Recent revelations regarding the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's (BAAQMD) mismanagement of Pacific Steel Casting's (PSC) Synthetic Minor Operating Permit (SMOP) has raised many questions about the process, the air district's engineers, and more specifically, how the steel foundry has been allowed to operate outside the legal requirements of Title V and its SMOP.

Federal guidelines make PSC ultimately responsible for compliance to their permit. The task of issuing the SMOP for PSC's operations and for verifying the foundry's compliance is held by BAAQMD. Therefore, the air district should be held responsible for the many years of PSC’s noncompliance and their regulatory failure to accurately track the company’s emissions. If BAAQMD's forthcoming pronouncement holds true to its history, then the air district is likely to say that the long-term permit debacle doesn’t really make any difference. Perhaps to those at the district who have mismanaged this permit, it hasn’t, but for our downwind community, concerns over emissions, odors and possible health impacts have plagued residents and businesses as well as numerous children's play spaces and facilities for decades.

The air district certainly knows that two permits make a significant difference compared to one permit in accounting for total emission volumes when it comes to shielding the company’s actual impact on the surrounding community. More importantly, the permit’s discharge limits dictate BAAQMD's legal response to PSC’s operations. In the case of PSC, it has allowed the company to fly under the regulatory radar and increase their air emissions in tandem with diminishing requirements to make upgrades to their operations or to require any additional site monitoring. This flagrant disregard by both the air district and PSC has been to the detriment of local residents' health. -more-

People registered Green, Peace & Freedom , or any other minor party (including Republican) who want to vote in the Democratic presidential primary have got to change their registration by Monday. It’s easiest to register Democratic, but they can also check the no party preference box, but then they have to specifically ask for a Democratic “cross-over” ballot.

People can come to the Bernie Sanders East Bay office, at 5615 College Ave.in Oakland (formerly Alta Bates Thrift Shop - just south of the Rockridge BART station) and fill out and turn one in there - they will be open all weekend, and will also turn in all registrations received by Monday afternoon. Alternatively, if they have a California driver's license or DMV-issued ID card, they can go to the Secretary of State’s website, at registertovote.ca.gov and register on-line.

Finally, they can also register in person at the Registrar of Voter’s office, in the basement of the courthouse in downtown Oakland (1225 Fallon Street), which will be open this weekend, and, if they do that, they can pick up their Democratic ballot and vote at the same time. -more-

A community meeting will be held on Tuesday May 24 concerning the application for a master use permit to develop the 8.5 acre site at Addison and Bolivar Drive on Aquatic Park. The public is invited to attend from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park St. in San Pablo Park. -more-

There's a lot going on at the regional planning level. Berkeley resident and former Planet columnist Zelda Bronstein has been covering it in exhaustive detail on the 48Hills website maintained by former Bay Guardian editor Tim Redmond. See it here: -more-

A female student was sexually assaulted Sunday afternoon on campus at the University of California at Berkeley, according to police information released yesterday. -more-

This message from Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board Chair Denise Pinkston was posted on the San Francisco BARF website: -more-

“Larger now than the Roman Empire of two thousand years ago, more opaque than the Byzantine, the European Union continues to baffle observers and participants alike.”

—Perry Anderson, British historian

The European Union is one of the premier trade organizations on the planet, with a collective GDP that matches the world’s largest economies. But it is far more than a trade group. It is also a banker, a judicial system, a watchdog, a military alliance, and, increasingly, an enforcer of economic rules among its 28 members.

On the one hand it functions like a super state, on the other, a collection of squabbling competitors, with deep divisions between north and south. On June 23, the two-decade-old organization will be put to the test when Great Britain—its second largest economy—votes to stay in the EU or bail out.

The awkwardly named “Brexit” has stirred up a witches’ brew of xenophobia, racism and nationalism, but it has also served to sharpen a long standing debate among the European left over the nature of the organization, and whether it serves to unite a continent shattered by two world wars or functions as little more than a vehicle to spread a particular species of capitalism that has impoverished more people than it has lifted up. -more-

report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommended federal actions to “simultaneously decrease the cost of hearing aids, spur technology innovation and increase consumer choice options.” The Council suggested, for example, that the Food and Drug Administration permit a “basic” hearing aid, for mild to moderate age-related hearing loss, to be sold over the counter… something that every state prohibits. -more-

Having a disability entails more difficulties than merely posing an obstacle to employment. In the case of a psychiatric illness, most areas of life are affected. Mental illness and being medicated make a number of things harder. -more-

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has refused to release his tax returns, saying “It’s none of your business” and “there’s nothing to learn.” Of course, there is something to learn from the recent tax returns of a supposed billionaire who seeks to gain the trust of American voters. If we had access to Trump’s returns we’d learn Donald’s top ten tax tricks. -more-

The Dazzling Divas, Pamela Connelly, Kathleen Moss and Eliza O’Malley, light up the hall on Wednesday at Le Bateau Ivre on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley with arias, duets and trios from celebrated operas of Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Bizet, Delibes and more. Come indulge yourself in a dazzling evening of opera’s top hits with these Bay Area favorites. -more-

Two chamber concerts of interest this coming week: -more-

John O'Keefe--writer, performer, one of the mainstays of Berkeley's Blake Street Hawkeyes from the 70s--will be performing his story "The Sequined Lady" this Saturday night at 8 as a living room performance in the home of Pam & Phil Clevenger in San Francisco, the second in a series of salon performances the Clevengers are hosting. -more-

The San Francisco International Arts Festival opened its annual run last Thursday at Fort Mason on the city's northern waterfront and will continue, Wednesdays through Sundays, through June 5, hosting a plethora of performing arts companies, solo artists and installations from here, there and everywhere--including a few notable East Bay participants. -more-

Monday, May 23, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon, Civic Arts Commission, 2180 Milvia St, Redwood-Sequoia Rm, 6^th Floor, Choosing a Consultant for Berkeley’s Cultural Plan Update Panel

Tuesday, May 24, 5:30 – 6:45 pm, Berkeley City Council, 1231 Addison St, Please enter at 1222 University Ave, City Council Referral Prioritization Process, Agenda: http://records.cityofberkeley.info/Agenda/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=220&doctype=1

Tuesday, May 24, 6:45 - 7:00 pm, Berkeley Joint Powers Financing Authority, 1231 Addison St, Please enter at 1222 University Ave, Agenda:

http://records.cityofberkeley.info/Agenda/Documents/ViewDocument/Agenda.pdf?meetingId=218&documentType=Agenda&itemId=undefined&publishId=undefined&isSection=false

Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 – 11:00 pm, Berkeley City Council, 1231 Addison St, Please enter at 1222 University Ave, Proclamation Celebrate Pepper Spray Times 25 years, Berkeley World Music Festival – 13^th year, Ballot initiatives, Revolving door initiative – (one year not long enough) Appeal 2556 Telegraph – the Village, agenda: http://records.cityofberkeley.info/Agenda/Documents/ViewDocument/Agenda.pdf?meetingId=185&documentType=Agenda&itemId=undefined&publishId=undefined&isSection=false

Wednesday, May 25, 6:30 – 11:00 pm (usually over by 8:00 pm) Energy Commission, 1901 Hearst Ave, North Berkeley Senior Center.

Thursday, May 26, 7:00 – 11:30 pm, Zoning Adjustments Board, 2134 MLK Jr. Way, City Council Chambers, On Consent Calendar: 3271 Adeline St – Habitot, 2002 Addison – convert 2^nd floor commercial space to 6 dwelling units, 3000 Telegraph allow instructional tasting wine, beer, spirits in grocery, Action Calendar: 2129 Shattuck Ave, Center St Hotel, staff recommendation to approve,

Agenda: http://records.cityofberkeley.info/Agenda/Documents/ViewDocument/Agenda.pdf?meetingId=185&documentType=Agenda&itemId=undefined&publishId=undefined&isSection=false

Thursday, May 26, Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Presentation, The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar

6:30 Social Hour, 7:00 Buffet Dinner, 7:30 Business Meeting and Election, 8:00 Awards

http://berkeleyheritage.com/calendar.html

Friday, May 27 – May 30, no scheduled meetings, long Memorial Day weekend.

Tuesday, May 31, City Council back in session.
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