War equals senseless violence, murder, destruction, and idiocy, falsely construed to be in the name of country. War is atrocity with no reason behind it. When a country initiates war, it puts life and death decisions in the hands of bullshitters and con artists. War cannot find justification.

When countries have initiated war on the U.S., in our past, we've had to collectively defend ourselves; the other choice was to cease to exist. This is not to imply that the U.S. is immune to initiating war for no good reason. And it is not to imply that the U.S. always has a moral "high ground." When the U.S. has initiated war, and when we didn't have a good reason for it, this is the same stupidity as many other countries. The wars in which I would consider U.S. involvement justifiable include the American Civil War, WWI, WWII, and the Cold War. Other countries won't disappear, and neither would the threat of them if the U.S. decided to become pacifistic.

Some pacifists would argue that no war involvement whatsoever is better, that declining to "defend ourselves" is a better option, because it is a nonviolent choice. And this is despite the threat or even the certainty that we would be killed. In that vein, a person keeps one's soul alive but loses his or her body. Many people have a different take on war than that of conventional thought. I, personally, would never have made it as a soldier, and if drafted, would likely have drawn a "Bad Conduct Discharge," before even putting on a pair of Army boots. Such a discharge from the military could block future opportunities.

The Cold War of the nineteen fifties, sixties, seventies, and nineteen eighties, and the second Cold War of today, seem as though they are a competition of which country can most efficiently wipe out all life on Earth. 

I have a close friend who was hospitalized during "Operation Desert Storm." That person had the psychotic illusion that they were in the midst of that war. 

People with mental illness may be more deeply affected by war because we generally have fewer psychological defenses. While many in the public believe that mentally ill people are violent and unaware, in fact we are aware of things, and we are often sensitive to external events. We are more affected by things that take place in our environment, including international events. Insofar as "violent"--most mentally ill aren't, and there are plenty of people with uncompromised minds who are violent. Many mentally ill people became ill in the first place due to mainstream violence in all its forms. 

War using nuclear weapons, which is an ever-present threat to life, is highly disturbing, to me and probably to many others with psychiatric conditions. How do psych consumers deal with war? Maybe a lot of us can't. And I fear that in the not-so-distant future, the U.S. could become increasingly involved in the expanding war of Russia versus Ukraine. Such involvement could spell the beginning of the end. And other than that, it will disturb many American people to the point of losing our minds. 

President Putin is not mentally ill. He understands fully what he is trying to do, and I am not aware of him having any symptoms of a psychiatric disorder. In other words, Putin is competent. And because of this, he is fully culpable. The very same holds true for Donald Trump, who has shown in the past that he likes Putin and is aligned with Putin in many ways. Many members of government seem oblivious to this on a moral level and are only concerned with their own political prospects. 

When the Nazis came to power, it wasn't just the Jews they came for--it was Lesbian, and Gay people. (Transgender people didn't yet exist.) And it was also mentally ill people. As a writer with controversial views who expresses myself freely in print and on the internet, I feel particularly threatened by Trump's vie for power, since he resembles another Adolf Hitler, is aligned with Putin--and if he got into office and got his way on things, I'd most likely be among those imprisoned or killed. That's reality, that's not psychosis speaking. Any good journalist, also, has a lot to fear. And that's why we must speak up. We must not be silenced; we must defeat the enemy. In this case, the enemy we face is human ignorance. 

A timely note from the Economic Policy Institute:

"In honor of April Fools’ Day, we give you three charts that should be April Fools’ jokes—but unfortunately are all too real.

"CEOs make 351 times as much as typical workers
"From 1978 to 2020, CEO compensation grew by 1,322%, far outstripping S&P stock market growth (817%) and top 0.1% earnings growth (which was 341% between 1978 and 2019, the latest data available). In contrast, compensation of the typical worker grew by just 18.0% from 1978 to 2020.

"The minimum wage is worth 21% less than in 2009
"While pay for top executives is skyrocketing, low-wage workers are losing ground. A worker paid the federal minimum of $7.25 today effectively earns 21% less than what their counterpart earned 12 years ago, after adjusting for inflation.

"Worker productivity has risen significantly—their pay, not so much
"American workers are producing much more than they were 40 years ago, but the financial gains are not being shared equitably. Productivity and the typical worker’s hourly pay rose in tandem from 1948 until the early 1970s. Then, because of policy changes that began in the late 1970s, accelerated through the 1980s, and largely remain with us today, productivity and pay began to sharply diverge. 

"Together, these three charts tell a story of rising inequality and economic injustice that is so extreme it would be funny…if only it weren’t true. This April Fools’ Day, it looks like the joke is on us." 

Fashion Plates 

A salute to some of the personalized license plates seen around town. 

UCB4EVER. On a car driven by an ever-loyal UC Berkeley graduate. 

SUMNERV. On a Subaru Forester, whose owner appears very self-confident. 

GRRRETA. On a VW that looks like it's getting ready to roar. 

NOUSWAR. On a BMW from Marin celebrating Bumpers for Peace. 

FISHHAWK. On an orange-and-black Toyota Cruiser sporting a BF Goodrich "Rugged Trail" rear tire. 

GOTLOVE. On a Lexus, in a frame engraved with the words: "I am so blessed by the people I love!" 

R49OTO. Not sure about this message. Maybe "this is OUR 49^TH AUTO"? 

Celebrando César y Dolores! 

This is a special time of year for friends of the César Chávez Memorial Solar Calendar and, especially, for Santiago Casal, the driving force behind the inspiring site, located atop one of the highest hills on the César E. Chávez Park on the north tip of the Berkeley Marina. These are the days that mark the birthdays of César Chávez (March 31) and fellow farmworkers' advocate Dolores Huerta (April 10). 

Casal recently shared some memorial memories with The Planet: "Every year it seems someone places flowers at the Birthday Stone of César Chávez at Chavez Park—a small but heartfelt honoring of the labor leader. We are, at this very moment, having a similar stone made for Dolores Huerta, whose birthday falls on April 10. She will be 93. These two stones will be about 5’ apart, with Dolores’ 5’ to the left.  

"We have set it up with the solar cycle, so that, at the moment of sunrise on their respective birthdays, a shadow is cast from the gnomon (pole) at the center of the site on the left side of each stone as it moves across its face over a 5-minute period." 

"We expect to install the stone this summer, upgrade Cesar’s, and add some sculptural signage between the two stones. 

In addition to upgrading the Chávez stone, there are plans to install additional signage to the newly unveiled on-site presentations. And a "GPS-guided smart phone Tour of Park" is coming soon as part of a Mobile Tour called "Giving Chávez Park A Voice." 

And here's something to consider marking on your calendar: San Francisco will be hosting a Parade and Festival to honor Chavez and Huerta on Saturday, April 9th. The Parade begins at 11 at Dolores Park at 19th and Dolores Street and travels on Mission Street to 24th St. and Bryant Street—the location of a festival that will run from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The festival will feature "live performances, arts and crafts, a lowrider car show, food, health and wellness, games for children and vendors." 

How's That Again? 

A fund-raising letter from the good folks at the Southern Poverty Law Center gets off to a confusing start. "Hate frays at the social fabric of our country," it begins, before adding: "To knit it back together again, all segments of our society… must join together…." 

To knit hate back together again? 

The SPLC's letter gets back on track noting that, according to FBI figures, right-wing and white supremacist upstarts were responsible for "almost 8,000 reported crimes of violence" in 2021. And the letter concludes with the rock-solid observation that "it is our shared vision for unity and peace that unites us." 

Home Depot Takes a Little Off the Top 

The checkout counters at Home Depot's Richmond outlet show evidence of a team-building exercise gone bad. Customers waiting in line to pay for their purchases may notice the counters are covered with dozens of photos of employees hugging and mugging for face-masked photos above a caption at the bottom of each snapshot that reads: "Cashiers Rock!" 

At the top of each photo there's another line that spells out the message "We Love Our Cashiers!" 

Unfortunately, the photos were trimmed to make them fit on the counter-space and, in the process, the last four letters were lopped off the top, leaving behind a message that is the opposite of worker appreciation. 

The declarations on the clipped pix now read: "We Love Our Cash." 

How a Guilty Politician Confesses  

When it comes to being a corrupt politician, being vague is in vogue. Case in point: Congressmember Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) who recently tendered his resignation while claiming his decision was "due to the difficulties of my current circumstances." 

That circumspect statement was missing all the juicy details. 

The reason Jeff stepped down was because he got caught lying to the FBI about hiding a $30,000 illegal campaign gift from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent—a gentleman the AP described as a "foreign billionaire." 

An Encounter with Allure 

While waiting for a long-overdue haircut at a local salon, I encountered a stack of magazines on display to occupy clients awaiting their appointments. One was a publication I would never have encountered otherwise—Allure: a ladies' monthly devoted to "new hair ideas, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more." 

The table of contents in one issue contained this description of the model whose face graced the cover: "To create a similar look: 12 Flash Color Case in Flash by Make Up for Ever." Even though the cover showed only a close-up of the model's face, credits were given for Hair, Manicure, and Fashion Stylist. There was only one thing missing: the name of the woman whose face adorned the cover. 

Inside, there were several pages devoted to a blonde-coifed drag queen named Gottmik whose beauty credits consisted of the following: "Full Spectrum So Saturated Eyeshadow. Exhibitionist Lipstick in Bombshall Pink. So Flushed High Pigment Blush in Sweet Seduction by CoverGirl." 

This kinky fascination with creams, rogue, and beauty-goo was not just limited to the photo captions. In an exclusive interview, an Allure reporter asked actress Natalie Portman: "If you were to be reincarnated as a beauty product, what would it be?" 

Portman's unvarnished reply: "Maybe eye cream. I feel like that's the top thing that helps a tired mom. So that's what I would do: come back and serve the mothers of the world." 

Slap-schtick at the Oscars 

Re: "The Slap Heard Round the (Western) World." There was a lot of demonizing of Will Smith as The Aggressor but surprisingly little praise for Chris Rock's pacifist response. Instead of retaliating with a toxically masculine counter-slap, the smarting comedian responded with verbal de-escalation. His motto could have been: Jibes Not Jabs. (Of course, it was his jibes that got him jabbed in the first place.) 

The news that Academy officials asked Smith to vacate the premises (and he refused) raised some new questions. Clearly the Film Academy honchos were not about to call the Police Academy broncos and risk a further physical escalation. But what if Will had been willing to leave? He was still up for a major acting award. How would the evening have proceeded if Smith were to win the Oscar for Best Actor and not be on hand to receive it? Did the Academy hosts (even for a minute) consider asking Chris Rock to accept the award in Smith's absence? 

The Putin-Trump Connection Is Alive and Well in Russia 

An item found posted in JuliaDavisNews on Twitter reads: 

"Meanwhile on Russian State TV: Host Evgeny Popov says it's time for the Russian people to call on Americans to change 'the regime in the US' before its term expires 'and to again help our partner Trump to become President.'" 

Also on display, this headline: "Kremlin TV Hopes Russia’s Unhinged Bioweapons Claim Will Help Re-Elect Trump" followed by the news: "State TV pundits are delighted that Russian propaganda about Hunter Biden’s supposed funding of bioweapons in Ukraine has 'served up a beneficial deck of cards for Trump.'” More details available from The Daily Beast. 

In Washington, Things Go Bitter with Coke 

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) was recently in the news after making claims that unnamed Congressmembers had invited him to engage in a surprising form of off-duty recreation—cocaine-fueled sex-orgies. 

The Crazy Eight Political Action Network pointed out that Cawthorn was a perfect recruit for participating in drug-doing sex-a-thons, noting: "With one of the worst attendance records in Congress, Cawthorn’s got free time." 

House Minority Leader and GOP Morals Cop Kevin McCarthy publicly promised to "speak to" Cawthorn about his accusations. 

The Crazy Eight was not impressed by the Bakersfield Rep's etiquette-enforcement record noting: "Whenever his members say something racist, sexist, or absolutely insane, spineless Kevin McCarthy promises to 'speak to' them instead of holding them accountable. 

Like when… Paul Gosar posted a cartoon of him beheading AOC [Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], Marjorie Taylor Greene called for Nancy Pelosi’s execution and spoke at a white nationalist conference, [and] Lauren Boebert accused Ilhan Omar of terrorism." 

Cawthorn responded by shifting blame for his comments to his critics: “The left and the media want to use my words to divide the GOP," he proclaimed. "I will not back down to the mob, and I will not let them win.” Something else he would not do: name the congressmembers who offered the invitation. 

Cawthorn was also quoted as saying: “Some of the people leading the movement to try and remove addiction in our country, and then you watch them do a key bump of cocaine right in front of you." 

Not helping: the aptly named Roger Stone. 

Stone, one of the more outlandish of D. Trump's flacks and flunkies, came to Cawthorn's "defense" by telling extremist radio host Alex Jones: “I can tell you first hand that these parties happen. I can tell you that they continue to happen." 

One of the oddest exculpatory statements came from Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR). According to Politico, Womack protested that it was improper for Cawthorn "to paint lawmakers with such a broad brush, saying that many of them go to bed at 9pm and still use fax machines and flip phones." (So Boomers can't be druggies?) 

Cawthorn may be confined to a wheelchair but that doesn't stop him from gunning a car above the speed limit and driving without a license—as captured on this police video posted on April 1. (This was Cawthorn's third speeding violation in five months.) 

A Child's View of the Adult World 

This little snippet from an online journal has been making the rounds. A grandfather writes:
I spent the weekend with my six-year-old twin grandchildren, Ben and Bella. Ben is very troubled by the war. He said, "Why can't the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia stop fighting and make a big group hug?" I said, "It's complicated." 

He said, "What makes it complicated?" I said, "Guns, missiles, politicians."  

He shook his head, "Instead of fighting, what if a soldier and a person hug? People will see it, and they'll want to hug too. And even more people will hug. And soon, they'll have a group hug all across both countries."  

I said, "You're right, but sometimes, love is complicated."  

He said, "No it isn't. It's on my Lin Miranda t-shirt: 'love is love is love'." 

Editor's Note: The latest issue of the Pepper Spray Times is now available.

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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! 

I’ve pulled out the bucket to catch water in the shower while my neighbor is watering his roses. It is April 2^nd. The snowpack is 38% of normal for this time of year and the drought map is already showing the entire state of California in drought with large swaths in severe drought (orange) and extreme drought (red). https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ In fact, looking at the drought map, half the country looks to be in trouble and the dry season for the west has just started.

Denial seems to be the skill that most of us do best.

As much as I prefer the convenience of walking over to my computer instead of hauling off to a meeting in person, connecting with others is lost, as is knowing who is in the zoom room audience at city meetings. If the special Design Review Committee (DRC) this week had been in person, there are a lot of questions I would have asked the neighbors who will be backed up to 1201 – 1205 San Pablo at Harrison. The neighbors did not object to construction on the empty corner lot, they welcomed it, but it is the height and size of the project in preliminary design review that left them asking for relief. The little 800 square foot house next door will be dwarfed by the new 6-story building sitting just a few feet from its small yard.

I would have liked to ask whether they knew about the City’s plans to fill the San Pablo corridor with mid-size mixed-use (the description of apartments atop a ground floor of commercial space like restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores) apartment buildings? Did they know when they asked if any of the mature trees on San Pablo would be removed by the project that the city foresters favor: planting smaller non-native imported trees. The same non-native trees that don’t support the insects birds need to feed their hatching young? 

Charles Kahn explained to the neighbors that the DRC can’t stop the project. Then one of the neighbors challenged the DRC to do more. With that came recommendations from another member to step back the upper floors on the west by decreasing the number of bedrooms in those units. It would be a more pleasant compromise if the developer is willing. As for the trees on San Pablo, they will not be affected, at least by this project. 

There are going to be many more of these projects and the five very low-income units out of 66 in this building will hardly make a dent in the desperate need for affordable housing. This leads to the presentation by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project at the March 22 City Council meeting.  

The first in the list of their key findings is: “Upzoning [dividing lots or putting more housing on a single lot] can lead to speculation, increased land values, and displacement. By the same token, upzoning has not led to greater racial integration and opportunities for vulnerable communities. Upzoning alone is unlikely to make housing affordable to those most in need in Berkeley and make Berkeley’s housing market more equitable.” 

Some of the conclusions are familiar. Patrick Condon, urban designer, planner, professor and author of Sick City: Disease, Race, Inequality and Urban Land, previously as a planner was a steadfast supporter of densification as the answer to affordable housing. That lasted until he took a hard look at what happened in Vancouver. Upzoning for densification increases the value of the land, which in turn increases the cost of the house or condo or apartment that sits on top of it.  

The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project members outlined their recommendations in the presentation and their report. These start with protecting the vulnerable areas of West and South Berkeley by directing future upzoning to North and Southeast Berkeley; adopting anti-speculation measures with community ownership, land trusts, housing cooperatives, TOPA, transfer and vacancy taxes; increasing production of affordable housing by adjusting the city’s affordable housing mitigation fee and much more. You can read the presentation, summary and full report at https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/2022/03_Mar/City_Council__03-22-2022_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx under Preliminary Matters.  

Mayor Arreguin looked like a climate denier, feverishly seeking a counter-opinion, since upzoning is touted as the answer to creating more affordable housing by putting more housing on a single lot and more duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes into neighborhoods. These smaller multi-unit buildings are also touted as the “missing middle”, supposed to fall in the missing middle of affordability. But if one follows sales records, tearing down a single-family home and building three in the same space provides three houses each at a million dollar plus, not three $400,000 houses.  

Arreguin responded to the presentation with: “…I may reach out to Professor [Karen] Chapple and see if they want to present. Which actually has a different conclusion, and that’s building housing for people of all income levels does reduce the pressure for those higher income renters … and that’s why [my] opinion is that all of the approaches to building housing [are] what we need in the city, and we’re dealing with a significant deficit of housing for people of all income levels of Berkeley including rental and ownership…”  

There are many who would argue that there is no shortage of market rate (luxury priced) rental property. It is housing that people can afford and it’s the designated low income, very low income and extremely low income housing that is in very short supply.  

Chapple is one of the Urban Displacement Project Leads. And scanning through documents the conclusions are not dissimilar from many of those from the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project. It is unclear that Arreguin will receive the counter opinion he seems to seek, but we shall see. 

The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project identified West Berkeley as the area of greatest gentrification with the highest rent increases and highest displacement of People of Color by Whites. This is the same area where the reported shootings are occurring, primarily in District 2, now Councilmember Taplin’s district. Taplin’s Community Policing: Flex Team for Problem-Oriented Policing Under the Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment (SARA) Model was the big draw for comment at the Agenda and Rules Committee. 

Residents of District 2 and the hills called in to support the Flex Team and Berkeley Police. Betsy Morris, who is known for her activism with the Gray Panthers, said hearing about policing in Berkeley was like hearing about two different police departments and two different cities.  

Mansour Id-Deen, President of the Berkeley NAACP, responded with: 

“I’m calling in opposition to item 27 [Flex Team Policing] I think it’s a bad idea. I think the Berkeley Police Department in 2022, does not have the responsibility of the Berkeley police Department in the 1980s, when we had the Drug Task Force. The Drug Task Force was horrible for our community, and former Police Chief Meehan worked with the community and eliminated the Drug Task force. If this new entity is anything like the Drug Task Force it will not be a positive thing for the community in Berkeley. A few days ago, here in South Berkeley on Harmon and Adeline, [District 3] there was a so-called shooting. No one ever found out any information about it, but the City of Berkeley Police Department had seventeen units here on a small block in South Berkeley, seventeen units, so I … think that the Police Department itself [does] have an adequate number of officers. I think we should look within the Police Department and see how we can reallocate the police and not have so many come to one incident. It’s ridiculous to block the whole street for hours. I just see this suppression force ( I know you renamed it) [is] going to work in conjunction with the so-called hotspots that have been discussed in the City of Berkeley. I think we need to have more conversation.”  

Councilmember Kate Harrison who was serving as an alternate (Wengraf and Hahn were unavailable) to the committee on Monday recommended moving the proposed Police Flex Team off the consent calendar to action for discussion. Arreguin refused. That makes five councilmembers in support of the Flex Team. Wengraf, Kesarwani and Droste have already signed on as co-sponsors. The council now has a solid majority in favor of increased policing and increasing the police share of the city budget will likely follow in June. We all should know who is likely to suffer with increased policing (which some fear will be saturation policing) and it isn’t the vocal gentrifiers.  

The seventeen units described by Id-Deen is a ridiculous number. It is the same kind of response my walk partner and I saw some months ago with 10 units standing around an empty crashed parking enforcement vehicle at Ohlone Park.  

In hospitals when we hear the code blue call (the announcement of a patient in the throes of a life-threatening emergency), we all run to assist, and then quickly sort out who is needed, and then the rest of us get out of the way and go back to our assignments. The Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform reports never pierced the protective circle around where and how police officers are assigned. The closest we have is the City Auditor’s review of overtime assignments which will be presented on April 12^th.  

The Zero Waste Commission was cancelled for lack of a quorum and I missed too much of the Police Accountability Board meeting to give an adequate report. At the last minute I decided to attend the Vision 2050 Community meeting. It was the same presentation I had heard at a number of the city commission meetings. After subtracting the city representatives and presenters there were about 30 public attendees. The surprise was how few questions were asked.  

The public attendees requested that instead of one big ballot initiative that it be broken up into several ballot initiatives with designation for what would be funded. The little I’ve gleaned is the position that the only way to get anything passed is to do a giant ballot measure with everything lumped together, so we, the voters, will approve the whole package to get the small piece we want.  

I did not speak, but after attending lots of budget meetings and seeing how things are maneuvered around I stand with the people who want a ballot initiative with specific designations not squishy wishful language. If you missed this last Wednesday, there are three more scheduled community meetings April 6, 13 and 20 https://www.berkeleyvision2050.org/ to ask questions and share your opinion. 

This week the House passed a bill to limit the out of pocket cost of insulin to $35 per month for people with health insurance. Now it goes to the Senate where it is likely to die. The real problem is the monopoly lock on the pricing of insulin by the drug companies. A vial of insulin costs $2.00 to around $6 to produce, but the cost to the person who needs it can run up to several hundred dollars. The stranglehold on drug pricing is just one of the many topics Senator Amy Klobuchar covered in Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age. The book, with 625 pages, is pretty heavy reading for one library cycle. If you opt for the audiobook, you will miss all the cartoons, drawings and charts in the ebook. Beside big pharma, Klobuchar has plenty to say about META, Google, Amazon, and how these tech giants need to be reined in.  

Worth Noting:

City Council is on recess until April 12^th leaving Tuesday free, but the rest of the week is packed. The April 12^th city council agenda is available for comment and posted after the list of city meetings.

Monday evening at the 7 pm Personnel Board meeting the Police Chief is scheduled to update the board on Berkeley Police Department (BPD) staffing. This might be interesting in light of the City Audit of the BPD and needs for improvement that will be presented to council on April 12^th.

Wednesday the big meeting for the evening will be the hearing at the Planning Commission on the BART Station Housing project zoning amendments and statement of overriding considerations.

VISION 2050 City Directors and staff are making the rounds with community meetings to present the big overview of infrastructure needs and financing in advance of the council ballot initiative for financing the various projects. It might be good to ask how much of the Vision 2050 bond/tax ballot plan will be allocated to cover the City of Berkeley’s share of the $121,000,000 pier ferry capital costs and how firm are other allocations to the various infrastructure and affordable housing projects.

The Homeless Services Panel of Experts will be reviewing Measure P allocations.

Thursday afternoon WETA will receive the Berkeley Ferry Business Plan. If you don’t attend take a cruise thru pages 36 – 103 of the packet. The business plan projects that by the 10^th year of service, fares will cover only 54% of the operating costs. “Local efforts to evaluate the benefits of ferry service and to develop sources of local funding including inclusion in cities’ own capital improvement programs and creation of special funding sources…” As for the $112,000,000 of capital costs “…The two parties [WETA and City of Berkeley] are currently in discussion concerning how capital costs will be split…”

Looking at the LPC demolition referrals, the next mixed-use housing projects will be the the sites of the Dollar Store and Virginia Cleaners on Shattuck.

Saturday April 9^th the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council at 10 am will take up Berkeley issues, the agenda is not yet posted.

Shattuck will be closed from Allston to Center for the Celebrate the Arts Festival at the Downtown BART Station Plaza.

 

Sunday, April 3, 2022 – no city meetings or events found 

Monday, April 4, 2022 

Peace and Justice Commission at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84810259638 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 ID: 848 1025 9638 

AGENDA: 7. Bob Meola Memorial service – April 10, 2022, 8. Workplan, 9. Discussion on the Ukraine – Call for immediate Cease-Fire, 10. Discussion on Police Accountability, Reform and Reimagining processes, 11. Oppose Russian Invasion of Ukraine and in Support of Peaceful Future. 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=13054 

Personnel Board at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81240267313?pwd=WFpSbGxKRWJPeXZaRUhHT3ZTZ2pIdz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 ID: 812 4026 7313 Passcode: 480051  

AGENDA: V. Recommendation to Revise the Tool Lending Specialist Job Duties and Compensation, VI. Berkeley Police Department Staffing – Update from Chief Louis 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Personnel_Board_Homepage.aspx 

Tuesday, April 5, 2022 - no city meetings or events found, council on spring recess 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 

Board of Library Trustees at 6:30 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86042306505 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 ID: 860 4230 6505 

AGENDA: Consent: B. Amend Contract add $109,950 total $221,775 and extend to 6/30/2025 Sevaa Group, C. Executive search, D. Revision Tool Lending Specialist Classification 3% increase, Presentation: 2023-2024 Budget, Action: Proposed Budget, B. Request for Strategic Planning. 

https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/about/board-library-trustees 

Commission on Disability at 6 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89060922035?pwd=K3UzZnpVeHpQVWZxUWY4eXJ6SnRUZz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-9009128 ID: 890 6092 2035 

AGENDA: Action: B. Election, Discussion: 1/ Housing Element, 2. Elevator Ordinance 3. Easy Does It, 4 Inclusive Disaster Registry, 4. Workplan, 6. Accessibility of City of Berkeley Commission Training Program, 7. Accessibility of Voicemail System 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Commission_on_Disability_Homepage.aspx 

Homeless Services Panel of Experts at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://zoom.us/j/92491365323 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 924 9136 5323 

AGENDA: Discussion and possible action: 6. Current status of Measure P allocations, projected 2022-2023 revenue, discussion of each program funded, 7. Crisis stabilization center recommendations and discussion on funding domestic violence transitional house/shelter. 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Homeless_Services_Panel_of_Experts.aspx 

Planning Commission at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87834737155 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 878 3473 7155  

AGENDA: 9. Public Hearing: Ashby and North Berkeley BART Station Areas Zoning and General Plan Amendments, Joint Vision, Priorities and Final EIR, Statement of Overriding Considerations, 10. Public Hearing Zoning Amendments that Address Technical Edits and Corrections to BMC Title 23. (packet 217 pages, public response letters/emails pages 141 – 217) 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Planning_Commission_Homepage.aspx 

Vision 2050 at 7 pm 

Videoconference:  

Link to Virtual Meeting or https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86394797559 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 863 9479 7559 

AGENDA: Presentation of infrastructure needs and potential methods of financing with Q&A session 

https://www.berkeleyvision2050.org/ 

Thursday, April 7, 2022 

Housing Advisory Commission at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88371004605 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 883 7100 4605 

AGENDA: 5. Discussion and possible Action on Housing Preference Policy 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/Housing_Advisory_Commission/ 

Landmarks Preservation Commission at 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81319017747 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 813 1901 7747 

AGENDA: 5. 2113 Kittredge – California Theatre – continuation to grant designation status, 

6. 2580 Bancroft – Fred Turner Building - Structural Alteration Permit 

7. 1650 Shattuck – Virginia Cleaners – Demolition referral 

8. 2440 Shattuck – The Dollar Store – Demolition referral 

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/landmarkspreservationcommission/ 

Public Works Commission at 7 pm 

Links and agenda not posted, check after Monday 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Public_Works_Commission_Homepage.aspx 

Water Emergency Transportation Authority at 1 pm 

Hybrid Meeting - 670 W Hornet Ave, Alameda, CA 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89718217408 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-6833 ID: 897 1821 7408 Password: 33779  

AGENDA: 5. Staff Reports, a. Mask Mandate, Passenger Vessel Association Public Ferry Caucus, Employer Outreach, b. Monthly Financial Statements, c. Federal Legislative Update, State Legislative Update, e. Monthly Ridership and Recovery Report, 6. Consent a. Resolution regarding remote meetings, 7. Approve Extension of FY 2022 Pandemic Recovery Program, 8. Receive Berkeley Ferry Service Business Plan (packet pages 36 – 103), 9. Sea Change Hydrogen-powered vessel Demonstration Project, 10. WETA 2050 Service Vision & Business Plan Work Plan. (packet 110 pages) 

https://weta.sanfranciscobayferry.com/next-board-meeting 

Friday, April 8, 2022 - Reduced Service Day 

Saturday, April 9, 2022 

Berkeley Neighborhoods Council at 10 am 

Videoconference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81913698863?pwd=NFJjWlh2aDhtSjh1eG4yQUFkMzNmQT09 

Teleconference: 1-253-215-8782 Meeting ID: 819 1369 8863 Passcode: 377919 

AGENDA: not posted, check later in the week 

https://berkeleyneighborhoodscouncil.com/ 

Front Row Festival – Celebrate the Arts in Downtown Berkeley BART at 11 am – 6 pm 

Shattuck will be closed front of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station between Allston and Center 

11 am – The Marsh, 12 pm – Freight and Salvage, 1 pm UC Theatre, 2 pm CA Jazz Conservancy, 3 pm, The Back Room, $ pm The Berkeley Rep, 5 pm Berkeley Symphony 

https://www.downtownberkeley.com/frontrowfestival/ 

Sunday, April 10, 2022 - no city meetings or events found 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

AGENDA - APRIL 12, 2022 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING at 6 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86759332010 

Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free) Meeting ID: 867 5933 2010 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Agenda_Index.aspx 

CONSENT: 1. 2^nd reading implementing the Independent Redistricting Commission adjusted City Council District boundaries, 2. 2^nd reading align State and Local Laws on Cannabis, 3. 2^nd reading R&D definition, 4. Resolution to continue legislative bodies to meet via videoconference, 5. Amends BMC Section 6.24.050 to allow Parking Space rental tax to be placed in the general fund instead of a special fund, 6. $710,000 Bid Solicitations, 7. Fire Dept - Purchase order $621,000 for 8 Emergency vehicle utility pickup trucks for the Berkeley Fire Dept, 8. $2,802,400 for Mental Health Services Innovations – Encampment-Based Mobile Wellness Center Project over 5 yr period starting FY2023, 9. Revenue contract $2,500,000 apply for Mental Health Student Services Oversight and Accountability Commission funding for BUSD, 10. Revenue Grant application $173,408 for FY 2023-2027 CA Dept of Public Health-Oral Health Program, 11. Adopt a Resolution to ratify pre-approved PARS Plan document and related Amendments by Interim Deputy City Manager on 12/27/2021, 12. Human resources - Re-establish Senior Engineering Inspector Classification, 13. Parks - Contract $4,468,610 with Sysco San Francisco for Food Services for Tuolumme and Echo Lake Resident Camps for 5/1/2022 – 5/1/2027 amount subject to annual budget appropriation process, 14. Donation $16,000 from friends of Lucinda Sikes for a memorial bench and picnic equipment to be placed at Codornices Park in memory of Lucinda, 15. Planning and Development - Application for Revenue Grant FEMA for Hazard Mitigation Grant amount $3,750,000 with commitment to be matched with $1,750,000, 16. BPD - Revenue Grant CA Dept of Justice Tobacco Grant $191,053 FY 2022-2025, 17. Public Works - Contract $6,084,809 with Bay Cities Paving & Grading for Street Rehabilitation rejecting Azul Works bid as non-responsive for Intersection Reconfiguration at Dwight and California, 18. Public Works - Master License agreement template for the non-exclusive installation of small cell telecommunications facilities on City owned and maintained streetlight poles in the public right-of-way 19. Arreguin, co-sponsor Hahn – Budget Referral $60,000 for providing essential school supplies to Berkeley families, 20. Arreguin, co-sponsors Wengraf, Bartlett – Support AB 1944 which amends the Brown Act to permanently enable meetings of legislative bodies to be conducted through videoconference or teleconference, 21. Arreguin, co-sponsors Harrison, Wengraf, Bartlett – Support AB 1947 requires law enforcement agencies to adopt policies on how to identify and report Hate Crimes, 22. Kesarwani, co-sponsors Droste, Taplin, Wengraf, Resolution Reaffirming the City of Berkeley Commitment to Transgender Rights, 23. Taplin – Budget Referral funding of EV Charging Infrastructure for City’s Fleet of EV, 24. Taplin – Budget Referral funding West Berkeley Park Ambassadors at San Pablo Park, Strawberry Creek and Aquatic Parks, 25. Taplin – Support AB 1608 – Independent Coroner’s Offices, 26. Taplin – Native and Drought Resistant Plants and Landscaping policy update, 27. Taplin, co-sponsors Wengraf, Kesarwani, Droste – Community Policing: Flex Team for Problem-Oriented Policing Under the Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment (SARA) Model and other applicable community engagement models, 28. Harrison – Budget Referral $100,000 to hire CPA to provide supplemental assistance in fulfilling budgetary obligations, 29. Arreguin, co-sponsors Wengraf, Taplin – (Council Office Budget Funds) Berkeley Public Library Foundation Dinner, 30. Hahn, co-sponsors Taplin, Arreguin – (Council Office Budget Funds) Kala Art Institute to support programs, 31. Wengraf, Hahn, co-sponsors Arreguin, Bartlett - Proclamation in Honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, 32. Wengraf, co-sponsors Arreguin, Hahn – Budget Referral $6000 annual to fund Holocaust Remembrance Day, 33. Robinson, Harrison – Budget Referral $250,000 to contribute to preliminary design Downtown BART station modernization project, 34. Robinson - (Council Office Budget Funds) Suitcase Clinic, 35. Robinson, co-sponsors Harrison, Hahn – Support AB 2050 Ellis act reform, 36. Robinson , co-sponsor Hahn – Support SB 649 Affordable Housing Local Tenant Preference, 37. Robinson - Support AB 2147 Jaywalking Decriminalization, 38. Robinson, co-sponsors Arreguin, Harrison, Droste – Support for Support Article 34 Repeal eliminating the required city-wide vote for construction of publicly funded low-income housing projects, ACTION: 39. Auditor – Berkeley Police: Improvements Needed to Manage Overtime and Security Work for Outside Entities, 40. a. Commission on Labor Fair Workweek Ordinance – Adopt first reading of proposed Workweek Ordinance BMC 13.110, b. City Manager – Direct Item to Health, Life Enrichment, Equity and Community Policy Committee, 41 a. Disaster and Fire Safety Commission (DFSC) – UC Berkeley Agreement $4,300,000/year to cover cost expended by the City due to the University expansion, funding is intended to support fire and city services, DFSC recommends the City administer funds separately from the general funds and with public review under DFSC similar to FF and GG for the duration of the agreement, b. City Manager – use the general fund to administer payments,. 

LAND USE CALENDAR: 

Public Hearings Scheduled – Land Use Appeals 

1643-47 California – new basement level and 2^nd story 4/26/2022 

Remanded to ZAB or LPC 

1205 Peralta – Conversion of an existing garage 

Notice of Decision (NOD) and Use Permits with the End of the Appeal Period 

1635 Curtis - 187 sq ft backyard office over 12 ft in average height 4/6/2022 

2407 Dana – Establish a temporary daytime drop-in center where services and support will be provided for unhoused community members in need of a place to gather during the daytime 4/11/2022 

2451 Fifth – Establish an art/craft studio under 20,000 sq ft 4/6/2022 

2200 Fourth – Change of use of less than 25% of existing protected manufacturing use to R&D, construction of 5113 sq ft of new R&D space, 4/6/2022 

2730 Grant – 2-story rear addition with average height of 21 ft 7 in, which horizontally and vertically extends the existing non-conforming 1 ft 8 in side setback 4/6/2022 

83 San Mateo – 15 sq ft addition above 14 ft in average height and 20 feet in maximum height on 7560 sq ft lot with an existing 3,457 sq ft dwelling 4/13/2022 

89 San Mateo – New rear decks above 14 ft in average height, window alterations within non-conforming setbacks 4/6/2022, 

2361 San Mateo – To establish the off-sale of beer and wine at a retail store 4/14/2022 

825 Santa Barbara – Expand existing 502 sq ft garage with a non-conforming setback by 31 feet, increase average height from 6 ft 11 in to 10 ft 5 in and replace door 4/6/2022 

1235 Tenth – Beer at commercial rec center 4/14/2022 

2145 Ward – Major Residential addition over 14 ft reconfiguration of existing 2 units, continuation of non-conforming side setback and an increase of bedrooms to 5 on lot 4/6/2022 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/planning_and_development/land_use_division/current_zoning_applications_in_appeal_period.aspx 

WORKSESSIONS: 

April 19 – Fire Department Standards of Coverage Study, BART Station Planning 

June 21 – Ballot Measure Development/Discussion (tentative) 

July 19 - open 

Unscheduled Workshops/Presentations 

Cannabis Health Considerations 

Alameda County LAFCO Presentation 

Civic Arts Grantmaking Process & Capital Grant Program 

Mid-Year Budget Report FY 2022 

Berkeley Strategic Transportation Plan Update 

Kelly Hammargren’s on what happened the preceding week can be found in the Berkeley Daily Planet www.berkeleydailyplanet.com under Activist’s Diary. This meeting list is also posted at https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html on the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website. 

If you would like to receive the Activist’s Calendar as soon as it is completed send an email to kellyhammargren@gmail.com. If you wish to stop receiving the weekly summary of city meetings please forward the weekly summary you received to kellyhammargren@gmail.com. 

On Sunday, March 27, world renowned pianist Mitsuko Uchida came to Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall to preform two Mozart Piano Concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra led by concertmaster Mark Steinberg. In actuality, most of the leading was done by Mitsuko Uchida, who conducted from the piano in the Mozart Piano Concertos. Also included in the program were Selected Fantasias by Henry Purcell, ably led by Concertmaster Mark Steinberg. These works by Purcell, which were performed just before intermission, included lovely writing for the violas.  

Hearing and seeing Mitsuko Uchida conduct as well as perform on piano was a rare treat. Having heard many of Uchida’s recordings, I had yet to see her perform live. All I can say is that my admiration for her artistry grew immeasurably from the experience of seeing and hearing 

Mitsuko Uchida perform two wonderful Mozart Piano Concertos live as she conducted from the piano. 

Initially, when she came on stage, my first impression of Mitsuko Uchida was of something delicate and ethereal. She wore a filmy, see-through shawl over a green blouse. Yet there was also a showmanship touch in her sparkling silver shoes. As the concert developed, these two potentially contradictory impressions were magically transmuted into a unified whole. As pianist and conductor, perhaps especially when she performs Mozart, Mitsuko Uchida is both a humble servant of the ethereal music Mozart wrote, and she is also a woman of remarkable showmanship. Conducting from the piano, which was positioned facing the orchestra, Mitsuko Uchida used gracefully flowing hand gestures for the delicate orchestral passages in Mozart but also utilised abrupt, decisively robust and assertive hand gestures to call for demonstrative orchestral moments. Though slight of stature, Mitsuko Uchida exudes remarkable power as well as remarkable delicacy in her playing and conducting. 

The two Mozart Piano Concertos performed by Uchida in tis concert were the A Major, No. 23, K. 488, and the C minor Concerto, No. 24, K. 491. Both were written in 1786. Yet they are as different as night and day. A Major was a key that Mozart associated with sunny moods and lively musical colours. For Mozart the key of C minor is one of dark, tragic emotions. What is utterly remarkable is the fact that Mozart is so balanced a human being that, on one hand, the sunny moods are often tinged with hints of the tragic, while on the other hand his dark, tragic moods are often tinged with hints of light and hope. For example, in the A Major Concerto, No. 23, the first and last movements are as sunny as can be. Yet the middle movement, a slow Adagio (or Andante), is identified by Eric Blom as “a kind of Siciliana, or rather Napolitana, … for the pathetic Neapolitan sixth plays a great part in making it more intensely plaintive.” This is heavenly music; yet it is also a cry from the heart. Pianist Mitsuko Uchida performed this slow movement with all the delicacy and heartfelt intensity that it deserves. The cadenza played by Mitusko Uchida in this concerto was Mozart’s own. 

In both the 23rd and 24th Piano Concertos, Mozart effectively used groupings of woodwind instruments, especially flute and clarinets, though also occasionally bassoons and French horns. The woodwind section of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra did itself proud. The C minor Concerto, No.24, is gloomy throughout, though energetic. In the first movement, the cadenza played by Mitsuko Uchida was hers. The middle movement, a Larghetto, is exquisite though soulful in its gloom. The final movement is sorrowfully elegant, and it brings this work to a close as it began, in the dark key of C minor. Once again, Mitsuko Uchida was outstanding in her fidelity to Mozart’s music and its subtle moods of darkness and light. 

By way of an encore, Mitsuko Uchida performed the elegant Sarabande from Bach’s French Suite.

Under the auspices of Cal Performances, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton joined with pianist-composer Jake Heggie in a recital on Sunday afternoon, April 3, at Hertz Hall. Jamie Barton, fresh off a dazzling performance at the Metropolitan Opera as Princess Eboli in the original French version of Verdi’s Don Carlos, here showed a lighter side. At least this was so in the songs she performed composed by her accompanist, Jake Heggie. I am not a huge fan of Jake Heggie’s. I admired his early operas Dead Man Walking and Moby Dick, but I passed on attending his 2016 opera It’s A Wonderful Life due to my intense dislike of the trite and maudlin Frank Capra film on which it is based. Recently, I was hugely disappointed by Heggie’s 2019 opera If I Were You, which I found woefully trite. As for Jake Heggie’s art songs, they are angular and often arch but devoid of melodies. You’ll never leave a concert hall humming lovely melodies heard in Jake Heggie’s songs. They may be whimsical, they may be arch, they may be stilted; but they are almost never melodic.  

Thus, in a program devoted largely to songs by Jake Heggie, well, you might have guessed it. What stood out, at least for this listener, were the highly melodic songs by Florence Price, Franz Schubert, and Johannes Brahms. Maybe the most pleasant surprise were the songs by Florence Price. Based largely on American folk tunes, Price’s songs included “We Have Tomorrow,” “The Poet and His Song,” “Night,” and “Hold Fast to Dreams.” I especially liked “The Poet and His Song,” which was beautifully performed by Jamie Barton. Price’s song “Night” gave Barton a chance to show off, especially in its closing moments, her remarkable range.  

Although this recital opened with a song by Jake Heggie, “Music,” from The Breaking Waves, the first half of this recital thankfully concentrated on the far more melodic music of Franz Schubert, Florence Price, and Johannes Brahms. From Schubert we heard “An die Musik,” the much beloved “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” and “Rastlose Liebe.” Jamie Barton navigated the lush melodies of the Schubert songs with great aplomb. From Brahms we heard “Unbewegetelaut Luft,” “Meine Liebe ist grün,” and ‘Von ewiger Liebe.” The latter, which closed the set of Brahms songs, was exultantly celebratory of eternal love.  

After intermission, the entire second half of this recital was devoted to songs by Jake Heggie. In his introductory remarks, spoken in a voice that did not carry well to the middle of the hall where I sat, Jake Heggie stated that during the Covid pandemic he asked various people what they missed the most.  

Then Heggie set to music their responses. This gave rise to a work entitled What I Miss the Most, which here received its world premiere. The first song in this work was set to a reply by Joyce DiDonato. Entitled “Order,” it closed with a bombastic ending that seemed out of place. Next came Heggie’s music to a reply by Patti LuPone, which ended with Jamie Barton singing a lovely wordless vocalise. Following this was Heggie’s music to a reply from Sister Helen Prejean, which ended with a thrice repeated, and ever louder, call to “DO SOMETHING.” Next was Heggie’s music to a reply from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in which she decried the lack of live music during the pandemic. The final piece in this set was Heggie’s music to a text by Kathleen Kelly, which seemed to be a post coital reverie.  

The following set was comprised of two whimsical songs, “Of Gods and Cats,” set to a text by Gavin Dillard, and “Once Upon a Universe,” to a text by Gene Scheer. Jamie Barton closed the first of these sons with a “meow.” The second song, about a mischievous boy who enjoys destroying his toys, closed with Jamie Barton singing a declamatory “Alleluia.” These two songs, though delightfully playful n their lyrics, offered little that was engaging as music.  

This recital’s final set was introduced by Jake Heggie, who again spoke in such a hushed voice that I could barely hear a word or two of how he came to write this set. All I can say is that these are songs written as if for many of our country’s most prominent First Ladies. Leading off was a song allegedly from Eleanor Roosevelt, in which she praises the singing of Marian Anderson, who was the first African-American artist ever to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. Next came a song in which Mary Todd Lincoln sings of her husband’s hat, the one he wore on the day he was assassinated. This song has a strange, eerily subdued ending. There followed what for me was the highlight, indeed, the ONLY highlight of this set, a song in which Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sings of writing a Christmas card and asking Jack to sign it, then asking him to help her choose what to wear the next day in Dallas. He chose a pink Chanel suit. She achingly recounts that fifty hours later, she returned to that bedroom, still wearing the pink Chanel suit and hat, now covered with her dead husband’s blood. And she cries out in anguish, “Oh Jack, what would you like me to do?” This cry is bone-chilling. The final song in this set was anti-climactic, to say the least. Allegedly from Barbara Bush, it is a paean to a piano she has named Pete. Both the song and its lyrics were as trite as could be. 

The sole encore was a song by Chopin sung in English by Jamie Barton.  

During the applause for these songs by Jake Heggie, the composer fawned over Jamie Barton, repeatedly falling on one knee with his arms outstretched toward Barton as if to direct all praise to his prima donna. Though this gesture showed humility on Heggie’s part, it seemed stagey.