Hello, Berkeley — can we join your pointless parade?

The East Bay community of Berkeley and its ever-concerned, handwringing, easily mortified leadership have long been trendsetters when it comes to issuing bold position statements on all manner of national and international affairs over which they have utterly no control whatsoever.

It doesn’t really matter whether the issue at hand directly affects the town and its citizenry or not. Berkeley’s self-righteous policymakers will take a bold and very public stand. Terrific. Now, apparently, at least one member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors seeks to follow suit.

The worry expressed by Supervisor David Canepa of Daly City last week is, get ready for it, killer robots. Yes. He wants the board to pen a strong message decrying the use of such artificial creations which, he believes, could wreak unrestrained havoc on unsuspecting victims at some point in the grim future.

Canepa seems to mean well. But he’s at risk of making the board something of a laughing stock. Why would someone in North Korea or Iran (or the Pentagon for that matter) care one fig about what somebody in Redwood City has to say? That’s right. He or she wouldn’t. It would take irrelevance to an entirely new level.

Canepa’s effort didn’t gain much traction with his colleagues. They apparently understood the essential absurdity involved. But they did do what governing bodies do with numbing frequency: They decided to form a committee.

The task will be to examine the question of criteria involved when the supervisors are considering chiming in on a matter seemingly outside their normal purview. But, for now at least, killer robots don’t make the cut.

Bunny Gillespie

The North County lost a valuable resource recently. Bunny Gillespie, a devoted Daly City/Colma historian passed away at the age of 91 on Dec. 10.

A native of Daly City, she lived long enough to see that community grow to more than 100,000 people and become the most populous in San Mateo County.

Bunny (her formal name was actually Lillybell) was one of the founders of the Daly City History Museum and the History Guild of Daly City/ Colma.

A former journalist, she was the go-to individual when it came to information about that part of the Peninsula. She knew it all. She worked closely with her husband, Ken, who predeceased her.

She also was involved with a number of other historical societies, not the least of which was the San Mateo County Historical Association.

Dumbarton history

Speaking of local history, it’s worth noting that the Dumbarton Bridge is finishing up its 90th anniversary.

The original version of the bridge opened in 1927. It was the first vehicular structure to span San Francisco Bay, predating its more celebrated peers, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Two years after the Dumbarton span made its debut, the San Mateo Bridge opened.

Today, as we all know only too well, both Peninsula bridges (which have been totally rebuilt and expanded) are jammed during the weekly rush hour crush.

Climate magazine

It’s back. Redwood City’s Climate magazine, which died several months ago, is being resurrected next month under new ownership.

An online version of the free publication, which is devoted to all things related to Redwood City and its environs, is already available at climaterwc.com.

The print version is set to reappear on racks in Redwood City in January, according to its website.