Public Comment

When I finally came up for air this weekend from my non-city related projects to check what was happening in the world, I tuned in to Ayman on MSNBC to hear about AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) pouring a flood of money into elections to defeat progressive Democrats and bolster conservative Israel-friendly Democrats in Democratic districts. 

Harry Dunn, former police officer who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021, gwas in the lead in his run for Congress in Maryland until AIPAC dropped more than $4,000,000 to defeat him In the May 14, 2024 primary by boosting Israel-friendly Maryland State Senator Sarah Elfreth. 

Later I picked up a podcast and heard about Susheela Jayapal, who rejected donations from AIPAC or anyone allied with AIPAC and was the leading Democrat for Oregon’s Congressional District 3 until more than $4,000,000 poured into Israel-gfriendly State Representative Maxine Dexter’s campaign. Jayapal suffered a similar fate. In the early count after polls closed on May 21, 2024, Dexter led with 53% to Jayapal’s 25%. 

Soon we’ll have our own local view of how PACs (Political Action Committees), often characterized as dark money, impact local Berkeley Councilmember elections. 

In Berkeley, however, it doesn’t appear that any AIPAC money is behind a mailer with darkened black and white photos of threatening criminal scenes and a shadowy darkened photo of District 4 Council candidate Soli Alpert making him look as sinister as possible which was sent by a PAC called Californians for Safety and Security. 

The independent expenditure report filings by Californians for Safety and Security to oppose Soli Alpert total $7671.20, spent through May 22, 2024. The phone number listed with the filing [(916) 272-7414] belongs to Nicholas Leo Sanders,who according to his website specializes in political law, campaign finance and elections. https://www.sanderspoliticallaw.com 

Offices at 1121 L Street, Suite 105, in Sacramento appear to be cozy as that is also the address for High View Strategies, though Sanders isn’t listed as a member of the High View Strategies team. High View Strategies lists Sid Lakireddy, Past President, California Rental Housing Association, as one of the promoters of their services.  

The 8 1/2 “ by 11” mailer blames Alpert for “Rampant Crime and Chronic Homelessness Plague Downtown Berkeley” and calls Alpert a “socialist”. 

If blame for crime and homeless in Berkeley is being cast on someone running for office, you might want to look instead at who’s already in office and where their endorsements are going. 

The mayor and elected councilmembers who are currently in office, presiding over what the mailer describes as “Rampant Crime and Chronic Homelessness” plaguing “Downtown Berkeley”, have thrown their support to Igor Tregub and Ruben Hernandez Story. 

In February 2019, it was rumored that Hatem Bazian was going to be elected as chair of the Peace and Justice Commission. Bazian is UC Berkeley Lecturer in Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, and is a longtime supporter of Palestine. https://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/people/hatem-bazian/ 

In a surprising move, Mayor Arreguin appointed Tregub to the Peace and Justice Commission just in time for the February 4, 2019 commission election meeting. That evening, Tregub defeated Bazian in a 7 to 6 vote to become commission chair . (I attended that February 4, 2019 meeting.) 

Igor Tregub is Mayor Arreguin’s current appointee to the Environment and Climate Commission and the Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB). He previously lived in District 1 in North Berkeley, where he ran for City Council in 2018 and lost, so I was surprised to see on Berkeleyside.com a statement that he had lived in District 4 or 3.5 years. My understanding from comments he’s made over the years was that he had lived in District 1 and moved to District 4 just before filing to run for council in this district and now lives just a couple of blocks from me. 

Igor was helpful in gaining the Sierra Club support for the Bird Safe Ordinance and consistently supports my requests for native plants and bird safe glass in projects before ZAB and now the Design Review Committee. 

I’m not quite sure what made Soli the target for PAC spending for his opponents. It could be that as an elected member of the Rent Board he has been working to keep people housed, raising the ire of landlords, and worked on the Empty Homes Tax aka the vacancy tax which taxes landlords for keeping units vacant. Like others Soli had a hand in the passage of the Fair Work Week Ordinance, and unionizing legislative aides with SEIU 1021. As Union Representative, Soli stood up to the city manager for City of Berkeley union members who were not receiving their pay according to their contract. Soli also legd the Rent Board on a Ceasefire Resolution. https://www.soli.vote/about 

As for the other side of the flyer on “Restoring Public Safety” Soli is on the right track. There is a shortage of police applicants. Cities are in tight competition to fill vacant police positions including Berkeley. Berkeley needs to look hard at what tasks are assigned to armed police that can be done by others. The City is moving down that track, but this will need to continue and expand as members of the police force retire and positions are vacant. The push for the special care unit is to use mental health experts to respond to someone in a mental health crisis instead of an armed police officer. 

The other independent expenditure reports for the May 28, 2024 election are from The Committee for Safer Progress for Berkeley, Supporting Hernandez and Tregub for City Council District 4 – Sponsored by Labor Organizations. Those labor organizations are the building trade unions, who usually support all kinds of development, and the firefighters. 

In the February primary election, the top contender against Jesse Arreguin for California State Senate was Kathryn Lybarger. There were many very nasty ads against Lybarger and they were successful knocking Lybarger from second place to a losing fourth. Interestingly, the trade unions supported Arreguin, recently an eager backer of development at all prices in that election. 

Harry Brill, longtime socialist, labor organizer, civil rights activist, journalist, researcher and sociology professor who passed away in 2020, used to say he wasn’t much interested in local politics as it was all about real estate. Real estate is about so much more: where we live, yearn to live, can’t afford to live, racism, classism, profit, greed and poverty. With that in mind my trust for first and second place in ranked choice went to Soli Alpert and Elana Auerbach. 

My best description of Elana Auerbach is that she has really matured in her understanding of the needs of our community as she has met with Berkeley residents, business owners and people working in Berkeley since the beginning of her campaign. 

Igor slipped off that top two list because of my concern that he linked up with YIMBY-backed Ruben Hernandez because he wants this too much. That worries me. 

I keep a close eye on referrals and agenda items coming out of every councilmember office. 

Soon we’ll see if District 4 residents are just as susceptible to outside investors and hit pieces to take down candidates as voters in Oregon and Maryland and the California primary.