during the daytime, which makes it harder for people with daytime jobs and responsibilities to attend. This is where neighborhood and community groups can coordinate input by sending representatives. -more-

Worth Noting:

We are looking at a short week with the President’s Day Holiday on Monday, February 15 and city meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.



Key meetings this week are:

Tuesday at 11 am Margo Schueler will give a presentation on infrastructure at Civic Center Park (what lurks underground). At 6 pm is the presentation to Council on the Marina Area Specific Plan and proposed Pier and Ferry.

Thursday at 10:30 am is the Land Use and Housing Council Committee with several impactful housing proposals especially Quadplex zoning which appears to turn over approval of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes to a desk sign-off away from ZAB (Zoning Adjustment Board) review except in certain circumstances. At 7 pm there will be a presentation on the creation/progress of a Berkeley Department of Transportation (BerkDOT) at the Transportation Commission.

The City Council February 23 Regular meeting agenda is available for comment and follows the list of city meetings. A public comment letter to Council on agenda item 29 Resolution to End Exclusionary Housing is in this issue.

If you have a meeting you would like included in the summary of meetings, please send a notice to kellyhammargren@gmail.com by noon on the Friday of the preceding week. If you wish to see comments from attending the City meetings of the previous week, go to the Activist’s Diary in this issue. -more-