RULES COMMITTEE: 10/22/2025
Item: B.1
File ID: ROGC 25-331
TO: Honorable Mayor & FROM: Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Council City Clerk
SUBJECT: The Public Record DATE: October 22, 2025
October 9, 2025 – October 16, 2025
ITEMS FILED FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD
Letters from Boards, Commissions, and Committees
Letters from the Public
1. Letter from Blair Beekman, received October 10, 2025, regarding: sj. Blair Beekman.
Thursday October 9, 2025.....Follow-up, to Approval Authority public meeting. Sept 2025. ____________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk
TJT/tt
Public Record: 1
upcoming changes to BAUASI. This continued opacity & apathy, may actually be leading to, an eventual federal government takeover, of the current BAUASI program. And for new austerity measures, to be put in place, by the federal govt. To note, these new federal govt austerity measures, may be something of the initial plans, already being developed, by current BAUASI Approval Authority persons, as described above.
It is my current guess, February & March of 2026, may begin a time, of more serious federal govt decision making, about the future of BAUASI. At this time, if pressed, I feel current BAUASI & Approval Authority persons, can make the needed efforts, in how to be a good facilitator, for local Bay Area communities. And to make more clear, how to better understand, and to more openly question, possible upcoming BAUASI administration changes.
I'm sure many people, of local Bay Area govts & communities, are very much concerned, that the incredibly decent, initial good intentions, of the BAUASI administration, in the past 15+ years, may soon end, in the dour emptiness, of a federal administration takeover. But perhaps, they do not know how to better voice their concerns, at this time. Thankfully, BAUASI staff & Approval Authority persons, have had the foresight, to be currently developing, an on-call subcommittee process. This process, can have an initial focus, to better familiarize, the initial planning & changes, for the future of BAUASI at this time. This can invite Bay Area communities, to a more open public review & discussion, about the current & future direction of BAUASI.
From this, we also should acknowledge, how this can also allow, local Bay Area govts & communities, to begin to possibly have, much more input & control, in how BAUASI emergency planning, can better function & coordinate, for local Bay Area communities, in the future. As we should be starting to develop, a much more open, and larger range, of well reasoned ideas & opinions, from local Bay Area governments & communities, with initial, new BAUASI & Approval Authority planning ideas, at this time.
The open public review process, is usually the most reliable way, to help develop, best practices & policies. And in the efforts to work towards, more open, accountable, & responsible local democracy.
Our local efforts, towards openness & cooperation - may be much respected, from all sides, of the political spectrum, at the local, state, and federal level, at this time. And this may help to limit, a future federal govt takeover of BAUASI, that will be relying on, closed door, secretive, & opaque austerity measures - as how to better develop, the future BAUASI administrative process. And in the terms, initially being developed, by current BAUASI and Approval Authority persons, at this time. I feel this latter scenario, and its way of thinking & working, simply needs to be, more openly questioned, at this time.
I feel the more positive ideas, mentioned in this letter, can be the efforts, to work towards, more open, accountable, & responsible best practices, of a local democracy. And can be much respected, from all sides, of the political spectrum, at the local, state, and federal level, at this time. And that I feel, can work to help limit, a federal govt takeover of BAUASI, that will instead rely on, closed door, secretive, & opaque austerity measures, as how to develop, the future BAUASI administrative process. 10/14/25, 10:31 AM Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook https://outlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT… 2/4 And in terms initially being developed, by current BAUASI and Approval Authority persons, at this time.
The efforts of a good legal framework, to create a more open community dialogue & review process, at this time, can also allow for, a more open, Bay Area dialogue, local camaraderie, and best practices, to possibly help develop ways - in how to also better address, current federal administration issues, in the federal over-militarization of local communities, and federal govt data collection overreach - among other important topics, at this time. This additional local dialogue & efforts, can be of help, to local California city govts, and their communities, at this time. And possible help, for communities across the country, at this time, as well.
A reminder, BAUASI was created, at least in part - so the open public process, public oversight, and better organized, more accountable, administrative practices, could better address, the events of 9/11, and its initial intentions of continual war. The concepts of war, simply needs, secrecy, opacity, confusion, and the use of harm, in its decision-making process. Meanwhile, open participatory democracy, tends to work towards, positive sustainability, and our better human ideals. And the ideas of peace, before war. I hope the reminders, of openness, accountability, and the public process, can continue to be considered, as important guidelines, in the past, present, and future decision-making of BAUASI.
BAUASI & Approval Authority staff, should be very familiar, at this point, with my well-intentioned good efforts, for over 10 years now, with BAUASI, and with local Bay Area communities, towards better tech accountability practices, with better public participation. As these are the policies & ideas, to build openness & positive community sustainability. From these good ideals, I have relied much, over the years, on the best practices & commitments, of the previous BAUASI administration, towards openness, good organization, and good communication. And as how to best address, local Bay Area community concerns.
This open letter, to local Bay Area governments, Bay Area advocacy, and local media, is to ask - Should we be developing, a more open public review process, as how to best decide, the future direction of BAUASI, at this time. As I think, more open, responsible, and participatory best practices, can better address, the ways to invite, local Bay Area govt & communities, to help better develop, an overall more open, holistic, comprehensive future, for BAUASI. And in how to limit, a possible, more dour Federal administration takeover of BAUASI. A good luck, to our best efforts, in the next few months.
sincerely,
blair beekman
10/14/25, 10:31 AM Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook https://outlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT… 3/4 This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. p.s.
To ask some follow up questions, of the past, two BAUASI Approval Authority public meetings, of June 12, 2025, and September 18, 2025 -
1. Is there an effort being created, at this time, by current BAUASI & Approval Authority - to help facilitate, a more open public dialogue, with Bay Area local govts & communities, about the future direction of BAUASI ?
2. Can BAUASI & the Approval Authority, write back to myself, or begin to more openly work with, local Bay Area govts & communities, to better explain, the ideas & philosophy, in the current planning, of what a future BAUASI administration, can look like ?
3. Are local Bay Area govts & communities themselves, learning how to better organize & ask for, more open dialogue & constructive criticism, in how to better address, current BAUASI staff, and Approval Authority persons, about these early planning ideas, for the future direction of BAUASI ?
4. What other, local, state, and federal govt agencies, are a part of the current planning, in the future choices & direction of BAUASI ?
5. Are BAUASI staff, Approval Authority persons, along with, local, state, and federal govt agencies, becoming better prepared, in how to work with, additional input & variations, from local Bay Area govts & communities, in the current, initial early planning, for the future changes to BAUASI ?
6. How seriously, does local Bay Area govts, local Bay Area communities, BAUASI staff & Approval Authority persons, want to more openly address, at this time - the ways to avoid, a possible future federal administration takeover of BAUASI ? Is there an actual acceptance - based on contentment - of the current status quo ?
- blair.
10/14/25, 10:31 AM Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook https://outlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT… 4/4