Daniel Berlant is a very likable and charming young man. (I say young because he is 37) We had a 1 1/2 Hour long conversation that was arranged by a mutual acquaintance that felt I should get in contact with him.

Since I blog under my own name (if you ever seen anything anonymous, it did not come from me) it means I am accountable for what I write. Similar to interviewing Cheryl Maki, who wanted to tell her side of the story and correct inaccurate information, in that same vane I spoke to Mr. Berlant.

It should be noted that Maki was nothing but complementary of Berlant in my chat with her. It did not take long to understand why.

Berlant posted this to his public figure page on Facebook following the City Council Meeting

Most of my chat with Berlant will remain off the record as it was the first time we had ever spoken and we spent time getting to know each other in addition to the events at hand. Berlant grew up in Auburn and went to Placer High School. He was on the Auburn Unified School District Board before moving to the City Council. He was President of the Auburn USD board for 4 of the 5 years he served on the board.

Berlant has worked for Cal Fire since he was 18 years old in 2001. He is currently employed in the State Fire Marshall’s Office.

Berlant echoed a lot of the same concerns as Maki – talking about Employment Practices lawsuits and fiscal issues within the City of Auburn. Similar to Maki he stressed that the current council seem to be unanimous most of the time in the solutions and with the exception of Kirby’s outbursts the existence had been fairly smooth.

It has been clear to your intrepid blogger for years that Maki and Kirby do not like each other. It is my opinion that this is exacerbated by Maki being a strong woman overlaid with Kirby’s demonstrated pattern of misogyny. Berlant did not make this statement, rather he referenced some of the issues that have existed. (The details will remain off the record)

As I spoke to Berlant I understood that in his job as a Cal-Fire spokesman he has to play peacemaker and work with all kinds of egos. (again my editorialization and summary) It is the opinion of this blogger that Berlant is not weak by any means, he is less overtly aggressive and demonstrative.

So let’s dispel a few rumors. #1 Berlant is not a union goon. He is currently an “At Will Employee”. #2 He went to high school with several Auburn Firefighters and openly tells people as such. One of his key goals has been supporting Police and Fire which leave him open to the criticism that he is a pawn of unions.

I have been told by others in local government that Berlant has been able to gain the trust of local law enforcement unions because of his relationships and because of his years of service to CalFire there is a familiarity. This stands in stark contrast to many other local jurisdictions that seem to be at war with their unions.

#3 The transition from Kirby to Berlant for Auburn Mayor. This was arranged in November, long before the current council started to become aware that Kirby was ranting in public again. According to multiple sources, Kirby had been keeping his well-known pattern of public outbursts in check (with the exception of jousting with Maki at council meetings) until about January.

The Mayor position is ceremonial in Auburn and had been on an informal rotation based on election position and there was a deal made to split the term between Kirby and Berlant that appears to have been brokered by Sandy Amara. The effect of Kirby’s Outburst is to make that transition happen sooner than the original plan of May.

#4 Auburn is a General Law City. This means the 4 Councilmembers not named Bill Kirby have no means with which to remove him for misconduct. This is only allowed in Charter Cities and then only if it is in the Charter.

#5 Kirby was not replaced as Mayor on 4-13-2020 because you need unanimous consent to waive the notice requirement for an item that is normally supposed to be placed on the Agenda. Thus, the subject of the Mayor is on the Agenda for the next Council Meeting on 4-27-2020.

I have a few political disagreements with Berlant, but I found him to be quite easy to talk to. I also found him to be rather transparent, I can forgive a lot of disagreements if I believe I am dealing with someone who is honest.

The last key takeaway from my conversation with Berlant (that I can share on the record) is that he is concerned that people focus on the Hate from Kirby, not the disdain for Trump. Berlant was quick to point out that Auburn is evenly split in registration, but that the hate and vitriol in Kirby’s comments is what should be the focus. He appeared to agree with me when I pointed out the media leaving out the social media posts calling for death and damnation on Christians and Trump supporters.

Berlant’s comments on this, in my opinion showed me some maturity. Let people have their opinion, understand that even hate speech is protected by the first amendment but focus on the real issue – that is the hate and intolerance directed at many of his constituents.

Let me conclude with this. My opinion of Berlant was changed by the wide open conversation we had. He is definitely a “Nice Guy” type of person that eschews bomb throwing publicly. I perceive him as a centrist politically that is approachable. I also am clear that he believes he is doing what’s right for the City he Grew up in. I have reason to believe that his decisions as events unfold will bear that out.