Another angle of ridiculousness has emerged in what seems to be the oaks story of 2008: The U.S. Senate might get involved in the mess of the Marine Recruitment Center after the infamous words “unwelcome intruders” were heard ’round the bay and from coast to coast.

Senator Jim DeMint (South Carolina - R) will introduce a proposal to snatch Berkeley’s more-than $2.1 million in federal earmarks and transfer the sum to the Marine Corps instead. That’s a bitchslap if we’ve ever seen one.
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Yeah, NSS. As if Berkeley would ever say “no” to some grass.

In the event of federal interference with dispensaries, Berkeley City Council urges opposition to and noncooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s marijuana raids.

Is it news to you that weed is illegal? In a nutshell, the sitch’ is this:
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How many of you like smoking when walking down Telegraph Avenue? How many of you like to lie down randomly on the sidewalk? Pee in public? Drink in public? Own a shopping cart in public? Yell randomly in public?

Well, all of those things will be banned eventually. Tuesday night the Berkeley City Council passed the Public Commons for Everyone Initiative, which Mayor Tom Bates has been trying to push through the council for months now.

The Chron is reporting that it’s a way clean up the streets and get rid of rowdy behavior. It’s always a way to force the city’s homeless population to get some help—by either getting help on their own or by being arrested and being sent to get help.

The implementation of the Public Commons for Everyone Initiative is slated to start sometime late this year, after the City Manager creates a plan for implementation and bring it back to the council.

So we guess we won’t see anymore rowdy frat guys roaming the streets of Berkeley after a football game or that piss-drunk freshmen peeing on the street corner or that weird guy going to sleep right next to your favorite coffee spot.

Maybe this will eventually bring more businesses back to the now-shoddy Telegraph Avenue. Just think: a Jamba Juice on every corner. Maybe they’ll even bring a Peets to Telegraph. Or even a big corporate drug store. Oh wait …

At least the streets will be clean … or not as dirty.

Council passes plan to stop bad street behavior [SF Gate]
Berkeley consider ‘public commons’ initiative [Oakland Trib]

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EDIT: It seems the Chron may have been a little too eager with its story. According to the Oakland Tribune, Berkeley City Council approved some parts of the initiative but also sent it back to the city manager:bq. A sweeping plan to improve the quality of life in public areas and make Berkeley a cleaner and friendly place for shoppers and visitors was approved by the City Council on Tuesday.

bq. But the plan — originally put forth by Mayor Tom Bates with additions by council member Kriss Worthington — must now go back to City Manager Phil Kamlarz for more specific proposals. Laws will not change until after a meeting in the fall, said Bates’ senior aide Julie Sinai.

The Daily Cal also has the story.