The Berkeley Brief

Welcome to the Berkeley Brief: a new newspaper for a changing world.

Two hundred and eighty-two years ago, almost to the day, Ben Franklin took over the bankrupt Pennsylvania Gazette and set about restoring it as a going concern. In his October 2 inaugural issue he wrote: "the Reader may expect some Account of the Method we design to proceed in." We feel the same way.

At the Brief we aim to inform and entertain in useful ways with such news, commentary, and art of the day as fits our format, abilities, and Berkeley perspective.

Our inaugural issue is being given away free but we will gratefully receive contributions of $0.25 - $1 for an issue, all funds to be dedicated to the reproduction costs of the next issue. In the future, we may add more pages and organize more formally as a true business.

We also exist online. You can find us at http://basiscraft.com

The content of the Berkeley Brief is, for now, entirely the product of volunteers. Dear reader, please consider volunteering. There is information about how to volunteer on the flipside.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

We are informed that an Occupy Berkeley rally will convene downtown at the Bank of America, at the intersection of Shattuck and Center streets, today (October 15) at noon., general assembly at 2:30.

The Occupy movement is built out of leaderless peaceful assemblies in many US cities. Originating with the Occupy Wall Street action, it brings together a diverse group who are unified by a sense of social and economic injustice so outrageous as to require a collective, grass-roots effort to solve the problems.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

45 years ago, October 15, 1966: Black Panthers founded.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

The City of Berkeley has given warning: beginning October 18 they'll be hunting for the cars of parking ticket scofflaws and giving them the boot. If you have 5 or more unpaid tickets more than 30 days old - and if your car is spotted by the robotic vision cameras of the "boot van" - the city will immobilize your car by fixing a boot to the wheel. Boots come with a toll-free number you can call if you have a suitable credit card. Pay your fines, pay an additional $140 for the privilege of getting booted and lay down another $500 deposit on the boot. In return the customer service rep on the other end of the line will tell you the numeric code to enter into the keypad on the boot so you can remove it and be on your way. Return that boot to the private contractor who supplies it within 24 hours if you want your full $500 deposit back. In the alternative, you could pay your overdue parking tickets today and save yourself time, hassle, and money.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

If you ride a bicycle to downtown Berkeley between 7am and 9pm on weekdays, the BART BikeStation is an excellent option for parking your bike. It's on Shattuck, one block south of the Berkeley BART station - helpfully marked by a green sign depicting a bicycle. Upon entering, sign in on the clipboard at the counter, obtain your ticket, and hand your bike over for free valet parking. Present your ticket later to retrieve your bike. Tips are appreciated, if you can. The BikeStation additionally offers a selection of bicycling equipment for sale, and leases reserved space that is key-card accessible 24 hours a day.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

This past Thursday, at Occupy DC a sign (sharpie on broken up cardboard box) wishfully exclaimed: "The Revolution Could Use: tarpz, PVC pipe [1/2"], Duct Tape, Pancho (lots)!, Blankets, Smiles, Music [in all forms!], rope & wire, suxs socks."

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

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On October 25, City council will meet in special session to receive the 2011 Watershed Management Plan from the Public Works Department. The full report is available on the City's web site in the agenda for the special session.

The always-evolving report is the city's comprehensive overview of the state of Berkeley's watershed. It explains that "The mission of the Watershed Management Plan (WMP) is to promote a healthier balance between the urban environment and the natural ecosystem, including the San Francisco Bay." The report aims to help guide city efforts to protect water quality, reduce urban flooding, preserve natural waterways and habitat, and re-use rainwater as a resource.

There is much to digest in the weighty report (100 pages plus another 86 pages of appendices). There is far too much to simply summarize here. Nevertheless, we found off the bat a few facts we think our readers will be glad know:

The city's storm drain pipe infrastructure comprises nearly "100 miles of buried pipelines, and their attendant appurtenances."

Much of that infrastructure is "over 80 years old and well past its useful life expectancy."

Under the federal Clean Water Act, the state issues conditional permits to cities that discharge stormwater into the San Francisco Bay. The conditions of Berkeley's Municipal Regional Stormwater permit (MRP) include requirements for new "trash capture" features - designed to prevent trash from reaching the bay - by 2014 (with requirements for further improvements expected subsequently). It is unclear where the money will come from for this, although Berkeley is initially participating in a $5 million dollar pilot study funded by the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This study will cover only a few test-case trash capture devices. The city's experience with these test devices will help determine which technology to commit to across the entire system.

The MRP notwithstanding, the age of Berkeley's storm drains presents problems all its own.

One example is the Potter Basin, a watershed that encompasses nearly everything south of University.

The city's computational model predicts areas of "chronic nuisance flooding" in Potter Basin and these models accord well with experience. The model predicts problem spots already known to exist such as Fulton at Derby, College at Dwight, MLK between Russell and Woolsey, and San Pablo between Ward and Murray.

The study notes: "Thus 10-year frequency storms in combination with high tides will cause flooding in the Potter watershed [as far upland as Woolsey near Adeline]."

The estimated cost to upgrade the decrepit system while installing larger pipes is nearly 53 million dollars - and that's just for the Potter Basin, not all of Berkeley.

Meanwhile, the Public Works Department's budget is being cut in the face of a projected deficit of $3M to $4M in 2012.

Apparently the residents of Berkeley have got themselves a serious fixer-upper: lots of historic charm but skyrocketing expenses to keep it from falling apart.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

At a time of huge deficits, historic levels of unemployment, and anti-tax politics, the American Society of Civil Engineers pegs our national 5-year unfunded infrastructure deficit at $1.18 trillion. Historically, most infrastructure spending is made at the state and local level.

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

Spiral Gardens at and around 2830 Sacramento Ave. at Oregon St. is seeking volunteers to help prepare the community nursery for winter and spring. Come on down and get your hands dirty and have some fun. Cal community: October 15 is Berkeley Project Day, a student-run annual volunteer event to benefit the community.

On October 23, Biofuel Oasis will offer a "Homebrewing Biodiesel" course ($50). On the 30th, a course on "City Goats" ($35). See http://www.biofueloasis.com

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

The Berkeley Brief is an experiment in local journalism with a community focus. Would you like to see more? More issues and, for that matter, more pages? We hope so. Please be in touch with thoughts, suggestions, and offers to help. You can find us on the web via http://basiscraft.com or send email to lord@emf.net. We'll leave you with a bit more from good ol' B. Franklin, from his first issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette on October 2, 1729:

"There are many who have long desired to see a good News-Paper in Pennsylvania; and we hope those Gentlemen [ed: all gentle persons] who are able, will contribute towards the making This such. We ask Assistance because we are fully sensible, that to publish a good News-Paper is not so easy an Undertaking as many People imagine it to be. […] it would be well if the Writer of these Papers could make up among his Friends what is wanting in himself.

"Upon the Whole, we may assure the Publick, that as far as the Encouragement we meet with will enable us, no Care and Pains shall be omitted, that may make the Pennsylvania Gazette as agreeable and useful an Entertainment as the Nature of the Thing will allow."

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

In the squares of the city

In the shadow of the steeple

Near the relief office

I see my people

And some are grumblin'

and some are wonderin'

If this land's still made for you and me.

• Woody Guthrie, "This Land is Your Land"

Headlines, discussion – Oct 15 – The Berkeley Brief

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The Berkeley Brief is Copyright 2011, Thomas Lord

Berkeley, CA / lord@emf.net

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