Berkeley Mayoral COnvention

Considering the fact that Green Party's brown thumb, Donna Spring, is the source for this should make the whole process suspect from the beginning. Loni Hancock was an unmitigated disaster for Berkeley. Under her reign the Berkeley Police were militarized by her hand picked choice for City Manger, Michael Brown, who embarked on a campaign against dissent in Berkeley and created the police unit known as “The Crowd Management Team”. During that time, supposed progressive city council members voted for the use of crowd control munitions (rubber and wooden bullets) by BPD. These had been used on crowds protesting construction of volley ball courts on People’s Park. At the city council meeting where the deciding votes were cast, City Manager Michael Brown stood on the stage of the Berkeley Community Theatre and pointed out community activists to be dragged out and arrested, some notable activists such as Carol Denney were hog tied like farm animals. The progressive city council and Mayor Hancock did nothing to intervene in this gross violation of civil rights and liberties. Loni Hancock pushed through legislation that allowed the most notorious developer in Berkeley, UCB, to ok its own EIR findings, giving up the City's right to review them. A clear violation of the voters will when they passed measure N in the mid 80's. This ballot measure commanded City officials to take every possible measure to ensure UCB's compliance with existing zoning laws and the General Plan. So far, not one city official has made any effort to enforce the will of the voters expressed in Measure N. Mayor Hancock was totally complicit in the University's construction of volley ball courts on People's Park and lied about her involvement repeatedly. A public records request revealed letters from the Mayor to the UC Chancellor that detailed cooperative planning efforts between the City and UCB for the construction of the volley ball courts.

Ms Spring’ s record is a total anathema to what the Green platform is supposed to stand for. Unfortunately the local Green Party in nothing more than a reelection vehicle for Donna Spring and will not do anything to hold her accountable to the Green Party Platform. Ms Spring was on the committee which drafted the "poor law" proposals used in Berkeley's war against the homeless. Further, Ms. Spring, at the behest of local merchants who complained about homeless folks camping out on a bench on Shattuck Avenue, personally ordered city workers to remove the offending piece of outdoor furniture. She voted for the privatization of the city parking garages, depriving union workers of jobs. To avoid offending downtown merchant she voted against HUD money to be used to create low income housing in downtown Berkeley. In many critical votes on progressive issues where it came down to her as the swing vote she waffled by abstaining thus allowing the item to defeated by council “moderates”.

Not one supposed ‘progressive” on the city council has denounced the illegal labor practices employed by certain City of Berkeley departments. Part time employees of the City do not receive benefits and are limited to less than 30 hours per week, the break point between part time and full time. If a part time employee work more than 30 hours, they are ordered to carry the extra time over to next week’s time card so they will not move up to full time status and thus eligible for benefits.

Anyone who plans to attend this convention should be aware of the hypocritical history of the “progressive left” in Berkeley and how they have attacked, marginalized, and silenced community activists who were working for a truly radical social agenda and vision.