The Editor's Back Fence
Berkeley's Collaborator-in-Chief Reports Deal with Over-Lady
What the hell is going on with the purported agreement between the City of Berkeley and the University of California at Berkeley? I watched the City Council meeting last night, both the public comment which preceded the 4 pm closed meeting, purportedly exempted from the Brown Act dictum that the public’s business should be done in public because it dealt with pending litigation, and the supposedly 6 pm meeting, which actually didn’t start until close to 8, both over zoom. When the Mayor told a member of the public at the 8 pm meeting that no reportable action had been taken at the 4 p.m., I turned the "public" meeting off, but I am told by a reliable viewer that no action was taken in that meeting either.
So where did the press release announcing a settlement, complete with sickening video in a format that I haven’t been able to figure out how to post yet, come from?
I contacted Councilmember Kate Harrison, the only one of the bunch I trust, but she told me councilmembers had been legally admonished not to reveal the terms of the settlement until the U.C. Regents had voted to accept them. She couldn’t even tell me what the vote was, but other sources confirm that she was the only no vote.
So why did Arreguin think he (and only he) was authorized to put out this press release with lots of specific information? And I have many more questions for him. For example, does the pending agreement cap student enrollment, or does it allow the current exponential increase into eternity?
Arreguin's favorite word to describe his hoped-for relationship with his alma mater is “collaborative”--it's in this press release.
That’s apt, in my book. It’s a term straight out of Vichy France, and it marks him as what he seems to be, the Collaborator-in-Chief. Too bad, when what the citizens of Berkeley need is a leader, not a collaborator.
More later, if and when I can figure out what the hell is going on.
[CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM MAKING THEIR DEAL]
UPDATE: I think I’ve figured out why the purported deal between the city of Berkeley and the University of California at Berkeley was not reported after yesterday’s closed meeting.
There’s no deal yet. If I remember my contracts law from 40 years ago or my experience negotiating contracts for the family high tech business, it’s not a contract until both parties have agreed, and technically the Regents of the University haven’t yet voted to agree. Now, there’s another secret meeting on the council agenda for today:
There’s something on the agenda of a legal nature which possibly allows the council to keep it secret under the Brown Act exemption for ongoing litigation, and it could be something about the various lawsuits, which according to the Arreguin-Christ press release are being dropped. Or not. That’s the beauty of secret meetings: we the public can’t know. Because secrecy….
But the Berkeley City Council still can’t close a deal at this meeting. What’s on the table is technically an offer, and there’s no contract until it’s accepted. It’s possible the offer could even be withdrawn by the City. Oh sure.
There’s no Zoom link posted for this afternoon’s meeting. Does that mean there’s no opportunity for public comment. Does the Brown Act allow that?
