A Berkeley High School senior apparently was paid money to change the grading records for 20 fellow students, the Daily Planet has learned. 

To members of the Class of 2000, the incident comes as a final insult to what has been a rocky, tumultuous year for the high school, plagued by fires, student protests and a labor dispute. That uneasy school year ends this evening with the graduation ceremony at the Greek Theatre, on the UC Berkeley campus. 

The Berkeley Unified School District is conducting an internal investigation into the record changes, said spokesperson Karen Sarlo. The Berkeley Police Department is conducting a parallel investigation to determine if any criminal violations occurred. 

The BUSD’s investigation is likely to reveal more details, but here is what’s known at this point. 

A few weeks ago, the high school’s registrar noticed a slight discrepancy in the grading records for one student. 

Further inquiries uncovered similar discrepancies in the files of other students. 

The first stage in the internal investigation led administrators to a student who worked as a proctor for one of the school’s counselors. On Tuesday, the student admitted that she played a role in the changes, but she told officials that she had been collecting money from peers and then giving that money to another student, who accessed the registrar’s computers and changed the records. 

However, that person has yet to be identified. The former proctor only could provide a first name of the alleged accomplice, and no one has been able to find this fellow student. 

It’s not clear how significant of changes were made in the students’ records. For example, it isn’t known if Fs became As, or if Cs became Bs. 

Some of the 20 students admitted to paying money for the changes to be made in their records, but others told top district administrators that they never asked or paid for the changes. 

All of the students known to be involved at this time are seniors. The 20 whose records were changed all have enough credits to graduate and will participate in tonight’s ceremony, but they won’t receive their diplomas until the BUSD completes its investigation. 

The student who confessed has been suspended in connection with the record changes, Sarlo said. That student apparently has enough credits to graduate, so she could receive her diploma once the investigation is finished, but she will not be allowed to walk the line tonight because her suspension bars her participation in any activities through the end of the school year. 

Sarlo said new passwords have been installed on the registrar’s system and other safety procedures have been implemented. Results of the district and police investigations may not be known for a few weeks. 

She said that as far as the district knows, no official transcripts were sent with the changed grades in place. 

Tonight’s graduation ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Greek Theatre. Because of the large number of graduates (750 this year), a ticket is required for admission.

Thursday, June 15 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Summer Lunchtime Concert Series 

Noon-1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART plaza 

This concert series features musicians from two unique schools in Downtown Berkeley, The Jazzschool and Capoeira Arts Café. This week, the Jazzschool will feature artists from the Jazz Ensemble Workshop playing a broad spectrum of innovative jazz. This concert is free. This event is co-sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Berkeley Daily Planet, Korman & Ng, and BART. 

510-549-2230 

Movie: “The Last Emperor” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Traffic calming meeting 

3-5 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St., second-floor conference room 

Come give input on how you would like traffic to be slowed on your residential street. At this meeting, decisions will be made regarding which possible solutions to speeding traffic are opened up to full discussion at a public workshop, and which solutions are tabled before the public even gets to hear about them. This subcommittee of the Transportation Commission will be discussing the process by which neighborhood traffic calming suggestions will be channeled and planning a set of public workshops regarding this matter. 

510-705-8136 

“Legends of Ancient India” 

3:30 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

Armin Palkhivala will present picture books and stories for children ages 3 through 9 highlighting ancient Indian legends and culture, and will incorporate the many and various festivals celebrated in India. 

510-644-6870 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission 

7 p.m. 

James Kenney Community Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

The commission will discuss the “Berkeley Crossing” project on Fourth Street and the question of building a city subsidized parking structure in the Fourth Street area. 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The commission will address the question of campaign filing statements that include errors and omissions. 

Friday, June 16 

“Vietnam” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Col. Harvey Short will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

The history of New York Yiddish theater music 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Juneteenth celebration 

7-9 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

Juneteenth is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed. In educating the public about the rich heritage of the African Americans and the triumph of the human spirit, there will be a performance by the African Haitian Dance Group, storytelling with Orunamamu, the opportunity to taste African food, and the selling of African art and crafts by Zebra Trading Company. Other activities taking place on this special family night include swimming, floor hockey, soccer, basketball, and arts and crafts. The price for this family night is $1 per person. 

510-848-9622 

Words in Collision: Summer Performance Art Series 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. (in Live Oak Park) 

Tonight’s session will feature readings by poets and writers. Admission is $7 to $10. 

510-644-6893 

Saturday, June 17 

Book Sale 

9 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Albany Community Center, corner of Marin and Masonic avenues 

The Friends of the Albany Library will hold its annual book sale this weekend. Prices for books, journals, art works, magazines, CDs, LPs, and videos start at 25 cents and go up to $25. 

510-526-3720 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Free puppet shows 

1:30 and 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health at 2230 Shattuck Ave. 

The shows by The Kids on the Block are for children of all ages and their parents. The award-winning educational puppet troupe’s program will be on physical and mental differences. Admission is free. 

510-549-1564 

Organic container gardening 

2:30-5:30 p.m. 

Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Val Peters, Bay Area environmental educator, writer and gardener will lead this class. Cost for the class is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers. Pre-registration strongly advised. 

510-548-2220 

“Arab and Jew: A Dialogue in Music” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Magnet School theater, 1645 Milvia St. 

Israeli cellist Ohad “Udi” Bar-David and Palestinian violinist and composer Simon Shaheen will be featured in this event, sponsored by the East Bay Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group. Proceeds will benefit Open House in Ramle, Israel. Tickets are $25. 

925-947-1543; 925-736-8026 

Words in Collision: Summer Performance Art Series 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. (in Live Oak Park) 

“Impunity” by Eduardo Pavlovsky will be the featured performance tonight. Admission is $7 to $10. 

510-644-6893 

Sunday, June 18 

Book Sale 

9 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Albany Community Center, corner of Marin and Masonic avenues 

The Friends of the Albany Library will hold its annual book sale this weekend. Prices for books, journals, art works, magazines, CDs, LPs, and videos start at 25 cents and go up to $25. 

510-526-3720 

Free hands-on bicycle repair clinic 

11 a.m. 

REI Berkeley, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 

510-527-4140 

Judah L. Magnes Museum Family Day 

12:30-3 p.m. 

Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. 

The free event will feature music, refreshments, art activities, and exhibit tours to families and individuals of all ages. Storyteller/song-leader Ira Levin will be on hand to entertain visitors, and guided tours will give visitors an in-depth look into the museum’s current exhibitions. 

510-549-6950 

Roses workshop 

1 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley campus 

Horticulturist Elaine Sedlack will show a range of species of roses from all over the world. The roses come from China, Japan, Europe and California. Cost is $7 for Garden members, $12 for nonmembers. Call ahead to reserve a place. 

510-643-2755 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 

“Under Construction No. 9” will feature George Thomson conducting a concert of new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers. The concert is free. 

510-841-2800

Let city clerk join city manager 

The city manager has a new job in Tucson. The city clerk had one once in Santa Cruz but reneged, taking her job back with this foolish city. Let’s make sure Jim Keene leaves for good. Maybe he can eventually get Sherry Kelly down there also. 

Keene was only known for filling this city with fancy, expensive parking meters as just another city trying to support itself on parking meters but with nothing downtown to entice parking. Like many Berkeley residents, I do my shopping out of town. 

Six years ago I communicated with my city councilperson and the mayor, on the latter’s suggestion. I felt the public needed access to merely a hard-copy subject index of the full complement of Berkeley’s written law. Woolley and Dean were in full agreement with this effort, which city staff also wanted in CD-ROM form. Kelly made a huge project of this limited task, hassling the vendor on the job for several years. Thereafter, Chris Mead of the city’s Information Systems finally got an ordinances-codified updated version of this work available to the public on the Web five years after I first discussed the matter with City Hall! 

But now, nearly a year later, Berkeley’s indexing scheme on the Web, unlike other cities’, cannot be searched down to a reasonable amount of text. Check it; search with “gasoline engine” to find a code subsection the City refuses to enforce – prohibition of gasoline-engine leaf blowers. This subject is only found in the last of 14 paragraphs of Municipal Code Subsection 13.40.070, a text block containing 1,296 words. Several calls have not budged Mead on this. 

Ten years of our city politicians’ games did away with most of our branch county court. Now you can’t even sue customers to get them downtown. 

During the five years of Kelly’s tail-dragging, I asked Keene to put her on schedule. His response was a one-liner saying he would “take (my concern) into consideration.” My return one-liner, at this point, is: “Good riddance and may your other half bake in the Arizona sun.” 

Raymond A. Chamberlin 

Berkeley 

Tenant encounters rental problems 

What happened to last in first out? Back in 1988 the apartment building I lived in was for sale. The owner that purchased the building decided he wanted to move the building, I was the last tenant to move in, so I was the first tenant to move out. I was given a 30-day notice, and my 2-year-old daughter and me were asked to move with no place to go. I was and still am a single mom with a now 13-year-old daughter. I now live at 3028 Deakin St. in Berkeley. My neighbor of seven years was given a 30-day notice because the owner’s son needs to occupy the unit, and she pays the least rent. There are tenants in the complex that have been there a shorter time than she is, and they don’t have any children. I think they should have to move like I did. She is a single mom with a young child; she can’t afford $1,000 to $2,000 rents in Berkeley or the rising house markets in Berkeley. My concern is for her and her child! I was also told by the landlord that our building will be going up for sale soon, so who’s next? My child and me? I really think there should be some set rules in the city of Berkeley since this is an ongoing problem. 

Jessica Fletcher 

Berkeley 

Someone needs geography lesson 

“Last October, responsibility for the Caspian Region and Central Asia was transferred to the US Central Command.” (SF Chronicle, 7 June 2000). 

Say again? “Since September 1997, U.S. troops have engaged in a series of Central Asian training missions with their counterparts from Kzakstan, Kyrghystan, and Uzbekistan” thanks to the blessings of the CIA, Ms. Albright, and quite a few oil companies, according to a feature story and map in The Chron’s “Open Forum” section, written by Robert Bruce Ware, an authority on “Islam and ethnic policies in the region”; he is a professor at Southern Illinois U. 

Say again? Since when has the “Eurasian Crescent” been our responsibility? Drawn to scale, the map sweeps Georgia (Russia) clear around to India; on a scale of one inch to 500 miles, Israel is one-eighth of an inch! 

Say again? While we thank The Chron for telling us all about our new “command,” have the Russians been told? After all the Caspian region is in Russia; at least it was the last time I looked at a map. 

George Kauffman 

Berkeley 

Kennedy’s project is way too tall 

Mr. Kennedy’s capacity for misrepresentation is staggering. What he referred to as a “fifth-story penthouse” in your June 12th article on the 2700 San Pablo Avenue project, is actually an entire fifth floor – as revealed at the June 12th’s Design Review meeting! Moreover, he cannot truthfully imagine himself to have addressed “95 percent of what the neighbors object to” – for months concerned neighbors have repeatedly made their central objection clear: the building is too high for the surrounding one- and two-story buildings. It needs to be scaled back to two to three stories. As for the so-called “citizen vigilantes” (a nice example of civic dialogue) he describes as secretly opposing low-income housing, listen up, Mr. Kennedy: let it be 100 percent affordable housing – just make it lower and less dense! For all Mr. Kennedy’s moralizing about affordable housing, he continues to dance around the exact number to be included. Is he wringing his hands over just five units (or is it 10?) out of 48? And just how much public funding is he looking for? 

But then, perhaps Piedmont-resident Mr. Kennedy has nothing to fear from such disingenuous remarks. Maybe he is reassured by the Planning Staff’s apparent support for his project and the nearly deaf ear turned to neighbor’s key concern about the project. Could folks want San Pablo canyonized with four- to five-story buildings? It is possible Mr. Kennedy has found a congenial environment in which to build more or less as he chooses, riding roughshod over the targeted communities. I hope not. But other neighborhoods should take note. 

Howie “just vigilant” Muir 

Berkeley 

Arterial roads are designed for traffic 

I was amused to read Anne Marselis Whyte’s “Perspective” piece in the Monday, June 12, Daily Planet. Like many neighborhood people, she is confused about the role of arterial streets in Berkeley. Berkeley very properly and effectively protects neighborhoods by diverting traffic onto arterial streets, including College Avenue. But that must mean greater traffic on those arterials. 

Her claim of 40 mph speeds on College is exaggerated. I drive the street most days and can assure her that speeds above 30 mph are rare, though a 35 mph speed limit on arterials is probably appropriate. I have never noticed a truck or bus speeding in the way she describes. 

In my opinion, residents had better just accept the fact that arterials in Berkeley carry a lot of traffic. Adding stop signs will increase the congestion. Of course the speed limit on these streets should be obeyed, but traffic levels usually mean there is not much risk of speeding on streets like College Avenue. 

Anthony Thompson 

Berkeley

THEATER 

AURORA THEATRE 

“Split” by Mayo Simon, June 1 through July 2. A mordant clear-eyed view of an older couple's love affair. $25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Closer” by Patrick Marber, through July 9. A funny, touching and unflinchingly honest examination of love and relationships set in contemporary London. $38 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; May 27, June 1, June 3, June 10, June 15, June 24, June 29 and July 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

CALIFORNIA 

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 

“Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, June 3 through June 24. The classic romantic comedy of mismatched lovers forced into a union. $21 to $38 general; $19 to $38 seniors; $10 to $38 children. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.; June 20, 7 p.m. June 24, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre, Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit on state Highway 24. (510) 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

LaVal’s Subterranean 

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Yoni Barkan. The play will run from June 8 to July 8, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. each night. 1834 Euclid Ave. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

George and The Wonders, DJ Brixton Hitman, June 15, 9:30 p.m. $8. 

Let's Go Bowling, Critical Mass, Stiff Richards, June 16, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Tom Rigney and Flambeau, June 17, 9:30 p.m. Cajun dance lesson with Diana Castillo at 8:30 p.m. included in price. $11. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Ripe, Quimbombo, June 15. $4. 

Slaptones, Terra Cotta Troup, June 16. $5. 

Monkey, Firme, Los Karnales, June 17. $5. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals, Slaid Cleaves, June 16. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Oak, Ash and Thorn, June 17. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

“Collective Soul: New Directions of Hip Hop,” June 16, 8:30 p.m. Featuring Company of Prophets, Goapele, The Living Word Ensemble. $10 general; $8 students. 

Peruvian master guitarist Raul Garcia Zarate, June 17, 8 p.m. $16. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Bane, Calloused, Adamantium, Death by Stereo, June 16. 

Noothgrush, Kojak, PCP Roadblock, June 17. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Brothers of Baladi, Sisters of the Dance, June 15. $5. 

Vagabond Lovers, Christy McWilson, June 16. $7. 

Noe Venable and The Ruiners, Eric McFadden Experience, Lael Alderman, June 17. $6. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

Berkeley Historical Society 

"Berkeley's Ethnic Heritage." May 7 through March 2001. The exhibit examines the rich cultural diversity of our city and the contributions of individuals and minority groups to our history and development. The exhibit look at the original native tribelets in the area and the immigrants who settled in Ocean View and displaced the Spanish/Mexican landowners. It also examines the influence of theUniversity of California, the San Francisco earthquake, and World War II on the population and culture of Berkeley, and subsequent efforts to overcome discrimination. Curated by Linda Rosen and the Berkeley Historical Society Exhibit Committee. Thursday through Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. Admission free. 

Berkeley Historical Society located in the Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center Street, Berkeley. 510-848-0181 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. 

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Experiment Gallery,” through Sept. 10. Step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with concepts surrounding sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“Abstract Expressions,” through July 1. A group show featuring Rita Flanagan, Carolyn Careis, Heather Hutchinson, Muriel Paley, and Naomi Policoff. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA INSTITUTE 

“Markings/Imprints,” through July 28. The 2000 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Awards Exhibitions, Part I, featuring works by Susan Belau, Liliana Lobo Ferreira, and Jamie Morgan. 

Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Progressions: the Quilt as Art,” through June 29. An exhibit of quilts by Jill Le Croisette. 

“Go We to the Revels Masked,” through June 29. An exhibit of dolls by Elise Peeples. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

A PIECE OF ART 

Jane Fox, Mixed Media Works, April 27 through June 10, with an artist reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Ongoing new works by Gallery Artists in ceramic, metal, glass, wood and works on canvas and paper. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

701 University Ave., in the parking lot across from Spenger’s. (510) 204-9653. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

Rachel Davis, Samantha Fisher, Benicia Gantner, Cherith Rose, June 21 through July 22. An exhibit of new work by the four artists. 

Artist Reception, June 21, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. 

Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Two groups of deeply divided wheelchair users rolled into the City Council chambers Tuesday night to wage battle over which of two agencies would provide emergency services to the disabled community. 

After some debate between Easy Does It, the agency that has been providing emergency services for several years, and Emergency Services Provider, a recently founded competing nonprofit agency, the council voted to accept Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz’s recommendation and approve a two-year contract with Easy Does It. 

The heart of the difference between the two providers is defining the services to be provided, Kamlarz said. 

“What is an emergency service? Is it a substitute (attendant) service?” he asked. 

EDI says that an emergency is an unusual event that leaves a disabled person unable to accomplish a daily routine from time to time. ESP, on the other hand, says a person without a personal attendant for several weeks could be considered in an emergency situation. 

EDI charges “overuse” fees for those who use the service regularly. ESP would not charge these fees. 

This question is rarely faced by the majority population for whom getting up, eating, moving bowels and washing are routines they scarcely think about. 

For many disabled people, however, when an attendant gets sick, has a personal emergency or quits, it’s not a simple case of missing a few services for a day or two. The client may be left hungry, in bed, with critical, unmet health needs. 

So when a disabled person faces three weeks without an attendant, the question must be asked, “Does the individual need ‘emergency services’ or does the person need a substitute attendant?” 

EDI would respond that the person in question needs a substitute attendant – these services are not currently available – whereas ESP would be more likely to say the individual needs emergency services. 

Adding to the complexity of the issue is that hiring attendants has become very difficult in recent years. 

In a booming economy, workers, who in other times may have become attendants, now may have an array of job opportunities. Adding to the dilemma, people who work low-paying jobs, such as giving attendant care, are having an increasingly difficult time finding affordable housing in Berkeley. 

EDI’s services are dependent on attendants who work for them. But, like individuals, EDI faces a shortage of attendants and therefore has been unable to respond to all requests for service in a timely way, the agency’s staff said. 

The solution they found is to attract workers by paying them well. And so, in the new contract with the city, EDI promises to pay attendants $2.75 over the current rate. Less experienced attendants will earn $16.50 per hour while actively serving clients, and more experienced attendants will get $18.50 an hour. 

When they are waiting for calls or on-duty between calls, attendants receive about $6.25 per hour. 

The raises will be funded through revenue the city is adding and increased client fees. The bulk of the emergency services budget comes from a tax measure, Measure E, approved by voters in 1998. It provides $624,000 each year, and the city will add $22,000 annually to this fund. 

Client co-pay will go from $7 to $9 per hour in the first year of the contract and from $9 to $11 in the second year. 

“We try to pay enough, so (attendants) stay and work for us,” said Easy Does It President Peter Trier. 

ESP, on the other hand, had proposed to hire people for regular shifts at $9.75 per hour. They would work out of an office, and do office work when they were not serving clients. There would be one pay rate only. 

Clients would pay a minimum of $7.50 per hour, with those who could afford more, paying more on a voluntary basis. 

Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, chair of the Commission on Disability and a member of Kamlarz’s advisory group, lobbied for ESP. 

“A lot of people pay $7.50 or $8 an hour (for attendant services),” she said. “People who tend to be the poorest, need the most attendant hours.” 

Rodolfo-Sioson added that, since the ESP plan calls for attendants to work out of an office in Berkeley – EDI attendants are on call by pager – they could easily get to the client within the 30-minute window. EDI has been unable to consistently provide service that quickly. 

ESP supporters said they object to EDI’s added client fees for “overuse” of the service. “The new program would not charge overuse fees,” said Phil Chavez. 

Michael Pachovas, ESP’s executive director, pointed out that what is overuse for one client is not for another. He accused EDI of a “one-size-fits-all” mentality. 

But Councilmember Dona Spring said it is not realistic to expect an attendant to work for $9.75 an hour for ESP, when some disabled individuals are paying more. 

A motion by Councilmember Kriss Worthington to give the contract to ESP failed for lack of a second. A unanimous vote on the first year of EDI’s contract followed. In a third vote, seven councilmembers voted to support the EDI contract for the second year of service, while Worthington and Councilmember Diane Woolley abstained.  

In other council business Tuesday night, Councilmember Betty Olds removed her item from the agenda that called for a ban on the use of cell phones by cyclists.

The singers in the Kool Breeze band at UC Berkeley’s Staff Appreciation Day Wednesday at the Campanile sang about temperatures rising, and certainly some of the university’s clerical staff are hot under the collar. 

While the university provided tables of soft drinks, ice cream bars, hot dogs and watermelon for employees, union members offered their side of the story, calling the event Staff Depreciation Day. 

The 18,000-member Coalition of University Employees (CUE) currently is in contract negotiations with the nine-campus University of California system, and union members protested the wage increase they’ve been offered with printed T-shirts a hunger strike. 

The university invited CUE to the event and union locals filled tables with informational literature and discussed their goals with employees who stopped by to talk to them. 

Brad Hayward, spokesman for the UC in Oakland, said the system offered to provide CUE with the same increase as it provided in the state budget for other UC employees: a 2 percent cost of living adjustment plus a 1.5 percent pool for merit increases. 

According to Claudette Begin, president of the local chapter of CUE, the wages for clerical workers at Cal are 21 percent below market rates. She says she lives in Union City because she can’t afford to live in Berkeley. 

Wearing a blue T-shirt that asked, “Fridays, I work for free. Why?” Begin said top level administrators received raises of up to 30 percent last October, a sticking point with CUE leadership, 

“We have seen job descriptions increase and salaries decrease,” said Begin. 

Nick Slater, CUE chief steward, said the increase the administrators received reflected the university’s understanding “that you have to pay top rates to get top people. We accept that rationale, but it applies across the board.” 

The union seeks a 6 percent retroactive increase from 1999 to 2000 and 5 percent from 2000 to 2001. 

In answer to the Staff Appreciation Day that brought out a large number of employees and others to eat and drink for two hours on a sweltering afternoon, some CUE members embarked on hunger strikes. 

“I’ve been here for 18 years and we can’t live on what we make,” said Jane Fehlberg, an administrative assistant who’s going on a hunger strike “for as long as I have to.” 

She said the idea of holding hunger strikes was “overwhelmingly” accepted among membership, some of whom plan to fast in 24- and 48-hour stints. 

Fernando Brito, a library employee, said he’s going to take part in the hunger strike, because “it’s one thing I can do to let them know that we’ll take action.” 

“We live in one of the most expensive areas of the country, unemployment is very low, and our UC job offerings attract very few, if any, qualified applicants,” Brito said. 

Fehlberg also said the clerical shortage has reached “crisis” proportions. 

John Kelly, president of Local 1 of the University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA, said his department has had difficulties hiring qualified technical help. 

He said he just hired a senior electronics technician, but it took him six months to find someone for that job. He said the new hire builds computer networks and troubleshoots and possesses high qualifications. 

She took a cut in pay of about 30 to 40 percent to come to Cal, he said. She has no dependents and Kelly said she views the position as a terrific learning opportunity, and of course, there are medical benefits and free classes. 

When asked about the mystique and ambience of working in the groves of the academy, he responded that if the school were to run a monastery and call it “the order of the University of Berkeley, we have nothing to discuss.” 

“But this is a real world institution, we have to pay rent and buy groceries,” Kelly said. 

The union also works on the legislative front, because the university’s argument, he said, is that it can only give out what it receives from Sacramento. 

Hayward said the university offered to CUE to provide this year’s wage increase to clerical employees while contract negotiations continue. 

He said this is unusual because the wage increase is usually part of the entire contract agreement. 

“We offered to go ahead and provide wage increases consistent with funding we received from the state and the union declined and held out for more money,” he said. 

He said the university system management has been supporting efforts in the legislature to provide more money in next year’s state budget for UC staff salaries. 

“There are a number of challenges we face. The strength of the overall economy makes it hard to stay competitive in terms of compensation,” Hayward said. 

Budget cuts in the early 1990s put the system at a disadvantage because the schools went for three years without a cost of living raise, he said. “It takes a significant amount of money to make even minor improvements in wages,” he said.

The Institute of Governmental Studies and the Goldman School of Public Policy will present a special lecture Friday on the upcoming Mexican presidential elections. 

“The Mexican Presidential Elections: An Inside Look at the Labastida Campaign,” will be held at noon Friday in the Institute for Governmental Studies library, in Moses Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. 

On July 2, Mexico will hold its most highly contested presidential elections in modern history. For the first time in 70 years, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) faces a serious challenge from the leading opposition parties. While the Zedillo administration boasts of macroeconomic and financial achievements, critics say that now is the time for Mexico to consolidate its democratic institutions through the election of an opposition party. 

Only two weeks before Election Day, Esteban Moctezuma will present an insider’s perspective on the Mexican presidential campaign to the UC Berkeley campus. Moctezuma serves as the PRI’s Secretary General and as the campaign manager for their Presidential Candidate, Francisco Labastida. Moctezuma will explain how the PRI has handled this intense presidential campaign. 

Following his undergraduate studies in economics at the UNAM in Mexico City, Moctezuma received a master’s in political economics from Cambridge. Moctezuma then went on to hold several high level positions with the Mexican government. 

During the 1994 presidential elections, Moctezuma served as campaign manager for Ernesto Zedillo. Soon thereafter he was appointed as the Secretary of the Internal Political Affairs. In 1995 he became the President’s special advisor on New Federalism. In 1997 he was elected Senator for Mexico City, and a year later he was appointed by President Zedillo to be Mexico’s Secretary of Social Development. 

A light lunch will be served; call 643-5170 to make reservations.

Charles Darwin managed to develop and disseminate the most earth-shattering works natural history has ever seen – when he wasn’t overcome by his frequent and lifelong bane/hobby of vomiting. 

“The beauty of Darwin is you don’t just know he generally got sick, you know the exact volume,” quipped John Dillon, who delivered a Wednesday night lecture at UC Berkeley Extension’s International Center entitled “The Personal Evolution of Charles Darwin.” “Darwin was one of the handful of really important figures in science along with Einstein and Newton, but we probably know more about Darwin than any of the others. That’s because he was a hoarder, he saved everything. To say it another way, he was anal retentive.” 

The famed scientist kept a journal, diaries and notebooks, all while writing and receiving a staggering number of candid letters, even keeping copies of the dispatches he sent off. Darwin’s voluminous writings – though scrawled in the worst penmanship in Christendom – manage to reveal a startlingly physical and emotionally fragile man, who, throughout to his eventual conversion from Creationism to Evolution, made for a most unlikely revolutionary. 

The old adage holds that “reform will always come from the bottom. Nobody with four aces asks for a new deal.” Darwin was indeed born with four aces. The son of an incredibly wealthy doctor, and the grandson of controversial early evolutionist Erasmus Darwin, Charles grew up, as Dillon put it, “in Jane Austen’s England.” 

Attempting to follow in father Robert’s medical footsteps, Charles (whose later theories would describe a “nature red in tooth and claw”) found he could not stand the sight of blood, and returned home from Edinburgh University to the great disappointment of his authoritarian dad. With his career options limited, Darwin eventually opted to become a man of the cloth, attending Christ College at Cambridge with hopes of eventually being a country parson.  

Never an exceptional student unless keenly interested in a subject, Darwin found his interest in natural science, eventually landing his much-heralded position on the H.M.S. Beagle upon the recommendation of a professor.  

“Darwin signed up for a two-year mission, and it became five,” said Dillon, the curator of natural science at San Francisco’s Randall Museum. “The very first time he stepped onto the Beagle, he had heart palpitations. But he wouldn’t tell anybody. He’d rather have died than be benched.” 

Darwin sent the world’s largest natural history collection back to England, and, to his great surprise, returned to the British Isles a huge celebrity whose works had been published without his knowledge by the Royal Society. What Dillon feels he didn’t send back home was his newfound belief that creatures were not individually created but evolved, a torturous secret he guarded tightly.  

Unlike previous, Lamarckian views of evolution (which espoused a “chain of perfection,” with humanity – or at least white, Victorian humanity – as the ultimate symbol of perfect life on earth), Darwin’s theory was illustrated not by single-file chain but a much-branching evolutionary bush, with natural selection as the driving force in lieu of progress toward perfection. It was a fabulously controversial and perhaps even heretical worldview, one that Darwin, a physical and emotional wreck, knew would change his life inexorably if he opened his mouth. Understandably, he only shared his theory with a select few scientists friends, not penning “On the Origin of Species,” until 1859, decades after he stepped off the Beagle.  

By 1866, Joseph Hooker, the president of the British Association of Science and Darwin’s close friend, could accurately announce “the world is now Darwinian.” This wasn’t merely because the world at large chose to accept Darwin’s theories – it never hurts to have connections. 

“Sir John Lubbock, along with Charles Lyell, T.H. Huxley and Herbert Spencer formed what they called ‘The X Club,’ but ‘Darwin’s Mafia’ would have been a better name,” said Dillon. “Their purpose was to revolutionize biology, overthrow the old and bring in Darwinism. These men held such positional strength, and had such connections, that they could influence where grants went and who got on government agencies.” 

Dillon also pointed out Darwin’s biggest mistake. Unaware of Mendel’s pioneering work in genetics, Darwin mistakenly explained heredity via “Pan Genesis” – the belief that every cell in the human body must feed some information to the egg and sperm. This rather Lamarckian idea allowed self-serving groups to adapt evolutionary beliefs to “prove” the superiority of their own class or racial group. This brand of evolution caught on rapidly in Germany and among England’s upper classes. Darwin’s backer Spencer founded Eugenics, the belief in inherent, inborn differences in racial intelligence, which, in due time, became the basis of the Nazi party platform.  

“This is a point Darwin continually made and people got it wrong,” said Dillon. “He did not imply movement toward higher beings. The direction (of evolution) was not toward progress. The problem is when people think ‘what’s next?’ Superman – or a super race to rule the world."

Juneteenth celebrated 

The Downtown Berkeley YMCA will host a special family event Friday night dedicated to the celebration of June 19, 1865 - Juneteenth as it is often called, considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed. 

The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Y, located at 2001 Allston Way. 

There will be a performance by the African Haitian Dance Group, storytelling with Orunamamu, the opportunity to taste African food, and the selling of African art and crafts by Zebra Trading Company. Other activities taking place on this special family night include swimming, floor hockey, soccer, basketball, and arts and crafts. 

The price for this family night is $1 per person. 

For more information, contact the Downtown Berkeley YMCA at 510-848-9622. 

Rose workshop held 

On Sunday at 1 p.m., horticulturist Elaine Sedlack will show a range of species of roses from all over the world at the UC Botanical Garden at 200 Centennial Drive, on the UC Berkeley campus. The roses come from China, Japan, Europe and California. Cost is $7 for Garden members, $12 for nonmembers. Call 643-2755 to reserve a place. 

Organic gardening taught 

Val Peters, Bay Area environmental educator, writer and gardener will give a class on organic container gardening at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. on Sunday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Cost for the class is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is strongly advised; call 548-2220. 

– Daily Planet Staff

A court found top officials from the Berkeley Radisson Marina guilty Tuesday of violating workers’ rights, including the right to unionize. 

But the hotel’s general manager said he’s only interested in rulings that come down from the National Labor Relations Board – not from a mock court of disgruntled employees. 

“The whole process is before the NLRB – let them decide what has to be done,” Brij Misra said early Tuesday evening, as he stood outside them hotel’s front entrance while watching the rally a few hundred yards away. “Why interfere? Let the rule of law prevail, and we’ll abide by whatever the NLRB decides.” 

Employees and their supporters rallied outside the hotel Tuesday evening as part of a series of events across the country this week designed to draw attention to the struggle that some workers face when attempting to unionize. 

The AFL-CIO’s Voice@Work campaign is an ideal tie-in to the Radisson struggle, said Wei-Ling Huber from the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local 2850. She said the workers’ attempts to form a union parallel efforts and obstacles seen throughout the United States. 

Earlier this month, the NLRB agreed to accept 130 complaints filed by Radisson workers against the Boykin Management-owned hotel. Allegations include harassment, bribery of workers in an attempt to defeat unionization, and hotel management surveillance of employees attempting to unionize. 

Misra declined Tuesday to respond to most of the employees’ complaints, but he did say that hotel officials “respect our employees’ right to choose or not to choose – we respect that.” 

Participants in Tuesday’s rally included Mayor Shirley Dean, described by organizers as a “strong supporter” of the hotel workers. 

The mayor told the crowd of several dozen people how she had just arrived back in town from the U.S. Conference of Mayors convention in Seattle, where she heard federal officials talking about the country’s strong, robust economy. 

“But it’s very clear: not everyone is sharing in that prosperity, and what America is all about is that everyone should share in that prosperity, everyone should have a part in this economy,” Dean said. “And that includes all workers here.” 

The Radisson is on the Alameda County Central Labor Committee’s boycott list, and is being boycotted by the City of Berkeley. 

And this was a Berkeley union rally, so there had to be some theatrics. The mock court included local union leaders and hotel workers, who “convicted” Radisson managers of violating the workers’ rights. 

The real ruling won’t come down from the NLRB for several months. A hearing will be held before an administrative judge in Oakland on Aug. 1. 

Wednesday, June 14 

Low-vision support group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. Parents also will enjoy the new stories, rediscover old favorites and learn new songs and games. 

510-644-6870 

Community Action health team meeting 

7 p.m. 

Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 1728 Alcatraz Ave. 

Community members are following up a city health study that showed that African Americans in Berkeley die younger and have much poorer health than their Caucasian counterparts. They are planning strategies to promote health in the black community, including substance abuse prevention, prenatal care, cancer prevention and more. 

Independent Task Force on Homelessness 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The task force will address winter shelter for next year and other concerns. 

The Personal Evolution of Charles Darwin 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley International Center, 2222 Harold Way 

John Dillon, curator of natural science at the Randall Museum in San Francisco, will be the featured lecturer. The event is open to the public, but registration is required. Admission is $10 per person. Lecture is sponsored by the UC Berkeley Extension. 

510-642-4111 (to order tickets); 510-642-1169 (for information) 

Planning Commission and Landmarks Preservation Commission joint meeting 

7 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2837 Claremont Ave. 

The commissions will discuss urban design, historic preservation and community safety as part of writing the Draft General Plan. 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Sr. Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

The commission will get updates from its transgender task force and discuss the April 12 officer-involved shooting. 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

The featured poets this session will be Gail Mitchell and K.L. Hill. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

Thursday, June 15 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Summer Lunchtime Concert Series 

Noon-1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART plaza 

This concert series features musicians from two unique schools in Downtown Berkeley, The Jazzschool and Capoeira Arts Café. This week, the Jazzschool will feature artists from the Jazz Ensemble Workshop playing a broad spectrum of innovative jazz. This concert is free. This event is co-sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Berkeley Daily Planet, Korman & Ng, and BART. 

510-549-2230 

Movie: “The Last Emperor” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Traffic calming meeting 

3-5 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St., second-floor conference room 

Come give input on how you would like traffic to be slowed on your residential street. At this meeting, decisions will be made regarding which possible solutions to speeding traffic are opened up to full discussion at a public workshop, and which solutions are tabled before the public even gets to hear about them. This subcommittee of the Transportation Commission will be discussing the process by which neighborhood traffic calming suggestions will be channeled and planning a set of public workshops regarding this matter. 

510-705-8136 

“Legends of Ancient India” 

3:30 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

Armin Palkhivala will present picture books and stories for children ages 3 through 9 highlighting ancient Indian legends and culture, and will incorporate the many and various festivals celebrated in India. 

510-644-6870 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission 

7 p.m. 

James Kenney Community Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

The commission will discuss the “Berkeley Crossing” project on Fourth Street and the question of building a city subsidized parking structure in the Fourth Street area. 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Commission will address the question of campaign filing statements that include errors and omissions. 

Friday, June 16 

“Vietnam” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Col. Harvey Short will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

The history of New York Yiddish theater music 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Juneteenth celebration 

7-9 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

Juneteenth is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed. In educating the public about the rich heritage of the African Americans and the triumph of the human spirit, there will be a performance by the African Haitian Dance Group, storytelling with Orunamamu, the opportunity to taste African food, and the selling of African art and crafts by Zebra Trading Company. Activities include swimming, floor hockey, soccer, basketball, and arts and crafts. Price is $1 per person. 

510-848-9622 

Words in Collision: Summer Performance Art Series 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. (in Live Oak Park) 

Tonight’s session will feature readings by poets and writers. Admission is $7 to $10. 

510-644-6893

THEATER 

AURORA THEATRE 

“Split” by Mayo Simon, June 1 through July 2. A mordant clear-eyed view of an older couple's love affair. $25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Closer” by Patrick Marber, through July 9. A funny, touching and unflinchingly honest examination of love and relationships set in contemporary London. $38 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; May 27, June 1, June 3, June 10, June 15, June 24, June 29 and July 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

CALIFORNIA 

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 

“Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, June 3 through June 24. The classic romantic comedy of mismatched lovers forced into a union. $21 to $38 general; $19 to $38 seniors; $10 to $38 children. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.; June 13 and June 20, 7 p.m. June 24, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre, Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit on state Highway 24. (510) 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

LaVal’s Subterranean 

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Yoni Barkan. The play will run from June 8 to July 8, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. each night. 1834 Euclid Ave. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

West Coast Swing Allstars, June 14, 9 p.m. Swing dance lesson with Nick and Shanna at 8 p.m. included in price. $8.  

George and The Wonders, DJ Brixton Hitman, June 15, 9:30 p.m. $8. 

Let's Go Bowling, Critical Mass, Stiff Richards, June 16, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Tom Rigney and Flambeau, June 17, 9:30 p.m. Cajun dance lesson with Diana Castillo at 8:30 p.m. included in price. $11. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

“Third World,” June 14. With UC Buu, DJ Add, Jah Bonz, Big Willie. $5. 

Ripe, Quimbombo, June 15. $4. 

Slaptones, Terra Cotta Troup, June 16. $5. 

Monkey, Firme, Los Karnales, June 17. $5. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Marley's Ghost, June 14 and June 15. $14.50 to $15.50. 

Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals, Slaid Cleaves, June 16. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Oak, Ash and Thorn, June 17. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

“Collective Soul: New Directions of Hip Hop,” June 16, 8:30 p.m. Featuring Company of Prophets, Goapele, The Living Word Ensemble. $10 general; $8 students. 

Peruvian master guitarist Raul Garcia Zarate, June 17, 8 p.m. $16. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Bane, Calloused, Adamantium, Death by Stereo, June 16. 

Noothgrush, Kojak, PCP Roadblock, June 17. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Brothers of Baladi, Sisters of the Dance, June 15. $5. 

Vagabond Lovers, Christy McWilson, June 16. $7. 

Noe Venable and The Ruiners, Eric McFadden Experience, Lael Alderman, June 17. $6. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

Berkeley Historical Society 

"Berkeley's Ethnic Heritage." May 7 through March 2001. The exhibit examines the rich cultural diversity of our city and the contributions of individuals and minority groups to our history and development. Thursday through Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. Admission free. 

Berkeley Historical Society located in the Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center Street, Berkeley. 510-848-0181 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. 

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Experiment Gallery,” through Sept. 10. Step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with concepts surrounding sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe. Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child. Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“Abstract Expressions,” through July 1. A group show featuring Rita Flanagan, Carolyn Careis, Heather Hutchinson, Muriel Paley, and Naomi Policoff. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA INSTITUTE 

“Markings/Imprints,” through July 28. The 2000 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Awards Exhibitions, Part I, featuring works by Susan Belau, Liliana Lobo Ferreira, and Jamie Morgan. 

Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Progressions: the Quilt as Art,” through June 29. An exhibit of quilts by Jill Le Croisette. 

“Go We to the Revels Masked,” through June 29. An exhibit of dolls by Elise Peeples. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

Rachel Davis, Samantha Fisher, Benicia Gantner, Cherith Rose, June 21 through July 22. An exhibit of new work by the four artists. 

Artist Reception, June 21, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. 

Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

In the estimation of UC Berkeley football head coach Tom Holmoe and his staff, it’s quality, not quantity, that matters when it comes to summer youth football camps. 

Accordingly, the format of the fourth-annual Tom Holmoe Football Camp, taking place on the UC Berkeley campus this week for boys ages 14-18, was changed to focus on individual skill development rather than team building. 

Enrollment may be down from last year’s total of more than 500 to just 130 this year as a consequence, but Holmoe and camp director Andrew McGraw are nevertheless pleased with the results. 

“It turned into a team camp and had big numbers, but it got too big,” Holmoe said. “Teams would come as teams, and, basically, they just wanted to practice. It just wasn’t good, so we broke it down this way to focus a lot of attention on the individual skills.” 

Although the majority of participants are high school seniors-to-be from Northern California, the camp also includes younger players, a few athletes from both Southern California and Arizona and one Texan, McGraw said. 

For the first time this year, the camp has also gone non-contact and split into two sections – linemen and position skills. Those changes were also made to shift the camp’s focus, according to the coaches. 

“We wanted to concentrate on skills development,” said McGraw, noting that about 70 percent of the camp participants were in the position-skills faction. “Typically, three days of jumping right into contact doesn’t give the guys enough time to ease into contact.” 

Holmoe said the camp’s talent-level is good, but that’s not all with which he is concerned. 

“This isn’t solely a recruiting thing,” Holmoe said. “This is a kind of service to provide to the kids in the area, a camp where we can instruct. And every once in a while, you end up getting a couple kids that you’re gonna want to recruit.”  

Campers have the option of commuting to and from the daylong activities, which began Monday and run through Thursday, or staying on campus in residence dorms. Camp cost was $300 for those commuting and $400 for those staying. 

Camp activities range from meetings with Cal position coaches to guest speakers and, of course, practices, which take place twice daily. 

Because the camp is a week early this year, some area youngsters are finishing the school year and unable to attend. Holmoe expects the enrollment numbers to rise again next year, when the camp will be at least a week later, but said a limit will be determined to keep the camp’s newfound intimacy. 

“We’re not here for the teams,” Holmoe said. 

“We’re here for the individuals. Those teams that aren’t here, they went to camps where they can practice. And we’re not in it for that. Other camps might be, but we’re not.”

OAKLAND – Attorneys for a millionaire landlord and his son, facing federal charges on international transport and exploitation of illegal immigrants, set dates for pretrial motions and hearings in United States District Judge Sandra Armstrong’s courtroom Tuesday. 

Assistant United States Attorney John Kennedy told the court he is continuing to gather evidence against Lakireddy Bali Reddy and his son, Vijay Lakireddy, and plans to file new charges. The court will hear these charges Sept. 12. 

Reddy’s attorney, Ted Cassman, told the judge he plans to ask the court to dismiss two of the counts his client faces. 

These charges relate to the international transport of Chanti Jyotsna Devi Prattipati – alleged to be 17 years of age when she died in November of last year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment owned by Reddy – and her younger sister, alleged to be age 15 at the time charges were filed. 

Calling the charges against Reddy “vague,” Cassman said he would file his motion to dismiss by Aug. 8. Kennedy will have two weeks from that time to file his response with the court. 

Neither Reddy nor his son appeared in court Tuesday. Their absence seemed to irk Armstrong who reprimanded Cassman and Lakireddy’s attorney, George Cotsirilos, for not getting the court’s permission. 

“I like to be sure (the defendants) are making a deliberate and informed decision” to waive their rights to be present in court, she told the attorneys. 

“My client is in Merced. There are some logistical problems,” Cassman responded. 

Armstrong allowed the proceedings in the defendants’ absence. 

The court, which freed Reddy on $10 million bail, confined him to the Merced area, except for court dates. He currently faces eight counts of transporting, exploiting and sexually molesting foreigners, including minors, and faces up to 70 years in prison. 

Lakireddy, who lives in Berkeley, is free on $500,000 bail. 

He is charged with three counts of bringing people to the United States fraudulently, including conspiring with Reddy to bring them to the country. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if found guilty on all three counts. 

Lakireddy’s attorney said the motion to dismiss two of the charges would apply to Reddy alone and not his client. 

Well, it happened again. 

Dan Shaughnessy was five minutes into a conversation with an aspiring college football player before the longtime head coach at St. Mary’s College High School realized that, for the umpteenth time, someone had mistaken him for the coach at St. Mary’s College. 

“That’s OK, it happens quite a bit,” jokes Shaughnessy, now in his 16th year as coach and athletic director at St. Mary’s after holding the same position at Richmond’s Salesian High for 17 seasons. “They see I’m older and think ‘he can’t be in high school! Not that old goat!’” 

And when Shaughnessy – or “Coach Shag” to his players and fellow coaches – said the little misidentification was OK with him, he wasn’t kidding. He continued his discussion with the player – one of the many now attending Cal’s summer football camp – for some time, offering advice about a variety of small football programs that some of the many high schoolers he’s coached have gone on to play for. 

“The whole point of this camp is self-improvement,” says Shaughnessy, who began working with the summer program 16 years ago, all the way back when Joe Kapp was Cal’s head coach. “A lot of guys don’t have Cal or the Pac-10 in mind. They know themselves pretty well, and Division III is OK. There’s nothing wrong with Division III.” 

And, for Shaughnessy, there’s nothing wrong with high school either. Now in his 41st year of coaching, the Bay Area fixture doesn’t buy into any phony notions of progress, and certainly doesn’t feel the lure to scramble up the rungs of the coaching ladder. 

“At the high school level, the thing I like about it is it’s 100 percent pure,” says the coach. “All the kids are out there because they want to be out there. Nobody signed them to a bonus, there’s none of that professional nonsense you see now. I’ve coached at the JC level and the college level, and I’ve settled at high school because – and I hate to sound corny – it’s the most genuine. All the kids are out there because they want to be. Nobody asked them. I don’t think I’ve ever asked a kid to play ball in my life.” 

Shaughnessy carries the same utilitarian attitude into his work at the Cal summer camp. Though he’s seen more than his share of top-notch players – including recent Cal departees Sekou Sanyika and the Panthers’ own John Romero – he measures his coaching success one kid at a time. 

“The best measurement of this camp might be the incoming freshman or JV player,” says Shaughnessy. 

“How much has that kid improved? What did he pick up, what can he take back to his own school? How has he progressed? That’s the real measurement – not the Chuck Muncies but the little guys.” 

Working primarily with the linebacker corps, Shaughnessy says the summer sessions help “jumpstart” him for the next fall’s upcoming football season, where, as he has for the past four decades, he continues to “teach at the highest level.” 

“Some of my academic colleagues have trouble with this, but I always say that coaching is teaching at the highest level,” says the coach. “I don’t think we give kids enough credit. They’re very smart and very intuitive. They’ve got you figured out in the first five minutes. They’re either going to tune you out or pay attention. 

“With football, you’ve got to think on your feet,” continues Shaughnessy. “There’s film studies and book review like in any academic class, but you’ve got to make the right decision, in a split second, right now. And it’s got to be the correct decision. That’s tough to do. If you can teach these skills solidly, as far as I’m concerned, that’s teaching at a high level.”

Three of the 25 prestigious MacArthur Foundation “genius” fellowships awarded Tuesday went to scholars with Berkeley ties: one lives here, one works here and one just spent a semester teaching here. 

“MacArthur Fellows are chosen for their exceptional creativity, record of significant accomplishment and potential for still greater achievement,” said fellows program director Daniel Socolow in a foundation news release. “This new group of fellows is a wonderful collection of extraordinary minds in motion.” 

The winners with local ties are: 

• Dr. Peter Hayes, co-founder of the Nautilus Institute, a California-based, nonprofit policy development organization that focuses on promoting global peace and sustainable development, with a special emphasis on East Asia. 

• Matthew Rabin, a UC Berkeley professor of economics whose work integrates psychological research with formal economic models. 

• Anne Carson, a professor from McGill University who was a Holloway Fellow in the English Department at UC Berkeley during the spring 2000 semester. 

Each Fellow will receive $500,000 over five years of “no strings attached” support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 

It is impossible to apply for the MacArthur Fellowships. There is no application or interview process, and first word of the award comes in the form of a phone call from the Foundation. 

Peter Hayes 

Speaking from Beijing, China, where he is attending a Nautilus Institute workshop on energy futures and energy security in East Asia, the 47-year-old Hayes said in a statement: “Although the Fellowship is made on an individual basis, it is also a strong vote of confidence in the mission and impact of the work of the entire staff of the Nautilus Institute. 

A scholar-activist, Hayes works at the nexus of security, environment, and energy policy problems in Northeast Asia, with a special focus on North Korea. He both studies and seeks to shape energy policy in the region, where military and economic policies will have a significant effect on global security and environmental preservation in the 21st century, the MacArthur Foundation notes in its release. 

Through the Nautilus Institute, which he and his wife co-founded, he has strived to enhance the area’s security, prosperity, and environmental sustainability, combining rigorous multidisciplinary training and technological knowledge with cultural sensitivity, policy acumen, and diplomatic skills. 

“At the Nautilus Institute, I work with a team that develops proactive, innovative ways to enhance peace and security on the one hand, and environmental sustainability and social justice on the other hand,” Hayes said. “We advocate cooperative measures, for example, to eliminate the reliance of states on nuclear weapons to improve security, and to enhance social and environmental benefits of global investment.” 

The need to curtail global warming by limiting carbon emissions may encourage Northeast Asia’s growing economies to turn to nuclear energy sources, such as recycled plutonium. This, however, may destabilize the delicate nuclear weapons balance in the region. Hayes applies his scholarship and singular access to leaders in the region to address these issues. His recent work in North Korea, for instance, demonstrated that windmills can provide a viable alternative to nuclear power and exemplified his remarkable array of skills, including non-governmental diplomacy of the highest order.  

From 1992 to 2000, Dr. Hayes was Co-Director of the Nautilus Institute and was responsible for the Institute’s security and energy programs. He was appointed Executive Director of the Nautilus Institute in April 2000. 

Hayes lives in Berkeley, with his wife, Lyuba Zarsky and their two children, Nadia and Benjie. 

Matthew Rabin 

Knowing that human behavior such as procrastination, addiction and playing fair can affect the choices people make and produce subsequent economic outcomes, Rabin works on explaining the effect mathematically. Although the MacArthur Foundation describes him as a pioneer in behavioral economics, Rabin doesn’t think he is.  

“I call what I do ‘second-wave behavioral economics,’” he said in a statement. “The pioneers were psychologists who came along 15 years ago and convinced economists that some of their assumptions were wrong. Now, people like me are working to carefully adjust the models and formalize the effect.” 

Rabin “has done more than anyone to bring insights from psychology into mainstream economic analysis,” said Maurice Obstfeld, chair of UC Berkeley’s economics department. “He has shown economists the way toward a rigorous yet more real analysis of human behavior.” 

Rabin, 36, said his work helps explain “addiction, dieting, procrastination, everything that makes us human but would never be predicted by economic models.” 

The models most in need of revamping, Rabin said, include ways consumers handle credit card debt and stock market behavior in which investors infer too much from to little information. 

“An investor can do well two months in a row just by luck, and people will think he’s a genius,” said Rabin, a San Francisco resident. “Then, they may pay a lot for his advice and it may not be worth anything.” 

Rabin’s work on smoking patterns and addiction suggests that cigarette taxes would have to be a lot higher to discourage use. He also has worked extensively on procrastination and how it adversely affects saving rates and retirement outcomes. 

“It doesn’t take much of a self-control problem and a desire for immediate gratification to really hurt yourself economically,” he said. 

As of yet, Rabin has no idea what he will do with the MacArthur money, which he was surprised to receive. MacArthur fellows typically don’t know they are being considered for the prize until they are told in a congratulatory phone call. 

“When I got the call, I think I said, ‘Thank you,’” Rabin said, laughing. “I don’t know the proper etiquette when someone gives you a half-million dollars.” 

Anne Carson 

Carson, 49, is a scholar trained in the classics who has developed an independent voice as both a poet and an essayist. Her work challenges preconceived notions of poetry, fusing classical topics with a unique and thoroughly modern style and sensibility. 

Carson has been praised for her original vision, analytical powers, and intellectual rigor since the publication of her first book, “Eros the Bittersweet.” In that volume, she uses a lyric medium to offer a new analysis of Eros in Greek poetry and Plato. 

Carson will be teaching at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, in spring 2001, continuing a pattern of teaching one semester in Canada and at least one semester in the United States.

A 29-unit low-income/special needs housing complex leapt over its first hurdle Tuesday night, when the City Council voted unanimously to lend nonprofit developer Affordable Housing Associates $450,000 to help purchase property in the 1700 block of University Avenue. 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who lives near the property, recused herself from the vote. 

Some of the project’s neighbors had expressed concern that the development, which would include retail on the ground floor, would shadow neighboring properties, bring unsavory people to the area and remove parking for neighborhood businesses. 

But an overwhelming number of nearby residents, affordable housing advocates and the disabled community came to the meeting to ask the council for its support. 

Addressing AHA Executive Director Ali Kashani, Councilmember Diane Woolley made sure that a number of the neighbors’ concerns were specifically addressed. Kashani promised the creation of a neighborhood advisory body, which would consult on the design; that there would be trees planted between the University Avenue property and the properties behind the building; and that there would be no balconies built at the back of the building. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong reinforced Woolley’s requests that the developer consult with the neighbors. She went on to talk about a project built nearby on the south side of University Avenue, which had brought out virulent neighborhood opposition. 

“It is peaceful, attractive, a project I would be delighted to have in my neighborhood,” she said. 

The proposed building would have 20 two-bedroom and nine three-bedroom apartments. All will be accessible to people who use wheelchairs. The project includes a service component, which could include job training. The services will be developed by the nonprofit agency Toolworks, according to the needs of people living in the building. 

Disabled tenants will be housed in at least 40 percent of the units. All of the apartments will be below market rate, with affordability ranging from those whose earnings are limited to about $900 per month, to people who earn a more moderate income of $2,000 per month.  

The project still needs to go before the Zoning Adjustment Board for its use permit. 

“I don’t think that there is anyone in Berkeley who doesn’t support affordable housing,” Armstrong said. “We have a real obligation to make it the best that we can.” 

Families invited to museum 

The Judah L. Magnes Museum presents it second annual summer Family Day on Sunday from 12:30 to 3 p.m. 

The free event will feature music, refreshments, art activities, and exhibit tours to families and individuals of all ages. 

Storyteller/song-leader Ira Levin will be on hand to entertain visitors, and guided tours will give visitors an in-depth look into the museum’s current exhibitions. 

The museum is located at 2911 Russell St. For more information, call 549-6950. 

Annual book sale planned 

ALBANY – The annual book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Albany Library will be held on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the Albany Community Center on the corner of Marin and Masonic avenues. 

Prices for books, journals, art works, magazines, CDs, LPs, and videos start at 25 cents and go up to $25. If you wish to assist at the sale, you may sign up at the Library Reference Desk, or call 526-3720. 

Puppet show for kids offered 

The Kids on the Block will offer two puppet shows on Saturday at the Hall of Health at 2230 Shattuck Ave. 

The shows start at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and are for children of all ages and their parents. The award-winning educational puppet troupe’s program will be on physical and mental differences. Admission is free; for more information call 549-1564. 

Ensemble ends 41st season 

OAKLAND – Westwind International Folk Ensemble closes its 41st season with a choral concert Saturday at 3 p.m. 

The concert will sample Albanian, Bulgarian, Slavonian, Russian, Georgian, and early American songs. The concert will be led by Suzanne Lenora and features guest artists Maria Bebelekova and Vassil Bebelekov. 

It takes place at the First Congregational Church of Oakland at 27th St. and Harrison in Oakland. Tickets are $8 at the door, $5 for children and seniors. 

– Daily Planet Staff

College Avenue is in the first phase of its $2.14 million re-paving project – finally. The removal of the old pot-holed pavement began this week and the actual paving is scheduled to begin July 17. 

But for the most part until the re-paving begins, traffic will continue to move along College Avenue – although more slowly in construction areas. The entire cost of the project will be paid for with federal dollars. 

On Monday, construction workers at Parker Street and at Ashby Avenue were removing old pavement and digging about 18 inches deep with backhoes to prepare bus stops for new concrete pads. 

Glen Carloss, public works project engineer, said the concrete provides a rigid pavement for the acceleration and the stopping of the buses. The concrete won’t “shove or heave” like asphalt. 

He said a valley gutter will be installed across Parker Street. The gutter, Carloss explained, is another concrete structure that allows conduction of water along the surface of the gutter. 

It will take water from the northeast corner of Parker to the southeast corner, said Carloss. When it is installed traffic will be diverted to an adjacent street for about seven days. 

He said the crews will soon begin to concentrate on wheelchair ramps, curbs, sidewalks and gutters. Major construction will begin on the east side of the street and move south from Dwight Way to Ashby Avenue. 

In a Perspective article in Monday’s edition of the Daily Planet, Anne Marselis Whyte, secretary of the St. John’s Neighbor’s Group, said “a turbulent pool of water at the intersection of Garber Street and College Avenue builds up.” She said the water is pumped out of St. John’s Church underground garage. 

Carloss responded that the church has the legal right to pump out water, and said there may be a flow of water when its raining but not a pool. 

“We have been meeting with neighborhood groups and merchants since November and getting feedback on all the issues brought up,” he said. 

He said an issue of water being pumped from St. John’s garage never came up in a neighborhood meeting. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, whose district includes portions of College Avenue, said he handed Whyte an invitation to one of the neighborhood meetings with the city. But he says he also told her “we can look at it, and see if there’s a way to do it to make sure the water goes into one of our drains.” 

Answering concerns that buses, cars and delivery trucks sometimes treat College Avenue like the Indianapolis 500, Worthington said speeding is not just a problem on College Avenue. 

Neighbors on Benvenue Avenue and Hillegass Avenue have complained about needing enforcement on their streets too, he said. 

Worthington said the city recently has hired three traffic enforcement officers. 

“We can just station one of them on College to do enforcement,” he suggested. 

Carloss said a merchant mentioned a problem with water pooling at the northeast corner of Ashby and College avenues where water builds up in a low spot near a drain. 

“It didn’t surprise me because it was at a catch basin, which is normally a low spot. We have a design solution for it.” 

He said the city expects the public to be more aware of problems near them than the city staff. 

“We encourage input from neighbors, and we are responsive to concerns,” said Carloss. “The earlier the better, but even at this time we would do all we can to address them.” 

In response to local concerns, he said, the city installed a left turn signal at the intersection of Claremont Avenue and Ashby Avenue. 

At Telegraph and Ashby, he said, a left turn sign was already in place, but the city changed it to allow more time for drivers to turn. 

Carloss said a wheelchair ramp at Garber Street will be replaced because it does not meet current code requirements. He said the ramp has too much of a slope, and that it will be flattened out in the project. 

Crews will place temporary traffic diverters on Benvenue Avenue July 10, so that when re-paving begins, all the traffic will not be dumped on the street. 

The City Council approved $10,000 for a promotional campaign for the Elmwood merchants to reassert their presence when the project is completed.

Tuesday, June 13 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Exercise to Music 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

510-644-8511 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

This week’s agenda includes a proposal from Councilmember Betty Olds to ban the use of mobile phones by bicyclists, with the exception of hands-free models. 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

510-531-8664 

How to Make the Most of Your Money: Financial Planning for Women 

8-9:30 p.m. 

Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave. 

The Women’s Rap sponsors this free financial workshop that will give you all the tips you need to make your money grow. Pacific Center is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community center. 

510-548-8283; www.pacificcenter.org 

Wednesday, June 14 

Low-vision support group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. Parents also will enjoy the new stories, rediscover old favorites and learn new songs and games to share. 

510-644-6870 

Community Action health team meeting 

7 p.m. 

Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 1728 Alcatraz Ave. 

Community members are following up a city health study that showed that African Americans in Berkeley die younger and have much poorer health than their Caucasian counterparts. They are planning strategies to promote health in the black community, including substance abuse prevention, prenatal care, cancer prevention and more. 

Independent Task Force on Homelessness 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The task force will address winter shelter for next year and other concerns. 

The Personal Evolution of Charles Darwin 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley International Center, 2222 Harold Way 

John Dillon, curator of natural science at the Randall Museum in San Francisco, will be the featured lecturer. The event is open to the public, but registration is required. Admission is $10 per person. Lecture is sponsored by the UC Berkeley Extension. 

510-642-4111 (to order tickets); 510-642-1169 (for information) 

Planning Commission and Landmarks Preservation Commission joint meeting 

7 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2837 Claremont Ave. 

The commissions will discuss urban design, historic preservation and community safety as part of writing the Draft General Plan. 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Sr. Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

The commission will get updates from its transgender task force and discuss the April 12 officer-involved shooting. 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

The featured poets this session will be Gail Mitchell and K.L. Hill. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

Thursday, June 15 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Summer Lunchtime Concert Series 

Noon-1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART plaza 

This concert series features musicians from two unique schools in Downtown Berkeley, The Jazzschool and Capoeira Arts Café. This week, the Jazzschool will feature artists from the Jazz Ensemble Workshop playing a broad spectrum of innovative jazz. This free concert is co-sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Berkeley Daily Planet, Korman & Ng, and BART. 

510-549-2230 

Movie: “The Last Emperor” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

“Legends of Ancient India” 

3:30 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

Armin Palkhivala will present picture books and stories for children ages 3 through 9 highlighting ancient Indian legends and culture, and will incorporate the many and various festivals celebrated in India. 

510-644-6870 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission 

7 p.m. 

James Kenney Community Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

The commission will discuss the “Berkeley Crossing” project on Fourth Street and the question of building a city subsidized parking structure in the Fourth Street area. 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The commission will address the question of campaign filing statements that include errors and omissions.

Gas prices are high in many states 

Recently, an article appeared in the Berkeley Daily Planet that read “Blame corporate greed for our sky-high gasoline prices” (Opinion, June 10-11). Corporate greed is what is causing the price of gasoline to be high. 

What the author misses is the big picture. California is part of the USA. Doesn’t “corporate greed” of the oil companies extend to other parts of the country? Reading this article, one would imagine that the rest of the nation is enjoying low-priced gasoline. 

Well, Saturday’s (June 10th) edition of the “West County/Contra Costa Times” has an AP article “Rising gas prices pinch businesses.” It had a picture of a cabby in Detroit filling up on unleaded regular near $2 a gallon. The article describes a business in Muskegon, Michigan that had to endure a 53 percent increase in the price of gas. The article cites other businesses in the country that have been hit with high prices. 

My sister lives in Elgin, Illinois. That would be the same as living in Fairfield. She sends me email every day. She reported on May 12th that gas ranged from $1.56.9 - $1.99.9. On May 31st, regular unleaded was $1.91.9. Last Thursday, regular unleaded was $1.95.9. 

So I ask, was the article accurate? Probably. But the article was also myopic in making it seem that Californians are the only ones in the nation to suffer from sky-high gasoline prices. 

John Cakars 

Albany

THEATER 

AURORA THEATRE 

“Split” by Mayo Simon, June 1 through July 2. A mordant clear-eyed view of an older couple's love affair. $25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Closer” by Patrick Marber, through July 9. A funny, touching and unflinchingly honest examination of love and relationships set in contemporary London. $38 to $48.50. 

Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; May 27, June 1, June 3, June 10, June 15, June 24, June 29 and July 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

CALIFORNIA 

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 

“Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, June 3 through June 24. The classic romantic comedy of mismatched lovers forced into a union. $21 to $38 general; $19 to $38 seniors; $10 to $38 children. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.; June 13 and June 20, 7 p.m. June 24, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre, Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit on state Highway 24. 

(510) 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

LaVal’s Subterranean 

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Yoni Barkan. The play will run from June 8 to July 8, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. each night. 

1834 Euclid Ave. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

Creole Belles, June 13, 9 p.m. Cajon dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8 p.m. included in price. $8. 

West Coast Swing Allstars, June 14, 9 p.m. Swing dance lesson with Nick and Shanna at 8 p.m. included in price. $8.  

George and The Wonders, DJ Brixton Hitman, June 15, 9:30 p.m. $8. 

Let's Go Bowling, Critical Mass, Stiff Richards, June 16, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Tom Rigney and Flambeau, June 17, 9:30 p.m. Cajun dance lesson with Diana Castillo at 8:30 p.m. included in price. $11. 

Ali Khan, June 18, 7:30 p.m. $8.  

Nestinari, June 20, 9 p.m. Bulgarian dance lesson with Petur Iliev at 8 p.m. $8.  

The Poullard-Thompson Cajun Trio, June 21, 9 p.m. Cajun dance lesson with Patti Whithurst at 8 p.m. $8. 

Grateful Dean DJ Night with Digital Dave, June 22, 10 p.m. $5. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

“Third World,” June 14. With UC Buu, DJ Add, Jah Bonz, Big Willie. $5. 

Ripe, Quimbombo, June 15. $4. 

Slaptones, Terra Cotta Troup, June 16. $5. 

Monkey, Firme, Los Karnales, June 17. $5. 

Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Clyde's Ride, June 18. $8. 

The Blue Monday Jam featuring The Steve Gannon Band, June 19. $3. 

Ascension, June 20. $5. 

“Third World,” June 21. With UC Buu, DJ Add, Jah Bonz, Big Willie. $5. 

Ripe, XODO, June 22. $4. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

The James King Band, June 13. $14.50 to $15.50. 

Marley's Ghost, June 14 and June 15. $14.50 to $15.50. 

Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals, Slaid Cleaves, June 16. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Oak, Ash and Thorn, June 17. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Teresa Trull and Barbara Higbie, June 18. $16.50 to $17.50. 

“Freight 32nd Anniversary Revue and Fundraiser,” June 20. Featuring The House Jacks, Rebecca Riots, Dave Nachmanoff, Jenna Mammina, The Modern Hicks. $13.50 to $14.50. 

Urban Acoustic Dude, June 21. $12.50 to $13.50. 

Kathi McDonald and Brian Auger, June 22. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

“Collective Soul: New Directions of Hip Hop,” June 16, 8:30 p.m. Featuring Company of Prophets, Goapele, The Living Word Ensemble. $10 general; $8 students. 

Peruvian master guitarist Raul Garcia Zarate, June 17, 8 p.m. $16. 

Jessie Turner, A Sleeping Bee, June 18, 7 p.m. $8 to $15. 

Jim Page, June 21, 7:30 p.m. $5 to $15. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Bane, Calloused, Adamantium, Death by Stereo, June 16. 

Noothgrush, Kojak, PCP Roadblock, June 17. 

Damad, Good Clean Fun, Meatjack, Brain Blood Volume, June 24. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Brothers of Baladi, Sisters of the Dance, June 15. $5. 

Vagabond Lovers, Christy McWilson, June 16. $7. 

Noe Venable and The Ruiners, Eric McFadden Experience, Lael Alderman, June 17. $6. 

Ceili Dance featuring Brian Theriault and Friends, June 21. 8 p.m. 

Randy Weeks, Jim Roll, June 22. $6. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Experiment Gallery,” through Sept. 10. Step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with concepts surrounding sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

“Math Rules!” ongoing exhibit. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. Make mathematical ice-cream cones, use blocks to build three dimensional structures, make dodecagon pies from a variety of mathematical shapes and stretch mathematical thinking. 

“Within the Human Brain,” ongoing installation. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“Abstract Expressions,” through July 1. A group show featuring Rita Flanagan, Carolyn Careis, Heather Hutchinson, Muriel Paley, and Naomi Policoff. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA INSTITUTE 

“Markings/Imprints,” through July 28. The 2000 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Awards Exhibitions, Part I, featuring works by Susan Belau, Liliana Lobo Ferreira, and Jamie Morgan. 

Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Progressions: the Quilt as Art,” through June 29. An exhibit of quilts by Jill Le Croisette. 

“Go We to the Revels Masked,” through June 29. An exhibit of dolls by Elise Peeples. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

Rachel Davis, Samantha Fisher, Benicia Gantner, Cherith Rose, June 21 through July 22. An exhibit of new work by the four artists. 

Artist Reception, June 21, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

The major TV networks are likely to be disappointed when they bring their dishes to town tonight, show up at the City Council meeting, cameras on shoulders, ready for a heated discussion of Betty Olds’ proposal to ban cyclists from using cell phones as they ride the city’s rutted roads. 

They probably don’t know about the 81 other items on the council plate. With 791 pages of council reports to read and still counting, it’s likely the council will remove the bike-phone item from the consent calendar and address it some time in the future – perhaps way in the future. 

An item the council is more likely to take up is a loan to help Affordable Housing Associates purchase land for a special needs housing project proposed for the 1700 block of University Avenue. While a number of neighbors and businesses oppose the project, other nearby residents and businesses, including the Chamber of Commerce whose office is in the 1800 block of University Avenue, support it. 

A city manager’s recommendation to award Easy Does It a two-year contract for emergency services to the disabled will be contested at tonight’s meeting by people who say the services are too expensive and do not serve those who need to use the services frequently. A competing nonprofit agency has been formed by disability rights activist Michael Pachovas. This group, called Emergency Services Provider, Inc., is asking the city for the contract. 

An advisory group of disabled clients has recommended to the city manager that the city switch providers, however, the city says EDI “best met the evaluation criteria in the Request For Proposals.” 

A city manager’s report concludes that EDI has “high client satisfaction,” but notes the vendor has difficulty finding people willing to work as attendants. 

TAXES, BONDS AND 

BALLOT MEASURES 

The council will likely place a number of tax and bond measures on the November ballot. Councilmembers voted to ask the city attorney to craft legal language for the measures and now must vote again to approve the language. 

One is a fire tax that would pay to buy an emergency mobile system of flexible hoses and pumps to take water from the Bay, Lake Anza or reservoirs and bring the water to a fire that cannot be extinguished using only the water from traditional fire hydrants. The cost of the equipment is estimated at $8 million, and another $1.7 million is added for a reserve. 

Homeowners whose income is $21,000 or less would receive a low-income exemption and would not pay the tax, which is $1.25 per square foot or $24 per year, for a person with a 1,900-square-foot house. For technical reasons, the tax is put in the form of a district, so there is a public hearing in July before the council can formally place the item on the ballot. 

Another proposal is a parks maintenance tax which would raise $600,000. It would hike the current tax, which means a person owning a 1,900-square-foot house would pay $169 per year, up about $15 from previous years. 

There is a new streetlight tax plan, in addition to the tax people already pay. It would raise $300,000. A person owning a 1,900-square-foot house would pay $4.94 per year. For a 10,000-square-foot industrial property or 5,000-square-foot commercial property the tax would be $52 annually. 

The city attorney also prepared a ballot measure amending the owner-occupancy provisions of the rent law. 

Currently, a landlord can evict a tenant from an apartment if the landlord is acting in good faith and the apartment is for the landlord, the landlord’s spouse, child or parents’ principal residence. The landlord or the landlord’s relatives are currently required to live in the apartment for 24 months. 

The amendment would: 

• Prohibit a landlord from evicting a tenant if any comparable unit owned by the landlord becomes vacant - not just a unit in the building where the tenant lives. 

• Mandate that the landlord offer the noncomparable unit to the evicted tenant and base the rent on the tenant’s previous rent, with adjustments for the comparability of the unit. 

• Require that the landlord or the landlord’s relatives live in the unit 36 months, rather than 24. 

• Not allow the landlord to evict a tenant who is 60 years old and has lived in the apartment for five years, or who is disabled and has lived in the apartment for five years. 

• Prohibit the landlord who owns at least 10 percent of five rental buildings in Berkeley from evicting any tenant who has lived in the unit for five years. 

• Allow the landlord to evict a senior or disabled person if the landlord is attempting to place a disabled or senior relative in the building and all the tenants in the building are either over 60 years of age or disabled. 

MONEY AND HEALTH 

Councilmembers continue to recommend funding for various agencies and organizations. The items voted to be “referred to the budget process” will be considered next week. The list includes $20,000 for the North Shattuck Merchants, $12,000 for the Rosa Parks School evening recreation program, $42,000 for arts-related job training at Crucible, and more. 

The Community Health Commission is asking the council to declare a public health emergency over the disparities in health between African Americans and Caucasians in Berkeley. 

A RATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING 

Auditor Ann-Marie Hogan is asking the council to do a better job preparing its agenda. It cannot discuss most the items it lists, so proposals are carried over from week to week, often for months. 

Hogan points out that when issues are addressed, it is often late at night. Citizens do not know when an item they want to hear will come before the council, since the agenda is generally reordered. 

“In many other cities, a subcommittee of council members meets with the city manager to plan to agenda each week,” the auditor writes. 

But Hogan says Berkeley should not emulate this. “Because the Berkeley City Council is essentially a two-party system as well as one with district elections, a subcommittee structure does not appear realistic,” she says. 

So Hogan suggests that: 

• The councilmembers, like the staff, turn in council items 20 days before a council meeting, giving staff time to analyze them. When the council considers the item, it would have a more complete analysis and might be voted up or down more quickly. 

• The number of items each councilmember brings to the council would be limited to three each meeting. 

• Items held over from one meeting must be voted on at the next meeting. 

Hogan calls on the council to discuss her proposals before July 11 in open session, rather than sending them to the rules committee. 

Councilmember Dona Spring, however, argues that the answer’s much simpler - the council needs to have more meetings. 

In any case, the council is not likely to get to this matter tonight. 

The City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. tonight. The meeting is held in Council Chambers in Old City Hall, at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and broadcast on KPFB, 89.3-FM, and B-TV, Cable Channel 25. 

If the council taps Deputy City Manager Weldon Rucker to take the reins of the city – at least temporarily – he’ll know what he’s getting into. 

And the council will, too. 

Rucker served as interim city manager for much of the three years between 1993 and 1996. 

“It’s remarkable. He’s liked by both sides,” said Councilmember Dona Spring, who is supporting Rucker and placed the manager’s replacement on tonight’s closed-session agenda. “He knows the history of Berkeley, the players and the issues.” 

City Manager Jim Keene is slated to leave the city in August for a post in Tucson, Ariz. 

“It would be a tremendous honor to serve in that capacity and very challenging,” said Rucker, 59, who was born in Los Angeles and has lived in Berkeley since the age of 19. 

He added that he would need to know the council’s expectations. “I have some expectations as well,” he added. 

Weighing in from Seattle where she’s attending the United States Conference of Mayors, Mayor Shirley Dean called for her colleagues to slow down. 

“What we ought to be doing is discussing the process,” she said. “And we can’t do that in closed session.” 

She said she’ll ask the council to schedule a discussion of the process in open session. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said it would be very hard to find a city manager who would work with a council as divided as Berkeley’s. 

Council elections in November could deepen that division or change it. 

Liberal/progressives Margaret Breland and Maudelle Shirek are up for reelection, as are moderates Diane Woolley and Betty Olds. 

(Council lines were blurred, however, when it came to supporting outgoing manager Keene. Breland and Olds supported the manager’s recent 9 percent raise. Shirek and Woolley opposed it.) 

Armstrong agreed that an interim manager should be chosen. The person should serve until after the elections, she said. 

She said she thinks either Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz or Rucker would be good candidates for the job. Both would be able to move ahead with Keene’s bureaucratic restructuring, she said. 

“I would not want to endanger his health,” she added, referring to the heart attack Rucker suffered when he was in the role of interim city manager. 

Rucker, however, said he’s not worried about a reoccurrence. The deputy city manager’s job is almost as stressful as the manager’s and, moreover, he said he’s learned to address his personal healthcare issues. 

After military service and several other jobs, Rucker came into Berkeley city government, where he has spent the last 28 years. He began working in youth programs in the Young Adult Project, moved on to become a division manager in Health and Human Services, then served as director of the department. 

He was interim city manager for most of three years – then filled in as acting housing director and acting public works director. 

Rucker is known among councilmembers as a person able to forge consensus in the community. For example he took the lead role in negotiations with KPFA protesters last summer. 

The key is “listening to what a person has to say,” Rucker said. People who disagree reach consensus by each side seeing the commonality shared by the other. 

Rucker said that one of the reasons he is able to get along with the council as a whole, is his respect for each of the council members. 

He said they show him respect in return. 

“I focus on the delivery of services,” he said. “And when I can’t do something, I’m pretty honest.” 

Rucker said he expects taking over this time would be easier than in was in the years between 1993 and 1996. Mayor Loni Hancock resigned her post in 1993, then was replaced briefly by Vice Mayor Linda Maio. She was replaced by Mayor Jeffrey Leiter, appointed by the council. Mayor Shirley Dean was elected in 1996. 

“This time won’t be as difficult as last time,” he said. 

Maio said a process to search for a permanent city manager should begin immediately. She said it would take at least six months, so the new manager would come on board after the elections. 

She said she would be studying the compensation package other cities offer their managers. 

City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque confirmed that the council is permitted to talk about the appointment of specific individuals at their closed-door meeting tonight and to talk to the candidate. 

The council could make the appointment tonight, if it chooses to do so, she said. 

If they want to talk about process, however, they need to do that in public session, she said. 

The City Council’s closed-session meeting starts at 5:30 p.m., at 1900 Addison St. and is open for public comment for 10 minutes. 

A memorial celebration was held Sunday for Noah Baum, a Berkeley-born lawyer, who died on the evening of May 31. He was 34. 

According to his family, he was watching a basketball game at a sports bar in West Los Angeles when a Jeep Cherokee sped out of control and crashed into the restaurant. Baum was killed instantly and others were critically injured. 

A candlelight vigil was held outside the restaurant the following night to protest the reckless driving in Los Angeles. 

The son of Paul and Willa Baum, Noah grew up in North Berkeley. He attended Oxford School, Martin Luther King Middle School, Berkeley High School and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1990. He went on to receive a law degree from Boalt Hall. Baum was also pursuing a Ph.D. in law and environmental policy in the Boalt Hall doctorate program at the time of his death, and only had to write his dissertation to earn the degree. 

When not studying, Baum could often be found playing basketball at Live Oak Park or at Cal, getting a cup of coffee at Peet’s or working on some environmental issue. Baum especially opposed logging old-growth forests and driving gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles. 

At the time of his death, Baum was a first-year lawyer at the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emory in Los Angeles. He had just won his first jury trial. 

Baum is survived by his mother, Willa Baum; his brothers, Marc, Eric and Brandon; his sisters Rachel Bogard and Anya Baum; an aunt; and seven nieces and nephews. 

Memorial gifts can be made to the Sierra Club, Bay Chapter, Special Gifts, 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, 94702.

The transformation of the site of an abandoned and blighted gas station into a café and produce store with several stories of housing above, would not only provide places for people to live, but spark development along a neglected thoroughfare, say developers proposing the project at 2700 San Pablo Ave. 

The area “needs more people on the street hanging out,” said Barbara Windsor of Jacobson, Silverstein and Winslow Architects, one of the people designing the project for Patrick Kennedy of Panoramic Interests and Gordon Choyce of Jubilee Restoration. 

“This area is currently derelict,” Windsor added, in her presentation of the project to the Zoning Adjustments Board at its meeting Thursday evening. 

But more than 50 people who live near the project came to the ZAB armed with signatures of 350 more concerned neighbors, to air their opposition to the project. 

Before the project can move forward, the ZAB must issue a use permit. The review and public hearing were continued to July 13. 

“We’re not against development or revitalization of San Pablo Avenue,” said Danielle Spellman, who lives on Ward Street, near the project site. “And we resent being referred to as a derelict community.” 

The nearby residents, who have formed Neighbors For Responsible Development, said the proposal is out of scale with current development along San Pablo Avenue. 

“We object to its size, scale and design,” Spellman said. A lower building would satisfy the community. 

“Knock off one floor,” she proposed. 

Developers and architects at the Thursday meeting described the project as a four-story building. They said it was being redesigned, however, to comply with concerns expressed by the neighbors and by the city’s Design Review Board. 

In an interview Friday, Patrick Kennedy said the project continues to be a 48-unit apartment project. He described the design changes. 

There would be a fifth-story penthouse above the fourth floor, “and it will taper down to three floors,” Kennedy said. The height will not go above 50 feet, the maximum allowed in the area. Open space will be added in an area adjacent to the residential neighbor. 

“We’re addressing 95 percent of what the neighbors object to,” Kennedy said, arguing that opponents were “citizen vigilantes” whose real motive is fighting the low-income units proposed for the building. 

Project opponent Helga Alessio argued that the neighbors have no problem with the low-income tenants, but the size and bulk of the proposal concern them. 

The number of low-income units in the project is one of the outstanding questions. It may depend on financing. In all new housing construction, the city requires that either 10 percent of the units are affordable to very low income people, earning 60 percent of the median income - $32,000 for a two-person family; or that 20 percent be affordable to people earning 80 percent of median income - about $43,000 for a family of two. 

Choyce said that in the current project iteration, 10 percent, or about five units, would be affordable to people who earn 60 percent of the median. 

But if the developers get city funds, they may be obligated to provide more units to low-income people. 

Kennedy said he plans to ask for $600,000 in loans. He has told city staff that he also intends to ask for $100,000 in fee waivers. 

Kennedy said he thinks the city loan will come from money that the Bayer Corp. paid into a fund for housing development, as part of its agreement to develop in Berkeley. 

However, Steve Barton, the city’s housing director, said that Kennedy would not be eligible for those funds, available strictly to nonprofit developers. Kennedy is a for-profit developer. He and other for-profit partners, whom he declined to name, have formed a limited liability corporation and will own 73 percent of the project. Nonprofit developer Choyce will own 27 percent. 

Barton said that Kennedy could apply to the city’s Housing Trust Fund for the loan. 

“First they need to come in and demonstrate that they need the funds,” he said. 

If the city grants them funds from the Housing Trust Fund, and the council does not make exceptions to its rule, 20 percent of the units would have to be affordable to people earning 30 percent of the area median, or about $16,200 for a family of two, and 40 percent would have to be available to a two-person family earning 60 percent of the area median. 

The remaining 40 percent could be rented at market rates. 

Although Kennedy had few supporters at Thursday night’s meeting, he does have the city’s economic development head in his court. 

In a June 1 letter to the ZAB, Economic Development Director Bill Lambert wrote: “This project is the kind of pioneering development that is essential to stimulate additional positive developments in the area, thereby greatly assisting the revitalization effort.” 

The Design Review Committee will review the project at its meeting tonight, at 7:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The ZAB will continue its review and public hearing on July 13 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Monday, June 12 

“Balance and Dissonance” 

10:30 a.m. 

“Italy: The Land of the Renaissance” 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

“A Healthy Household” 

6:30-9 p.m. 

City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

This workshop, sponsored by the Green Resource Center, will cover indoor air quality topics such as “to carpet or not to carpet,” non-toxic and healthy choices for interior finishes and cleaning methods, prevention and elimination of mold problems, and reduction of household allergens. Instructor: Jan Stensland. Cost: $30. 

510-845-0472; info@greenresourcecenter.org 

Design Review Committee 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Tonight’s agenda includes discussion of the project at 2700 San Pablo Ave. 

Tuesday, June 13 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Exercise to Music, with Doris Echols 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

510-644-8511 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

This week’s agenda includes a proposal from Councilmember Betty Olds to ban the use of mobile phones by bicyclists, with the exception of hands-free models. 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

510-531-8664 

How to Make the Most of Your Money: Financial Planning for Women 

8-9:30 p.m. 

Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave. 

The Women’s Rap sponsors this free financial workshop that will give you all the tips you need to make your money grow. Pacific Center is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community center. 

510-548-8283; 

www.pacificcenter.org 

Wednesday, June 14 

Low-vision support group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. Parents also will enjoy the new stories, rediscover old favorites and learn new songs and games to share. 

510-644-6870 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

The featured poets this session will be Gail Mitchell and K.L. Hill. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

Thursday, June 15 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Summer Lunchtime Concert Series 

Noon-1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART plaza 

This concert series features musicians from two unique schools in Downtown Berkeley, The Jazzschool and Capoeira Arts Café. This week, the Jazzschool will feature artists from the Jazz Ensemble Workshop playing a broad spectrum of innovative jazz. This concert is free. This event is co-sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Berkeley Daily Planet, Korman & Ng, and BART. 

510-549-2230 

Movie: “The Last Emperor” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107

Proposal adds to city’s stereotype 

The really pathetic thing about Councilmember Betty Olds’ proposal to ban the use of cell phones by bicyclists is that it makes a laughingstock of Berkeley itself. The idea is so patently ridiculous, compared to the hazards created by drivers using cell phones, that already the outside media are beginning to make fun of us. It’s the “There they go again!” syndrome, those wacky folks in Berkeley who have nothing better to do than cook up silly proposals. Never mind that some of the proposals that have originated in Berkeley include free speech, disability rights, and the anti-Vietnam war movement. Because those proposals challenge the establishment, the establishment (and the establishment media) single out less serious proposals so they can dismiss Berkeley’s leaders as not really such a threat to the status quo. Unfortunately, Betty Olds has given them a lot to laugh about, and there they go again. 

Lucienne Sanchez-Resnik 

Berkeley 

Cell phone ban is an absurd idea 

I can’t believe what I’m reading – banning cell phone use by cyclists but not by motorists??? I’m afraid Berkeley Councilmember Olds is setting herself up to be the laughingstock of the community there. Apparently, she’s so busy watching what the cyclists are doing, that she’s in serious danger of missing the two-ton SUV careening around the corner one-handed while yammering on the cell-phone. Lest she or anyone else think I’m talking off the top of my head, I would refer them to the Feb. 13, 1997 (Vol. 336 No. 7) issue of the New England Journal of Medicine article: Association Between Cellular Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collision. This is the landmark article that is helping to inspire bans on cell-phone use by motorists. 

Janice Rothstein 

San Francisco 

Article wrong on opposition’s size 

Judith Scherr’s article on Thursday June 8th regarding the above development missed an important point: the number of supporters present in the community meeting held on Monday June 5th. 

Towards the end of the meeting, Mr. Jim Wemmer, the self-appointed spokesman for the opponents asked for a show of hands by the opponents of the proposed development. Less than 10 people raised their hands. He repeated his rhetorics about the project and asked for another show of hands, the same people raised their hands. The attendance in the room was around 50 people at this point. 

Ms. Scherr’s opening sentence that “half” of the people attending the meeting were opposed to the project was inaccurate. 

Ali R. Kashani 

Executive Director 

Affordable Housing Associates 

City Hall goes back to what works 

The idea of having one person at city hall a Berkeley resident can call for information is a marvelous one (Daily Planet, June 10-11). I can’t tell you the hours I’ve spent being switched from one city department to another and then often back to the first one. 

By the way, 50 years ago the city did employ such a person. She was called a switchboard operator. 

Nancy Ward 

Berkeley

THEATER 

AURORA THEATRE 

“Split” by Mayo Simon, June 1 through July 2. A mordant clear-eyed view of an older couple's love affair. $25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Closer” by Patrick Marber, through July 9. A funny, touching and unflinchingly honest examination of love and relationships set in contemporary London. $38 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; May 27, June 1, June 3, June 10, June 15, June 24, June 29 and July 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

CALIFORNIA 

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 

“Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, June 3 through June 24. The classic romantic comedy of mismatched lovers forced into a union. $21 to $38 general; $19 to $38 seniors; $10 to $38 children. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.; June 13 and June 20, 7 p.m. June 24, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre, Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit on state Highway 24. (510) 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

LaVal’s Subterranean 

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Yoni Barkan. The play will run from June 8 to July 8, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. each night. 1834 Euclid Ave. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” 

Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Experiment Gallery,” through Sept. 10. Step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with concepts surrounding sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

“Math Rules!” ongoing exhibit. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. Make mathematical ice-cream cones, use blocks to build three dimensional structures, make dodecagon pies from a variety of mathematical shapes and stretch mathematical thinking. 

“Within the Human Brain,” ongoing installation. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. 

“Laser: The Light Fantastic” ongoing exhibit. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.eduPHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. 

Free. 

Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA INSTITUTE 

“Markings/Imprints,” through July 28. The 2000 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Awards Exhibitions, Part I, featuring works by Susan Belau, Liliana Lobo Ferreira, and Jamie Morgan. 

Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Progressions: the Quilt as Art,” through June 29. An exhibit of quilts by Jill Le Croisette. 

“Go We to the Revels Masked,” through June 29. An exhibit of dolls by Elise Peeples. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. 

Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Subterranean Shakespeare opened a striking and effective sex, drugs and rock and roll take on Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Friday at La Val’s Subterranean on the Northside. 

This modern dress version of the classic romantic comedy is set initially at a trendy club in a present-day city, and later at a drug-fueled all-night rave in the woods where reality and fantasy mix, and things spin out of control. 

This concept works very well with “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” bringing the play alive in surprising new ways, and opening up Shakespeare’s poetry for a contemporary, youthful audience. 

The way Shakespeare put his play down on paper, four star-crossed lovers with frustrated romances sneak away from the court of Athens and go into the woods.  

There, the fairy prankster Puck and his cohorts play tricks on them, and they have many comic misadventures, until things finally get sorted out. 

At the same time, Bottom the weaver and his friends are rehearsing a play in the woods, which they ultimately perform at a wedding where everything ends happily. 

In the current Sub Shakes staging, the four bickering lovers are patrons of a modern-day, trendy, upscale club. Bottom and his friends are waiters and staff at the club’s posh restaurant. 

When the four lovers flee the club for the woods to sort out their romantic tangles, the fairies in the woods turn it into an all night rave party, featuring sex, drugs, and rock and roll. 

Director Yoni Barkan has orchestrated this inspired chaos on La Val’s small stage in a fast-moving and music-intense production. Many in the youthful cast of 13 double in multiple roles. 

The bickering is funny among the four confused lovers – Kira Blaskovich, Pete Caslavka, Heather Charles, and Alan Coyne – each lusting after someone else. 

Nicole Du Port makes an impression as cocaine-snorting Puck. Ryan Meyer steals some scenes as Bottom the Weaver, trying to play all the roles simultaneously in his friend’s play. 

Several actors speak their Shakespeare with a forced imitation of a British accent. This is not necessary, and the best American productions of Shakespeare don’t do it. 

Imitative accents make productions of Shakespeare sound stagy and artificial, and give them a museum quality, which contradicts so much of what this production has done right in opening it up for a modern day, young Berkeley audience. 

In La Val’s limited space, Irina Mikhalevich has effectively designed a mostly black set with a few touches of red, and a single small video monitor downstage right running a light show. 

Composer Andy Bundy has written original club dance music, and with lyricist Blaskovich an opening ballad dealing with the play’s themes, effectively sung by Blaskovich as a smoky cabaret number. 

This song also gets a satirical reprise at the end in a drag version by Chris De La Vega. 

In addition to Bundy’s music, sound designer Barkan has included classics by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and others. 

The light cues during Saturday’s performance were a little funky. This is La Val’s, so sometimes you hear noise from the restaurant upstairs during the show. On the other hand, you can drink beer while you watch the play. 

This sultry adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” turns Shakespeare’s play into a sex, drugs and rock and roll extravaganza, opening up the story for a modern-day audience. It is a fun production, and the price is right. 

Subterranean Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” plays Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m., through July 8, at La Val’s, 1834 Euclid Ave. Tickets are $10 (general) and $6 (students). For

Developer John DeClercq of TransAction Companies Ltd. has submitted plans to the city for a new residence/parking structure on Kittredge Street behind the Berkeley Central Public Library. 

The company’s submission for a use permit will be reviewed by city planners and the Zoning Adjustment Board who decide if it is complete. “We already own the land and we haven’t asked for any variances,” he said. 

In keeping with the location the name for the five-story apartment building would be Library Gardens, and the proposal calls for a mix of 196 one- and two-bedroom units. DeClercq has not determined rents yet. 

The developer wants to knock down the Hinks Garage and build another one that is seismically fit. He would replace the 375 spaces there with a traditional three-story garage made of concrete and steel. 

The top of the garage would be the podium or the base for the new apartment complex. Two of the three levels of parking would be subterranean. The top floor would be at street level and four stories of apartments will be built above the garage. 

In addition to the 375 spaces of replacement parking for the Hinks Garage, DeClercq wants to add 126 new spaces, for a total of 501. Of those new parking spaces 98 of them would be set aside for residents and the remaining 25 for “general purposes. 

When asked if he would use robotic, computerized parking, he said he would be keeping tried and true half ramps. 

“We would love to use robotic parking, but we’re not that daring. We strongly support the mayor’s proposal, but we would like to see somebody else do it first,” he said. 

Mayor Shirley Dean has proposed a study of the feasibility of using robotic parking for the city-owned downtown garage between Addison and Center streets. 

The new concept of computer-driven parking arrangements that would shift pallets of cars without the need for space-eating ramps is set to make its U.S. debut in Hoboken, N.J. 

DeClercq said his company “looked very long and hard” at the hydraulic parking tiers that developer Patrick Kennedy installed in the Berkeleyan building on Oxford Street. But they decided the garage space TransAction is planning is too large to use it efficiently. 

As for what will happen to downtown parking when the Hinks Garage is torn down and the new one is not built yet, he replied, “That’s a challenge. We are working with many other people to put in alternative parking, shuttles, and valet services. 

“We’re working with other garages. We are going to do our best to keep the disruption as minimal as possible.” 

The apartments would range from 650 square feet to 850 square feet, DeClercq said. Ten percent of the apartments, or 19 of them, would be reserved for people with incomes that are not higher than 50 percent of the median income of Alameda County residents. 

“This is very affordable,” said DeClercq, Senior Vice President of TransAction. 

The building would be 50 feet high and compatible with surrounding buildings like the Shattuck Hotel and the new library, he said. 

As envisioned in the plans, Library Gardens would have several interior courtyards and arches line the façade in a style he describes as Tuscan. 

People could not have asked for a better weekend to attend the 30th annual Live Oak Park Fair. 

With just over 100 venders, nine different performers, and a number of local food booths, the festival was celebrated under blue skies and sunshine all day Saturday and Sunday in Live Oak Park. 

Tents were set up for venders from all over the West Coast, ranging from Southern California to Oregon. Booths sold everything from jewelry to clothing to ceramics to musical instruments. 

“As an artist, I like this show a lot,” said Sam Thurow, who came with his wife from Talent, Ore., to set up a booth for their company, Handwoven Impressions. “It’s not big and it’s a beautiful setting. I like a show that is more intimate like this so people can find their way around.” 

There was also a stage set up in the park that was occupied throughout the fair by performers representing the diverse culture of Berkeley. 

The fair got of to an 11 a.m. start Saturday with Jennifer Makofsky, a storyteller. Circus performer Jean-Paul Valjean took the stage soon thereafter and entertained the younger members of the crowd with juggling and balance tricks. This was the third time at the Live Oak Park Fair for Valjean, an Albany resident. 

Mr. Miraculous, a performer similar to Valjean performing at his 10th consecutive Live Oak Park Fair, was next. While doing many of the same tricks as Valjean, Mr. Miraculous’ specialty was the Chinese yo-yo, a double-bowl shaped object that is twirled on a string connected by two sticks. Mr. Miraculous was able to throw the object over 20 feet in the air before catching it with little difficulty. 

Culture Shock, a youth hip-hop dance troupe, performed next, followed by Joe Schmoe, an electric ukulele player. Mr. Miraculous came back for a second performance of the afternoon just before the first day’s completion. 

The performances were all quite different and unique in their own ways, but people have grown to become accustomed to the different styles of performances at the Live Oak Park Fair. 

“I like the diversity, in that it reflects different cultures; not just a juggler and a magician,” Valjean said. “And the crafts, this is the best that I’ve seen, and I go to a lot of these. The stuff is incredible.” 

Day two kicked off with Zappo! the magician entertaining the younger members of the audience. He was followed by Valjean and then Colibri, a Latin American music presentation, performed by Lichi Fuentes and Alisa Peres. 

FatChanceBellyDance and Arak Pacha, an Andean musician, continued the diverse entertainment and concluded the fair Sunday evening. 

While this year’s fair did not draw as many people as it may have in past years, organizers, performers and venders seemed to be happy with the turnout. 

“Even though the crowds aren’t heavy, people seem to be more serious and appreciative of what’s here,” Thurow said. 

Walking into a coffee shop on Telegraph Avenue where everybody knows his name, Sgt. Alec Boga spots a man with long blond hair standing by the door and asks him, “Hey hippie, where you been?” 

The man breaks into a big smile and tells him he went to a concert, and the two trade small talk about how good it was. 

Boga has worked just about every detail in his 26 years on the Berkeley Police Department, but supervising the Telegraph Avenue detail, comprised of four officers who work in tandem with three UC officers, is mainly about service now. 

That’s good because in the not too distant past when drug dealers hung around in gangs outside stores, the ‘60s ambience had turned into a danger zone. 

“There’s always things happening on Telegraph, but you don’t have the public consumption of malt liquor, drug dealing and quality of life issues, and he is largely responsible for that,” said Boga’s friend, Sgt. Cary Kent of Robbery Detail. 

At the coffee shop he was not wearing his uniform, and he finds that when he’s in blue he walks the street and pulls one kind of response, but out of uniform people are more willing to talk. 

“You gotta listen,” he says, explaining the technique involves walking around and listening to people. “When they know who you are as a person, they’re willing to work with you.” 

Nevertheless, he said, Telegraph “is one of the most challenging places to be a cop, but it has unique rewards.” 

“We call him the Bruce Willis of Telegraph,” jokes Kathy Berger, executive director of the Telegraph Area Association. 

“He’s very good, very personable. He’s friendly and he’s tough. He really cares about people and it shows.” 

Berger said the stepped-up police effort arose from “a coming together” of the stakeholders in the Telegraph community who wanted the neighborhood to be safe and clean and pedestrian friendly. “That message was sent to City Hall.” 

“No one wanted to see a violation of anyone’s civil rights, but everyone wanted their civil rights respected,” she said. 

The collaboration of merchants, residents, students, the city and the university made it happen, said Berger. 

The Health and Safety team was created to help address the problems, said Berger, who wrote a proposal that produced $125,000 in city support for the team of social workers and psychologists who help patrol the streets with the cops. 

David Wee, supervisor of the Mental Health Program, said the council approved the proposal in June 1998, and it put two mental health professionals on Telegraph six hours daily. 

The citywide Mobil Crisis Team responds to calls on Telegraph Avenue when the six-hour shifts are over for the day, he said. 

A lot of the problems presented on the street are people acting out, as Boga describes them and he said sending someone to jail does not resolve them. 

“We walk the street just like Boga,” said Keith Olson, a social worker on the Health and Safety Team, who has been assigned to Telegraph Avenue since August 1998. 

He and about five other mental health professionals look for the people who need services. Some of them are mentally ill, some are substance abusers, others are homeless. 

The people who need the services of the Health and Safety Team want a safe street too, he said. “We have the time to build trust for some folks.” 

Boga, who is unmarried and works a flexible schedule, said that in past details he has enjoyed working with family units that include kids and grandmothers. 

“Telegraph is a different twist to police work,” he said. The multifaceted community has strong segments of students, merchants, academics, and residents. Each segment lobbies its own concerns. 

Some locals smoking marijuana, “the drug of choice” on Telegraph Avenue, don’t necessarily merit police attention, he said. 

“We go after community concerns,” he said. The stakeholders around Telegraph don’t want open air sales of drugs of any kind and they don’t want sellers from outside town. 

In a drug bust in April that targeted Shattuck and Telegraph avenues, Boga said police arrested 30 people. He said the vast majority of them were selling marijuana, and most were not Berkeley residents. The 30 individuals were selling to support their own hard drug habits. 

The Telegraph detail was formed in October 1998 when the neighborhood was outraged at drug dealers hanging out in gangs in front of stores and the street hit rock bottom. 

“In 1998 there was a lot more crack, because it was allowed to occur,” Boga said. In the 12-week period beginning in October 1998, he said, the team cleaned up Telegraph. 

Since the inception of the police team that works hand-in-hand with the Health and Safety Team of social workers and psychologists, the street has less crime and more of an ambience that Boga and many others don’t want to lose. 

Berkeley Police statistics for 1998 and 1999 for Beats 6 and 7, which comprise the Telegraph area east and west, demonstrate the changes. In 1998 there were 119 arrests for public intoxication in the two beats. In 1999 there were 244 arrests for the same offense. 

Boga said the officer-generated enforcement of alcohol laws has increased because the department is listening to what the community wants on its streets. 

Narcotics arrests have dropped, he said, because police have reduced narcotics trafficking. There were 209 narcotics arrests in 1998; in 1999 there were 160. 

Disturbing the peace violations dropped from 297 in 1998 to 180 in 1999 and thefts went down from 1086 in 1998 to 825 in 1999. 

“There was a lot of drug dealing, a lot of violence, a lot of crime, a lot of people out of control,” said Andy Ross, owner of Cody’s bookstore at Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue. “It seems like it has gotten a whole lot better.” 

He also attributed the change to the work of the Health and Safety team and the graffiti cleanup work by the Telegraph Avenue Business Improvement District. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, whose district includes Telegraph Avenue, looks to the coordination of city departments for the success. 

The combination of the Public Works Department doing additional cleaning, the Health and Safety Teams being established and targeting police activity turned it around, he said. 

“The combination of these three departments working together is far more effective than having 100 police officers standing on every corner,” he said. 

Roland Peterson, executive director of the Telegraph Business Improvement District, and Mark Weinstein, owner of Amoeba Music at 2455 Telegraph, also praised the teamwork. 

Weinstein aid business is better than it was, as much as 10 percent better. Customers complained about the situation at the time, he said. Now he gets no complaints about it. 

“At one time (about 18 months ago), his employees counted 30 dogs tied up or hanging out on our block. People don’t remember how really bad it got. We notice a lot of people who wouldn’t dare to be out on Telegraph before, out there having a good time, not afraid of walking on the street.” 

Berkeley police received two reports of sex-related offenses Wednesday, one involving a rape and one involving unlawful sexual intercourse. 

A woman reported a rape that took place Wednesday about 4 a.m. at a local motel. According to Capt. Bobby Miller of the Berkeley Police Department, the rape took place between two acquaintances. The victim had agreed to engage in some sexual activity with the suspect but did not wish to have sexual intercourse with the suspect. 

Also on Wednesday, police took a report on a case of unlawful sexual intercourse involving a 17-year-old girl who had a sexual relationship with a 27 year old man that began Jan. 7 and continued through March. 

Miller said the girl and the older man began a plutonic relationship several months prior to their first sexual encounter. 

The victim told police that she did not plan to have a physical relationship with the man because she didn’t have strong feelings for him, but nevertheless entered a consensual sexual relationship with him.

The Berkeley Campus AIDS Memorial Committee will host a reception and fund-raiser today to kick off the fund-raising campaign to build the memorial, and all the campus and local community are invited to attend, learn more about the memorial plans and help make the proposed memorial a reality. 

The event will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Morrison Room of the Doe Library on the UC Berkeley campus. Patricia Rhee, designer of the selected memorial concept, will be in attendance. 

All of the memorial competition entries are on display in the Bernice Layne Brown Gallery, adjacent to the Morrison Room in the Doe Library. The exhibit, which is on display through the end of June, also features the stories and memorabilia from campus staff who have died from AIDS. 

The committee held a nationally publicized competition to design a memorial for the Doe Library north lightwell. The judging of some 48 entries was held in April, and the design by Rhee was selected, along with three other designs of honorable mention. 

“The memorial will honor all campus community members who have died of AIDS, and also those who lost husbands, wives, partners, children and friends over the two decades since the pandemic began,” Jonathan Winters, a member of the Berkeley AIDS memorial committee and a person living with HIV, said in a news release. 

Now that a winning entry has been selected, the memorial committee will need to raise approximately $100,000 to make the proposal a reality. 

The committee will be working with the California Alumni Association to identify potential donors. 

Those wishing to donate to the memorial can send checks, made out to UC Regents, to: Berkeley AIDS Memorial Project, Fund #44229, Library Development Office, 188 The Library, 94720-6000. 

Organizers request that donors note the fund number on the check memo.

Patrons of the café at the French Hotel are miffed that the tables and chairs that used to be regular fare on the sidewalk in front of the establishment are absent most of the time now. 

“Yesterday I was back there (at the café), and there were no tables and chairs out there,” said a patron who loves the coffee but desires a return to the sidewalk ambience. 

The café habitue, who asked that her name not be used, said patrons bring chairs out from inside the café, and they are willing to return them, but it’s not the same. She still buys a cup of coffee there, but not all the time. 

On a recent sunny morning coffee drinkers were waiting in a long line to buy the brew, even though they couldn’t sit outside. 

“I think it’s lousy,” said Larry Melnick, who brought along his own mug to be filled. “The guy didn’t pay for a permit or something.” 

Melnick noted that the lack of tables and chairs seemed to have little effect on business at the café. 

“I would ask management to bring back the tables,” said one customer, noting her interest in sitting at a table if one should be available. 

A concerned restaurant employee said, “You need a permit to have tables and chairs outside. It’s up to our owner to get a permit.” 

The café is operated by the Espresso Roma Corporation, owned by Sandy Boyd, who has two other coffee houses located on College Avenue and Hopkins Street. 

Boyd said Friday said he doesn’t go to the Shattuck Avenue café every day but employees told him a police officer came to the café and informed employees the tables had to come inside. 

Boyd maintains it was selective enforcement because another local café has no permit but has sidewalk tables, he said. 

“If there are tables out there, I don’t know anything about it,” said Boyd. 

Matt LeGrant, senior planner, said there is no record of Boyd having ever filed for a permit since the zoning ordinance was amended in 1995. It makes specific provisions for tables and chairs. 

The law sets certain standards including review and approval by the Public Works Department to insure adequate clearance for pedestrian movement, said LeGrant. Other establishments may have tables and chairs outside on the sidewalk without a permit, too, said LeGrant. 

He said planners are working with the police department and the Commission on Disabilities because they’re all interested in enforcement. 

However, he said Zoning Code Compliance Officer Maurice Norrisse “never received any complaint nor has he visited the French Hotel (for enforcement).” 

The cost of the administrative use permit application fee is $350, said LeGrant, but if the activity already is occurring, it could be subject to a double fee of $700. 

Boyd said sidewalk tables and chairs have been outside the café since 1984. “I guess I thought I was grandfathered in.” 

He said he has a permit application, but that he has not had a chance to review it for the site plan requirements. 

“Maybe I’ll have to hire an architect to delineate footage, and hire a surveyor to tell me exactly where my property line is located. If I have to do all those things it may take some time,” Boyd said. 

He said it could take as much as two months to complete the preparatory work for the application. 

“I’m aware of the problem. I’ve had a few calls from customers. From my perspective I certainly would like to have tables out there,” he said. “There are some customers loyal to the French Hotel, and we’ve had some very good workers for a long time. I think they come there for that. I don’t know that two or three tables would mean very much to the people in line.” 

Saturday, June 10 

Spring Yard Sale 

Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave. 

The Pacific Center holds this annual Yard Sale as a fund-raiser for its programs. Clean out your closets and donate all that usable stuff you don’t need anymore (please no computer equipment or old electronics). Donations can be left at the Pacific Center through Friday. Sale continues through Sunday. 

510-548-8283; www.pacificcenter.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

East Bay Open Studios 

11 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Various sites around the East Bay 

Artists will open their doors to the public this weekend for the 18th annual event. A number of artists are located here in Berkeley, as well as in other communities throughout the East Bay. 

510-763-4361; www.proartsgallery.org 

Live Oak Park Fair 

11 a.m.-6 p.m 

Live Oak Park, North Shattuck at Berryman 

This free event will feature dozens of booths with original art and handmade crafts. A variety of food and entertainment will be offered. Scheduled entertainers include Colibri, family music from Latin America; Culture Shock, a hip hop dance troupe; Jean-Paul Valjean, an Algerian world champion master of balance; Zappo the Magician, from the Bay Area; and Fat Chance Belly Dance, also from the Bay Area. This is the fair’s 30th anniversary. The event continues through Sunday. 

510-986-9337 

La Peña Cultural Center’s 25th anniversary 

Noon 

Shattuck Avenue and Prince Street. 

The center celebrates 25 years of presenting world class talent and bringing arts and artists together to work for social change. Performers include spoken word, hip-hop, Andean music, flamenco and salsa. The indoor children’s stage will feature more performances. Valet bike parking will be provided. 

Rebel 

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $26. 

510-642-9988 

Flanders Recorder Quartet 

8 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $26. 

510-642-9988 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Paul Goodwin will be the guest conductor. 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $30, $40, $45. 

510-642-9988 

Pedestrian “Bike-In” Movie Night Party and Protest 

9 p.m. 

Underhill parking lot, Channing and College 

This week’s feature: “Clerks,” plus video activist shorts. Help transform a parking lot into a paradise every Saturday night this summer in protest of the University’s plan to build a new parking structure on the site. 

510-CREW-CUT; www.geocities.com/rickisyoung 

Ensemble Anonymus 

10:30 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $18. 

510-642-9988 

Sunday, June 11 

Spring Yard Sale 

Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave. 

The Pacific Center holds this annual Yard Sale as a fund-raiser for its programs. Clean out your closets and donate all that usable stuff you don’t need anymore (please no computer equipment or old electronics). 

510-548-8283; www.pacificcenter.org 

Berkeley Hiking Club Hike 

8:30 a.m. departure, Shattuck Ave. and Berkeley Way 

Reconvene and meet leader at the steam train in Tilden Park. Hike will be a scenic eight-mile loop. 

510-548-4905 

Berkeley Hiking Club Mini-Hike 

9:30 a.m. departure, Shattuck Ave. and Berkeley Way 

Once reaching Sibley Volcanic Preserve on Skyline Boulevard, participants should meet in the parking lot. The hike will travel through mostly shaded trails to Redwood Park. On return, there will be a climb toward the end. Route runs about six miles. 

925-376-5095 

Live Oak Park Fair 

11 a.m.-6 p.m 

Live Oak Park, North Shattuck at Berryman 

This free event will feature dozens of booths with original art and handmade crafts. A variety of food and entertainment will be offered. Scheduled entertainers include Colibri, family music from Latin America; Culture Shock, a hip hop dance troupe; Jean-Paul Valjean, an Algerian world champion master of balance; Zappo the Magician, from the Bay Area; and Fat Chance Belly Dance, also from the Bay Area. This is the fair’s 30th anniversary. 

510-986-9337 

East Bay Open Studios 

11 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Various sites around the East Bay 

Artists will open their doors to the public this weekend for the 18th annual event. A number of artists are located here in Berkeley, as well as in other communities throughout the East Bay. 

510-763-4361; www.proartsgallery.org 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Signups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright are scheduled to participate. 

510-234-0727; 510-642-5168 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Paul Goodwin will be the guest conductor. 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $30, $40, $45. 

510-642-9988 

Green Party Politics presentation and discussion 

6-7 p.m. 

Berkeley Grass Roots House, 2022 Blake St. 

Bud Dickinson will be giving his version of the History of the National Green Party: Why are there TWO? Discussion on Unity between Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) and Green Party USA (GPUSA). He has prepared a chart of the history, particularly the split between GPUSA and ASGP. County general meeting will follow at 7 p.m. 

510-644-2293; www.greens.org/cal/alameda

In Latin American circles, “El Mano de Dios,” (the hand of God) usually refers to Argentine superstar Diego Maradona’s only slightly illegal fisting of the ball into the English net en route to victory in the 1986 World Cup. 

Closer to home, however, one can seemingly observe God’s right paw on Shattuck Ave.  

Atop La Peña Cultural Center’s incredibly eye-catching and colorful mural, a larger-than-life hand descends from the heavens to strum an equally gargantuan guitar. Except this is not the hand of God – it is the hand of Victor Jara.  

“He was a Chilean singer, songwriter, professor, theatrical artist and musician, and he brought Latin American music to the world. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, and even spoke at U.C. Berkeley in the late ’60s and early ’70s,” explains La Pena’s longtime financial manager Laura Ruiz. “He was loved by the world, but he was one of the thousands incarcerated after the (Chilean) military coup. And he actually met a very cruel and gruesome death.” 

At the outset of the Pinochet regime, Jara and others were marched into a large soccer stadium, tortured and executed while thousands looked on. Before his execution, Jara was allegedly forced to play his guitar, even after guards had severed his hands. It was as a result of this incredibly repressive environment that, thousands of miles away, La Peña was born.  

“Back in 1975, a small group of North Americans and Latin Americans decided they wanted to have a place similar to the peñas in Chile and Argentina,” explains Ruiz. “Essentially, peñas were gathering places for people, places where people could gather and exchange music and art over food and drink. A place where everybody was welcome. Largely as a result of the overthrow of the Salvatore Allende government, people came together and formed the idea to begin such a place in Berkeley.” 

So what started as an informal meeting place where folks primarily stayed abreast of Chilean issues has grown into an incredibly broad, complex nonprofit organization. La Peña puts on over 150 musical and theatrical performances a year, operates a restaurant, houses resident artists, offers classes, heads educational programs in local schools and provides meeting space to numerous other organizations. And like so many Berkeley nonprofits, La Peña is wondering how 25 years went by so fast.  

“Saturday we’re going to throw an all-day party for the community and people of all ages,” says La Pena’s development director Sylvia Sherman. “There’ll be Venezuelan music, Eastern Caribbean percussion, an Andean ensemble, Cuban songs, salsa music, flamenco and, of course, a huge birthday cake.” 

The musical diversity of the big party is truly fitting for an organization that emphasizes A. diversity, and B. music. Long before the current rekindling of popular interest in Afro-Cuban music, La Peña was fighting to obtain visas for great Cuban musicians, promoting their concerts and helping produce their records. Scores of Cuban artists – including legendary pianist Chucho Valdez – have graced La Pena’s 180-seat theater. 

And the cozy theater – along with the rest of the 3105 Shattuck Ave. complex – really are La Pena’s. One of the reasons the nonprofit has lived to be a quarter century old is because, unlike other organizations, it doesn’t have to eke out the perilous life of a renter. 

“Given the current real estate situation, if we didn’t own this building we could easily be out on the street,” says Sherman. “There was tremendous community support to help La Peña purchase the building (in the late ‘70s). Something that has been true over the years is that in the key moments the community really has come out and shown us the support that allows us to take the next step and keep growing.” 

Case in point: In 1995, the situation looked grim when it was revealed that La Pena’s home base was in dire need of retrofitting. The community rallied, however, raising over $100,000 to help pay for the repairs. And, on an everyday basis, a number of dedicated volunteers keep the center running. 

“We’ve hosted artists from Spain, North Africa, theater artists from Australia, a women’s chorus from the Balkans and a wide array of artists from Mexico, Central America, France and England,” says Ruiz. “I think that’s what we’re really proudest of. We’re a space open to all walks of life. The programs span so many peoples and cultures. People come to La Peña and keep coming back. They’ve found a home, a cultural center that very much reflects who they are.” 

Visit La Peña online at www.lapena.org

Landlord, tenant share view on rent control 

In a refreshingly vicious – and highly entertaining – response to my earlier letter about the case for rent stabilization on vacated housing, Leon Mayeri depicts me and a presumed band of “cohorts” as wanting to “return to the old system” (Letters, June 3). 

Actually, Mr. Mayeri might be surprised to learn that my fine landlord and I agree completely on a forward-looking package: Protect tenants through vacancy control, but protect landlords by granting reasonable annual rent increases tied to the inflation rate (or the prime rate). 

In fact, my landlord was even more incensed than I was by the Berkeley Property Owners Association’s (BPOA’s) campaign to ban vacancy control. He was motivated to send the BPOA a letter asking them to stop attacking a state legislator who had simply sought to restore local home rule over rent policy. 

As for Mr. Mayeri’s presumptions that I inhabit a “gold mine” at a “frozen rent most people only dream of”: My apartment, while very pleasant, is about the size of the phone booth in which Clark Kent of the original Daily Planet changed into Superman. Furthermore, my landlord is in the midst of a major seismic retrofit that will ultimately raise my rent substantially – and I have no quibble with that. 

And as for Mr. Mayeri’s remaining accusations about “irrational exuberance,” “hysterical...lunacy and chaos,” and “seeds [of] permanent destruction”: I could respond by that he is no doubt part of a tiny land-owning elite that has enjoyed a 40 percent-plus increase in average Berkeley rents in the last 15 months. An astronomical rate of return, far outperforming our technology-drunk stock market! 

But why would I want to do that? Put aside the goofy extremist rhetoric, and there’s plenty of room for Berkeley’s landlords and tenants to live together in peace. 

Michael Katz 

Berkeley 

Property owners distort facts about rent control 

As president of BPOA, a lobbying organization for landlords, Robert Cabrera continuously assaults Berkeley rent control. In a May 16 op-ed piece (Daily Planet), Mr. Cabrera recycles his side’s myths and distortions. He alleges “developers are loath to invest” in new housing construction because “the City of Berkeley has a full-time paid lobbyist in Sacramento whose No. 1 goal is the repeal of Costa-Hawkins, ...which guarantees that new construction will not be recaptured (sic) by rent regulation...To developers, Berkeley is too politically risky a city to invest in.” 

These contentions utterly misrepresent the treatment of new construction throughout the history of Berkeley rent control. To set the record straight: New construction was never “captured” by rent control in the first place. Rents on all units built after enactment of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance have always been free from regulation. That exemption is part of our local law; Costa-Hawkins did not change Berkeley rent control in this regard. 

What affordable housing defenders find objectionable in the Costa-Hawkins Act is not what it says about housing that has never been covered by rent control, but what it says about housing that is covered. This unwholesome piece of state legislation took away from Berkeley and other California cities the power to prevent rents on apartments from skyrocketing whenever old tenants move out and new tenants move in. (Rent increases during the same tenancy remain regulated.) Weakening of rent control has substantially worsened Berkeley’s affordable housing crisis at a time when the regional housing situation is becoming graver and graver. 

Silicon Valley’s economic boom has generated 200,000 new jobs but only 38,000 new housing units. This disparity has produced a ripple effect causing enormous rent increases across the Bay Area. 

Expanding the supply of housing is desirable. But whatever the barriers (reasonable and otherwise) to housing construction may be, rent control is not among them. Because Berkeley is a fully built-out city, land is so scarce here that enough new housing cannot be built to tame wildly increasing rents. 

Sensible, effective rent control is more needed now than ever before. 

Randy Silverman, Chair, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Chris Kavanagh, member, Berkeley Housing Advisory Commission

The Fine Arts Cinema is again hosting live music accompanying silent film, as is their wont. This time it’s not local musicians making melodies for the movies but a four-piece combo, touring the West Coast with instruments and film canisters. 

The After Quartet has its show set up at the Fine Arts until Monday night to perform an original score for “The Man Without a World,” a black and white, silent Jewish film set in a “shtetl” of Poland. 

The band, consisting of trumpet (Brian McWhorter), guitar (Kyle Sanna), bass (Eric Warren), and drums (Aaron Trant), is traveling from Seattle to Los Angeles playing mostly one-night stands in museums lobbies and second- (or third-) run theaters. 

The five-night Fine Arts Cinema gig is the longest stay of the trip, and one of the most welcome ones. It’s the most legitimate theater space on the tour, according to McWhorter, who also said, judging from the third row seat after sound check Thursday afternoon, “it’s the most clean.” 

McWhorter composed the 28 movements for the film score, adding up to 98 minutes of music. The band members met at the University of Oregon in 1993, when they started improvising jazz, and recently they recorded McWhorter’s original score for Fritz Lang’s expressionistic masterpiece, “Metropolis.” 

“We wanted to contrast ‘Metropolis’ with a new silent film,” said McWhorter. New silent films being hard to come by, he posted a query on the Internet and came up with “The Man Without a World.” 

The film’s scrolling introduction reveals the turbulent history of Yevgeny Antinov’s 1928 work. The Soviet director’s penchant for “decadent sexuality, questionable politics and friendly reference to Trotsky” made him unpopular with Soviet officials on the eve of World War II. Commissioned by American capitalists for the lucrative “Jewish nostalgia market,” the film never made it to the States and sat, forgotten, in an obscure archive in Odessa. 

It looks like an extraordinarily well-preserved treasure. Film buffs who tolerate Eastern European archival silent films with their choppy, fragmented scenes projected at the wrong speed may register a note of artifice in the pristine images and, curiously, no missing sequences. It looks too good to be true. 

And, in fact, it isn’t true. “The Man Without a World” was made by Eleanor Antin in 1991. A highly regarded performance and installation artist, Antin imagined Antinov and constructed his “oeuvre.” “The Man Without a World” is Antin’s attempt to connect with her unrequited heritage – she has never set foot in a temple – while keeping an eye on the historical space between then and now. 

Few Fine Arts Cinema regulars will be taken by the charade. Although it looks (and sounds) like a silent film, the film has visual touches and a narrative sensibility of a modern film. The pans are a little too smooth, the close-ups linger a little too long, and the intertitles are a little too wordy to be mistaken for a genuine 1928 picture show. 

The man of the title is Zevi, a young Jewish man with poetic leanings who must choose between the bohemian artist’s life, filled with Anarchists and Zionists, and the quiet life of a shtetl tailor. Accordingly, he must choose between a traveling Gypsy dancer and his longtime sweetheart Rukheleh. Zevi runs off with the Gypsies while Rukheleh pines at home under the affections of the village butcher. 

“I focus on her a lot,” said McWhorter. “I sometimes feel for her more than Zevi.” 

Flashes of homoeroticism and radical political activism (complete with a big black ball with a bomb wick sticking out of it) take the storytelling out of its supposed early-century milieu. 

Antin’s masquerade is not a trick. It evokes a mood of a bygone era, when communism was the intellectual’s great social hope, and shtetls were still where the hearth was. Rather than point to early-century Jewish intellectual and cultural vibrancy in a period drama or documentary, Atin, here, has created her own artifact. Albeit artificial. 

Antin even had a musical score written for an organ. But that soundtrack has been removed to allow the After Quartet to play its own music.  

The music begins with acoustic guitar and concertina playing a lilting klezmer tune befitting the setting of the film’s story. Then, said McWhorter, it “creeps into a modern sounding score” as the instruments become electric, with the noise electricity allows. 

The music returns to a klezmer feel a few times during the performance, which can be loud and forceful, or softly ambient – particularly in the village scenes of wedding preparation where the festive gaiety of dress fittings and ritualistic bathings are tainted by the music’s poignant sadness. 

McWhorter wrote the music to allow for moments of improvisation, a tricky maneuver when your music needs to reflect the changing tones of different scenes. He said one of the challenges is getting the tempo right during the performance, so that the end of a measure equals the end of the scene. 

The After Quartet will take advantage of the extended stay at the Fine Arts Cinema by recording each performance. They say being able to settle into a space for five days allows them to get acquainted with the layout of the room and get some good sounds on tape. 

For showtime information, call the Fine Arts Cinema at 848-1143.

Imagine. 

You call the city with a dog-license question. You don’t know who to talk to, but get your question answered anyway – without endless transfers from department to department. 

City bureaucracy can be reinvented to serve citizens, say City Manager Jim Keene and a group of staff who have put together a group of projects they call “customer service initiatives.” 

And best of all, said the manager in a presentation to the council Tuesday night, the multi-layered initiative will be put in place by shifting staff and using already-budgeted funds. 

“We’ll restructure our existing resources,” said Budget Director Paul Navazio. 

The plan merges advanced technology with a human element. 

On the tech side, an advanced telephone system and computerized data tracking are to be put in place. 

The citizen will call a general city number and get a live receptionist – one of three people who will serve in this function. 

That person will be familiar with the top 300 kinds of requests the city gets, such as where to go for a dog license or to fight a parking ticket. The receptionist won’t simply give the caller the correct number. The staffer, trained to remain calm and polite, even in the face of an irate citizen, will stay on the line with callers to make sure the person gets transferred directly to the bureaucrat who can resolve the issue. 

If the issue is not immediately resolved, the receptionist would put the request into a computerized data tracking system that would monitor it, even continuously informing a manager that a specific problem had not been resolved. 

The system will have some advanced bells and whistles, such as the ability to attach a voice message to an e-mail. 

Navazio says one of the advantages of the system is the establishment of a hierarchy of needs. For example, a caller who reports a broken water main, will get assurance of it being fixed within a set timeframe, probably an hour or two. A person with a less pressing matter may be told, for example, that the problem will be fixed in three weeks. 

Navazio says people appreciate knowing exactly when their issue is going to be addressed, even it isn’t right away. 

The other piece of the multi-layered plan is called the Neighborhood Liaison Initiative. 

The idea is to break down the walls that divide city departments and get the bureaucrats working as teams to solve a problem. 

Here’s a real-life example: A frantic South Berkeley woman believes there is a prostitute operating out of a health club in her neighborhood. She called the Planning Department, but believed her complaint had not been heard. Actually, the department was looking at inappropriate signage at the business. When the business switched off the illuminated health club sign, planning staff believed the problem was solved. 

At the same time, other individuals had contacted the Police Department on the same matter. The two departments did not work together to solve the problem. 

And the citizen who had made the complaint was in the dark. She believed nobody was addressing the problem, although the police had it on a list of problems to address. 

Under the new initiative, a Neighborhood Liaison coordinator would bring together a multi-department team – in this case, the planning department and the police – to resolve the problem. 

And the complaining party would be informed of what steps the city was taking to resolve the question. 

Staff will include four neighborhood liaison positions, each responsible for a geographic quadrant of the city. 

An internal hiring process is already under way, something that irked some councilmembers who said they had been left out of the loop. 

Salary for the assistant-to-the-city manager positions will be $90,000 annually. This will likely be a salary hike for the individuals who get the job, just as it may be a raise for the three people who be transferred to the customer service “hub.” An eighth position will be a secretarial post to support the neighborhood liaisons. 

Navazio says that the increased salaries may be funded by using salaries for, say, 12 positions and paying eight people. The positions would be vacant positions. There would be no layoffs, he said. 

City staff gave the council its first report on the plan as part of a work session on the budget at last week’s meeting. Although the plan does not call for new expenditures – with the exception of a new “phase II” $880,00 telephone system – Navazio said it was important at this time to make the report and assure the council that the plan would not be a budget addition. 

The council already approved “phase I” telephones, for half the city offices, at $768,000. 

Staff underscored that the plan is still being finalized. 

With the announcement of the departure of the city manager, however, questions are being raised about whether the restructuring should be put in place before Keene leaves his post, or if a new city manager ought to carry through the restructuring.

SAN FRANCISCO – Theatre Bay Area, the largest regional theatre services organization in the nation, has named Cate Foltin as executive director following a nationwide search. 

Board President Derek Covert said in a press release that the board selected Foltin because of her “demonstrated passion for theatre and dedication to and knowledge of the field.” 

Foltin, 40, assumes her new position June 26. She brings more than 10 years experience in fund-raising at the local, state and national levels. She spent five years as a legislative analyst for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C., and six years as executive director of Stagecrafters Baldwin Theatre, a large community theatre in Royal Oak, Mich. 

“What attracted me to the job was that TBA has a great reputation as a service organization serving a range of theatres from the smallest to the largest, over a wide geographic area,” Foltin said in a press release. “It presents a whole array of opportunities and challenges.” 

She replaces Sabrina Klein, who resigned after five years to take on a new position as executive director of Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. 

Theatre Bay Area, founded in 1976, has 330 member companies and 3,200 individual members. For more information on TBA, visit www.theatrebayarea.org.

As a third-party candidate running against a popular congressional incumbent, Ellen Jefferds knows she has little chance of winning an election in November. But with nothing to lose, Jefferds wants to inform the public about alternatives to mainstream American politics. 

Jefferds, a Natural Law Party (NLP) candidate, spoke at a luncheon Friday afternoon at the Berkeley City Commons Club about her party and about voting in the 2000 election. 

Jefferds, who is running for Congress in the Ninth District for the first time against incumbent Democrat Barbara Lee, said it was her first time talking as a candidate and admitted that she was a bit nervous. 

“I have all respect for Barbara Lee, and I think amongst incumbents she is good person,” she said. “Although I still think that she is part of an establishment that is holding a monopoly on the American public right now. I think we need to break that open, just for the sake of getting new voices in there.” 

Jefferds moved to the Bay Area in 1967 to attend UC Berkeley. She is a current Albany resident and a member of the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce. 

She began her speech, entitled “A Reason to Vote,” by explaining the importance of voting. She said that over half of the population and an astounding 89 percent of college students do not vote. Jefferds also offered that politicians today seem more interested in raising money for campaigns than improving the lives of Americans. 

Throughout her speech, Jefferds stressed the fact that voting for a third-party candidate isn’t necessarily wasting a vote. 

“Two-thirds of Americans say they are dissatisfied with their options,” she said. “What if they all vote for the same third party candidate? Then it isn’t a wasted vote.” 

Jefferds then discussed central issues for the NLP, including programs to improve health care, the education system, protecting the environment, and improving international relations. 

Most NLP candidates oppose the death penalty, but rather than supporting or opposing capital punishment laws, the party is trying to implement programs to improve crime rates. 

“Our emphasis is to shift people’s thinking away from punishment and towards preventing the crimes,” Jefferds said. “The idea is to shift the intentions from prosecution to prevention.” 

Similarly with abortion, Jefferds said that there should be a decrease in the number of abortions taking place – not because of legislation but because of education, as a result of birth control and more responsible behavior. 

In this year’s election, the NLP will have more than 1,000 candidates on the ballot in all 50 states, making it one of the largest third-party efforts in U.S. history. John Hagelin is running for president under the NLP, and three party members are U.S. Senate candidates. 

Jefferds admitted that she had little chance of defeating Congresswoman Lee in the November election, but said that she wants voters to be aware of third-party alternatives. Lee took 85 percent of the vote in the primaries. 

“Vote for what you believe in,” she said. “But look for new ideas. If you want to vote for the party you’ve been voting for for years, then do it, but not just out of habit.”

On Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and again on June 25 at 9:30 a.m., East Bay fire departments will conduct a Mutual Response Area-Training/Drill in Tilden Park. 

For the drills, the fire will be simulated only; there will not be any actual fire. Mutual Response Areas (MRAs) were developed after the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley Hills fire as a method to quickly control wild fires. They are a part of the annual training conducted during the fire season. MRA Drills are used for different fire departments to practice the communications and command skills needed to control fires. 

For more information about MRAs, contact the Berkeley Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief David Orth at 644-6665.

The East Bay Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group will sponsor a musical dialogue on June 17 at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Arts Magnet School Theater, located on Lincoln Street between Shattuck and Milvia. The concert, entitled “Arab and Jew: A Dialogue in Music,” will feature Ohad “Udi” Bar-David, an Israeli cellist, and Simon Shaheen, a Palestinian violinist and composer. 

Bar-David and Shaheen will play Middle Eastern music, including Jewish and Arab melodies. Bar-David began playing cello at age seven in Tel Aviv. Shaheen began studying the ‘ud as a child in the Palestinian village of Tarshiha in northern Israel. They both came to America to continue their musical pursuits. 

The event will benefit Open House in Ramle, Israel, which operates the Center for Jewish-Arab Co-Existence and a day care center for Arab Children. The East Bay Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group began meeting in 1998. Its members include American Jews, Palestinians, and others interested in working toward a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. 

For reservations and information, call Faye Straus at (925) 947-1543 or Hanan Rasheed at (925) 736-8026.

Office space throughout the East Bay is just about filled up, but three new office buildings are in the works for West Berkeley. 

The three planned buildings – one renovation and two new structures – will produce more than 40,000 square-feet of office space, some of which may be filled by technology companies. 

“We’ve had a hard time providing space for the rapidly expanding technology sector,” said Bill Lambert, the city’s manager of economic development, who described the 2 percent vacancy rate for office space in Berkeley as “incredibly low.” 

While he said the amount of new space these buildings will add is not huge, it will help meet the demand. 

Designer and developer Michael Goldin, who operates businesses from offices at 2332 Fifth St., has the zoning go-ahead to build two new buildings next door at 2336 Fifth in what is now an empty lot. He’s also planning to remodel the old vacant Berkeley Brass Foundry at 2629 Seventh St. 

He said a medium-size company could come into the foundry structure on an 8,000-square-foot plate, or a company could take the entire 21,000 square feet. One of the new buildings will be two-story, the other three-story, about 23,000 square feet. 

Goldin heads Goldin Design and Swervco, which involves design and fabrication of furniture and convenes the services of subcontractors, he said. With the new buildings he’ll take on the roles of developer and landlord. 

The new buildings will be mixed use, blending offices and live/work units. He plans three live/work units in the new structures. 

Goldin appreciates the West Berkeley zoning that allows for multiple uses. 

“It’s a dense region, people working and living there, retail area, all kinds of different businesses can happen here,” he said. 

The designer practices what he preaches; he and his wife, an artist, and their two children live near his offices in an industrial building. 

He compared the West Berkeley zoning that allows a diversity of uses with Europe’s mixture of homes and retail in the same general location, and he contrasted it with the Berkeley Hills, a strictly residential area. 

But there are problems with multiple use, he admits. Residents may have to live with industrial smells and noise or newcomers may complain about businesses that came long before they did. 

For the two new structures he wants to develop, he had to pass through Preliminary Design Review, zoning and Final Design Review stages with the city. 

Although the Berkeley Brass Foundry is not a landmark, he said they worked with the Landmarks Preservation Commission for five or six months. The entire process from pre-design to final approval took more than 16 months. 

Goldin wants to remove the wooden part in front of the Foundry and preserve the steel truss section in the back of the building that no longer will be zoned for industrial use. 

He believes the zoning process drains creative potential and feels it could be expedited. 

“We’re working within the required boundaries, and we passed,” he said. 

“We spent a lot of time to make the neighbors aware of the project and to listen to concerns. Everybody has the proper intentions. It’s very difficult to get through the process unscathed.” 

He wants to wire the new and remodeled buildings with fiber optic cable, and he envisions a “thumb key,” a high-tech mode of entry that would electronically identify occupants by their thumbprints. 

“We’re trying to make a project something out of the ordinary. 

“The whole reason I love design and the development is to support my habit as a designer. We want to create new ideas and exciting environments.” 

Friday, June 9 

“A Reason to Vote” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Ellen Jefferds, Natural Law Party’s candidate for the Ninth Congressional District, will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

Ensemble Anonymus 

Noon 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $16. 

510-642-9988 

Conversational Yiddish 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Le Carrousel Du Roi 

4 p.m. 

Heather Farms Park, Walnut Creek 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $26. 

510-642-9988 

Artaria Quartet 

5 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $18. 

510-642-9988 

American Bach Soloists 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $24, $30, $42. 

510-642-9988 

Tragicomedia, with soprano Suzie LeBlanc 

10:30 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $22. 

510-642-9988 

Saturday, June 10 

Spring Yard Sale 

Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave. 

The Pacific Center holds this annual Yard Sale as a fund-raiser for its programs. Clean out your closets and donate all that usable stuff you don’t need anymore (please no computer equipment or old electronics). Donations can be left at the Pacific Center through Friday. Sale continues through Sunday. 

510-548-8283; 

www.pacificcenter.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

East Bay Open Studios 

11 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Various sites around the East Bay 

Artists will open their doors to the public this weekend for the 18th annual event. A number of artists are located here in Berkeley, as well as in other communities throughout the East Bay. 

510-763-4361; 

www.proartsgallery.org 

Live Oak Park Fair 

11 a.m.-6 p.m 

Live Oak Park, North Shattuck at Berryman 

This free event will feature dozens of booths with original art and handmade crafts. A variety of food and entertainment will be offered. This is the fair’s 30th anniversary. The event continues through Sunday. 

510-986-9337 

Rebel 

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $26. 

510-642-9988 

Flanders Recorder Quartet 

8 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $26. 

510-642-9988 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Paul Goodwin will be the guest conductor. 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $30, $40, $45. 

510-642-9988 

Pedestrian “Bike-In” Movie Night Party and Protest 

9 p.m. 

Underhill parking lot, Channing and College 

This week’s feature: “Clerks,” plus video activist shorts. Help transform a parking lot into a paradise every Saturday night this summer in protest of the University’s plan to build a new parking structure on the site. 

510-CREW-CUT; 

www.geocities.com/rickisyoung 

Ensemble Anonymus 

10:30 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $18. 

510-642-9988 

Sunday, June 11 

Spring Yard Sale 

Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave. 

The Pacific Center holds this annual Yard Sale as a fund-raiser for its programs. Clean out your closets and donate all that usable stuff you don’t need anymore (please no computer equipment or old electronics). Donations can be left at the Pacific Center through Friday. 

510-548-8283; 

www.pacificcenter.org 

Live Oak Park Fair 

11 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Live Oak Park, North Shattuck at Berryman 

This free event will feature dozens of booths with original art and handmade crafts. A variety of food and entertainment will be offered. This is the fair’s 30th anniversary. 

510-986-9337 

East Bay Open Studios 

11 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Various sites around the East Bay 

Artists will open their doors to the public this weekend for the 18th annual event. A number of artists are located here in Berkeley, as well as in other communities throughout the East Bay. 

510-763-4361; 

www.proartsgallery.org 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Signups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright are scheduled to participate. 

510-234-0727; 510-642-5168 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Paul Goodwin will be the guest conductor. 

Part of the Sixth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition. Tickets $30, $40, $45. 

510-642-9988 

Green Party Politics presentation and discussion 

6-7 p.m. 

Berkeley Grass Roots House, 2022 Blake St. 

Bud Dickinson will be giving his version of the History of the National Green Party: Why are there TWO? Discussion on Unity between Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) and Green Party USA (GPUSA). He has prepared a chart of the history, particularly the split between GPUSA and ASGP. County general meeting will follow at 7 p.m. 

510-644-2293; www.greens.org/cal/alameda 

Monday, June 12 

A Healthy Household 

6:30-9 p.m. 

City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

This workshop, sponsored by the Green Resource Center, will cover indoor air quality topics such as “to carpet or not to carpet,” non-toxic and healthy choices for interior finishes and cleaning methods, prevention and elimination of mold problems, and reduction of household allergens. Instructor: Jan Stensland. Cost: $30. 

510-845-0472; 

info@greenresourcecenter.org

ORINDA – Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” a slapstick comedy about a man who beats his rebellious wife into submission, reflects an Elizabethan social view that makes modern day audiences uncomfortable. 

But director Lillian Garrett-Groag has given a different and very exciting spin to “Taming of the Shrew” in the California Shakespeare Festival production currently running at Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda. 

In this Cal Shakes production, Mhari Sandoval plays Kate the shrew as a rebellious punk, with short, spiky hair, and boots under her dress. 

This Kate is a very physically violent person. She breaks windows. She attacks her sister Bianca with a pair of scissors, trying to injure her. 

When people see Kate coming, they run. She chases people, attacks them and beats them. 

At one point, Kate lobs what appear to be cow flops off the roof of a building onto people walking in the street below.  

After her father sets her up in an arranged marriage, Kate shoots her fiancé Petruchio (Triney Sandoval) with a canon, and celebrates when he gets wounded.  

In her relationship with Petruchio, who is at first her fiancé and later her husband, Kate is the physically violent person and the batterer. It’s usually staged the other way around.  

Petruchio does not strike Kate once during this fascinating production. When Kate first meets Petruchio, she attacks him and knocks him down. Kate repeatedly initiates physical fights with Petruchio, who is about her size, and she wins them. 

But Petruchio is game for the battle with Kate. Like kids on a jungle gym, they chase each other over the rooftops. 

When the two unexpectedly kiss, there is an electricity that shocks both of them. This is definitely a love story, and there is a powerful ka-chung force in their relationship. 

Still, Kate and Petruchio spend a long time making each other miserable before they can deal with their affection for each other. 

The current Cal Shakes production is quite powerful for about three-quarters of the play. Then some of the air goes out of it. 

That happens during the scene in which Petruchio torments Kate over clothes he has offered to buy her. The production seems to lose its power in this scene because it is re-stating old information about the relationship that the audience already knows. It never quite gets its amazing energy back on track again after this point. 

Further, Kate’s famous final speech on wifely duty and submission at the end of “Taming of the Shrew” is especially difficult to shoehorn into this production’s otherwise fascinating interpretation – although director Garrett-Groag has created some nice moments at the play’s end such as Petruchio’s own heart-felt kneeling submission to his wife during her speech. 

There are many wonderful performances in the current production. 

Real-life husband and wife team of Mhari Sandoval and Triney Sandoval get some serious electrifying chemistry going as Kate and Petruchio. This gold-digging Petruchio, in his punky, leather pants, is a good match for firecracker Kate.  

Stacy Ross plays Kate’s supposedly mild-tempered beautiful sister Bianca in a very interesting way as an angry, impatient, sexually promiscuous rebel with red stockings, red garterbelt and red underwear under her virginal white dress. 

Sharon Lockwood (Bianca’s elderly stuff-shirt suitor Grumio) has a funny scene with romantic rival Søren Oliver (Tranio) where they pitch their credentials to Bianca’s long-suffering father Baptista (well played by Julian Lopez-Morillas). 

Other amusing performances include Colman Domingo’s starry-eyed Lucento, another suitor of Bianca; Patrick Kerr as Petruchio’s bumbling, simpleton servant Grumio; and Amy Mordechai’s hookah-smoking Widow, an interesting spin on that small character. 

Sometimes Garrett-Groag’s staging has the look and style of an edgy, underground comic book. At other times, with all the running around that Kate’s chaos causes, it has a slapstick, Keystone Kops vaudeville feel. There are lots of silly walks. But the staging is also very graceful. 

Scenic designer Narelle Sissons has given this production both a Renaissance look and a punk sensibility. There are towers, but their window panes are broken. The walls are graffitied. 

The set’s dominant wine-red color suggests that the whole town and its people may be soaked in wine. 

A huge empty wooden picture frame far upstage frames the beautiful Orinda hillside behind the stage and effectively reminds us that we are watching a story. 

Tracy Dorman’s distinctive costumes include skirts and trousers for the townsfolk that are grape-stained at bottom from stomping in the grapes at harvest time – once again giving the impression that people in this world may drink a lot. 

Victor Avdienko’s sound design early on includes the effective shattering of glass each time Kate arrives. 

Garrett-Groag and Cal Shakes have created a funny, colorful, zany, odd, and offbeat sensibility to “Taming of the Shrew,” and an important rethinking of the story. Except for the problems at its very end, this is a terrific production. 

“Taming of the Shrew” plays Tuesday through Sunday, through June 24, at Bruns Amphitheater, just off Highway 24 in Orinda, one mile east of the Caldecott Tunnel. There is plenty of free parking, and a free shuttle from the Orinda BART station. For tickets call 510-548-9666, or visit the web site (www.calshakes.org). Dress warmly. 

Following the Sunday, June 18, 4 p.m. performance, there will be a free talk at the theater on “Creating, Directing and Staging Classics Now,” hosted by Cal Shakes’ new Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone and Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Tony Taccone.

After a week of speculation and closed-door huddles, the Tucson City Council voted unanimously Thursday morning to name Berkeley City Manager Jim Keene as Tucson’s next city manager. 

Keene’s start date is Aug. 21. Out of town attending a funeral, Keene could not be reached for comment Thursday. 

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup praised the manager and the process by which he was selected. 

“There are three things we looked for: clear manager experience, someone who understands the Southwest culture, and (a person who has) real expertise in downtown redevelopment,” Walkup said in a phone interview Thursday morning. 

Keene served as manager for five years in Coconino County, Arizona, before coming to Berkeley in 1996. 

None of the Tucson councilmembers came to Berkeley to see the manager’s work first hand or to interview community members. But Walkup said the Los Angeles recruitment firm that narrowed 40 candidates down to five did go to Berkeley and assess the manger’s work. 

Walkup, a Republican leading a mixed partisan council of Republicans and Democrats, said he was particularly proud of the open selection process. 

The five finalists selected by the recruiting firm were interviewed by a panel of 15 citizens – each councilmember chose two participants and the mayor chose three. Keene was favored by 13 out of the 15 members, Walkup said. The citizens gave feedback to the council, which also interviewed the candidates, and the council made the selection. 

There was some give-and-take around salary and benefits, Walkup said. Keene’s salary will be $160,000 – $30,000 more than the current city manager. His current salary in Berkeley is $154,000, following a 9 percent increase last year. 

His start date comes sooner than the September date Keene had hoped for, but later than the July date Tucson asked for. He’ll only get about half the $700 per month car allowance he requested. 

Walkup said Keene’s first challenge in Tucson will “be sure you understand the people.” The manager will be working with a staff of 6,000. 

“He needs to understand how our system works,” Walkup said. 

Then, the manager will have to “become immersed in the establishment of our downtown,” Walkup said. There is a redevelopment project of about $400 million aimed at transforming Tucson’s downtown. It is built in a historic district, inhabited through the centuries by Native Americans, then the Spanish. So Keene will face the job of preservation while developing downtown, Walkup said. 

SUPPORTERS PRAISE MANAGER 

Mayor Shirley Dean was in Seattle at a mayor’s conference and unavailable for comment; however, Councilmember Polly Armstrong, another of Keene’s strong council supporters, said she refused to believe the move is a done deal. 

“I hope he doesn’t go,” Armstrong said, noting, however, “I understand why it is tempting to leave.” 

Armstrong pointed to “civil assault from a small group of people,” whom she declined to name. Keene has been under fire for a flawed first-round General Plan process, the erecting of a 170-foot communications tower downtown, and promotion of changes that would weaken the oversight of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 

Armstrong praised Keene for his work on new “customer-service” initiatives. She also said she admired the manager for his non-hierarchical style of governance, which allowed creativity on the part of his subordinates. 

Armstrong said the manager could have got any position in the country he wanted. 

“His reputation nationally is extraordinary,” she said. 

She declined, however, to talk about the process for choosing a new manager. 

“I’m trying to encourage him to stay here,” she said. 

Rachael Rupert, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, seconded Armstrong’s praise for Keene. 

“Isn’t it ironic that we lost our second city manager to Tucson - both with good business sense,” she said, referring to former City Manager Michael Brown, who was city manager in Tucson for three years, after managing Berkeley from 1989 to 1993. 

Rupert said the city needs to look for a new manager with business sense and one who will carry out the bureaucratic restructuring Keene has proposed. 

The chamber would like to advise the city on the new manager’s selection. 

“Our chair would be more than honored to sit on a committee and be involved,” she said. 

“I’d like to de-politicize the process,” Rupert said, with a laugh, noting that it’s not likely to happen in this city. 

DETRACTORS LOOK TO FUTURE 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who has waged battle with the manager during his three years on council, said he is also looking forward to a selection process where the community can give its input. 

“I’m looking for someone who gives progressives and neighborhoods a chance,” he said, contending that Keene caused issues to bog down mired in the bureaucracy, when he disagreed with them. The Living Wage ordinance that took over a year to get before the council is an example, Worthington said. 

A new city manager should be sensitive to concerns such as affordable housing, historic preservation, neighborhood participation in decision-making and open government, he said. 

“The selection process should be discussed in public session,” he added. 

Pat McCullough, a city worker and shop steward for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, blames Keene for the more-than-a-year it took for his union to get a contract and for trying to change job descriptions without going through the union. 

He said the rank and file workers were also unhappy with Keene because of the impression that he favored managers over the workers. While workers got cost-of-living wage hikes, some managers got the possibility of much steeper raises. 

“When (former manager) Michael Brown was being selected, there was a way that we had to give input,” McCullough said. “I hope we’ll be involved.” 

THEATER 

AURORA THEATRE 

“Split” by Mayo Simon, June 1 through July 2. A mordant clear-eyed view of an older couple's love affair. $25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Closer” by Patrick Marber, through July 9. A funny, touching and unflinchingly honest examination of love and relationships set in contemporary London. $38 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; May 27, June 1, June 3, June 10, June 15, June 24, June 29 and July 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

CALIFORNIA 

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 

“Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, June 3 through June 24. The classic romantic comedy of mismatched lovers forced into a union. $21 to $38 general; $19 to $38 seniors; $10 to $38 children. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.; June 13 and June 20, 7 p.m. June 24, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre, Shakespeare Festival Way/Gateway Exit on state Highway 24. (510) 548-9666 or www.calshakes.org 

LaVal’s Subterranean 

Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Yoni Barkan. The play will run from June 8 to July 8, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. each night. 1834 Euclid Ave. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

Ras Kidus, Shakaman, Foundation, Hurricane Gilbert and Majestic, P.O.D.E. Ville Man Dem-Unda P, Senagalese Dancers, DJ - Ashanti Hi Fi, June 9, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Frog Legs, June 10, 9:30 p.m. Dance lesson with Dana de Simone at 8 p.m. included in price. $11. 

Requebra, June 11, 4 p.m. A children's Brazilian dance performance celebrating 500 years of Brazil. $7 to $9 teenagers; $5 children; free children under age 5. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Psychokinetics, Felonious, June 9. $5. 

An Evening With Tang, June 10. $5. 

Doilies, June 11. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Gunnar Madsen, June 9. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Jose-Luis Orozco, June 10, 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. A children's concert and a benefit for Bahia. 

Mark Naftalin, June 10. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Darryl Purpose, June 11. With Daryl S. $13.50 to $14.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

Amistades, June 9, 8 p.m. A CD release celebration featuring Rafael Manriquez and Quique Cruz. $12; $20 includes CD. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Plus Ones, Allison Williams. Smokejumpers, Sarah Bishop, Coleman Lindbergh, June 10. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Custard Pie, June 9. $5. 

Penelope Houston, Deborah Lyall, Valerie Esvray, June 10. $7. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. 

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Experiment Gallery,” through Sept. 10. Step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with concepts surrounding sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950

More than 80 percent of Berkeley voters would support a $125 million school bond if it appeared on the November ballot, a district-sponsored survey reports. 

But support for a special tax of 5 cents per square foot, which would be used for maintenance and fire safety at school sites, isn’t as strong – about 68 percent, slightly above the necessary two-thirds level, said they’d vote for the tax. 

Those results were presented Wednesday night to the school board, which must decide in the coming weeks whether to place the bond measure, the special tax or both items on the fall ballot. 

The school board directors were given a lot of numbers to chew on, including the possible support for the two measures if both were to be sent to voters. The survey by GLS Research found that only 47 percent of voters said they would vote for both measures, 21 percent would support only the bond and 9 percent would support only the tax. Twelve percent said they would vote against both measures, 4 percent said it would depend, and 6 percent were not sure. 

The telephone survey of 600 randomly selected registered voters was conducted between May 29 and June 1. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. 

A big concern for the school district is the presence of other bond or tax measures on the November ballot. The City of Berkeley is moving forward with several proposals, which have yet to be formally placed on the ballot, and the Peralta Community College District is considering its own construction bond, although some North County residents say it should be defeated if it doesn’t guarantee money for a new Vista College project. 

“Should you decide to proceed with the bond or the tax, or both, my sense is that this community will have to channel its passion for schools and its dedication for schools in an unprecedented manner into this campaign, because of the potential presence of so many other measures on the ballot,” said Paul Goodwin from GLS Research, who presented the survey findings to the school board. 

The $125 million figure for the possible bond was identified as the most feasible in the survey, in terms of community support and size to fund the necessary construction and repairs. A bond of $75 million had 83 percent approval, while a $175 million bond only received 49 percent approval in the survey. 

The school district says a new bond measure is necessary because Measure A, the $158 million measure approved by voters in 1992, is nearly out of funds and several major projects need to be completed. 

Work remains to be done at Berkeley High, Berkeley Adult School, King Middle, City of Franklin, and in the food program. The money also may be used for the warm water pool project at Berkeley High and the East Campus playing fields, although the latter project’s fate is still unclear. 

The tax measure would be used to fund corrective and ongoing maintenance at school sites around the district. A recent maintenance advisory committee report recommended that the BUSD double its current budget, from around $2 million to about $4 million. 

Voter education will be necessary for the tax measure, Goodwin said, which currently is not well understood by many voters. 

“Without a supreme effort of that kind, the tax clearly faces higher obstacles,” Goodwin said. 

Director Ted Schultz felt the district has a “good shot” at passing both measures with a strong, active campaign, a sentiment echoed by other board members. 

Board President Joaquin Rivera said it was vital to support new construction with the maintenance money. 

“We cannot keep building buildings without being able to maintain them, because all the money, time and effort that has been put into them will go down the drain in just a few years,” Rivera said. 

Superintendent Jack McLaughlin said a more refined proposal would come to the board on June 21 for discussion. Administrators said the formal language for any bond or tax measure must be delivered to the county by early August. 

This week the Center for Independent Living (CIL), Berkeley and Oakland, and the World Institute on Disability (WID), Oakland, received a three-year grant from The California Endowment to work on increasing the economic independence of people with disabilities in California. 

The CIL/WID partnership collectively contributed to the passage of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA) that will stem the tide of 72 percent unemployment among people with disabilities nationwide. 

For more information on the TWWIIA legislation, visit www.workincentives-healthcare.com or www.ssa.gov/work.

The Berkeley Arts Center’s Words in Collision: Summer Performance Arts Series begins this today and runs through Saturday, June 24. 

The series of six pieces runs on Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 8 p.m. at the Art Center in Live Oak Park. 

“Most of the work is literature-based with a strong visual component,” director Robbin Henderson told the Daily Planet. 

The series was curated by Jaime Robles, poet and editor of the Berkeley poetry magazine, Five Fingers Review. The series kicks off tonight with “A Voice from the Fire,” a storytelling performance about an 18th century couple, poet/artist William Blake and his wife Kate, written by Betsy Davids and James Petrillo. The story will be accompanied by slide images of Blake’s work. 

Saturday’s performance is “Scout,” a slide-text presentation written and performed by the Canadian-born poet, painter and translator Norma Cole. Cole, who has lived in San Francisco for the past 20 years, has been the recipient of a Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation Award, Gertrude Stein Awards, and awards from The Fund for Poetry. 

The second week of performances starts June 16 with a reading by poets and writers from the “Livres de poètes (femmes)” exhibition. Carlos Barón will read “Impunity” by Eduardo Pavlovsky, an exiled Argentinean playwright on June 17. 

Performances conclude the following weekend with “subtitled,” an interdisciplinary performance and “Out of the Q,” a three-act play by Dale Going. 

In addition to the performance times, there will be special gallery hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. during the three-week span. 

“There will be a really interesting presentation of artists’ books and one-of-a-kind books,” Henderson said. “It is a quite interesting installation and most of the books can be handled.” 

Admission to all the performances is a sliding scale $7 to $10. The Berkeley Art Center is located at 1275 Walnut St.

The BART Board released the District’s draft Fiscal Year 2001 Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for public review. 

The board will hear public comments on those documents at its regular July 13 meeting, which will begin at 9 a.m. in the BART Board of Directors room at the District’s Oakland headquarters, 800 Madison St. 

The plans provide an analysis of BART’s operating and capital funding needs, priorities, and funding strategies through Fiscal Year 2010. Plans are required by the Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. 

The SRTP is a management and financial planning tool providing a long-term perspective of the current year operating program that gives an overview of BART’s organization, facilities and fare structure. It contains plans for the next 10 years. 

The CIP is a management and planning tool for BART’s capital program and lays out the District’s approach to capital investment decision-making and capital funding strategy. 

The public can download the plans from BART’s web site at www.bart.gov/inside.planing/index. Hard copies can be requested at the web site or picked up at the BART Public Affairs Office, 800 Madison St., Oakland. They can also be picked up at the Berkeley Central Library.

Live Oak Park Fair held this Saturday, Sunday 

This weekend, the Live Oak Park Fair celebrates its 30th anniversary. The fair will feature entertainment, 100 artists and craftsmakers, and a variety of foods. 

Scheduled entertainers include Colibri, family music from Latin America; Culture Shock, a hip hop dance troupe; Jean-Paul Valjean, an Algerian world champion master of balance; Zappo the Magician, from the Bay Area; and Fat Chance Belly Dance, also from the Bay Area. 

The Live Oak Park Fair is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Live Oak Park, on Shattuck Avenue. 

Free parking is offered at King Middle School. For more information, call 986-9337. 

Poets featured during Rhyme & Reason session 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright will perform at the Rhyme & Reason Open Mike Series on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the UC Berkeley Art Museum. 

The poets will be followed by an open mike session, three to five minutes each. Admission is free; signups begin at 2 p.m. 

The art museum is located at 2621 Durant Avenue. 

La Peña organizes 25th anniversary celebration 

This Saturday, La Peña Cultural Center celebrates 25 years of presenting world class talent and bringing arts and artists together to work for social change. There will be a party, “Street Fiesta en la Calle - Party en el Vecendario” beginning at noon at Prince Street and Shattuck Avenue, one block east of Ashby BART. 

Performers include spoken word, hip-hop, Andean music, flamenco and salsa. The indoor children’s stage will feature more performances. Valet bike parking will be provided. 

Ecology Center plans class on gardening 

The Ecology Center will offer a class June 17 on organic container gardening with Val Peters, local educator, writer and gardener. The class will be held at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members; pre-registration is strongly advised. For more information or to sign up, call 548-2220. 

– Daily Planet Staff

The Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education took more than an hour of its meeting Wednesday night to honor some of Berkeley High School’s outstanding students. 

The special recognition awards were recommended by School Board Director Pamela Doolan, who has a child graduating from BHS this year. 

• The women’s basketball team was honored for its success this season, winning the East Bay Athletic League and the North Coast Section. The team placed second in the state championship game at Arco Arena. Players Aisha Hollans, Erica McGlaston, Sabrina Keys, Robin Roberson and Angelita Hutton were recognized for their performances this year. Coach Gene Nakamura also was honored by the school board. 

• The men’s basketball team, the wrestling squad and Ivan Holmes from the boys golf team were recognized. The basketball team won the league title and made the section playoffs. Austin Nichols, David Doubley and Zillion Cash were honored. The wrestling team placed sixth in league, and Marcus Glass placed 14th at the state tournament. Glass, Parker Robinson, Misha Balmer and Warren Howe were recognized by the board. Holmes was the first BHS golfer to make the NorCal Championships, after placing fifth in the section tournament. 

• The women’s crew was recognized for its three groups making the finals of the state championships. The varsity pair, Juliet and Veronica Bonszkowski, earned a bronze medal at state, and the freshman 8 earned a gold. 

• The school’s five state qualifiers in track and field were recognized. Daveed Diggs, Simone Brooks, Katrina Keith, Aisha Margain, T’carra Penick and Raqueta Margain all competed in last weekend’s state meet in Cerritos, and the girls earned second place in total team points. The girls 4x100 relay won the state championship. 

• The school’s chess team – Andrew Fan, David Petty, Simion Kreimer, Eric Plamer and Nicholas Gilbert – took second place in the state championship. Petty placed fifth in individual competition, Fan took seventh and Kreimer came in 17th in the state. 

• Nine students were honored for qualifying for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam: James Bloomsburgh, Lawrence Evans, Andrew Fan, Marcus Graly, Daniel Krause, Andrew Robinson-Sum, Morgan Sonderegger, Miriam Sorell and Jin Yu Yang. 

• The Berkeley High Jacket was recognized for its awards and accomplishments this year, including a Pacemaker award from the National Scholastic Press Association/Journalism Education Association; and the George H. Gallup Award, from the Quill and Scroll, the international honor society for high school journalists. The Mayor’s Award recognition went to Illiana Montauk and Megan Greenwell for their work on the Indian immigrant story, Varun Paul and Katie Flynn for their work on the fire story, and Steven Barrie-Anthony for his overall leadership. 

• Youth Radio was honored for its Silver Baton Award from the Alfred I. duPont Columbia University School of Journalism, presented for excellence in broadcast journalism, for the series of e-mails from Kosovo that aired on National Public Radio during 1999. The organization’s Youth Voices on Kosovo was also recognized. BHS student Finnegan Hammill began the series through his correspondence with Adona during the war, and Bella Mayeno-Choy of Berkeley gave voice to the e-mails. 

• Emma Bassein was recognized for winning the 2001 Congressional Seminar Essay Contest, and Sarah Wakeman won the “Avoid the 21” campaign essay contest. 

• Dan Seeman won the National Conference for Community and Justice High School Press Award for his essay “Who’s Failing Who?” 

• Rebecca Witcox and Jonah Van Bourg won the Etude Club of Berkeley’s music competition. 

• BHS orchestra director Karen Wells was recognized for her work in helping the orchestra grow and improve since the fall of 1994. 

• The BHS Jazz Ensemble and Combo participated in the Monterey 30th Annual High School Jazz Competition. The groups won first place in the Combo division and second place in the Big Band division. Seven BHS students auditioned and were chosen for the Monterey High School All-Star Band: Charles Altura, Tom Altura, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jonathan Finlayson, Cole Brandley, Jacob Fiss-Hobart, and David Grunwald. The Ensemble and Combos also were the sweepstakes winners at the Reno Jazz Festival in April. 

• Molly Berger was honored for her selection as the Ninth Congressional District winner in the 19th Annual Congressional High School Art Competition. Her work goes on display June 20 in Washington, D.C., where it will remain for a year. 

• Berkeley Alternative High School art teacher Larry Stefl and student Louis Rubio have been chosen to participate in an art exchange program in Paris this summer. 

• The board honored winners in recent poetry slam competitions, including Niles Xi’an Lichtenstein, who won first place at the fourth annual Youth Speaks Regional Poetry Finals; and the trio of Lichtenstein, Chinaka Hodge and Daniel Palou, who performed a group poem and earned a perfect score.

Berkeley resident Daryl Preston, a teacher of physics to both undergraduate students and to other university professors, has been named the outstanding professor for 2000 at CSU Hayward. 

The university’s Academic Senate chose Preston as recipient of the $1,000 George and Miriam Phillips “Outstanding Professor” award from this year’s nominees. 

In addition to many commendations for teaching excellence from his students and peers, Preston also has gotten recognition for workshops he gives to other physics professors who come to Cal State Hayward from throughout the United States. 

For the workshops, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Preston develops and demonstrates a series of experiments that other professors can replicate and use in student laboratories at their academic institutions. 

Last year the featured experiment was an “atom trap,” created with an elaborate configuration of laser beams, mirrors and a glass chamber that slows and cools gaseous rubidium atoms. The experiment replicated work that won the Nobel Prize in 1997, and Preston’s adaptation can be used by undergraduate physics students. 

Faculty taking his instruction have come from such prestigious schools as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, University of Washington, University of Colorado, Rutgers, the University of Chicago, Vasar, and Reed College. His workshops also have included physics professors from other CSU schools. 

Preston has taught physics and astronomy since joining the university faculty in 1970, when he completed his doctorate from the University of Kansas. 

In addition to his work in physics, Preston developed an astronomy course of 29 lectures that were recorded and are now available on tape and on the university’s television cable channel. 

In 1998 he was elected as a fellow in the American Physical Society “for advancing and disseminating the art of experimental physics as taught to undergraduates by developing experiments, publishing books, and directing faculty workshops on laboratory for undergraduates.” There are six APS fellows in the CSU system. 

In 1975 he was named “Outstanding Faculty Lecturer” by Pi Kappa Delta, the professional society for speech majors. During the 1998-99 academic year, 98 percent of his students gave his class a rating of outstanding or good in their course evaluations. 

One-hundred percent of his students ranked Preston as “outstanding.” Since 1974, he has served as faculty adviser to Cal State Hayward’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students. 

Preston was co-author of “Experiments in Physics – A Laboratory Manual,” with Morton Sternheim and Joseph Kane and “The Art of Experimental Physics” with Eric Dietz. He also wrote “Experiments in Physics – A Laboratory Manual for Scientists and Engineers” and “Experiments in Physics with Computers.” 

He is a graduate of Austin College, where he earned a bachelor of arts in 1961. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1970. 

Preston is a resident of Berkeley, where he lives with his wife Jane and two cats.

Garrett Eckbo, a landscape architect whose work on new towns, gardens, homes, parks and other public spaces made him a leader of the modern landscape movement, has died at the age of 89.  

“Certainly, he’s one of the stellar figures of this century in the field,” Linda Jewell, professor of landscape architecture at UC Berkeley, where Eckbo taught, said in a news release from the university. 

A memorial service for Eckbo is planned for Nov. 12 at UC Berkeley. The service will coincide with a landscape architecture symposium on the campus where he taught and chaired the landscape architecture department. 

Eckbo’s best known works include housing for migrant farmworkers in the 1940s, the plaza in Old Monterey, Berkeley ‘s waterfront, and “firsts” such as the downtown pedestrian mall in Fresno designed to reclaim for people the space previously devoted to cars. Other projects included the Ladera planned residential community near Stanford University and gardens for cinema greats Gary Cooper and Louis B. Mayer. Eckbo also was a major author of the state’s open space master plan. 

A fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, he was the first professional environmental planner and urban designer to be assigned by the government to help solve the Niagara Falls erosion problem. 

Eckbo earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape design from UC Berkeley in 1935, after transferring from Marin Junior College in Kentfield. He received a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Harvard University in 1938. 

“Art emotionalizes the intellect. Science intellectualizes the emotions. Together, they bring order to nature and freedom to man,” he wrote in his 1969 book, “The Landscape We See.”  

“Today, one finds the center of city or town only by the increasing height of buildings, the increasing clamor of lights and signs, and the increasing congestion of traffic,” he wrote. “We still build temples and palaces and many other splendid structures, but they are lost in the modern urban jungle.”  

Other books by Eckbo include “Landscape for Living” and “Urban Landscape Design.” In 1997, the UC Berkeley Art Museum mounted a “Garrett Eckbo: Landscape for Living” exhibit.  

Jewell said Eckbo’s books always contained numerous illustrations of his observations and theoretical positions. Some of the illustrations reflected actual projects, others were proposals that Eckbo thought should be real, she said.  

“He was always an advocate for the underclass,” she said. “Everything he did had a social agenda behind it.”  

She called him imaginative, artistic, modest about his talent while adamant about his views and always willing to collaborate, sometimes to his detriment. “Some of his work is spotty, some of it extraordinary...,” Jewell said. “I think it was because he was always so accommodating of the needs and preferences of the owner. When he had more freedom, that’s when the projects were extraordinary.” 

At the request of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, Eckbo wrote “Public Landscape,” ranking architectural and planning successes and failures from the public arena. He described the UC Berkeley campus in 1978 as a “melange of unrelated and ill-assorted buildings.”  

Eckbo was a founding partner in Eckbo, Dean, Austin and Williams in San Francisco before going into solo practice. He joined the landscape architecture faculty at UC Berkeley in 1965 and was a professor until 1978. He served as department chair for four years.  

He received numerous awards, including UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design Distinguished Alumnus of 1998, the American Society of Landscape Architects Medal of Honor in 1975, the Architectural League of New York’s gold medal in 1950 and the American Institute of Architect’s merit award in 1953. In 1970, he won an American Society of Landscape Architects’ merit award for Lodi Park in New Delhi, India.  

“He had that way of making you feel special,” said Jewell. “First, last and always, I think everyone knew Garrett as a first-class human being.”  

Eckbo died on May 14 after a stroke. He is survived by his wife, Arline, of Oakland; daughters Marilyn Kweskin and Alison Peper of Los Angeles; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The Lawrence Hall of Science’s Summer Science Fundays begin Wednesday, June 21 and last all summer. 

The first special event, entitled “What is Summer!” lasts from noon-2 p.m. It will include art and science activities that explore the sun, seasons, astronomy, and how fog is made. 

Events continue every Wednesday afternoon through Aug. 30. The second event, June 28 from noon-2 p.m. explores seeds-how to use them to make music, create jewelry, and how to plant them. 

Other Fundays include folk tales exploring Asian Cultures, Ice Cream Day, how to make musical instruments, and the LHS Summer Games 2000. 

Tickets are $2 for ages six and up. To receive a group discount for 12 or more people, call 642-5134 in advance. LHS exhibits are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Lawrence Hall of Science is located above the UC Berkeley campus, on Centennial Drive. Parking is 50 cents an hour. LHS is also accessible by AC Transit and the UC Berkeley Shuttle. For more information, call 642-5132 or visit www.lhs.berkeley.edu.

The California fire season is here again and the Berkeley Fire Department would like to remind everyone to be careful. Here are some hints to remain fire safe. 

If you live in the hills: 

• Remove flammable vegetation from around your home a minimum of 30 feet. 

• Limit flammable vegetation on the down slope side of your property up to 100 feet from any structure, 

• Make sure you have a spark arrester on any fireplace. 

• Clear your roof and gutters of leaves and needles. 

• Don’t have open fires. 

• Have an evacuation plan should a wildfire occur in your area. 

• Be especially alert during High Fire Hazard Conditions; when it is hot, windy and dry. 

• Report fires or suspicious behavior; don’t depend on someone else to do it. Call 911. 

General fire safety tips no matter where you live: 

• Be careful with barbecues; don’t place them on wooden decks or railings. 

• Don’t put burned BBQ coals in the trash or on flammable materials. 

• Dispose of all smoking materials in a proper container and smoke only in safe areas, 

• Check your smoke detector batteries and have an escape plan for your home. 

• Fireworks are dangerous – and illegal in Berkeley. 

For more information contact the Berkeley Fire Prevention Division at 644-6158. To sign up for a Community Emergency Response Training Class, call 644-8736.