Amazon.com, Inc., is advertising for an assistant store manager for what the San Francisco Business Times calls a “bricks and mortar” store to be located in Berkeley.

A source within the University of California administration reports that the store will be located in the new ASUC Student Union building on the University of California at Berkeley campus. -more-

AC Transit is planning changes to most of the local routes in Berkeley and the F and J transbay routes. There are a number of informational meetings coming up as a public hearing on Nov. 11 at the AC transit office 1600 Franklin Oakland. 2PM and 5PM. The Berkeley informational meeting is Oct 24 10:30 AM at the South Branch library. -more-

Downtown Berkeley Association CEO Jon Caner’s apology before the City Council for gratuitously removing public posters legally placed downtown on October 13, 2015, was curiously undercut by references to a “complaint process” which consists entirely of a form on the Downtown Berkeley Association’s website.

This is no way resembles the independent complaint process recommended by the Homeless Task Force in May of 2015. For over six years complaints made directly to the Downtown Berkeley Association regarding the issue of posters and other issues have been ignored or dismissed. DBA “Ambassador” supervisor Lance Goree wrote me a letter in response to my complaint about content-based flier removal stating flatly that only the city was entitled to put posters downtown. -more-

The public is frustrated about daily gun violence. Families grieve over their loved ones, but this has no effect on our legislative chambers. The right for the poorest and weakest to live in a secure and healthy environment is often ignored by our representatives. Our tax dollars are often spent in providing adequate safety to rich and powerful politicians. We don’t pay sufficient attention to ordinary citizens. -more-

On October 1 the Berkeley minimum wage increased to $11 an hour. But unfortunately, for the majority of workers the raise is fictional. The City of Berkeley has notified the business community, and Berkeley businesses are supposed to post the wage increase in a place that is conspicuous and accessible to their workers. But so far, most minimum wage workers are not being informed. Notices are not being posted and nor are employees notified in any other way. In other words, large number of businesses are breaking the law. -more-

Predictably, the pressure cooker situation in Israel has finally exploded with spasms of violence by Palestinians and Israelis. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his right wing government have incited much of the violence by expanding Jewish settlements and ignoring settler terrorist attacks. About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settler terrorism has been ongoing for decades with complete impunity. No settler has ever been charged with vandalism or other acts of violence. -more-

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It looks like Councilmember Jesse Arreguin is running for Mayor of Berkeley. Tom Lochner of the CoCo Times figured it out, based on a change to the name of Arreguin's Facebook page. The Planet will probably be the last to know for sure. -more-

Facing the Housing Crisis, Berkeley and Emeryville Lawmakers Are Advancing Numerous Solutions

Most people are "successful" at most of the things they try to do. Yet many people who suffer from low self-esteem incorrectly believe themselves to be unsuccessful people, and generate negative, self-hating emotions accordingly. Comparing our levels of outward success to those of others is a bad habit that we have learned through unconscious assimilation. Society promulgates a misnomer that we need to have external success (as defined by certain criteria, especially having a lot of money), and if we do not have that, we don't deserve to like ourselves. -more-

On October 13th, the five Democratic presidential candidates debated for more than two hours. There were ten takeaways from the event:

1. It was a high-level debate, filled with discussion of Democratic policies and values. In contrast, the first two Republican debates featured a mixture of tired conservative maxims (cut taxes), opprobriums (dictator Obama), soft-ball questions (which woman would you put on the $10 bill) and personal attacks by Donald Trump . Democrats tackled substantial subjects including climate change, income inequality, race, campaign finance reform, domestic surveillance, Wall Street reform, the “one percent,” college affordability, diplomacy, paid family leave, healthcare, and the minimum wage. -more-

San Francisco Opera’s new production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor may offer vague, confusing staging, but it comes through musically with great singing. What the staging lacks -- in failing to focus the drama in any particular historical period or culture, instead offering a mishmash of sleek marble walls and costumes of modern-day business suits mixed in with military outfits – the singing more than makes up for. This is perhaps as it should be, since, where other composers might choose to tell this lurid story in music of violent dissonance and rhythmic urgency, Donizetti relies almost exclusively on his highly expressive lyricism. This lyricism rings true in each and every moment of this great opera. -more-

Co-directors Robert Campos and Donna LoCicero have delivered an outstanding documentary about the boom times of the Bay Area comedy scene in the 1980s—a 90-minute romp filled with bouts of laughter, a pinch of pathos and insights into the craft of the stand-up comic. 3 Still Standing is a multi-level saga that spins a tale of great expectations dashed by a changing economy and talented spirits challenged but undaunted by fickle fortune. -more-