An Oakland-based community college district may soon be forced to cede power to the state if its Board of Trustees can’t quell concerns about its ability to properly govern the district.

Intervening at the Peralta Community College District, home to four East Bay colleges serving almost 30,000 students, would be a drastic step. Only twice previously has the state chancellor’s office and the systemwide Board of Governors assumed power from a locally-elected governing board: At the City College of San Francisco in 2013 and at Compton College in 2004.

The colleges in Peralta, one of 73 districts in California’s vast 116 community college system, are Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland, Berkeley City College and the College of Alameda.

Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the state chancellor overseeing California’s 116 community colleges, is under increasing pressure to intervene, including from former Peralta chancellors, two of Peralta’s current and former trustees, Oakland’s NAACP chapter and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), a state-funded agency that provides financial oversight of K-12 and community college districts.

Going Deeper

Across its four colleges, Peralta enrolled about 29,000 students as of spring 2020, the most recent data available. Peralta students complete college at slightly lower rates than the state average. As of 2017, 45.5% of students received a degree or certificate or intended to transfer within five years, compared to the state average of 48.2%. -more-

Prosecutors have charged an alleged robber who Berkeley police shot last Saturday after he apparently advanced on officers with a metal chain as they tried to arrest him for stealing about $13 in food from Walgreen's on Shattuck.

Vincent Bryant, 51, is in the hospital and is expected to live following the events Saturday night Jan. 2 that started at Walgreens at 2190 Shattuck Ave. Bryant has been charged with second degree robbery, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.

Bryant had selected about $14 of goods from Walgreens Saturday night and allegedly gave the cashier only $1 before walking toward the exit, according to a probable cause statement by police Officer Christopher Bonaventure.

A store employee confronted Bryant and told him that he must pay more, but Bryant allegedly pulled out a metal chain and "threatened to break all the windows," Bonaventure wrote.

The employee left the store and called police. Bryant also allegedly left Walgreens and officers located him on Bancroft Way.

When they tried to detain him, Bryant walked into the courtyard of the Tang Center, at 2222 Bancroft Way, where he allegedly threatened officers with a chain, according to police.

An officer trained in negotiations with suspects tried to de-escalate the situation, but Bryant apparently continued to act erratically.

He allegedly advanced on officers when they tried to arrest him. Officers then shot Bryant with less-than-lethal weapons. One officer fired his gun at Bryant, striking him, police said.

Bryant was taken to a hospital and the officer who fired his weapon was placed on administrative leave. Police are not yet releasing the name of the officer who fired his gun.

Police will release body-camera video of the shooting on their YouTube page, Berkeley police spokesman Officer Byron White said. -more-

The focus of the Activist’s Diary is local politics and what happens at our public City meetings. Even in a light week it’s impossible to attend them all. Most of the commission meetings are =not recorded and reading through the minutes of too many is a worthless endeavor.

Councilmember Lori Droste as the author and Rigel Robinson and Rashi Kesarwani as co-sponsors are proposing a Commission Reorganization for Post COVID-19 Budget Recovery. Mayor Arreguin, the leader who is responsible for the expanding the number of commissions in his tenure, seems to have acquired some enthusiasm for the reorganizing. Droste stated last Monday that there was no real basis for choosing to reduce the number of commissions to twenty from thirty-eight. The premise is that reducing the number of commissions will have significant positive impact on the city’s budget.

Given that going through the agendas of the boards and commissions has ruined my Friday evenings for years and deprived me of a good night’s sleep, I can’t think of anyone who would be happier than me to wipe a number of these off the slate, starting with the Animal Care Commission that spent three years as I recall voting and then revisiting, voting and revisiting, voting and revisiting how many dogs professional dog walkers could walk at once (4, 6, or 8 dogs.) This particular commission is listed under the City Manager and maybe she ought to take a look at it.

It is unfortunate that so many of the commissions have been shut down during the pandemic. It would have been a good time for councilmembers to join zoom and see their appointees in action. Then maybe those commissioners who really just warm a seat or at worst obstruct could be replaced. Shutting down the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission at 9 pm because the chair wants to stop is not a reason to quit when there is work to be done. -more-

Remember during the first presidential debate, Trump told the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group, to “stand back and stand by?” -more-

As some might have noticed, I'm slipping farther and farther from the traditional Friday issue dates. Things are happening so fast these days that there's still a lot to come on Fridays. And then there was last week.... So from now on I'll be aiming for a Sunday New Issue instead of a Friday one. And I'll be posting more tomorrow, Monday, since I've been glued to the internet since Wednesday last. -more-

The 2020 election is almost over; it will end when Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th. The election process took 19 months: beginning with the first Democratic debate and ending with the November 3rd election, January 6th counting of the electoral votes, and the inauguration. We all have good reason to feel drained. -more-

Stand By While We Adjust our Government

David Swanson, the executive director of World BEYOND War and author of several books (including "War Is a Lie"), has just shared a new PowerPoint presentation on "The Need to Abolish War."

The first slide begins with the following, timely alert:

"Global Technical Difficulties

Due to travel restrictions, the United States will now be staging coups only in its own capital. Worldwide services will resume shortly."

Karmic Strips

The December 25 edition of the Chronicle ran its usual 22 comic strips. Thirteen of them celebrated Christmas, mostly with depictions of Xmas gifts. Dan Piraro and Wayne Honath's Bizarro panel was a Donner downer: It depicted two desolate-looking reindeer at a coffee bar with one sadly complaining: "It's been years since I've shouted out with glee." -more-

I have said this before and now I am saying it again: The mental health treatment system infantilizes mental health consumers. This is only part of the problem. The second part is that our lives aren't considered worth anything. When a mental health consumer dies prematurely, because of [effects on the internal organs of] psychiatric medication, poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, and not having medical issues addressed, no big deal is made of it. Our deaths are barely worthy of note. -more-

Worth Noting:

With Council still on Winter Recess until January 19, 2021, the first City Council meeting of 2021 the week looks fairly quiet. The January 19 agenda is available for comment and is posted after the daily list of meetings. The January 21 Council land use hearings are not posted yet, but they are 0 (2435) San Pablo (group living) ZAB and 1915 Berryman (Payson House) LPC.



Monday – Agenda Committee at 2:30 pm The discussion on reorganizing and reducing the number of commissions will continue. Youth Commission at 5 pm

Wednesday – Rent Control Webinar 10 am (pre-register), Drawing for Independent Redistricting Commission at 4 pm, Police Review Commission at 7 pm -more-