Berkeley, California, is unique. In the 1960s it was hippie heaven. Anti-war political protests and the Free Speech movement flourished. Near the University of California, Berkeley, sidewalk vendors on Telegraph Avenue offered tie-dyed shirts, hand made jewelry, posters, art, knit ware, bumper stickers. The shops sold books, hookahs, water beds, Indian bedspreads, vintage clothing. Copy shops were everywhere; for $5 one could print 200 leaflets and start a movement. Although times have changed, we in Berkeley still appreciate individuality and diverse life styles. To this day, visitors to Berkeley can encounter experiences totally foreign to them. I’ve hosted visitors and am often amused by their take. At times, I am also stunned. -more-

Please email council and speak this Tue night in support of a unanimous vote to support Auditor Jenny Wong’s audit of staffing and HR issues that are in serious trouble.

Action is needed to retain and recruit good employees. I took the auditor’s survey and confirmed many of these shocking and disappointing facts Re lack of management support of employees, delay in hiring, failure to provide training or best practices.

People are leaving and management in most cases failed to give exit interviews to find out if there are things that can be done differently to retain the next employee. -more-

The Peace Wave: A Live 24-Hour Global Block Party

This weekend, July 8-9, the International Peace Bureau and World BEYOND War are preparing to launch their second-annual 24-hour Global Peace Wave. This singular and extraordinary event involves a constantly moving day-long Zoom featuring "live peace actions in the streets and squares of the world, moving around the globe with the sun." The keynote message of this year's world-circling celebration (with lots of songs, dance, rallies, marches, banner drops and lots of surprises along the way) is "No to Militarization: Yes to Cooperation." -more-

Socially speaking, people have a lot of disdain for those with obsessive behaviors. Yet there are a lot of people whose behaviors don't fit the narrow norm, some of them mentally ill and others considered fringe. When we get a reputation for this, we are shunned, and blame is heaped on us from myriad sources for anything and everything, whether we did something wrong or not. When I was young, I had some level of obsessive behavior, and the bad rap of it continues to come after me, even though I've cured myself of it many years ago. -more-

Jim Sharp, a longtime Berkeley resident and community activist, lost his 17-month battle with cancer on April 18, 2023. A Mass in his honor will be celebrated at St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman Street, on Sunday, July 23, 2023 at 10:30 am.

James Michael Sharp was born in Whittier, CA on August 15, 1943. His great-grandfather, James Meikle Sharp (1844–1932), migrated across the Plains from Ohio to Oregon in 1852. He came to Southern California in 1876 and established a fruit ranch in Saticoy (Ventura County) that is still owned and operated by his descendants.

Jim’s paternal grandparents met in Berkeley as students and married in 1912. His father and elder aunt were born here. Later they returned to Ventura County, where the grandfather, Leslie Theodore Sharp, founded his own fruit ranch in Santa Paula.

Jim graduated from Occidental College, where he majored in Economics and played water polo. He obtained an MBA from UCLA before moving to Berkeley in 1969 to study for his MCP degree at Cal. His working career included stints as a municipal finance consultant, resource economist, and database publisher.

A lifelong athlete and avid hiker, in middle age Jim developed a passion for botany. He planted a large garden of California native plants, volunteered at the Native Plant Society, and attended many botanical workshops and field trips. In 1974, he met his life partner, with whom he traveled widely and enjoyed art films and eclectic music. -more-

Worth Noting:

The week ahead is packed with meetings. The last City Council meeting before leaving on summer recess is July 25. Summer recess is July 26 through September 11. Most of the commissions do not meet in August.

• Monday:
  • At 2:30 pm Agenda and Rules Committee meets in the hybrid format to plan July 25 City Council meeting.
  • At 4:30 pm Council goes into closed session on active litigation.
  • At 6 pm Speaking Up for Point Molate Elizabeth Dougherty explains watersheds (online).
  • At 7 pm the Personnel Board meets in person.
  • At 7 pm the Peace and Justice Commission is scheduled to meet, but no agenda is posted.
• Tuesday: At 7 pm City Council meets in the hybrid format with two important agenda items, 31city staff vacancies and 33 the Civic Center Plan which lists daylighting Strawberry Creek as an alternative for Civic Center Park
• Wednesday: At
  • 5 pm the community meeting on the African American Holistic Center Plan meets in person.
  • At 5 pm the Commission on Disability meets in person.
  • At 6 pm there is a community meeting online on the Zero Waste Strategic Plan.
  • At 6:30 pm the Police Accountability Board meets in the hybrid format on the proposal for fixed camera licensed plate readers (ALPRs) from the Police Department.
  • At 7 pm the Parks Commission meets in person on the subcommittee’s proposed Waterfront Specific Plan report.
• Thursday:
  • At 7 pm the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets in person.
  • At 1 pm WETA meets in the hybrid format.
• Friday: At 12 pm is Derby Day for children at the West Campus Pool.
• Saturday: At 1 pm Aimee Baldwin gives a tour on Chinese in Berkeley for the Berkeley historical Society and Museum

Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/

Directions with links to ZOOM support for activating Closed Captioning and Save Transcript are at the bottom of this calendar.

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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS

Sunday, July 9, 2023 - no city meetings, events listed

Monday, July 10, 2023 -more-