Columns

My husband and I were in Greece in August 1991 when we heard from a stranger on the street that there was a coup in the Soviet Union. The August coup failed, but by December 26, 1991 it was over. The Soviet Union was dissolved.

As I watch the reports of the ballot counts in Arizona, the entire spectacle is unsettling. No matter how ridiculous the conspiracy theories sound, there are masses that believe and cling to what is called the “big lie” : that Trump won the election. The results of the May 21, 2021 IPSOS/Reuters Poll were alarming. Even though the number surveyed was 2007, 30% of all respondents (53% of Republicans) believed Trump won the election.

The more centrist Democratic-leaning pundits started shifting their comments this last week to a much stronger cautionary message, a warning of being at a crossroads: democracy or authoritarianism. Thankfully, on Friday Facebook suspended Trump for two years, but that doesn’t stop the rumors that Trump and his followers believe he will be restored to the presidency in August. There is nothing that should be reassuring. I would argue that the reported trips of Republicans to Mar-a-Lago to “kiss the ring” of Donald Trump is to say “I am with you” not from some level of “fear” of Donald Trump.

Moving on from this unsettling picture: What has our local government been up to this last week?

At the Agenda and Rules Committee meeting this week with an expected return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, the discussion ensued about how to manage meetings: in-person, continue Zoom or some hybrid model? The City Manager said the technology is available for a hybrid model for council meetings at 1231 Addison (the school district board room), but not at the locations where commissions meet. Many of the rooms are small and all lack the technology for a hybrid model. 

Mayor Arreguin announced that he would schedule a special meeting on the commission reorganization proposal and settled on June 15 at 4 pm. The Wengraf-Harrison agenda item opposing SB 9 stayed on the consent calendar much to the relief of a number of attendees. 

There were no surprises at the Tuesday evening regular council meeting; the surprises came at the Public Works Commission on Thursday evening. The last item on the Tuesday evening council agenda, the resolution updating the city street maintenance and rehabilitation policy, was put off until July 13 with the assertion that the discussion would require extending the council meeting. The mayor said he had a recommendation he would be adding. 

The real reason for postponing action was learned Thursday. The recommendation that put an equity lens on street maintenance and repairs was opposed by one of the councilmembers. Bryce Nesbit said he knew who was in opposition, but he would not give the name. I suspect it is either Wengraf, Droste or Hahn who is insisting on “bringing home the bacon” in street repairs to their district, but I could be wrong. I have no inside information on this one. The old policy divided up street repairs so every district got a piece. 

The piecemeal approach was one of the issues cited in the City Auditor’s report. Some areas of the city suffer from greater states of disrepair and the piecemeal approach means those districts keep getting further behind.  

The audit report ( Rocky Road: Berkeley Street at Risk and Significantly Underfunded 11/19/20 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Auditor/Home/Audit_Reports.aspx ) calls for a plan like the one developed by the Public Works Commission and the Council Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment and Sustainability Committee (FITES), but someone doesn’t like the results. It looks now like the mayor will water the plan down until the resistance falls and then wave the flag of success. 

The other surprise from the Public Works Commission was the discussion on reorganization and merging the Transportation Commission and the Public Works Commission. Shane Krpata said he was totally supporting merging the two commissions, stating the Public Works Commission had not accomplished anything in ten years. Krpata was appointed by Councilmember Robinson to the commission January 7, 2019. Robinson is a co-sponsor of the commission reorganization along with Kesarwani and Arreguin. Droste is the author. 

Just to set the record straight on accomplishments of the Public Works Commission, Councilmember Wengraf described the commission work on the undergrounding plan as a value of $250,000 of free consulting. The Allston Way pavers is thanks to the commission. Vision 2050, Measure T and Measure M were all outgrowths of the Public Works Commission. Since I started watching the Public Works Commission meetings, I grade it as one of the most effective commissions in the City. Another that turns out terrific work is the Energy Commission. 

It is surprising that someone who thinks so little of the commissions wants to be a member all the while seeming to live in a complete vacuum of knowledge of work done. There were comments from other members; one complained there were too many retired people on commissions. Two of the commissioners are retired and the chair Margo Schueler was quick to point out that for most of the years she was on the commission she was working. Someone else complained about equity, saying something about the former redlined areas no longer representing poor Blacks. That caught my attention, as I just finished Whiteness of Wealth by Dorothy A. Brown on the disparate impact of tax law on Blacks, (a book worth reading). I suppose the members making those statements are relieved the meeting isn’t recorded so I can’t go back and catch their names. 

Resentments are much deeper than I thought. It is disappointing that the commission structure which provides the vehicle for so much innovation is hamstrung by pettiness, shortsightedness and the inability to see the contributions of others. There are commissioners who should consider leaving and councilmembers who need to take a hard look at replacing some of their appointees. 

There is so much talent in Berkeley, why are we not tapping it? The Droste proposal with co-sponsors Kesarwani, Robinson and Arreguin looks only at staff time and totally negates the time volunteered by commissioners, the free consulting Wengraf cited. 

Commissions shouldn’t be the place where ambition gets in the way, but it certainly is feeling that way in the approach to reorganization. Ambition is all about making sure whose name is recorded as the “idea” and which source of funding is stroked for the next election. 

Commissions that work on climate and the environment are going to recommend requirements that developers don’t want to do, like bird safe glass from the Community Environmental Advisory Commission (CEAC). How to kill that: Combine Zero Waste, CEAC, Energy and Animal Care commissions into one unwieldy 18 member commission. 

Public Works is turning out great work which some councilmembers apparently don’t like. How to kill that: Combine it with Transportation and at the same time ignore that the mayor wants a new transportation department BerkDOT. It is foolishness, but I expect those behind the reorganization are as dug in as Joe Manchin is to maintaining the filibuster and not supporting the Democratic voting rights legislation. 

The significant comments out of the WETA (Water Emergency Transportation Authority) are that WETA needs Federal support to continue. The FITES Committee passed Councilmember Taplin’s proposal for a Just Transition from the Fossil Fuel Economy with the leadership coming from Councilmember Taplin’s office. The ordinance to amend BMC 7.52 reducing the tax for qualifying electrification, energy efficiency and water conservation retrofits also passed, but that is a referral to the city manager, so it is likely to sit in the long referral list of inaction. 

I’ve finished several books in the last week, but the one already mentioned here Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans and How We Can Fix It by Dorothy A. Brown, professor of law at Emory University, is worth reading. Some things we already know or should know, like agricultural and domestic work being excluded from social security until 1954. There are other things at least I never thought about, like how systemic racism limiting access to well-paying jobs means that Blacks who do succeed are more likely to be supporting parents and extended family members. 

This kind of support doesn’t get recognized. There is more to learn and ponder. I thought a lot about the movement denouncing single family homes as exclusionary and racist. Demolishing Black neighborhoods under the mantra of ending racism does the opposite. It denies Blacks the opportunity of building wealth through home ownership.