The People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group has released an Open Letter today that was sent to UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, State Legislators, the Board of Regents and Governor Newsom.

The hundred and two signatories on the letter include Berkeley residents, UCB professors, two former Berkeley mayors, three former Berkeley city councilmembers, many former Berkeley commissioners, Cal alumni and students, attorneys, architects, historians and many others who are concerned about the threatened destruction of People’s Park.

The open letter calls upon the University of California to work with the Berkeley community to protect and enhance People’s Park, rather than destroy it and build a 17-story housing structure. UC argues the destruction of the park is necessary to respond to its housing shortage, yet the university has identified several other possible sites for student residences.

While recognizing the need for truly affordable housing, the letter condemns the threat to the historic and cultural legacy of the People’s Park and the environmental damage that would result from the loss of the irreplaceable open space. The letter envisions what would be a properly maintained park and “a safe, well-used public space frequented by all.”

The Board of Regents will consider People’s Park project and another poorly conceived UCB construction project in a meeting this summer. Berkeley, Bay Area and California residents are encouraged to investigate the overreach of UC and contact their legislators. More information can be found at peoplesparkhxdist.org. -more-

Dear [Planet] Editor:

It’s hard to break a bad habit. We’ve subscribed to the Chronicle for years, although recently only getting the Sunday paper home-delivered. Otherwise, on-line, mostly for weather, smattering of local news, obits….

We dropped the paper before—their wrong-headed endorsements, employment of columnists like Chip Johnson, but this time the rupture seems more serious. The paper has yielded hard reporting to others, concentrating on food, sports, and lifestyle diversions. And, of course, if it bleeds, it leads.

The Chronicle will never run the following note, so hopefully it will get some exposure this side of the Bay.

Thanks,

Robert Brokl



Dear [Chronicle] Editor:

Your Berkeley zoning editorial, damning single family housing, was the last straw. More greenwashing—the insidious insinuation that zoning is inherently “racist,” discriminatory, etc. The latest developer propaganda, espoused by paid lobbyists like the YIMBYs, but even more dangerous and potent than the previous argument that zoning was driving up the costs of housing, creating homelessness. -more-

George W. Bush, the “decider” as he loved to call himself, and his side-kick, Dick Cheney, made a monumental blunder invading Afghanistan in 2001. Both were “green” to the horrors of war, Cheney received 5 deferments and escaped the Vietnam draft and George W was MIA in the National Guard, protected by Papa Bush. -more-

Some years ago, Harry Brill told me that local politics weren’t very interesting , since the topic was just real estate. A lot has changed in the years in between then and now.

Real estate and land use are big issues. Those of us who care about open space, biodiversity, climate and urban habitat are horrified by state legislation to strip cities of local control over such factors. Add in the resolutions and ordinances coming from Berkeley’s own mayor and City Council these days. There are obvious disconnects when you’re discussing density, covering land with concrete, climate change and environmental impacts. Another real estate piece of the picture is the complete denial that deregulation of zoning brings on an investor feeding frenzy. If this isn’t enough add UC Berkeley’s plans.

The city meeting of the week with the highest video attendance was Tuesday’s special City Council meeting on the UC Berkeley Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) draft environmental impact report (DEIR). https://lrdp.berkeley.edu/environmental-review The deadline to respond to UC is this Wednesday, April 21 at 5 pm. One surprise: Why did the council wait until a week before the deadline for a presentation by staff and council comment and questions, when the LRDP 45 day review period started March 8?

-more-

In the scene on the TV, we see a man lying on the ground, unmoving, his hands behind his head. His head is raised a bit so he can see what is coming toward him. We see four large men walking in a line toward this guy on the street. The four approach him slowly, carefully, as if with a predatory intent, expecting him to defend himself. We don’t know why they are preparing an attack, but we watch them step carefully toward him, as if samurai about to enter mortal combat. The samurai step, forward and to the left with the left foot, forward and to the left with the right foot in front of the left, then the left foot again, always keeping balance and facing frontwards. It is like an adult street gang in the movies. We can almost hear the Edward G. Robinson growl; “Okay, punk, you t’ink you wise or somethin’. We’ll show you a thing or two.” -more-

I've had some amount of not-so-great behavior in my past. Some of it consisted of getting jobs that were over my head and then quitting when I was unable to fulfill the expectations of the job. This was a very unprofessional behavior and I regret it. Yet, in employment scenarios, it is hard for a medicated, mentally ill person to keep up with demands of most jobs. Additionally, it is difficult for us to relate on a personal level to coworkers and supervisors, since we may not have enough in common, and we may not know enough about how social interactions are done. Both of those factors are significant barriers to employment.

In 1989, I landed a job at Sears Service Center, Concord location, as a television repair technician. (The salary and benefits of the job were great.) Yet, I was really struggling with the job demands and with a coworker was critical and harsh toward me. Some of the other coworkers also weren't that nice. After work, when I'd been there for two or three weeks, the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck. The following day, there was no reprieve from the expectation to show up and do work; it was business as usual. The earthquake was the final bit of dust on the camel's back. -more-

Get the Money Out of (Gubernatorial) Politics

When it comes to putting a proposition on the State Ballot, California sets a high bar. To qualify, petition-backers must gather a number of signatures equal to at least 5% of the total votes cast for the office of Governor at the previous election. Gathering a million legitimate signatures in 180 days can wind up costing millions of dollars. Not surprisingly then, special interest groups and corporations have dominated successful initiative-qualifying campaigns in California.

But when it comes to running to become governor, you only need to gather 7,000 valid signatures. And if that's too much trouble, there's another option that makes running to occupy the Governor's Mansion far easier than trying to get a proposition on the ballot. As the Chronicle's Joe Garafoli recently noted: "All it will take is $3,916."

Yep. While it's costly and time-consuming to place a proposition on the ballot, you can flat-out buy yourself a spot as a contender to win the state's highest elected office!

With such a low bar, it's no surprise that previous recall efforts have drawn the attention of past-due-date celebrities and publicity seeking wing-nuts who might not be able to find 7,000 fans to sign a sheet but can scrape together a couple of thou. -more-

Worth Noting:

Wednesday, April 21 at 5 pm is the deadline for responding to UC Berkeley’s Long Rang Development Plan – Draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) https://lrdp.berkeley.edu/environmental-review

Monday – COVID-19 Town Hall is at 6 pm with Mayor Arreguin (it will be recorded if you miss it).

Website for vaccine appointments https://myturn.ca.gov/

Tuesday – City Council regular is meeting at 6 pm.

Wednesday – Facilities, Infrastructure Committee meets at 2:30 pm, paving is on the agenda

Thursday – Budget and Finance committee meets at 10 am.

Future Events

Getting Off Gas in Berkeley’s Buildings (homes, offices, schools, businesses) Shape the Vision of All-Electric Future, May 4 at 7 pm register at http://electrifyberkeley.eventbrite.com

If you have a meeting you would like included in the summary of meetings, please send a notice to kellyhammargren@gmail.com by noon on the Friday of the preceding week. -more-