On January 29th, 2008 the City of Berkeley took the extraordinary action of approving a resolution that will result in a letter being sent to the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps that their Marine recruiting office is not welcome in the City of Berkeley, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do “so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”

“I cannot stand by and do nothing while the City of Berkeley declares war on the United States Marine Corps,” said Houston. “The Marines, and all of our branches of the military, deserve the honor of our elected officials, not their scorn.”

The City of Berkeley is scheduled to receive approximately $3.3 million in transportation funding over the next two years from Proposition 1B. The legislation will call for that funding to be suspended until Berkeley rescinds its January 29, 2008 resolution.

Furthermore, the City’s approved resolution applauds “residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work or any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley.” However, this “nonviolent means” has resulted in people chaining themselves to one another in order to physically obstruct people from entering that Marine Corps recruiting office.

See the following clips to view video of Assemblyman Houston’s comments, and below that a clip showing protestors physically blocking access to the Berkeley Marine Corps office.

Join nonprofit leaders for a day of learning and networking as the conference examines the many ways the aging of the Baby Boom population is affecting the nonprofit sector. Fast-paced workshops and stimulating panel discussions will help managers, administrators, and board memebers navigate the many changes and challenges nonprofits face in the areas of leadership transition, fundraising, board development, cultural competency and volunteer recruitment

To be held at the Crowne Plaza in Concord, February 1 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Registration is limited. Early bird registration ends January 7, 2008 is $95. Regular registration, after Janurary 7, is $135. Click here to register online.