Rally to Save the Berkeley Post Office featuring Peter Byrne

Come learn about the latest news in the struggle to save the Berkeley Post Office and prevent the privatization of Post Offices across the country. Enjoy the music and use the public commons as it should be!

Special Guest Speaker:

Peter Byrne, author of Going Postal: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein's husband sells post offices to his friends, cheap..

National award-winning investigative journalist Peter Byrne reports that the husband of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has been selling post offices at bargain basement prices—often to his own business partners. Richard C. Blum is the chairman of CBRE Group Inc., the largest commercial real estate firm in the world. In 2011, the Postal Service awarded Blum's company an exclusive contract to sell off postal real estate in cities and towns across America. Byrne's in-depth investigation details the many apparent conflicts of interests driving the CBRE deals. It brings to light a scathing government audit of Blum's contract that is being ignored by the Obama administration.

The investigation reveals how Senator Feinstein pressured the Postmaster General to stop a postal construction project, and to favor the interests of a developer working with her husband's firm. Byrne explains why the Post Office is not really broke and how powerful forces on Capitol Hill are angling to franchise the U.S. Mail monopoly. We learn that the post office executives in charge of Blum's contract have been up to a financial shenanigans of their own. This is first class investigative reporting on a vital issue of the day that you will not find anywhere else.

Music by the Funky Nixons, Hali Hammer and Dave Welsh.

A Quick Update on the status of the proposed zoning ordinance for the Historic District which includes the Berkeley Post Office may be provided by Berkeley City Councilperson Jesse Arreguin.

Food!