Columns

So much seems to change in a week when it comes to the pandemic, and yet it is just what we’ve been told for months. Michael Osterholm, epidemiologist from the University of Minnesota( https://www.cidrap.umn.edu) said in his podcast last August, about public health measures to slow the pandemic, “we can pay now or we can pay later.”

So here we are in the “pay later” after weeks of lulling ourselves into thinking we could manage with halfway measures, “bubbles” and taking off facial coverings in restaurants and other gatherings as if eating in groups didn’t count. Though this has already been months, and despite vaccines on the horizon, we need to prepare ourselves for a longer haul before it’s over. There is still a lot to be learned, including how long the first vaccine shots last before another one is needed.

As for the week we just finished, it is hard to believe that the last day of November was Monday. The Monday afternoon Council Agenda and Rules Committee turned out to be more interesting than expected. The Use of Force Policy is back on the proposed December 15 Council agenda. As I have said previously, the Police Review Commission (PRC) is very deliberative in their actions and policy review. Through their process they determined to remove the words “strive to” from the Use of Force Policy #300. The PRC voted with near unanimity (one abstained) that the inclusion of “strive to” would make use of force accountability impossible.  

Reading the submission by Police Chief Greenwood and from the City Manager justifying reinserting “strive to” into the Use of Force Policy 300 (now item 45 in the December 15 Council agenda) reminded me of Bill Barr’s preview of the Mueller Report (I did listen to the reading of the entire Mueller report while swimming). It muddies everything. How Council votes on the end run from the Police Chief around the PRC will indicate where we really are in the “reimaging of public safety [policing].” 

There were other items that I expected the Agenda Committee to remove or push off to some commission or council committee, but they stayed on in the consent calendar, and I am afraid that mentioning them here might be their demise. There were several callers asking for the Police Chief No Confidence Vote to be scheduled, and others calling in supporting the implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, passed by the voters in 2018, to be implemented ASAP instead of at the end of 2021 as required by the vote. The reorganizing of commissions discussion was put off until January. 

Cheryl Davila’s last Council meeting was Tuesday evening December 1, with Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson as one of the early callers recognizing Cheryl for her work and speaking about their many conversations. You can watch it all on the 6 pm meeting video, starting at 40 minutes into the meeting and continuing for nearly 1 ½ hours. 

Cheryl gave her response at two hours and 14 minutes into the meeting, and it was wrenching. It was not the ordinary goodbye: Brush the four years under the rug and say thank you and everything was wonderful. Follow the link to the December 1, 6 pm meeting. https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/City_Council__Agenda_Index.aspx 

It was around 10:40 pm Tuesday when the Mayor closed down the Council meeting, saying there was not enough time to take up Zoning Ordinance amendments to reform off-street residential parking requirements. The amendments reduce and eliminate off-street parking minimums for new buildings and instead establish parking maximums. You can use the same link given above to see the proposed ordinance, item 40 in the December 15 agenda. And you can also read the budget update item 42, annual appropriations item 43, and Use of Force item 45. I am grateful for meetings ending before 11 pm and hope that this becomes the regular practice. 

On Wednesday, I opted for the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission so I could learn more about the City’s Wildfire Evacuation Plan. The discussion was limited to a presentation on red flag alert communications and recommendations for pre-emptive evacuation, none of which were helpful in reviewing how hill residents will evacuate in a real wildfire, or the rest of us for that matter, if a fire is spreading in our densely populated city of over 100,000 in a future with fewer cars. 

The deadline for commenting on the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) for the mixed-use housing projects at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations is December 21, 2020 https://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Planning_and_Development/Level_3_-_Land_Use_Division/Final%20NOP.pdf. Email your comments to ashen@cityofberkeley.info. If you check the City budget documents you will find a line item for $310,000 for the EIR. 

The Citizens for a Cultural Civic Center (CCCC) met Thursday at noon and renamed itself the Community for a Cultural Civic Center. It was obvious from listening that the group needs to review the proposal from Gehl in addition to the CCCC plan to research restorations of historical buildings that have successful reuse plans and those that fail. It is likely (there was some limited discussion) that soon CCCC will break into three subgroups, one with a focus on the Veterans Building, one on old city hall and one on the park. The most interesting information was after the meeting ended when Deb Durant described the Turtle Island project and answered my many questions. Turtle Island Fountain Monument has been approved for funding under the T1 bonds. https://turtleislandfountain.org The CCCC group is open and anyone can join; just email John Caner, the convener, at johncaner@gmail.com for meeting announcements. 

The last meeting of the week, the Mental Health Commission,i also brought disappointments. The expected report from the City Auditor was not provided. Dr. Warhuus did attend and spoke to membership of the Re-imagining Community Safety Project. She promised there would be monthly updates to the Mental Health Commission and updates would be posted for the public. However, how updates for the public will be posted is still in the planning phase, as is the entire project. 

Enough for one sitting. 

With being in another Shelter-in-Place, this one until January 4, it looks like there will be lots of time for reading. I sort of feel like audio books is cheating, but the Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco Libraries have great collections of current audiobooks and ebooks too. I like to have one of each going. Up this week (audiobook-Oakland) Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and (ebook-Berkeley) It Was All a Lie by Stuart Stevens. Check out the libraries!