All of Washington is abuzz over the “behemoth” COVID relief bill, with legislators (or rather, their aides) confronting a 5500 page measure with everything from student aid to military funding and COVID vaccine purchases.
The Bunion caught up on zoom with some local pols to get their take on the frenzy.
CM Susan Wengraf rolled her eyes at the hubbub. “5500 pages? Oh cry me a river! We have to grind through that every month. We can get a thousand page packet for one council meeting with a tiny fraction of the support staff you’d find in the most junior congressperson’s office. I don’t even get out of bed for a packet that’s less than 500 pages.”
CM Lori Droste agrees. “Do you know why Barbara Lee ‘speaks for me?’ Because she’s not actually stuck reading that stuff. Do you think she has to read constituent emails herself? Lol! And don’t even get me started on sitting through public comment or, as my partner calls it. ‘Where Dreams Go To Die.’”
CM Taplin offered, “I have no idea how my colleagues are able to listen to public comment go on like that. I’ve been to one meeting and it was exhausting.”
“Let me give you a bit of advice,” offered Wengraf, “don’t listen! J/k lol! But seriously – I was on council through the Worthington era. I became very good at meditating with my eyes open. Lol!”
Asked why Berkeley needs such massive volumes of paper when Congress spends a trillion dollars for the same word count, Mayor Arreguìn huffed with indignation. “Look, it’s not the size of the package. It’s what you do with it. And the voters gave us – gave me – a 75% pay raise even as a number of them are losing their jobs and facing eviction. My critics say we should be paid for performance, but we are! That capoeira routine was pure gold!”