Posted on 02/05/2008 1:18:07 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Some Berkeley business owners say they have received such a negative response from the recent City Council resolutions against the Marine Corps recruiting center in Downtown Berkeley that they may withhold city taxes in protest.
Last week the council declared that the center was "unwelcome" in Berkeley and sought to aide Code Pink, a group that organizes regular protests outside the center, by reserving a parking space for the group in front of the center, among other actions.
Since then, the resolutions have elicited a nationwide response. Last Thursday, United States Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he would attempt to remove funding for programs in the Berkeley area to protest the council's actions.
Ted Garrett, the CEO of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, said he had received at least 140 e-mails from people who said they would not do business in Berkeley in response to the council's resolutions.
"Most are threatening to never set foot in Berkeley and never have anything to do with businesses in Berkeley," he said. "I know of at least one instance now where an innkeeper has reported that one visitor has cancelled their reservation because of the council's actions."
Councilmember Darryl Moore said some of the complaints may have come from people who never planned on visiting Berkeley in the first place.
"Those people don't live anywhere near Berkeley and who's to say that they were coming to Berkeley to begin with?" he said. "I just think it would be unfortunate if the chamber did some sort of knee-jerk reaction to all of this."
At a meeting of the chamber's Government Affairs committee yesterday, some members discussed a plan to withhold business license taxes to protest the resolutions' effects on their business.
A formal plan to withhold taxes would require the approval of the chamber's executive committee or board of directors.
But Carolyn Henry Golphin, the immediate past chair of the chamber's board, said withholding taxes should only be a last resort.
"We have to do what we have to do," she said. "We do need to make a stand together if that's what we all agree on."
Liz Stevens, broker and owner of Windermere Real Estate in Berkeley, said the current controversy was part of a larger problem.
"The city has a good way of keeping people at arms length and making decisions that affect them at the same time," she said.
Mark McLeod, a member of the chamber's board and president of the Downtown Berkeley Association, said he agreed that the council should have considered the implications of its actions before voting for the resolutions.
"The council can't operate as an isolated unit-the university, council and chamber have to realize they're all members of a large, complex community and have to act with a realization of the effect of their actions on all members of the community," he said.
Me too—IIRC, Wozniak (sp?) was the ONLY one against the measure!
Nah, the council will welcome terrorists with open arms and allow Burqua-ly to be their base of operations here in the USofA! /s
Very good Michael. Looks like you may be eating in Berkeley again soon.
Here is a list of merchant emails. Send them a NICE note saying you will NEVER shop in Berkeley. Never.
John Abrate
Wells Fargo Bank
510-647-1055
John.abrate@wellsfargo.com
Kevin Allen, Chair
Rose Garden Inn
510-549-2145
rosegardengm@aol.com
Juan Barajas
Pacific Center
510.548.8283 x 213
jbarajas@pacificcenter.org
Roman Fan
Korman & Ng
415-420-7663
roman@romanfan.com
Doris Grant
Name The Occasion Gift Baskets
510-524-7500
dgrant@nametheoccasion.com
Joan Griffith
Cooperative Federal Credit Union
510-845-6428
jgriffith@coopfcu.org
Carolyn Henry Golphin
Skates On The Bay
510-549-1900
cgolphin@r-u-i.com
Nikole Halaka
Hotel Durant
510-809-4127
nikoleh@hoteldurant.com
Richard Hom
Mustard Seed Promotions
510-558-0735
Richard@MustardSeedPromotions.com
Jan Kearney
Cast of 1000’s
510-843-0899
jk@castof1000s.com
Koala Moredo
On Point Acupuncture
510-705-8755
koala@onpointacu.com
Hrant Nalbantian
Union Bank of California
510-849-8633
hrant.nalbantian@uboc.com
Roland Peterson
Telegraph Avenue Business Improvement Dist.
510-486-2366
tbid@transbay.net
Malaga Smith
Malaga Corp.
510-704-1777
mal@malagacorp.com
Michele Molitor-Stoelker
Nectar Consulting, Inc.
510-582-9982
Michele@nectarconsulting.com
Michele Zimmerman
Strategic Business Solutions
510-558-9404
Michele@sirius-mail.com
Then someone is truly absurd in their "thinking". Both of these resolutions are stupid and anti-American, but it boggles my mind to think that oh, yeah, dissing the troops is great, but giving Code Pink a free parking spot at city expense? Well, that's a bit much.....
Yes, but Google all the other sites mentioned in this thread and do the same to them.
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