Slamming what they called the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce’s Karl Rove approach to local elections, some 125 people demonstrated Wednesday on the steps of Old City Hall to “say no to big money and big lies.” -more-
UC Regents will be asked this month to approve the first of a major series of projects at Berkeley’s Southeast Campus. -more-
Do UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium area development plans violate a state law created to save lives in major earthquakes by limiting new construction? -more-
While speakers at a noontime rally at Old City Hall were protesting a spate of Chamber of Commerce hit pieces received by voters over the past week, new mailers containing what Councilmember Dona Spring called “more brazen lies” were appearing in District 4 and District 7 mailboxes. -more-
Reaction to a Peralta Area 7 trustee candidates debate has raised questions about what local voters committed themselves to in last June’s Peralta Measure A bond vote. -more-
Student votes could play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the District 7 and 8 Berkeley City Council races, according to UC Berkeley students who attended a local elections forum at Dwinelle Hall Wednesday. -more-
Berkeley’s first landmark has proved the Bay Area’s most popular—at least of the 25 structures Internet voters could pick to receive preservation funds. -more-
The turn-of-the-century battle cry “Whose station? Our station!” echoed through Berkeley streets as KPFA listener-supporters fought in daily demonstrations for control of the left-leaning flagship Pacifica radio station. The resistance to an attempted takeover by the national board was won in the courts where, among other guarantees, local listeners got the right to elect local station boards. -more-
Eight candidates are running for the board as independents. -more-
Cragmont Elementary students Alice Pearson Rickenbach, Emma Gordon, Katherine Gordon and parent David Adamson greet cars as they swing around the Marin Circle at a rally for Measure A on Monday. -more-
In San Francisco and Berkeley, progressive incumbents are under siege by heavily-funded campaigns for being “soft on crime.” In San Francisco, Supervisor Chris Daly has been barraged with hit-pieces by the Police Officers Association and challenger Rob Black. In Berkeley, City Councilman Kriss Worthington is on the receiving end of the most expensive campaign in that city’s history. Like Black, Worthington’s challenger (George Beier) has blamed the incumbent for a high crime rate in the district, filthy streets and a struggling economy. By making crime and quality-of-life issues a central theme of their campaigns, Black and Beier have both attacked the incumbents on an issue where any individual supervisor or city councilmember has little control. Beier has already spent $72,000 of his own money on mail pieces and free beer for Cal students, and the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has kicked in an extra $9,000 in independent expenditures. All of this in a race where you need just 2,000 votes to win an election. -more-
Proposition 1A—Transportation Funding Protection -more-
Every city in California is struggling to maintain financial health after years of state takeaways. I’m most proud to have saved Richmond from the brink of financial disaster by firing management, bringing in the State Auditor, and making unpopular decisions to dramatically reduce our operating expenses to save our City from bankruptcy. Today, our City is in the black with a balanced budget and new leadership that I helped recruit, including our City Manager, our Finance Director and our Police Chief. -more-
I’ve achieved many of the things that I’ve wanted to achieve in life. I’m happily married, have a beautiful family, run a successful business, and have an amazing circle of friends. I want to give back to Richmond, the city that has given me so much. -more-
Richmond can be a great place … It is possible! In 2004 the City of Richmond was hit by a 35 million dollar tidal wave of a deficit that swept away over 200 city jobs and the few public services that Richmond residents could count on . In the throes of this disaster, I ran for the Richmond City Council offering a new vision and a new direction. I was elected with an overwhelming approval of the voters, and without taking a single dollar from corporate America. The people of Richmond were tired of decades of corruption, collusion, mismanagement and carelessness. -more-
The Zoning Adjustments Board decided last week to continue Milo Foundation’s hearing for a use permit to allow neighbors more time to mediate with the Solano Avenue pet adoption store. -more-
Berkeley police apprehended a homeless man just after 6 a.m. Sunday—after he had set at least six blazes in the Telegraph Avenue area south of the UC Berkeley campus. -more-
The second round of campaign filings reveals that the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has outspent proponents of Measure J by nearly three to one. -more-
Besides the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce’s Business of Better Government Political Action Committee (PAC) and the backers of Measure J, the most active PAC to report contributions was the Berkeley Democratic Club’s PAC. -more-
A rally to protest what Councilmember Kriss Worthington is calling “hit piece distortions” in recent Berkeley Chamber of Commerce political action committee mailers will be held at noon, Wednesday, Nov. 1, on the steps of Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. -more-
If money talks in political campaigns, it’s roaring these days, at least in a couple of Berkeley campaigns. -more-
Led by the local Chamber of Commerce, the Berkeley pre-election season has taken a nasty turn. -more-
Breaking a silence of several weeks, Oakland Mayor-elect Ron Dellums announced last week that he opposes the proposed sale of Oakland Unified School District Lake Merritt-area property by the state superintendent’s office. -more-
Measure I would make substantial changes in Berkeley’s existing condominium conversion law, specifically promising to: -more-
Absentee voting is becoming increasingly popular, but, as an insert in the mailed ballot indicates, the cost to send the ballot back is 78 cents—two first-class stamps or one 39-cent stamp and one 24-cent stamp. -more-
On Nov. 7 Berkeley residents will decide on the fate of Measure A. -more-
Questions, comments and rebuttals greeted committee members from the North Shattuck Association and North Shattuck Plaza (NPS), Inc., at the community meeting held Thursday to discuss the North Shattuck plaza draft plan. -more-
On Nov. 7, District 2 voters in Oakland face a clear choice for City Council. It is an opportunity to create a progressive majority in one of the nation’s most diverse cities. And it is a choice between two very different futures for Oakland. -more-
Ten days before he was killed on Oct. 27, journalist Brad Will posted a news report on the Internet called “Death in Oaxaca,” about a 41-year-old man shot as he manned a barricade with his family and neighbors, much as thousands of Oaxacans have been doing for five months. Will, 36, from New York, had “not seen too many bodies in my life—eats you up,” he wrote in his dispatch to Indymedia. (http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/77343.shtml) -more-
(and please support Grace Underpressure with a donation :-)
