Arts & Events

During the extremely rainy weather in the Bay Area over the recent holidays, like many people I mostly stayed home. One of the ways I entertained myself was to take another look, perhaps for the umpteenth time, at the 1942 film Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz and memorably starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I have fond memories of viewing that film while in Cyprus with an Iranian friend who was a dissident of the theocratic regime of Iran’s Islamic Republic. My friend’s tales of the oppression enforced by Iran’s morality police dovetailed appropriately with the Nazis’ attempted oppression in the Unoccupied France of wartime Casablanca. -more-

Worth Noting:

Wednesday is the evening where every meeting has agenda items that fit as a go to meeting and the Golden Gate Audubon Society with other local chapters is sponsoring Douglas Tallamy speaking on creating landscapes that enhance local ecosystems.

• Monday: The Youth Commission meets at 6:30 pm. The Peace and Justice Commission and the Personnel Board both meet at 7 pm. The Personnel Board Packet includes a report on City staff vacancies. The modifications in the Police Recruit and Officer job descriptions are to meet new CA law. Peace and Justice Commission has invited Indigenous Representatives to discuss the Shellmound and the Land Acknowledgement.
• Tuesday: Council meets at 10 am to vote to continue virtual meetings until the COVID emergency ends on February 28, 2023.
• Wednesday: The go to meeting of the week is Nature’s Best Hope with Douglas Tallamy at 7 pm. The Disability Commission meets at 6 pm and will take up Berkeley Bike Plan and Barriers to Pedestrians and Bike Safety and IKE Kiosks. The Police Accountability Board (PAB) meets at 6:30 pm. The PAB agenda includes the LA Times report on the Interim Chief and sexual harassment investigation and Bike Unit allegations. The Parks Commission meets at 7 pm. Turtle Island Monument and T1 shortfall are on the agenda. A letter in the packet from Todd Jersey Architects states the pier is safe for pedestrian access and should be reopened.
• Thursday: WETA meets at 1 pm. The Zoning Adjustment Board has 7 projects listed on consent, two 7-story projects 2439 Durant and 1752 Shattuck and two 5-story projects 1773 Oxford and 1820 San Pablo.

City Council is officially on recess through January 16. The January 10 meeting is just to renew legislative body virtual meetings. The agenda for the January 17 regular City Council meeting is available for comment. Use link or check agenda list at the end of this post. The January 18 special City Council at 4 pm is for the adoption of the 2023 – 2031 Housing Element. The packet with the report is 1428 pages. https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas

Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/

BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Sunday, January 8, 2023 – No city meetings listed. -more-

Worth Noting:

2023 is off to a quiet start with four meetings.

• Wednesday the Agenda Committee meets at 2:30 pm to plan the 1/17/2023 City Council Regular Meeting. The Board of Library Trustees meets at 6:30 pm. The Homeless Services Panel of Experts meets at 7 pm. The 206-page City of Berkeley Crisis Response Models Report – Specialized Care Unit included in the meeting packet is not listed as an agenda item.
• Thursday the Landmarks Preservation Commission meets at 7 pm. There is a demolition referral for the site of the former Radio Shack - watch for a mixed use building to appear on the DRC and ZAB agendas in the near future. The letter from Elyce Klein listed under correspondence lays open some questions on what is behind the changes in the Turtle Island Monument plans.

Check the City website for announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/ -more-