These are busy times, my friends.  Busy, important times.  And we have to do what we can as concerned citizens to help Cal in its time of need.  They can achieve much, but let's not forget that so can we.

You might be asking yourself, "But Twist, didn't your award winning letter to the editor singlehandedly sway all minds and hearts?"  To which I would, of course, answer "Hey, what part of 'shut up and take out my trash, hydrotech' is so confusing to you?"

Also, you are partially right.  That letter swayed minds and hearts.  But some.  Only some.  So, we need your help to achieve all of our goals.  I know that you are all planning on going to the City Council meeting tomorrow at 5 PM. 

But what if I were to tell you you could have a face to face meeting with an actual Councilmember tomorrow at 2 PM in Berkeley?  Well, you can!  Let's learn more about Laurie Capitalli!

via www.cityofberkeley.info

"My mind is open and ready to be filled with information!"

We have this message from the Linda Gage at Berkeleyans 4 Cal people:

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli is one of the swing votes on the Berkeley City Council as it decides whether or not to appeal Judge Miller's decision in favor of the University. That decision will be made tomorrow, Thursday the 24th, in a closed session in the evening.

Laurie Capitelli has agreed to meet with me and others who wish to ask him not to appeal.  That meeting is at  2pm on thursday in City Hall on Milvia Street.
I need as many people as possible to come along with me, particularly Capitelli's constituents in District 5.  If you can come, please let me know at gagemail@comcast.net and be prepared to meet at 1:55 thursday afternoon in front of City Hall on Milvia, across the street from the YMCA and the Post Office.

The meeting should take no more than half an hour, if that.  If we can convince Laurie not to vote to appeal, I believe there will not be an appeal by the City. This is crucial. Please come.

Thanks, Linda Gage

This is a HUGE opportunity that people need to take advantage of.  We can't let an opportunity like this fall by the wayside.  Again, if you can go please email Linda Gage at gagemail@comcast.net and DO NOT BE LATE TOMORROW. 

CBKWit emailed Linda Gage to ask if he as just 1 person would mean anything and she responded that every single person who shows up can add a weight, can add a presence to the meeting. 

Councilmember Capitelli represents District 5.  Here is a map of District 5.

via www.cityofberkeley.info

I think that that is generally unreadable to most, but if you live in the District you should be able to figure it out from there.  If you live in that district, TRY TO GO!  YOU ARE KEY!  Here is a biography on the Councilmember. 

Note:

He attended UC Berkeley, where he met his wife, Marilyn, and graduated in 1967 with a degree in political science.

Here is a 10 question interview with the Councilmember. 

3. What are the top three most pressing issues facing District 5?

I think two issues that are coming up in the next six months.

One is creeks and how to regulate them. And balance that against homeowner’s rights.

[One issue] we’re looking ... is the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, looking to be, I hope, fair and equitable as we revise that ordinance. That’s an issue people are concerned about.

And I think the third is kind of nuts and bolts: Infrastructure kinds of issues. Sewers, streets, sidewalks, those kinds of things.

Look, what he says there "Nuts and bolts."  He's a real "Nuts and bolts" type of guy.  He just wants to help fix infrastructure, like sewers and streets.  Perfect!  That plays right into our hands!  How many "Nuts and bolts" could Berkeley have purchased for $300,000.00? How many sewers and streets go unfixed, so a judge could tell the City Cal was doing it right all along?

Here is a photo of him walking his dog.

via www.cityofberkeley.info

Look, even if you cannot show up to the meeting with the Councilmember, do NOT stop calling and/or emailing the City Council.  They DO listen to the emails.  Remember, the Woz personally got back to me.  They need to become more aware of our concerns.  We cannot rest on any laurels here.  If you do message the councilmembers, here are some helpful tips:

1.  Be respectful at all times.  Instead of denigrating the opposition, focus on the money issue.  The money issue is key here as it is unarguable and unrelentingly on our side.

2.  Proofread to ensure perfect grammar and spelling.  You'd be surprised at what a minor typo can do in people's minds.

3.  If you are a resident of Berkeley, make that abundantly clear.  You are the bosses of the Councilmembers.  They only have power because YOU as democratic citizens give it to them by voting for them.  Remind them that you be keeping a close eye on how they vote on this issue. 

4.  No matter where you live, still message them.  I mean don't tell them you don't live in Berkeley.  Just be mum on that particular issue.  No matter where you live, you can still message ALL THE CITY COUNCILMEMBERS.  So, do!

Make your voices heard:

Tom Bates......                mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
 Laurie Capitelli.............LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Linda Maio...........          lmaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us
 Darryl Moore..........     dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us
 Max Anderson...........   manderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Kriss Worthington......... kworthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Gordon Wozniak.......... gwozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Betty Olds.......................olds@ci.berkeley.ca.us

If you need inspiration for letters, there is my letter from a few days ago, but also CBKWit wrote a letter to his Councilmember, Max Anderson.  Here it is reprinted below:

Dear Councilman Anderson,

I am writing to urge you to prevent a potential appeal of Judge Barbara Miller's ruling for the University of California Regents.  I write to you as a resident of Berkeley, city council district 3.  I live at (Address Redacted), at the intersection of (Streets Redacted).  I have lived in the city of Berkeley for 7 years.  I work full-time and pay taxes here.  I buy my groceries and go to restaurants here.  I vote here.

It saddens me that the Berkeley City Council rejected a settlement offer from the University of California last fall.  Since then, both the University and the City of Berkeley have incurred heavy financial losses, while the city is left with less than was offered in the settlement.  It seems that with some foresight and honest analysis, the resulting lawsuit could have been avoided and both parties would have been materially better off.

The University has decidedly prevailed in this lawsuit.  The near uniform degree with which Judge Miller ruled in favor of the University as well as the cautious and deliberate pace of the trial clearly demonstrate that this is not a decision in danger of being overturned.  If the city decides to appeal this case, we can expect another several hundred thousand dollars of taxpayer money to go to waste.  I therefore urge you to vote against any effort to appeal this case.  The money spent on the initial case could have gone to support some many relevant and worthy causes, from infrastructure improvements to support for local businesses (it frustrates me greatly to see Cody's Books vacant while $300,000.00 have been spent on this losing effort) to a substantial investment in a legitimate environmental cause.

Please do not make the same mistake twice.

I would be glad to further discuss my feelings and opinions on this matter.  I can be reached by phone at (Phone Number Redacted), or through this email address, (Email Redacted).  I am also aware of the special session tomorrow at 5PM; I plan on attending and speaking.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

(Name Redacted)

Wasn't it Tip O'Neill who said "All Politics Are Local?"  Maybe it was Paul O'Neill or California National Championship Swimmer Patrick O'Neill, I don't know.  What I do know is that we can do this, we can achieve this.  We are so close. 

Time to seal the deal, people!  If you can meet with the Councilmember, email Linda Gage.  If you can't, message the entire City Council.

via www.democracycellproject.net

"NO, LONGSHORE CAN'T!"