In a memo that City Councilmember Dona Spring calls “shocking” and “the kind of letter that you’d expect from a UC attorney,” the assistant attorney for the City of Berkeley appears to have advised Mayor Tom Bates on strategies to amend Berkeley’s zoning ordinance to fit UC’s needs for the proposed downtown hotel and conference complex. According to Assistant City Attorney Zach Cowan, a “side benefit of including zoning amendments is that we can amend whatever is necessary to bulletproof any City approval.” -more-

TUESDAY, FEB. 17 -more-

TUESDAY, FEB. 17 -more-

From: Cowan, Zach -more-

After more than 30 years of struggle for a home of their own, Vista College officials acknowledge their new campus set to rise in downtown Berkeley is a victim of bad timing. -more-

The California Unemployment Appeals Board ruled recently that Arturo Perez, a produce worker at Berkeley Bowl who was fired last September during an unsuccessful union organizing drive, is eligible for unemployment. Perez who has a charge pending with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accusing the Berkeley Bowl of firing him illegally, can now use the ruling by the appeals board to boost his claim. -more-

The long-delayed saga of the North Berkeley Sprint cellphone facility comes to a definite close at tonight’s (Tuesday, Feb. 17) regular 7 p.m. city council meeting—that is, unless the council rules against Sprint and the cellphone company sues the city. In addition, the city council will take on several long-range zoning and development issues tonight. -more-

Today, Feb. 17, my parents have been married for 65 years. They are still living in their home by themselves, at 89 and 91. Our family is very lucky to have them still with us, still in good spirits and relatively good health. -more-