With storms expected to bring heavy rains this weekend, the City of Berkeley has been preparing. So should you.

1. Clean on and around your property as needed: gutters, rain downspouts, driveways, culverts, trash and debris around fences and gardens, and clear basement drains.
2. Check submersible pumps and sump pumps to make sure they are operating properly.
3. Ensure you have flashlights or portable lamps and batteries on hand in case of a power failure.
4. Program PG&E's power outage number into your phone (1-800-743-5002). This is the best number to call to find out about power outages and when the power is coming back.
5. Berkeley residents with identification can pick up sand bags at the City Corporation Yard on 1326 Allston Way, Mon - Fri, 8am to 4pm. Residents must show I.D.

For further guidance on how to prepare, the City's Community Emergency Response Team has prepared guides on how to prepare for your pets' safety, power outages as well as a guide for floods and landslides.

Public Works staff will be working throughout heavy storms, day and night. City staff will be available to deal with downed trees or flooding affecting local homes, businesses or streets. In an emergency, they can be reached by dialing 311 on a mobile phone or landline. If outside the city, call 981-2489. Crews will be dispatched and respond as quickly as possible. -more-

Oakland is showing real leadership among Bay Area cities by starting a pilot program which extends garbage collection to homeless camps. Cities like SF and Berkeley are purposefully using their neglect of basic sanitation to force our opinion about health hazards at these camps. Oakland's pilot program is a good start to working with these camps in a compassionate and realistic way, instead of just razing them and disposing of camping gear. -more-

Washington, D.C. – Today Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined with Representatives Sheila Jackson-Lee, Maxine Waters, Raúl Grijalva, Jim McGovern, Pramila Jayapal and Jamie Raskin in formally challenging the certification of the electoral votes of several states and released the following statement: -more-

I wanted to take a moment to explain why Andrew Puzder, President-Elect Trump's pick to lead the Labor Department is a BAD CHOICE! Here's why… -more-

The pensions for about 1 1/2 million retirees, except for retirees who are at least age 80 or who receive disability, will soon be cut by up to 60%. The cuts apply to retirees whose unions have the same collective bargaining agreement with at two or more employers, which cover more than 10 million workers. These workers have defined benefit plans in which an employer promises a specified pension payment upon retirement that is based on a worker's history rather than depending on an individual's investment returns. The justification for slashing the pensions in firms that have multi-employer contracts with unions is that these pension funds will soon be depleted. So it is necessary, the employers claim, to reduce the pensions now to assure that retirees would at least receive some income. -more-

Early Friday morning, 25 Bay Area Jews and allies held a mock trial outside the offices of the San Francisco Jewish Federation, challenging the institution on two counts of moral bankruptcy: its silence on the appointment of David Friedman as US ambassador to Israel and its support for 50 years of Israeli Occupation. The mock trial included actors representing the prosecutor, defense, and four witnesses: the San Francisco Federation, David Friedman, Stephen Bannon, and a representative of IfNotNow’s #JewishResistance.

The action -- one of six happening across the country this week and next -- came in response to a national call made by IfNotNow, a diverse national movement of American Jews working to end the American Jewish community's support for Israel’s Occupation. IfNotNow demanded that all local Jewish Federations and their parent organization, the Jewish Federations of North America, publicly denounce the appointment of Stephen Bannon by the last night of Hannukah, December 31st. The San Francisco Federation did share a partner organization’s statement condemning the appointment of Stephen Bannon. However, it remained silent on the appointment of David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel. -more-

A number of US corporations have adjusted their strategies hoping to gain more favorable treatment under a Trump administration by nourishing his enormous ego. For example, companies like Sprint seem content allowing Trump to take credit for their decision to hire more workers. Predictably, he tweeted with great gusto boasting that the Sprint CEO would hire 5,000 more workers in the US. Largely ignored is the fact that SoftBank, Sprint’s parent company, made a commitment to invest $50 billion and create 50,000 new jobs in the US in October - before the election. The insecure Trump thanked himself profusely for an increase in a consumer confidence index last month. More grist for ‘Saturday Night Live’. -more-

The recent release of archives from the Nixon library reveal a man obsessed with power who would willingly allow thousands of Americans and Vietnamese to die in the pursuit of the US presidency. -more-

Donald Trump insists he does not need to listen to daily intelligence briefings. But anyone knowledgeable about foreign affairs knows that he puts our country at risk by not doing so. Therefore, we offer five ways to help Trump get over his briefing aversion: 1) Videotape the briefings as if they were News Talk Shows with Hail to the Chief playing in the background. 2) Arrange to have them read by CIA agents dressed up as beauty contestants in swimsuits. 3) Make a deal that if he reads the briefings Chris Christie will drop to the ground and give him ten. 4) Send the briefings to Putin so he can read them to Trump. 5) Tweet them to him at three am. -more-

It's right here in the newspapers if you are wiling to take the time and dig it out. Hillary Clinton is winning the 2016 presidential election by 2,670,075 votes and yet media is still calling loser Donald Trump the next president.The nation's top intelligence officials and CIA say unequivocally and emphatically that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Donald Trump has voiced skepticism about the conclusion. Of course he would: Putin and Russians worked on his behalf to skew the election. -more-

The clock is moving too fast. We will get the New Year message from the billionaire in the White House. Some of us are worried about receiving adequate and timely information about our country and our own safety and wellbeing. -more-

Berkeleyans and others are asked to sign this petition against raids on homeless settlements. -more-

Homeless camp evicted yet again, by Tom Lochner

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On election day, Californians favored Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a near 2 to 1 margin -- 61.7 percent to 31.6 percent. Now, faced with a President many of us detest, California's best stance is to become a model of Democratic principles. But the Golden State faces intriguing challenges.

California is not an independent state; we're not going to be able to secede from the union. Nonetheless, we are the 6th largest economy in the world and Trump is not going to be able to ignore us.

California can have the most impact on the national political environment by demonstrating that the best way to grow good jobs and provide a healthy democratic environment is by a judicious combination of taxes and regulation. The Golden State can serve as a vital alternative to the Republican model: minuscule corporate taxes and zero governmental oversight, which has turned states like Louisiana into sewer pits with deplorable public health, while failing to create the promised jobs. -more-

People with paranoid schizophrenia frequently suffer from delusions of conspiracy. Some of this might be narcissistic, but most is due to a malfunction in the brain. People who suffer from paranoid illnesses do not really have much choice about this tendency. The brain has a design flaw, and nobody can run away from his or her brain. -more-

I for one applaud the U.S. abstention of the United Nation resolution declaring Israeli settlements illegal. By abstaining the resolution passed. It doesn't seem to matter to some that under international law, it is illegal for Israel to move settlers into the occupied Palestinian territories. -more-

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra presented three concerts over the weekend of January 6-8 at Hertz Hall. Featured were Mozart’s famous Requiem and the less well-known but highly acclaimed Requiem in C minor by Luigi Cherubini. BCCO’s Music Director Ming Luke conducted the Mozart Requiem at the Saturday concert I attended, while Assistant Conductor Eric Choate led the Cherubini Requiem. -more-