RICHMOND
U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Richmond, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, recently issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting that the United States may resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in three decades on an “equal basis” with “other countries’ testing programs:”
“As I said at the beginning of Trump’s presidency, the threat posed by nuclear weapons remains at an all-time high. That is why I am deeply concerned by his confused and inaccurate comments about restarting nuclear testing,” said Garamendi. “The United States, Russia and China have agreed not to conduct explosive nuclear weapons tests since the ’90s. Missile tests, on the other hand, are already routinely conducted by the U.S. military.”
“There is no scientific, technical or strategic justification for resuming explosive testing. The United States currently conducts extensive subcritical nuclear tests and high-fidelity simulations through the Stockpile Stewardship Program, which provide a deep understanding of our nuclear capabilities. Further, the United States is already at a technical advantage, having conducted more nuclear tests than any other country in the world.
“Restarting nuclear testing would undermine our scientific and strategic advantages, severely damage America’s credibility on the world stage and increase the risks of nuclear escalation or a nuclear war. North Korea is the only nation to have conducted explosive nuclear tests in the 21st century.
“If the United States follows suit, it will prompt Russia and other nuclear powers to do the same, creating an extremely dangerous situation. The United States must refrain from explosive nuclear testing and take steps to avoid a new global nuclear arms race.”
For more information, visit garamendi.house.gov online.
— U.S. Rep. Garamendi’s office
BERKELEY
Group holding low-cost pet shot clinic Nov. 14 in Pinole
Every pet deserves a healthy, happy life, and keeping up with vaccinations is one of the easiest ways to protect them. But as the cost of veterinary care continues to rise, many loving pet owners findi keeping up harder. That’s why the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society (Berkeley Humane) is stepping in with a low-cost pet vaccine clinic to make essential care accessible to everyone.
Join Berkeley Humane from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 14 in the PetSmart location at 1380 Fitzgerald Drive in Pinole for a simple, affordable way to keep your pets healthy. No appointment is needed.
“As pet parents, we all want our dogs and cats to live long, healthy lives,” said Jeffrey Zerwekh, Berkeley Humane’s executive director. “Keeping their vaccinations current is one of the most important and affordable ways to do that.”
The clinic will offer core vaccines for dogs and cats, including rabies, bordetella, leptospirosis, panleukopenia and more, all priced between $15 and $20. Every vaccination includes a free microchip, giving your pet a permanent form of identification in case they are ever lost.
Operated on a first-come-first-served basis for the first 30 pets, the event will also provide expert guidance from Berkeley Humane’s veterinary team to help owners choose the right vaccinations for their pets’ ages and lifestyles. This event is part of Berkeley Humane’s Spay the Bay program, which has already helped thousands of Bay Area pet owners with affordable spay-and-neuter services for more than four years.
The low-cost vaccine clinic continues that mission to keep pets healthy and families together. For details online, visit berkeleyhumane.org/spay-the-bay/#vaccines.
— Berkeley Humane
EL CERRITO
Lions Club to sponsor the placing of flags on Veterans Day
The El Cerrito Lions Club (ECLC) is sponsoring its 33d annual placing of flags on veterans’ graves next week on Veterans Day in the Sunset View Cemetery at 101 Colusa Ave. in El Cerrito. The event will begin, rain or shine, at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday with a brief ceremony honoring our veterans. Light refreshments will be served, and the club will furnish flags and cemetery maps. Bring a screwdriver or similar sharp object to assist in placing flags.
Veterans, community members, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have participated in past events and are encouraged to attend. The ECLC is a community service club chartered in 1927.
Club projects have included free vision screening for low-income seniors, eyeglass collection for reuse in developing countries, an annual high school student speakers contest and contributions to organizations such as Lions Eye Foundation, Canine Companions and disaster relief. For further information, contact John Anderson at 510-685-4857 or results@johnpanderson.com.
— ECLC
To submit an item for the Berkeley Voice and El Cerrito Journal’s “In brief” section, which is now published in print on each month’s third Friday, please email it, at least three days before print publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a short headline along with the name of the group or individual to credit for it.