Tag Archives: Barbara Lee
Crowds fill Old Berkeley City Hall to honor Maudelle Shirek
National and local political figures, along with city staff, family members and other loved ones, came together Tuesday night in Berkeley to celebrate the life of former Councilwoman Maudelle Shirek who died April 11 at the age of 101.
The memorial event took place in the building re-named in 2005 to honor Shirek — a Berkeley councilwoman for 20 years — known widely as the “godmother of progressive politics” due to her work in the peace movement, and in the fight for social justice, nutrition, fair housing, HIV/AIDS education, civil rights, human rights and an end to apartheid. … Continue reading »
Former Councilwoman Maudelle Shirek dies, aged 101
Update, April 24: There will be a celebration of the life of former Vice-Mayor Maudelle Shirek on Tuesday, April 30, at 5 p.m. at the Old City Hall Council Chambers in the building named after her at 2134 Martin Luther King Way. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Mayor Tom Bates, Rev. William Kruse and family member Ronald Bridgeforth will speak. After there will be a video, light refreshments served and shared remembrances in the lobby. All are invited.
Original story: Maudelle Shirek, often called the godmother of East Bay progressive politics, died in a Vallejo hospice on April 11. Shirek served in the Berkeley City Council for 20 years, leading many progressive causes, with a particular devotion to seniors and the poor.
Shirek entered politics late in life. Furious that she was forced to retire as director of the West Berkeley Senior Center aged 71, she decided to run for City Council. She won and represented South Berkeley for eight terms. She did not run in 2004 because of her team misinterpreted the changed rules on candidate signatures: she had obtained signatures from across the city, but the new rules required signatures from just her district. Her signatures were ruled invalid.
When she left office in 2004, aged 92, she was the oldest publicly elected official in California. Old City Hall was renamed for Shirek in 2007.
“She was a real warrior for many of the issues on the left,” said Mayor Tom Bates. “It’s really sad the godmother of progressive politics in Berkeley has passed on.” … Continue reading »
Berkeley to help sister city in Cuba with clean water plan
By Tom Miller
Following Mayor Tom Bates and State Senator Loni Hancock’s December visit to Palma Soriano, Berkeley’s sister city in Eastern Cuba, plans are afoot for a community-built clean water solution for the entire city of 80,000 people.
For the past decade, UC Berkeley researchers have traveled to Palma to work with the community to develop a plan which will blend the deeply spiritual Afro-Cuban based affinity to land and nature with a low-tech, low cost green field sewage treatment plan. The people of Palma’s roots stretch back to Haiti when French slave owners brought slaves to Eastern Cuba when they fled Haiti’s slave rebellion over 200 years ago. … Continue reading »
Lifelong Medical Care gets $1.1 million federal grant
It was all smiles on Friday at Lifelong Medical Care’s Over 60 Health Center.
Dozens of dignitaries, doctors, patients and administrators gathered to celebrate the award of a $1.1 million federal grant to the 36-year old clinic. The funds will be used to hire 60 peer educators to work with 3,200 elderly over three years to better manage their health care. The aim is to get the older patients to be proactive about their health so they don’t take unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
The 60 peers will lead group classes for disabled patients and do one on one counseling. They will train adults to adopt more healthy lifestyles and encourage them to work with a group of nurses to more closely manage their own health care, according to a press release issued by Lifelong. The Center for Independent Living is a partner in the project. … Continue reading »
What will Barbara Lee do?
I know we try to concentrate on local issues on Berkeleyside, but I’ve been distracted in the last couple of days at the sight of Democrats in Washington ducking for cover because they only have an 18-seat majority in the Senate and a 78-seat majority in the House. As some commentators have said, healthcare reform is on the 1-yard line, and all that is needed is a single House vote to pass it. So what’s the problem?
There … Continue reading »
