Come Friday, school’s out. For two weeks, instead of memorizing the names of dinosaurs and the life-cycle of a butterfly, students will be set free. But not parents who may be hard-pressed to find child care. 

Many who count on a combination of school and childcare to free up their hours for work will be depending on full-day day care or relatives.  

There is no set legal age under which kids are required to be supervised by an adult, according to Elsie Rutland, child welfare supervisor with Alameda County Child and Family Services.  

Rutland said children between the ages of five and 10 can be left alone for a very short time – with phone numbers and emergency procedures – but not for over an hour.  

For children over 10, she said, whether they can be alone for any period of time depends on their maturation, and their ability to reach a responsible adult in the case of an emergency. That leaves parents during winter break seeking supervision for their kids. 

The YMCA of Albany sponsors a Kid’s Club for Berkeley and Albany children. But the first week, Dec. 18-22, is already full with a 10-person waiting list.  

“Parents ask me, ‘When will I know?’ But I won’t know until somebody cancels,” said Sharon Taylor, membership director of the Albany YMCA. 

The YMCA program costs $30 per day, inexpensive considering that baby-sitters are advertising their holiday services for $11 to $15 dollars per hour on Craig’s List, a community Web Site. 

But even the YMCA’s nonprofit fee may be too pricey for many working parents. “Child care is very expensive. It’s hard when you’re poor.” said Sheila Burton-Bran, who was picking up her daughter Missy from Rosa Parks elementary school. “There’s very few low-income childcare providers that will do sliding scale. They’re in it for the bucks. It dampens my enthusiasm for leaving my children there.” 

The city’s recreation department offers sliding scale child care: “Winter Break Special Fun Camps” held at Frances Albrier, James Kenney, Live Oak, and Willard Club House centers. During traditional school hours, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., recreation coordinators will lead kids in arts and crafts, non-competitive sports, and local mini-trips.  

“We throw in some cultural awareness during our programming,” including activities around Hanukkah, Kwaanza, and Christmas, said Theodore Scates, recreation activity coordinator. The city’s recreation department also offers extended hours on each end of the core program, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The full-day program charges anywhere from $35 to $100 per week. 

Other traditional after-school programs are paring down for the holiday season. According to Ginsi Bryant, the Berkeley Young Adult project runs after school homework centers for Berkeley students. During the winter break, however, the program ends in the early afternoon. 

Despite the scarce childcare resources, Rutland said that the winter months may be easier for parents than the long summer holiday. “Around the summertime, working two-parent families have problems around child care,” she said. The holiday season may take care of some of the problem by itself. 

“I think a lot of people are taking off (work),” she said.  

The Early Childhood Development Program is open during the next two weeks, and even it closes for part of the weeks.  

“Usually the enrollment decreases during the holidays. I think our parents tend to keep their children home,” said John Santoro, who directs the program. He added that the state-funded program has specific requirements for the school year – parents must be working, going to school, incapacitated or disabled.  

“A lot of our parents may be going to school,” said Santoro, so they may also have the holiday off.  

Rutland also said that the holidays bring out help from all quarters. “There are often a lot of holiday events being planned by organizations like the church, and extended family members come in as a big provider for kids during this holiday season.” 

The extended family element can be the most important. 

“I work in a restaurant and my wife works in a restaurant, so their grandmother or their aunt takes care of them when they’re off school,” said Eriberto Alva Jr. as he loaded his daughter Gabriela into the car. “We try to work with the whole family. When they need us, we help them. When we need them, they help us.” 

Keith Seraphin usually takes care of his son, Raymond, by himself. When he can’t, Raymond stays with family. “It’s the cheapest,” said Seraphin. “Sometimes the best, sometimes the worst, but always the cheapest.” 

Parents are also looking forward to the vacation to spend time with their children. Burton-Bran is planning to take Missy to see the Nutcracker. Of course, other parents are simply getting more of the same.  

“I am daddy day care. I am one of the lucky ones, my wife said, ‘Stay at home while I work’,” said Eric Cragin, smiling. “Knowing what I know now, I think she got the easy end of it.” 

For information on the city’s recreation programs call 644-6530 and for the YMCA Kids’ Club 525-1130. 

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

KPFA Local Advisory Board 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

New KPFA board will discuss democratization of KPFA and firing of New York station manager. 

WAVE Middle Ages 

7:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel 

First Congregational Church 

Dana & Durant  

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble perform Christmas music of the middle ages and renaissance.  

$10 donation 

Call 642-1481 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Human Welfare & Community Action Commission  

7 - 10 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. (at Ashby) 

Report council action on religious holidays. Also discussion of the allocation planning process.  

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Discussion of proposed amendments to the Draft General Plan.  

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies. 642-1474 

Models for the Millennium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs coordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture.  

She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Former Foster Children Drop-In 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Free Clinic  

2339 Durant  

Open discussion  

Call Nancy Delaney, 548-3223 

Jazz Standards 

9 - 10:30 p.m. 

Genki Restaurant  

1610 San Pablo Ave. (at Cedar) 

Vocalist Dale Zola and pianist Federico Cervantes perform.  

Call 655-1425 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Report and action regarding possible violations of the Berkeley Election Reform Act with respect to the first and second pre-election statements filed Oct. 5 and Oct. 26 and late contribution reports.  

Call 644-6380 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic  

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

A discussion of CHC priorities. 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Hearing on the request by James Samuels on behalf of Congregation Beth El to construct a two-story, approximately 35,000 square foot religious assembly use that will include a 7,500 square-foot nursery school and afternoon religious school with 35 uncovered parking spaces.  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Friday, Dec. 15

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

noon 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“How to Buy a Computer” 

9 - 10 a.m.  

Bruno Consulting Services 

1700 Solano Ave., Suite A 

Learn what you need to know before going shopping. What do all those weird words mean? Learn laptop vs. desktop, PC vs. Mac, software vs. hardware considerations, technical support, printers and cost.  

Call 526-5666 

Bella Musica  

8 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 17  

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Pray for Peltier 

Noon - 3 p.m. 

Peoples Park  

Between Dwight & Haste above Telegraph 

Join with the Peltier Action Coalition and the Plight of the Redwoods Campaign in a prayer circle for a presidential pardon for Leonard Peltier and in honor of protectors and warriors for mother earth. You are asked to bring blankets for the homeless and potluck food and drink.  

Call 464-4534 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Bella Musica  

4 p.m.  

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison St.  

Directed by Arlene Sagan, Bella Musica chorus and orchestra perform the music of Handel, Bach, Bernstein and Barber.  

$12 suggested donation 

Call 525-5393 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Monday, Dec. 18 

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19 

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Get Flabbergasted  

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Zun Zun, a husband and wife duo will perform musical theater for children and families. They play over thirty instruments and are sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Free  

Call 649-3943 

Hansel and Gretel  

7 p.m. 

North Branch Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Oakland’s Opera Piccola will perform their version of “Hansel and Gretel.” Opera Piccola is a multiracial troupe of actors, singers, and dancers who pull unsuspecting audience members up to perform along with them. Geared for preschoolers.  

Call 649-3943 

Wednesday, Dec. 20 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Family Sing-Along 

2 p.m. 

South Branch Library 

1901 Russell St.  

Gerry Tenney, musician, teacher, and performer, the man behind the saga of King Kong playing ping-pong with Godzilla returns to the Berkeley Public Library.  

Call 649-3943 

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 21 

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Friday, Dec. 22 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Holiday Celebration 

Noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Includes a holiday meal and an opera, “Kiri’s Coventry Xmas.”  

Call 644-6107 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Saturday, Dec. 23  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir 

7 p.m. 

Holy Names College Regents’ Theatre 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

tickets: $15 - $20, available at the door  

Call 848-3938 

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Telegraph Holiday Street Fair 

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. (between Dwight and Bancroft) 

With over 300 vendors and live musical entertainment, this years holiday fair will be larger than any in recent memory. Free shuttle from downtown Berkeley BART available.  

Call Linda, 528-6983 for details 

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Alice Meyers 

Call 644-6107 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tai Chi Chuan for Seniors 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Mr. Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Imani In the Village 

2 p.m. 

Claremont Library 

2940 Benvenue  

Percussionist James Henry presents a drumming and dance program for all ages. Audience participation invited.  

Call 649-3943 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Kwanzaa Celebration 

4 p.m. 

South Branch Library  

1901 Russell St.  

Muriel Johnson of Abiyomi Storytelling is the featured storyteller at the library’s annual celebration which also includes a formal Kwanzaa ceremony.  

Call 649-3943 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Tuesday, Jan. 2 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Thursday, March 15  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

Green Party Consensus Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

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. 

531-8664 

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. 

644-8511 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesday and Thursday 

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. 

644-6109 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Rights guarantees don’t come from the Constitution 

Editor: 

Common knowledge assures us that approximately twenty-five years ago the Supreme Court of the United States was carefully combing through its copy of the Constitution and discovered therein a “right to privacy.”  

Under this right was discovered, or assumed to be, all sorts of other rights such as a woman’s right to consult with her physician about medical procedures and a woman’s right to abortion. These, therefore, would seem to be a woman’s reproductive rights.  

It seems highly improbable, however, that our founding fathers carefully inserted our individual human liberties in the main body of the Constitution, to be discovered by a Supreme Court some two-hundred years later.  

In any case, the Constitution is a vehicle for conveying power and authority from the federal government to various state governments. It was because there were no rights expressed in the Constitution that it was deemed necessary to compose the Bill of Rights. The American people, therefore, do not have “constitutional” rights.  

What the human race has, therefore, is inherent “natural rights” as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. It is, in fact, obvious that human beings cannot derive their rights from a charter such as the Constitution. They must, in fact, derive their rights and the authority for those rights from an authority that is above and beyond human law.  

The human race, therefore, derives its inalienable natural rights from the “natural” law. These rights are inherent in our natural being, very much like our internal organs are an inherent part of our body.  

Do women, therefore, have a right to an abortion? As the popular media assures us they do? Or, do women have a right to choose? It is not any gender, race or class that have these rights; it is the entire human race, in common, that possesses these rights.  

As we examine our rights, we can see that none of these rights is right to a specific action such as the right to an abortion would seem to be. But, all our rights are rights to abstractions. Why is this? This is because a right to s specific action would be an absolute, unrestricted right to perform to action under whatever circumstances.  

What we have, therefore, is not the freedom to choose an abortion, but free will. The freedom to choose amid an array of choices comes down to which choice is right and beneficial to society and which choice is wrong and detrimental to society and deprives our fellow humans of their rights.  

Frederick A. Arend 

Oakland 

Expand Aquatic Park 

The Daily Planet received this letter written to the City Council: 

It is my pleasure to communicate to you the will of the membership of Berkeley Partners for Parks regarding the soon to be vacant “American Soils” property. 

Berkeley Partners for Parks requests that the City Council seek funds to secure the property soon to be vacated by American Soils as public park land to be incorporated into Aquatic Park. 

This property would make a valuable addition to Aquatic Park, having room for a playing field, basketball courts and other amenities as determined by a public process. It is one of the last sites available in the entire city where a playing field could be added. Many of you have personally stated that Berkeley is still short of playing fields and you are committed to building additional playing fields - this may be one of the city's last chances. The neighborhood adjacent to Aquatic Park is under-served recreationally, having no basketball, tennis, or playing fields except those at Columbus School, which is often closed to the public. 

Aquatic Park could be made more accessible to the adjacent neighborhood, and could be a destination park for all age ranges within Berkeley, with the widest and most exciting range of open space and recreational opportunities of any city park.  

As you, the City Council, commit in the upcoming General Plan to increase our city's population, you must also commit to serve our expanding population's open space and recreational needs.  

The time is now for the city to secure this soon to be vacant property as open space for Berkeley. Thank you for your kind attention. 

Zasa Swanson 

President, Berkeley Partners for Parks

The family hearth, a traditional winter gathering place for warmth and good cheer, has been deemed a public health threat and the City Council will soon consider measures to curtail its use. 

The Community Environmental Advisory Committee approved a resolution on Thursday recommending the City Council adopt wood smoke control polices including recognizing wood smoke as a health hazard, banning open fireplaces in new home construction and urging residents to replace fireplaces with gas logs or EPA-approved, enclosed fireplaces.  

The commission approved the motion by a 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Pratap Chatterjee and Dan Luten voting in opposition and Commissioners Nicholas Morgan and Raquel Pinderhughes absent. 

The commission also recommended the City Council fund a thorough air study to determine exactly what percentage of airborne health risks are posed by wood smoke compared to other air pollutants such auto emissions. 

The CEAC recommendation may mean that Berkeley will be joining other cities such as San Jose, Los Gatos and Petaluma, which have enacted ordinances designed to cut back the use of wood-burning fireplaces. 

Commissioner Elmer Grossman said the commission received hundreds of letters, e-mails and phone calls from the public about possible wood-smoke restrictions. 

“It was a very difficult task for the commission. It took over a year and there was a great deal of public interest both for and against restrictions,” Grossman said . 

The commission sited several studies to support their decision including a study by the Bay Area Air Quality District which showed during times of heavy fireplace use, wood smoke is responsible for 20 to 50 percent of all air-polluting particulate matter. And a medical study in Santa Clara County conducted from 1989 to 1992, which showed heavy fireplace use on cold nights caused emergency-room visits for asthma conditions to soar by 50 percent.  

The commission also heard from Berkeley residents who said they have respiratory conditions that are aggravated during the winter when their neighbors frequently use their fireplaces. 

Berkeley Hills resident, Dr. Davida Coady, said she suffers from sinusitis and her partner has asthma and during the cold months their lives are miserable. 

“The air quality is good here during the summer and terrible during the winter unless the air currents don’t carry the smoke over the hill,” she said. “I’m for any measure that will limit wood smoke.” 

Grossman said the commission rejected tougher measures such as requiring homeowners to remove or modify fireplaces when their homes were sold or extensively remodeled. The cost estimates to alter fireplaces ranged from $500 to $2,500. 

The Berkeley Association of Realtors strongly opposed any ordinance requiring homeowners to alter their homes. According to a letter submitted by BAR member Donald Clark, forcing alterations would increase home prices and such an ordinance would take too long to have an appreciable effect because of the slow turnover of residential property in Berkeley. 

Chatterjee said he voted against the motion because it was not broad enough. He said auto emissions and industrial air pollution also need to be addressed. 

According to Chatterjee the BAAQD strongly promoted wood smoke restrictions, even sending a representative to every meeting in which the commission was considering the issue. He said, however, the aggressive promotion was covering for lack of action the BAAQD has taken against increased automobile use in the Bay Area. 

“It’s easier to pick on homeowners than auto owners or large industry,” he said.  

While hospital workers gear up for their Thursday walk-out – the fourth since the spring – the Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center administration staffs up to replace the hundreds of employees expected to go on strike.  

At the heart of the months-long contract dispute is a push by Service Employees International Union 250 workers, including vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, dietary personnel and maintenance staff, to have a say in patient care, which is directly related to the level of staffing. 

The workers want to have “a real voice in determining how care is provided,” said SEIU 250 President Sal Rosselli. “These decisions used to be made by physicians. Now they’re made by accountants.” 

Alta Bates spokesperson Carolyn Kemp argues that is not so. Patient care decisions are made by physicians and nurses, she said. Staffing “depends on patient needs.”  

Further, Kemp said the offer now on the negotiating table gives workers a greater voice in decision making. 

Rosselli countered that the offer is insufficient. The workers want a guarantee that when the hospital administration and employees do not agree on staffing levels, a neutral third party will arbitrate. Kaiser Permanente and Alemeda County Medical Center, among others, have incorporated this demand into their contracts, he said. 

Kemp argues, however, that there is no proof that an outside arbitrator would be effective. 

The hospital has hired staff to replace the absentees and there should be no interruption of service, Kemp said. However, the one-day strike is coming at a bad time. 

“It’s the beginning of the flu season and the census is at its highest,” she said. “I don’t see how (the work stoppage) helps the patients.” 

The one-day strike is to bring community and media attention to the workers’ demands, Rosselli said. 

She said the union is adding a new twist Thursday, with a march at 2 p.m. from the UC Berkeley campus down Telegraph Avenue to Alta Bates Hospital just east of Telegraph at Ashby Avenue, with a rally at Sproul Plaza on the campus preceding the march. 

SAN JOSE — City officials agreed Tuesday to contribute nearly $3 million of tobacco settlement money over the next three years to a new and unprecedented county plan aimed at providing health coverage for all uninsured children. 

The commitment was a key step for the Santa Clara County Children’s Health Initiative, which was approved last week and is expected to begin serving families in February. 

“This is a momentous moment in history,” said Susan Price-Jang, co-chair of People Acting in Community Together, a faith-based organization helping to organize the program.  

“Let us be an example to other communities across America.” 

The county health initiative, which is expected to cost $14 million a year, covers families up to three times the federal poverty level, meaning a Santa Clara County family of four that makes nearly $52,000 is eligible. 

The program is designed to let parents know what local, state and federal health insurance programs their children qualify for, and to make up for any coverage gaps left by those programs. 

More than half the 70,000 children without health insurance in the county are in San Jose, the third-largest city on the West Coast. 

Last spring, San Jose considered spending some of its $10 million annual tobacco settlement funds on a children’s health insurance program, but officials decided to take more time to study the issue. 

Mayor Ron Gonzales said Tuesday he was satisfied with an advisory committee’s suggestion that the city contribute to the county health initiative and use the rest of the settlement money for anti-tobacco programs, education initiatives and youth and senior services.  

The plan was unanimously approved by the City Council. 

In addition to the city’s contribution and $3 million a year from Santa Clara County, the health insurance program is getting $2 million from tobacco taxes and $1 million from a county health maintenance organization. 

The program is still $6.5 million short of the $14 million it needs, but organizers hope to make that up with donations. 

Under the 1998 tobacco settlement, California and 45 other states will split $206 billion over 25 years.  

Four other states settled separately for an additional $40 billion. 

On the Net: 

City: http://www.ci. 

san-jose.ca.us 

County: claraweb.co.santa-clara.ca.us

EMERYVILLE— Internet company Ask Jeeves Inc. on Tuesday said it will cut 25 percent of its workforce and take a fourth quarter charge of $10 million to $12 million for a restructuring that follows a recent earnings warning.  

Last week, Ask Jeeves said it expected a fourth quarter pro forma loss of $18 million, or 50 cents a share. Analysts had expected it to report a loss of 33 cents a share, according to investment research firm First Call/Thomson Financial. 

On Tuesday, the company said its staff cut, which amounts to about 180 full-time positions,will reduce costs by about $45 million in 2001.  

It said it expects to achieve profitability in the fourth quarter of 2001.

SACRAMENTO — Strains on the state’s power grid prompted more calls for energy conservation Tuesday, just hours after a Stage Two alert ended. 

Wholesale electricity prices, most of their cost-limits removed as the state hunted for new energy, continued to soar. 

On Monday, the cost of wholesale electricity reached more than $900, and by Wednesday it was expected to exceed more than $1,100. Last year at this time, the cost was about $45, or less. 

For most electricity, the price per megawatt hour last week was capped at $250. 

But the managers of the state’s power grid, the Independent System Operator, asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to eliminate that cap to enable the state to get more energy supplies. 

FERC quickly agreed, and the cap was lifted. 

The California Power Exchange, a sort of wholesale energy market that coordinates the buying and selling of electricity, later asked FERC to remove any remaining sales subject to the $250 cap.  

The Exchange said traders were abandoning its trading floor to take advantage of the unlimited prices through ISO. 

“This will allow suppliers to protect themselves from being forced to supply energy that are below their costs,” the Power Exchange said in its petition to FERC, filed Monday. 

FERC said Tuesday it was considering the Exchange’s request. 

The federal commission, already conducting a investigation into California’s deregulated electricity system, is expected to issue its long-awaited plan to resolve the state’s power crisis on Friday. 

Throughout California on Tuesday, a Stage One alert remained in effect. A Stage One alert means power reserves are below 7 percent and all power users are asked to conserve.  

A Stage Two alert was lifted at midnight. 

Initial reports of warmer weather in the Northwest gave some hope that there would be more power to import to Northern California. 

“We are still fighting the same things, transmission constraints, cold weather.  

We are hearing it’s not quite as cold in the Northwest, so that could help out a lot,” said ISO spokesman Patrick Dorinson. 

The ISO watches the power grid for about 75 percent of the state. 

Last week, Stage Two emergencies were declared every day when power reserves fell below 5 percent.  

On Thursday, the ISO declared a Stage Three emergency, but fell short of mandating rolling blackouts. The energy forecast improved this week when some power plants came online. 

Power supplies were adequate in Southern California, but Northern California is less certain, Dorinson said. 

“We are working on ways to bring power in from the Northwest. We are only a very little bit better than we were this time last week,” he said.

With over 100 new vendors and live musical entertainment, the 17th annual Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair hits the street this weekend.  

The street will be transformed into a pedestrian mall, closed to traffic between Bancroft and Dwight ways for the fair, which runs Saturday, Sunday and Dec. 21-24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  

Linda Hall, coordinator and promoter for the holiday fair, said it should be interesting fitting the over 300 vendors onto the avenue.  

Hall was in charge of recruiting the new vendors, some of whom are coming from outside California, and said she has been forced to turn away interested vendors away for the past month. 

Hall said vendors will be selling every type of hand-made craft imaginable including jewelry, bead work, gift-boxes, soaps, stained glass, pottery, drums, wind chimes and mobiles. 

“You name it. We’ve got it,” she said.  

All vendors are screened and licensed by the city to ensure that they make the products they sell and don’t buy them.  

Susan Rodriguez, marketing and promotions coordinator for the street fair, said even the homeless of Berkeley benefit. They are hired for security and clean-up work.  

Russell Chatman who, along with his wife Lee, has been selling women’s jewelry along Telegraph for the past 10 years said he looks forward to the fair every year because Berkeley is such a diverse community.  

“Everybody’s happy and they can walk right up the middle of Telegraph and not get hit.” he said.  

Chatman said as it gets closer to Christmas, he sees more and more vendors on Telegraph. Any other time of the year there would be perhaps 50 vendors on the street each day, but this week he said there have been 100 or more vendors there selling their wares. Chatman said his business quadruples during the holiday season. 

He said he wouldn’t be out on Telegraph on a Tuesday if it were not the holidays. 

Loraine McMurray, who sells high quality stones, necklaces and earrings on Telegraph, has taken part in all 17 of the Berkeley Holiday Street Fairs. McMurray said the fair is a nice place to get hand-made specialties that you can’t get anywhere else.  

The mood of the fair is “very positive, mellow, and fun,” she said, adding that it’s nice to have the street blocked off because it makes it like a festival.  

Rosamund Hansen has come to Berkeley from Twisp, Wash., to sell her scented products at the holiday fair for the past several years.  

“I have found the true spirit of Christmas is here,” she said, adding “Everybody likes to come to the Bay Area, it’s a special place. It’s nice to plug into a multi-cultural community, it inspires me.” Hansen said that over the years of participating in the holiday fair she has had many repeat customers. 

Former street artist Gianna Ranuzzi, who now works for the Telegraph Area Association, a nonprofit community development corporation, described the holiday fair as “a gathering of the tribes.” The TAA has sponsored a free shuttle service that will run between downtown Berkeley BART and Telegraph Avenue every 15 minutes between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. 

The TAA has also worked with Mark Weinstein of Amoeba Music to coordinate live music for the fair. Musical entertainment will be provided on the weekend days of the fair between noon and 4 p.m. at the corner of Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue and on the Sather Mall of the UC Berkeley campus.  

Performers include the Len Patterson Trio, the Dave Slusser Trio, Clifton Burton Quartet, and Rhythm Kitchen.

By John Geluardi 

Daily Planet Staff 

Paul Feinstein was frustrated – frustrated with 18 inches of raw sewage backing up in his basement during heavy rains and frustrated with not getting any results from the city when he complained.  

“Every time I called the Department of Public Works my calls were either not returned or I was told there’s no money to fix the problem,” said Feinstein, who lives in northwest Berkeley.  

Although he would still like to see the city doing more, Feinstein has decided property owners can pitch in to solve part of the problem. He has convinced Councilmember Linda Maio to ask fellow councilmembers to develop a public awareness campaign around the issue. 

One reason for the city’s overburdened sewer system is that there are “illegal” connections between private property storm drains and the city’s sewer system. These connections allow rain water to enter, causing city sewer lines to reach capacity sooner, which increases the likelihood of overflows.  

Feinstein said if homeowners understood the ecological and health risks of sewer backups, they would be inspired to make the estimated $1,500-$3,000 repairs.  

According to a council report authored by Maio, as of 1955 there were 1,400 multi-unit residential buildings, 800 single-family homes and 400 commercial businesses that had illegal storm-water connections with sewer lines. Those numbers are likely to have increased over the last 45 years, she said. 

Feinstein said he’s glad Maio’s agreed to put the item before the council. 

“Many people are unaware that there’s sewage backing up in homes that are below grade (street level),” said Feinstein. “All I’m suggesting is that we do something beside throwing up our hands and saying ‘there’s no money.’” 

According to city officials, the problem of sewage backup is the most acute in west Berkeley where all of the city’s sewer and storm drains flow. 

Alex Schnieder, director of Berkeley’s Environmental Health Division, said there are health concerns with raw sewage but residents can avoid most of them if they carefully clean backup areas with a mild bleach.  

Maio’s recommendation, if adopted, would ask the Public Works Commission to research the extent of the problem and then develop an education program instructing owners on how to check drainage systems on their properties. 

But Ted Edlin, president of the Council of Neighborhoods Association, said Maio’s recommendation only deals with part of the problem. 

Edlin said that in addition to private sewers which flow directly into the city’s storm drain system, there are many lines throughout the city that are simply broken, draining raw sewage into the ground and sometimes residential backyards. But unlike Feinstein, Edlin says the solution should not be left to the property owner. 

“This (council) item deals with everything but the city’s responsibility,” he said. 

The state has given Berkeley, along with many other cities in the East Bay, 20 years to update sewer systems that are broken or can no longer cope with increased flow, according to Will Bruhns, a senior engineer with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Control Board.  

Director of Public Works, Renee Cardinaux said the city has been steadily replacing the sewer system for the last several years but the department is limited by time and money. He said, at the current rate, the city will take 50 years to complete its sewers projects. 

“If we had twice the allocation of funds we’d be able to make the kind of progress we’d like to see,” he said. 

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Fact vs. Truth 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Philip Trounstine, communications director for Gov. Gray Davis speaks on “Skepticism vs. Cynicism and Other Notes from the Dark Side.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Berkeley High Concert Chorale 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

An evening of seasonal music. Free  

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

at MLK Jr. Way 

Waterfront Commission  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Models for the Millennium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs cordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West. Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

527-7377 

Former Foster  

Children Drop-In 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Free Clinic  

2339 Durant  

Open discussion  

Call Nancy Delaney, 548-3223 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health  

Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicity,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Friday, Dec. 15

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays  

Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

noon  

BTV-ch 25  

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at:  

www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over a hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

845-2612  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Sunday, Dec. 17

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Monday, Dec. 18

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Tuesday, Dec. 19

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. This is the last day of the gift drive.  

Call 848-3409 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Dec. 20

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 21

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Dec. 22

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Saturday, Dec. 23

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Sunday, Dec. 24

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Tuesday, Dec. 26

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Free speech debate continues to rage 

Free speech must protect dissension 

Editor: 

I participated in the demonstration that resulted in Benjamin Netanyahu canceling his speeches in the Bay Area. I’m also an attorney who has often argued the First Amendment in defending the rights of political protesters. I don’t think my activities as a lawyer and a demonstrator are inconsistent and here’s why: 

First off, lets not talk about First Amendment rights. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” It restricts government not people. There are very sound reasons in the United States for not wanting government to limit the space for free expression. When it makes a law restricting speech that law affects us all and is enforced with all the power of the courts and the cops. The issue is different when people rise up to prevent some one they consider vile and bloody from speaking freely in their community. We set no legal precedent.  

Secondly, Netanyahu is not just some ordinary person wishing to be heard. He is the once and future prime minister of Israel, whose government has been responsible for brutal repression, and persistent violation of human rights. He is not without abundant – too abundant in my view – opportunity for conveying his views.  

Thirdly, we have to ask: Is free speech an ultimate value or does its value derive from its relation to other values such as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?” Are these ultimate values better served by allowing Netanyahu to speak in Berkeley or preventing him from speaking; by tolerating him or, as I believe, by not tolerating him?  

Fourthly, it is sometimes argued that we have to permit unfettered freedom of expression because an open market place of ideas is a precondition of genuine democracy. But the free and open market of ideas, if it ever existed, has been affectively destroyed by the concentration of power in giant media conglomerates. Those conglomerates exercise an overwhelming monopoly of the means of expression and communication, from which oppositional voices, and particularly the voice of the Palestinians are well nigh completely excluded.  

Fifth, and finally, in the absence of an open market place for ideas, we have learned that it is only by disruption and misbehavior that we succeed in being heard. We are told to obey the rules, but when we do, we are ignored. Free speech, if it has any value at all, must protect the dissenting voices of the powerless and oppressed. If those voices can be heard only by interrupting a conversation from which they are excluded, then, I for one, want to be counted on the side of the disrupters. 

Osha Neumann  

Berkeley 

Bigots shouldn’t say whom we hear 

Editor: 

The day that Barbara Lubin and her bigoted crowd are allowed to dictate who we in Berkeley can or cannot hear is the day when all of us should move to Israel, where free speech is allowed and protected. 

This gang is no better than a left wing version of the Ayatollah. 

Joan Ominsky 

Berkeley 

There’s two sides to free speech 

Editor: 

Free speech requires a platform for both sides. It requires debate. When Jeane Kirkpatrick, a highly controversial speaker, was presented at UC without any provision for questions, demonstrators demanded to be heard. They woke up the administration. For a brief period thereafter, UC made provision to face controversial speakers with substantial questioning, challenges, or respondent panels. This is taking free speech seriously. 

The citizens who came to Netanyahu’s talk came to make sure more than one opinion would be expressed. An organizer has to recognize when there is controversy and when more than one side has to be heard. Bruce Vogel should do better planning next time. If Netanyahu is invited, there should be lots of time for challenge and debate, and Vogel should create balance with a respected speaker for the Palestinians. Berkeley is a good location for developing a series of lively debates. 

Susan Tripp 

Berkeley  

Protesters ought to educate 

Editor: 

It was heartening to read the statement in your 12/7 issue written by veterans of the Free Speech Movement. It confirmed my gut reaction to the tactics used by the protesters to silence Netanyahu. Those of us who want to voice our criticism of Israel’s actions need to do it in a manner that will educate others and bring about an increase in our numbers. The behavior exhibited at the protest was not the way to do it. Besides the issue of free speech, I believe that shutting down the lecture was counter productive. It’s the sort of frenzied action that feeds the opposition, hardens its position, wins converts to its cause and escalates the violence on both sides. For those people who are concerned about the Middle East and are seeking a constructive way of bringing about change, I would recommend making contact with Americans for Peace Now, an offshoot of the Israeli peace movement, Peace Now (Shalom Achshav); their Web site is www.peacenow.org. 

Julie Reznick,  

Berkeley 

Editor: 

I suggest someone invite the historian David Irving of London to the Berkeley Community Theater to talk. He seems to invoke the same strength of feeling as Netanyahu but he’s on the other side of the fence. Lets then see how the free speech commmunity, the ADL, and the various local groups react.  

Wray Buntine 

Berkeley 

speech commmunity, the ADL, and the various local groups react.  

Wray Buntine 

Berkeley 

Editor:  

In my view, the Netanyahu in Berkeley incident had very little to do with free speech and much more to do with karma, the most powerful force on earth; more powerful than the all the guns used to protect “free speech.” We are all ultimately responsible for the words we speak and the consequences that may result.  

Michael Bauce 

Berkeley 

Berkeley’s talented 10-year-old Shotgun Players theater group, which grew out of repeated performances at LaVal’s Subterranean to play other venues in Berkeley and San Francisco, has now developed a new producing arm of its organization called Black Box Productions. 

The purpose of Black Box Productions is to develop new plays from the beginning, and try things that are experimental, rather the “kitchen sink realism,” that’s been the staple of Shotgun's previous productions, said Shotgun artistic director Patrick Dooley, 

Black Box is currently running its first show at LaVal’s Subterranean, an original piece called “7th Veil,” conceived and directed by Shotgun alum Gina Pulice, and created by an ensemble cast of six performers. 

“7th Veil” is a retelling of the Salome story, with a nod to Oscar Wilde (who wrote a play about Salome), the Bible, and other sources.  

Salome was the woman who danced for her step-father King Herod, and in exchange he granted her any wish – which was to have the head of John the Baptist brought to her on a plate. 

Running about 80 minutes with no intermission, and divided into seven segments, “7th Veil” is more a dance and movement piece than it is traditional theater. 

From her notes in the playbill, it seems that director Pulice is going for some kind of feminist reconsideration of temptress Salome – a good enough idea for a play, but one that in my view isn’t very well realized in this production. 

“7th Veil” contains six characters: Salome, her mother Herodias, her stepfather Herod, John the Baptist, a Roman soldier and a mythological goddess. At the top of the show, each character is assigned an animal, a color, and a characteristic. 

Pulice’s staging is an impressionistic one, with most of the story told in dance. There is some poetry recitation, and a few scenes with a little bit of dialogue.  

In all this, the play tries to understand the veils of identity surrounding Salome. 

The production has some strong choreographic moments, such as when Salome is caught under a cloth and held down struggling by the other performers. Or when a blob of stretched red fabric seems to give birth to a string of performers. 

The story in this frequently dialogueless play can sometimes be hard to follow. This problem is compounded by the fact that the actors switch parts all evening, so that everyone plays most of the characters at one time or another. 

A single character being played by several actors is an interesting exercise for actors in a scene study practice, and from doing that a lot can be learned by actors about a play or about their acting craft, but for an audience it is confusing and distracting.  

In this case, it interferes with the audience gathering information about a character as the show progresses. Using different actors to portray the same character also adds to the confusion. 

In addition, the play’s dialogue tends to be modern day personal growth vocabulary dropped into a Biblical story, but with little or no light derived from that exercise. In the final analysis, there was no real illumination for me about Salome’s sexy dance and why she chose to do it. 

Structurally, the beginnings and ends of the play’s seven segments are not clearly demarcated. It all runs together. 

Different colored veils are hung on the wall of the stage, and the actors don them when they play different characters, but the veils’ colors aren’t distinctive enough to help in defining character. In addition, the color values of the veils change under some of the colored stage lighting. 

This is a script that cries out for a dramaturg to help sort out its thinking and its goals. 

Actors Jason Arquin, Vince Camillo, Ali Dadgar, Tori Hinkle, Allyson Kulavis, and Amy Sass are certainly game in their performances, and they have some strong moments with their physical movement theater. 

Their dancing and occasional singing are accompanied by on keyboards, percussion and guitar by musicians Aaron Krasner and Rob Gwin. 

“7th Veil” feels like a legitimate exercise for exploration of craft among actors and a director, but it hasn’t yet made the jump to being an audience piece. 

Black Box plans another three or four shows in the upcoming year. They are looking for original scripts that employ music and dance.

This year Berkeley High School teachers and administrators decided to approach issues of violence and conflict from a new direction.  

In addition to a new surveillance system, they have instituted a conflict resolution program to prevent problems before they can even begin. 

“We’re bucking the unfortunate trend of the larger society to handle conflict after the fact and be reactive, which our skyrocketing prison population is evidence of,” said social living teacher John Fike, who co-coordinates the Berkeley High School Peer Mediation program with newly hired counselor Susan Werd. 

The Conflict Mediation Center is filled with bright blue and sunny yellow couches, some of which Fike found on the street. On Wednesdays peer mediators, usually about 16, learn the steps of conflict mediation. When teachers hear about a conflict, they will refer the students to the mediators, who will call them out of class to come to the peer mediation center. 

The students follow a several-step process to help students describe their emotions and try to reach an accord. Tami Graham is a case manager at Berkeley Dispute Resolution Services, a 13-year-old nonprofit promoting mediation.  

“People, teens, adults, whatever, just want to feel like they’ve been heard,” she said. “If they feel like they’ve been heard by the other person, even if the other person doesn’t agree, then they’re much more willing to move to resolution.” 

Graham said the major issues between teens are “jealousy between friends and gossip gone out of control.” Student mediators concurred that most of the conflicts they encountered were of the “he said, she said” variety.  

“High school disputes tend to be caused by a lack of communication. They tend to be something where a third party sparks a conflict,” said junior Tova Perrin, president of the peer mediation group. 

Mediators don’t break up fights or deal with any kind of physical violence. “It’s not part of our job description,” said Tova.  

Gennel Wade, a senior at Berkeley High and first time mediator, said that the process helps end spats that could have escalated into violence. “I haven’t seen anyone I know who has had a conflict resolution that has fought that person later,” she said.  

Barry Wiggan, head of security services for Berkeley High School declined to say how many student fights have resulted in disciplinary action this year, but he finds conflict resolution to be, on the whole, quite effective. “Fights are sometimes like the WWF(World Wrestling Federation). Its never over. Conflict mediation provides some resolution,” he said. 

One addition to the program this year is mediation between teachers and students. In the case of an ongoing class conflict, the teacher and student will meet with a team made up of a teacher mediator and a student mediator.  

“We did a mediation recently where a teacher and a student both felt disrespected,” said Werd. “What we’re trying to do is get people to talk more. A lot of the issues are discipline issues, but because every student is different some things can be worked out at mediation.” 

The wipe erase board in the Conflict Mediation Center is covered in scrawls with memos of upcoming workshops and presentations. In order to publicize the program students act out skits representing conflicts, describing their skills to students and staff.  

The publicity seems to be working. In the first semester, the mediators have received 30 referrals. And six of those came just last week. Unfortunately not every dispute that gets referred ends up with its time in the court of peer mediators. Werd said that the school schedule was not designed to accommodate the organization required for conflict mediation sessions. 

“In a community you have a center, you can schedule an appointment. Here you have to pull people out of classes.” Many times, she said, one of the people in the conflict or a mediator may be absent, or unable to leave class. 

But Werd considers these minor glitches for the first year of a major program. Although Fikes has been leading a group of peer mediators at Berkeley High School for three years, the earlier program was much less formal. A statewide bill allocating funding to schools for violence prevention made money available to the program for the first time this year.  

Alex Palou, principal at Berkeley Alternative High School, helped create the proposal to disburse funds in the Berkeley Unified School District. “Basically it was looking at what is existing in the district right now and how we can we help support the grassroots efforts; the seed has already been planted and they just needed to be institutionalized.”

The superintendent’s not going to “cut and run,” if he decides to take the job offered him heading up the Nevada state school system. 

“He’ll make himself available to help out in the transition,” School Board President Terry Doran said Monday. 

If the superintendent decides to leave – Nevada schools has given him several days to make his decision – the school board will take the steps necessary to fill the position, starting with a closed-door board “personnel” meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday At that time, the board will be talking formally to the superintendent about his plans and, at the same time, telling him they’d like him to stay, Doran said. 

McLaughlin turned down an offer by the school district in Salem, Ore. and was a runner-up for San Francisco’s top post in May.  

He may still not be able to give a definitive answer on Wednesday, since there may be contract negotiations between him and the Nevada schools, Doran said.  

But nevertheless the board will forge ahead on the first lap of the selection process – putting into place an interim superintendent. 

“We may select someone from within as interim superintendent, someone we’ve worked with before.”  

Asked if that includes Cliff Wong, retired school administrator who stepped in as interim superintendent before McLaughlin’s appointment, Doran responded: “His name may come up.” 

The board may hire a firm to do a statewide or nationwide search, said School Board member Shirley Issel and it will be charged with setting up a process to get public input into the selection. “It is the school board’s responsibility to hire the superintendent,” she said. 

If the superintendent decides to go to Nevada, he’ll start Feb. 1, 2001, but would likely be spending some days in January there, Doran said.

At its meeting tonight the City Council will consider authorizing the city manager to contract with a hazardous waste disposal company for the cleanup and removal of hazardous spills that may occur in the future. 

The recommendation will allow the city manager to immediately execute toxic clean ups for up to $500,000 without having to have the funds approved by the City Council. 

Five companies submitted bids for the contract and Consolidated Waste Management was selected as the lowest responsible bidder. If Consolidated is unable to perform cleanup tasks, the city manager has the authority to contract with two other companies, Sturgeon and Sons and Ecology Control. 

Aquatic add-on 

Mayor Shirley Dean has recommended the council adopt a measure asking the city manager look into purchasing land next to the Aquatic Park that will soon be vacated. 

The land is currently being used by American Soils. Zasa Swanson, president of Berkeley Partners for Parks wrote a letter to the mayor and City Council, that stated, “It is one of the last sites available in the entire city where a playing field could be added.” 

According to the letter there is enough acreage for a playing field, a basketball court and other amenities. 

The city manager will investigate applying for funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Murray-Hayden Urban Youth Services Grant Program. Both options would require a percentage of matching funds. 

Police proclamation 

The mayor will ask the City Council to commend the actions of seven police officers during the fire at 1628 Josephine St. on May 23.  

The officers are credited with saving the lives of four people, including a toddler, who were trapped on the roof of the building engulfed in flames. Officers Dozier, Lindenau, Louis, Luna, Mercado, Pon and Wilson will be thanked by the City Council for their actions, professionalism and dedication to the police department. 

Harrison Field update 

The City Council will hear from the city manager’s office about the costs to date of cleaning up groundwater contaminated with chrome 6 that filled excavation pits during the construction of the skateboard park at Harrison Field. 

Chrome 6 is a known carcinogen that increases the risk of cancer if inhaled. It is also known to cause a variety of diseases if it is ingested through the stomach through drinking water or other means. 

City officials have said there is no threat of the plume reaching drinking water and claimed there is no danger so long as the contaminant is not ingested through the stomach or lungs. However, construction of the skate park was halted and there has been no word as to when it will begin again. 

The City Council has already approved $100,000 for the immediate de-watering of the nine-foot deep pits. 

The City Council Meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way at 7 p.m. The meeting will be broadcast live on KPFB Radio 89.3 and Cable B-TV (channel 25). 

The power crunch in California eased slightly Monday after a nuclear power plant that was closed for repairs returned to service ahead of schedule, but officials declared a power alert by late afternoon and asked some commercial customers to cut back on their use. 

Another day of cool temperatures in the Northwest meant less electricity would be available when the state needed it most – the evening peak hours of 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., said Ed Riley, director of grid operations at the California Independent System Operator. 

“We’re expecting to import approximately 400 megawatts at the peak. We need that number to be about 3,500 megawatts,” Riley said. 

The ISO declared a Stage Two alert at 5 p.m., and asked some commercial “interruptible” customers to cut back on power use. Those customers pay lower rates in return for a loss of service when power reserves dip below 5 percent. 

Southern California had enough resources Monday, Riley said, but Northern California still faced shortages. 

“A lot of extra generation came online in the south over the weekend, but it doesn’t really help the north much” because the transmission lines are only capable of shipping limited amounts of power across the state, he said. 

The situation in Southern California eased due to the speedy repair of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant near San Luis Obispo. The return of Diablo Canyon, which generates enough power to run about 2 million homes, will help grid officials during the next week of cool weather and continued scant supplies, said Jim Detmers, managing director of operations for the ISO. 

The power shortage also was helped by the closure of a major Northwest electricity customer, Kaiser Aluminum Corp. The company agreed to close its smelting plant in Mead, Wash., for 10 months and resold the electricity it had committed to purchase. 

The temporary shutdown of the Kaiser Aluminum smelter will free up  

190 megawatts of power for the Bonneville Power Administration, which paid  

$52 million to repurchase the  

December allotments. 

“The power we had been using was worth far more on the open market than it was in making aluminum,” said Scott Lamb, spokesman for Kaiser. “We also recognized that there is a need for this power and by selling it back, we are enabling that power to be available.” 

The price reflects what’s happening in the electricity market, Lamb said. Kaiser’s commitment of 190 megawatts per month for January through September of next year is also for sale, Lamb said. 

But the overall problem– demand that is consistently greater than supply –isn’t going away anytime soon, Detmers said. 

“It’s been some time since there has been significant generation construction,” Detmers said. 

There is also a “very large, looming financial problem that will have to be addressed,” Detmers said. “We’ve got a power flow problem, and we’ve got a cash flow problem. We are paying out an enormous amount.” 

The ISO usually pays about $5 million a day for power, but on Thursday, when power reserves dipped below 1 1/2 percent and grid officials nearly ordered rotating blackouts, the grid paid $81 million to keep the electrons flowing, officials said. 

The bill for that isn’t being passed on to customers yet because most of the major utilities — Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. — haven’t fully transitioned into the deregulated market and are still operating under rate caps. 

PG&E officials said Monday they’ve accrued a debt of $4.6 billion as of the end of November, due to soaring wholesale costs. With no way to pass that increase on to customers, the company’s credit rating could suffer, PG&E spokesman Greg Pruett said. 

“Our ability to continue to go out into the market and buy power at these extraordinary rates is because of the financial institutions that loan us money continue to see us as a good investment,” said Pruett. 

California in 1996 approved a phased-in deregulation of the electricity market. The goal was to obtain lower prices for consumers through competition on the open market. 

The law required the monopoly utilities, which had been regulated for decades, to sell off their generating assets. When that transition is completed — by March 2002 — they can operate without a rate freeze and buy open-market power. 

The first utility to complete deregulation was San Diego Gas and Electric Co., with 1.2 million customers. The utility, its rate cap removed, passed its wholesale costs onto its customers. Bills there doubled and tripled. 

PG&E and SoCal Edison still have a rate freeze. Both companies have sought permission — thus far, unsuccessfully — from state and federal authorities to lift the rate cap. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The California Independent System Operator Web site is www.caiso.com 

LOS ANGELES — A $100 million wrongful death claim was filed against the city Monday by the sister of an actor who was fatally shot in the back by a police officer while holding a fake gun at a Halloween party. 

The claim says the city, the Police Department and the two officers present at the shooting are responsible for the killing, although only Officer Tarriel Hopper fired his weapon. 

The claim accuses Hopper of gross negligence in the shooting of Anthony Dwain Lee, 39, on Oct. 28. 

If the claim is rejected by the city, the family can file a wrongful-death lawsuit. 

The document was filed by the actor’s sister, Tina Vogt, an employee of the Sacramento Police Department. 

“You cannot justify what took place in this case,” her attorney, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., said at a press conference. 

The killing occurred after the two police officers went to the party because of a noise complaint. 

According to police, Hopper looked through a rear window of the home and spotted Lee, who was holding a realistic-looking fake gun as part of his costume. 

Police Chief Bernard C. Parks has said that Hopper fired at Lee when the actor turned suddenly and pointed the fake gun at him. 

The coroner’s report concluded that Lee was struck from behind by four bullets. Two in the back caused his death as they tore through vital organs. Another shot hit him in the back of the head. 

Cochran said this contradicts the official police account of events, questioning how Lee could have been shot so many times in the back if he was facing the officer. 

Parks recently said a police investigation into the shooting is still several months from completion. 

Police spokesman Lt. Horace Frank declined to comment on specifics in the claim. 

“We would like to reiterate our position, that Officer Hopper’s actions were based on a perceived threat to his life,” Frank said. 

Sgt. John Pasquariello said Hopper returned to work at the West Los Angeles station after more than a month on leave for counseling. 

LOS ANGELES — The often-delayed case of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson took another unexpected turn Monday with announcement that the trial judge has been transferred and a three-month delay will be needed. 

The disclosure that Superior Court Judge James Ideman will be moving on and not taking the attempted-murder case with him appeared to take participants by surprise. 

Prosecutors and the defendant looked stunned when Superior Court Judge Cecil Mills, presiding over the case in the interim, made the announcement. 

“Judge Ideman has been transferred. The case will not be transferred with him,” Mills said. 

Superior Court spokesman Kyle Christopherson said in an interview that Ideman was being transferred from downtown to the branch in suburban Torrance, near his home. 

“He has wanted that assignment for 22 years and he has always made that request,” Christopherson said. “It (the transfer) has nothing to do with any pending cases.” 

Mills said it was likely that the new judge will be the current presiding criminal courts judge, Larry Paul Fidler, but that assignment was put on hold until next week. Mills said that Fidler is due to spend the first three months of the year sitting temporarily on an appeals court and would not be available to try the case until April.  

The trial had most recently been scheduled to begin Jan. 8. 

Prosecutors asked for time to oppose a further continuance of a trial which is now 25 years overdue and has been repeatedly delayed since Olson’s arrest in June 1999. 

Olson is charged with attempting to murder police officers in 1975 by placing bombs under squad cars in retaliation for a shootout that killed six SLA members on May 17, 1974. The bombs did not explode. Olson, then known as Kathleen Soliah, was indicted on Feb. 26, 1976. She was living as a doctor’s wife in Minnesota at the time of her arrest. 

Further complications arose at Monday’s hearing when the San Francisco lawyer assigned to be Olson’s attorney failed to show up. J. Tony Serra has now missed four hearings in the case and was on notice to appear Monday. Co-counsel Shawn Chapman said Serra is in the midst of a trial in San Francisco. 

Deputy District Attorney Michael Latin told the judge Serra’s absence was worrisome. 

“We have never seen or heard from Mr. Serra. He has intentionally failed to appear for the last several court appearances. His disappearance is troubling,” Latin said. 

Latin said he does believe defense assertions that the team is not ready to start trial. 

“But failure to prepare does not equate to good cause,” the prosecutor said. 

The judge did not immediately rule on a request by Chapman to have up to three additional defense attorneys appointed in the case at public expense to assist in preparing voluminous evidence. 

Mills said he would have to see proof that Olson, who attended the hearing, is indigent before making such appointments 

Olson’s husband is an emergency room doctor in St. Paul, Minn. But the couple has said they have exhausted all their resources on litigation since her arrest. 

Mills set a hearing for Dec. 18 to make a final ruling on the continuance, giving the prosecution time to file motions opposing it. He also asked for additional material on Olson’s financial situation. 

The judge said that motions filed by the news media to overturn Ideman’s orders to have an anonymous jury will be transferred to the new judge for decision. 

The trial has followed a rocky course since Olson’s original attorney bowed out because of personal problems and his replacement left due to illness. That was when Serra and Chapman stepped in. 

SAN JOSE — Palm Inc., hoping to retain its dominant position in the fast-growing market of handheld personal digital assistants, is promoting its wireless strategy and new applications in store for next year at its annual developers conference. 

The Santa Clara-based company and its operating system licensees, such as rival Handspring, command nearly 75 percent of the electronic organizer market, according to International Data Corp. And retailers say Palm and Palm OS devices are in high demand this holiday season. 

But competitors – most notably, Microsoft’s PocketPC – are moving in. 

“Palm will have to give a view of their future and that they’ll once again be trendy,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst with Giga Information Group. “They have a large number of suppliers and they’ll have to keep them from migrating to Microsoft.” 

In fact, the Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. will hold a separate invitation-only dinner Tuesday for developers who will be in Santa Clara attending this week’s three-day PalmSource 2000 conference. 

“Palm certainly has a lot of users, and there are applications that their users can’t live without. We’re interested in talking to those people who are building those applications,” said Ed Suwanjindar, product manager for the mobile devices division at Microsoft. 

According to IDC, Palm handhelds, and others using its operating system, are estimated to surpass 4.4 million units in 2000, carrying 74 percent of the worldwide market. The Windows CE operating system by Microsoft will reach 1 million units, or 18 percent of the market. 

IDC projects, however, that Palm’s operating system dominance will diminish to 51 percent by the end of 2004, while Microsoft’s operating platform will grow to 39 percent of the handheld market. 

Palm officials were not available Monday to comment. 

But Palm has made strides this year to stay competitive. It expanded its wireless Internet download options and announced plans to introduce wireless e-mail next year. At this week’s conference, Palm is expected to give a demonstration of its next generation of handhelds that will include Bluetooth’s short-range radio technology. 

Palm also plans next year to introduce color screen options – in an apparent effort to compete against Handspring’s color cases and screens. It will show off its soon-to-be released Palm Vx Claudia Schiffer Edition, which sports a blue brushed-metal case instead of the silver ones now offered. 

Palm early next year also will introduce expansion slot options, similar to those offered now by Handspring. 

And in a move some analysts say is crucial for Palm and its partners to keep up with its competitors, Motorola Inc. announced Monday that it will start incorporating ARM technology – a leading wireless architectural standard – in its chips for smart handheld devices next year. Motorola currently supplies the microprocessors used in Palm Pilots and Handspring Visors. 

The ARM architecture in the chips would allow the personal digital assistants to better handle more advanced and complicated features, such as wireless data and video. 

“They’re expanding their technology base because everything is going multimedia,” said Tim Scannell, an industry analyst with Mobile Insights. “It’s something they had to do. You need that robust microprocessor platform to handle that new wave of wireless applications.” 

On the Net: 

www.palmsource.com 

NEW YORK — The possibility of future interest rate cuts sent tech stocks surging Monday, lifting the Nasdaq composite index back above 3,000. 

Blue chips struggled to keep up in light trading as Wall Street awaited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could potentially end the month-old presidential deadlock. 

“It’s been a real up and down kind of day, subject to the whims of what people hear on TV” about the election, said Scott Bleier, chief investment strategist for Prime Charter Ltd. 

But, he said, “the fact is that the market’s entire tone has improved dramatically since the Fed ... basically told everybody that the slowdown we’re seeing is not going to be allowed to dive into a recession.” 

The Nasdaq closed up 97.67 at 3,015.10. The last time the index traded at or closed above 3,000 was Nov. 17; it has also risen more than 20 percent since dipping below 2,500 on Nov. 30. 

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 10.31 to 1,380.20. 

After weeks of shunning the tech sector as too risky, investors have resumed buying the stocks, many of which are now trading at less than half their 52-week highs. 

The gains didn’t extend to consumer staples, utility and other so-called defensive stocks, which moved higher in recent months as investors looked for relatively safer places to put their money. 

“Most people really have their eye on the Nasdaq today,” said Bleier, the Prime Charter strategist. “You are seeing profit-taking in stocks like Procter & Gamble, retailers and oil stocks.” 

— The Associated Press 

Earnings, while still on investors’ minds, weren’t having a big impact on the overall market. 

Clothing retailer Lands’ End rose $2.14 to $26.95 despite warning that its earnings for the full year will be flat. A similar prediction sent home improvement chain Lowe’s down in early trading, but the stock recovered, rising $1.94 to $41.81. 

Drug maker Pfizer rose 13 cents to $43.63 after the company told analysts it is comfortable with its earning projections for 2001. 

Financial issues were also strong, a reflection of optimism that lower interest rates will encourage companies to borrow and expand. Banker J.P. Morgan rose $9.50 to $156.75; American Express climbed $1.69 to $56.50. 

The advance was the second straight gain for Wall Street, which began rallying last week after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan indicated he was concerned about softening economic conditions. 

The upturn has been curbed somewhat by concerns the nation’s slowing economic growth would hurt earnings in the coming months. The unresolved presidential election also has contributed to Wall Street’s lack of conviction, but not enough, analysts say, to derail the optimism about interest rates. 

They point to Intel’s continued advance, despite a warning of a revenue shortfall last week, as proof the Nadaq has seen its darkest days — at least for the short term. 

“What we’re doing is following upon a rally we started last week, which was based on the idea that the Fed ... may eventually cut interest rates,” said Richard Dickson, a technical analyst at Scott & Stringfellow Inc. “You’re starting to see a rotation back into tech stocks and some profit-taking in consumer staples companies. The question is, how long does that last?” 

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners 13 to 11 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.48 billion shares, compared with 1.65 billion at the same point Friday. 

The Russell 2000 index was up 8.16 at 487.23. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 2.2 percent. Germany’s DAX index was up 1.4 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 advanced 1.3 percent, and France’s CAC-40 gained 2.3 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

“We’re going to remodel our kitchen!” I said excitedly to my friend Gloria. 

“Good luck, sweetie,” she answered. “Get ready for six months ofÝ hell.” 

“It’s only a little kitchen,” I added. 

“Get ready for five and three-quarter months of hell,” she countered 

“No, it will be fine.” 

“It won’t be fine. It will be awful. Trust me. When we remodeled our kitchen, I had to wash dishes in our bathtub for six months. I went to Home Depot every 25 minutes. I had to practically sleep with a contractor, a painter and a plumber whom I hardly knew, but whom I eventually got to know far too well. Listen Suzy, remodeling is no picnic. Get ready for bankruptcy, depression and paranoia. If I were you, I’d reconsider it altogether.” 

“I can’t. I’ve already paid for one square foot of Corian countertop. We had to take out a loan.” 

“See what I mean?” she said, shaking her head. “Good luck.” 

But Gloria was wrong. So was Lisa, who told me she almost got divorced over her kitchen cabinets. My friend Lenny said he threatened to kill his plumber; Barbara went into therapy during her remodel; Carolyn joined the Peace Corps and left the country altogether; and after seven years and four contractors, Craig and Dominics’ house remains unfinished. 

Unlike anyone else I know, I enjoy remodeling. I love the sound of swinging hammers, singing saws and the soft swish of a wide paintbrush. I like picking out crown molding, faucet knobs, showerheads, and door hinges. And I especially love going to Home Depot.  

I can’t explain it. Never one to enjoy shopping or spending money, I’ve been running errands to Home Depot daily for five weeks.  

Sometimes I go twice a day. Once I made a record three trips before 2 p.m. But my personal best is visiting four different Home Depots, all within a 24-hour period.  

I’ve gone so often to our local Home Depot, I know the staff by name. I wave at the folks behind the Special Order counter: I say hey to the gals in the Returned Items section; I greet the Window Lady and the Countertop Guy as if they are old friends. I make nervous jokes with the women at the cash registers, as I write them enormous checks and hope they won’t bounce. Naturally, the dude who checks receipts at the Exit sign flags me though. Hell, I’m practically part of the staff. Sometimes I ask customers who look lost if I can help them. 

I’ve been thinking about applying for a job there. I’ve peered inside their secret lunchroom, overheard their cheerful conversations. I know who’s dating whom in plumbing and who wants to ask out someone in linoleum flooring. I’d like to punch a time card, walk around in an orange vest and warm ski pants with a tape measure hanging at my side. I’d direct people down the correct aisle to heating supplies or colored grout, cut a few wires, saw some wood, and shake up a couple cans of paint. I’d sit behind a desk in the kitchen department and say to hopeful remodelers, “Now this special order will take about six weeks, if you’re lucky. It will cost $4,000 and you must yank out your sink now.” When the customer whines, “But how will I do my dishes, make dinner, or entertain? How will I keep my children from starving, my husband from having an affair and myself from going insane?” I’ll shake my head knowingly, roll my eyes and say, “Do you want this order or not? Any indecision on your part will hold things up another three weeks. And who knows if the manufacturer is going to raise prices or change colors? There’s no guarantees in this business.” Then I’ll look at my watch, zip up my orange vest, close my catalogues firmly, smile and add, “Excuse me, it’s my lunch break. Gotta go.”  

Susan Parker is a north Oakland resident and author of “Tumbling After,” which will be published next year. She can be reached at sparker@slip.net

Berkeley Superintendent of Schools Jack McLaughlin has five days to decide if wants to accept an offer to take over Nevada’s top education post this weekend.  

But after turning down a superintendent position in Salem, Ore. and being edged out for San Francisco’s top school post last May, he seems to be interested in taking over an office that oversees 400,000 urban, suburban and rural students.  

“It appears to be a different kind of challenge. I’d say it’s very intriguing,” he said.  

Nevada officials announced the decision Saturday and McLaughlin, 59, said they will send him a written offer today. If he accepts, McLaughlin said the hardest part will be saying good-bye to the Berkeley Unified School District and its 9,500 students. 

“It will be very difficult to leave Berkeley because of the friends I’ve made. We don’t always agree on everything but it’s been real fun – real rewarding,” he said. 

One school board official hopes McLaughlin chooses to stay.  

“It’s not certain he’s going to leave. He has five days to decide and I hope he stays with us. He’s a great superintendent and he’s doing a great job,” said Ted Schultz, Berkeley Unified School District board of directors. “But if he does choose to move on, he’s given us six good years and I wish him good luck.” 

Schultz said the board has yet to decide on how to find a replacement. 

During his 37-year career, McLaughlin served as assistant superintendent in the South San Francisco School District, and was superintendent in Sunnyvale and Hemet before coming to Berkeley in 1994. In those years, he faced challenges such as implementing the Unz initiative – which halted bilingual education and navigating the charter school issue.  

That experience, McLaughlin said, gives him an advantage in Nevada, where those issues are still on the horizon. 

In Berkeley, McLaughlin said he is particularly proud of the school renovation and remodeling that is underway, as well as raised test scores throughout the district. But he’s quick to dismiss full credit for any of his accomplishments. 

“It’s not something I did, it’s something we’ve all done together,” he said.  

The biggest challenge, McLaughlin said, was the recent situation in which a 12-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at two Berkeley middle schools over a two-week period.  

“The incidents at the middle school level have been very difficult,” he said. “We always wonder what we could have done differently to make sure that didn’t happen and won’t happen again in the future.” 

On Friday, a third incident was reported during that same period in which another 12-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. See front page story. 

McLaughlin said he is concerned about the report and assured that he and his staff will be looking into it this week. 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Video on Netanyahu protest 

9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Fact vs. Truth 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Philip Trounstine, communications director for Gov. Gray Davis speaks on “Skepticism vs. Cyniscism and Other Notes from the Dark Side.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Berkeley High Concert Chorale 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

An evening of seasonal music. Free  

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission  

Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

We need full investigation of Netanyahu incident 

Editor: 

The way it used to work in Alabama and other such places, when black people wanted to have their meetings or rallies to vote, white goons would hang around blocking the doors so that no one could get in. 

Somehow the police were never around or were there and looked the other way. The police always had plausible sounding excuses (like the Berkeley police). They were too busy or permitting the meeting would have caused violence. No one got hurt, so what is the problem? The fix was in. It was an American tradition.  

But there came a time when black people rebelled against all this. They went to the courts of law and to the courts of public opinion and demanded that those who “arranged” for the police to not enforce the law be held accountable.  

The courts said that the freedom of assembly is not to be denied merely because it is inconvenient to the powers in City hall. There was no excuse, the Berkeley police has had a long history of dealing with riots and crowd management around the university campus.  

My wife went to the Berkeley Community Theater to hear former Prime Minister Netanyahu speak the other day, but was not able to enter the theater. Berkeley goons had blocked the doors and the Berkeley police somehow were not able or willing to move them away.  

Here again, the police had plausible answers and excuses. My wife’s freedom of assembly was too inconvenient for the powers to be downtown. Once again, the fix was in.  

Now is the time to demand of City Hall a full investigation of the Berkeley police who have had a long history of crowd control as to why they took a “pass” on this situation. Who ever were responsible for this terrible tragedy of injustice and denial of our fundamental rights should be taken to court.  

Berkeley, “the Athens of the West” and so well known from Mario Savio on as to make “freedom of speech” the motto of our fair city, will have to bow its head in shame until this is resolved.  

Aubrey Lee Broudy 

Berkeley 

Sean Lampley went missing in the first half, but he turned up time to help California get an easy win against a tough opponent. 

Lampley scored all 15 of his points in the second half as the Golden Bears beat Colorado 75-63 Saturday night. 

Lampley, Cal’s leading scorer and rebounder, got into early foul trouble and took just two shots before halftime. He didn’t get his first basket until the opening minutes of the second half. 

But Lampley scored six straight points for the Bears during their decisive run and played tough defense on leading Colorado scorer D.J. Harrison, who had 15 points but was just 2-for-8 after halftime. 

“It was good to have Sean Lampley back in the second half,” Cal coach Ben Braun said. “I think he was a little AWOL in the first half, and that’s not a Sean Lampley half.” 

Shantay Legans had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Bears (3-3) remained undefeated in three games at Haas Pavilion with a second-half surge. Cal held the Buffaloes (5-3) scoreless for nearly four minutes, then capped a 13-4 run on Lampley’s jumper with 4:54 left to go up 67-54. 

Thanks to Cal’s strong team defense and some poor shot selection, Colorado was held nearly 31 points under its average of 94.4 points per game. 

“I was impressed with Cal’s defense, but I was even more impressed with their intensity,” Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said.  

Justin Harbert also had 15 points for the Buffaloes, who hit 15 3-pointers in a 119-point outburst against Texas-Arlington last Sunday. They managed just nine 3-pointers against the Bears, with Harbert and Harrison hitting three apiece. 

“I thought the defense was a big difference at the end of the game,” Braun said. “We don’t want to exchange baskets with teams. We want to make a string of stops like we did in the second half tonight.” 

Colorado scored more than 100 points in its two previous games, but 19 turnovers and 37.9 percent shooting snapped the Buffaloes’ three-game win streak. Cal got revenge for a disappointing 80-62 loss in Boulder last season in the schools’ first meeting in 10 years. 

“I think they were a little embarrassed at our place last year,” Patton said. 

In a matchup of teams with plenty of willing outside shooters, Cal got 13 points from Solomon Hughes and 10 from Nick Vander Laan, the team’s two centers, and prevented the Buffaloes from attacking the hoop consistently. 

Bryan Wethers scored nine points for the Bears, and Joe Shipp had eight, including two 3-pointers. Jamahl Mosley and Jose Winston had eight points apiece for Colorado.

A prosecutor says a third sexual assault happened in Berkeley’s middle schools during a two-week period. 

Deputy District Attorney Walter Jackson told an Alameda County juvenile court judge Friday that two girls were assaulted at Martin Luther King Middle School on Nov. 8 — not one as had been previously reported. 

The second Nov. 8 incident followed an Oct. 25 group assault at Willard Middle School. 

Jackson said that on Nov. 8, three boys were harassing the two 12-year-old girls on King’s track and pursued them when they ran to a secluded area on the campus. The boys allegedly tried to force one of the girls to perform oral sex. She escaped with her friend, Berkeley police Lt. Russell Lopes said. 

About a half hour later, a fourth boy convinced the girl’s friend to return to the area, where Jackson said the boy tried to have sex with the girl. 

The girl in the second assault of Nov. 8 transferred to King from Willard Middle School, where on Oct. 25 nine boys allegedly forced her to perform oral sex for several hours. 

Jackson’s announcement Friday brings to 13 the number of boys accused in the alleged sexual assaults. 

Of the nine boys accused of assaulting the former Willard girl, eight have been arrested and released. Police are still searching for a 15-year-old suspect. 

The three boys in the first King incident were arrested Nov. 16. The boy in the second King incident was arrested Nov. 9 on charges of illegal sex with a minor and lewd acts with a child under 14. 

Jackson said it is important to consolidate the boys’ trial so that the former Willard girl does not have to testify multiple times. A pretrial conference for all 12 of the arrested suspects is scheduled for Jan. 2. 

School officials have said that confidentiality requirements restricted them from commenting on the assaults and that the assaults were not a threat to public safety, though parents have been concerned that schools have not been open about the incidents. 

It’s rare that the Berkeley Lady Yellowjackets face a test in their own gym. For the past decade, most of the close games the team has played have been at national tournaments far from home. But facing a talented team from Las Vegas in the championship game of the First Annual Lady Yellowjacket Tournament, head coach Gene Nakamura’s squad showed that they have the heart of a champion, beating Bishop Gorman 67-58. 

Tournament MVP Robin Roberson led the way for the ’Jackets, regaining her shooting touch just in time to carry her team past the scrappy Lady Gaels with 26 points. After making just eight of her 34 shots in the first two tournament games, Roberson hit 12-of-23 against Bishop Gorman, including two second-half three-pointers that helped seal the deal. 

“Robin’s one of our go-to players, because she can just flat-out shoot,” Nakamura said, pointing out that Roberson is coming off of a long illness. “She can hit from anywhere on the floor.” 

Roberson, a senior, also had five steals and three rebounds in the game. 

“It’s my job to lead by example,” Roberson said. “It was just time for me to step up. When I’m going good, it makes everyone else play better.” 

Berkeley center Sabrina Keys, another all-tournament selection, pitched in with 12 points and six rebounds, and forward Gelater Fullwood scored 11. 

Bishop Gorman countered the Berkeley offense with their own big threats, guard Breona Gray and forward Liz Cansdale, both all-tournament selections. Gray, who scored a combined 34 points in the first two games, broke out of a first-quarter funk to put up 25 points on the ’Jackets. The speedy guard also helped nullify the Berkeley press, racing past the first line of defense most of the night.  

“(Gray) has an extremely quick first step, and we didn’t account for it a lot of the time,” Nakamura said. 

Cansdale, a pure shooter, scored 19 points and grabbed three offensive rebounds despite giving up several inches to the Yellowjacket frontcourters. She led all players in the tournament with 63 points. 

The Las Vegas team was the first of the tournament to take a lead on the Yellowjackets, going up 5-2 in the first two minutes. But four Roberson baskets keyed a 18-point Berkeley run, and the ’Jackets cruised to a 24-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Gaels turned to Gray and Cansdale, breaking off a 13-4 run of their own to get back in the game. By halftime, the visitors had cut the deficit to 37-30, as Gray scored 10 points in the quarter to go with Cansdale’s six. 

“Our starters got a little tired, so I pulled them, but our bench wasn’t ready to go,” Nakamura said. “That was probably my own fault.” 

The ’Jackets came out cold in the second half, missing their first nine shots from the field. But the defense stood strong, and Bishop Gorman could only cut the lead to 37-34. Berkeley went on an eight-point run, thanks to the smooth passing of sophomore guard Michi Yamamoto.  

“(Yamamoto) got us some easy baskets to put the game away,” Nakamura said. “She sees the floor very well, something our starters weren’t doing for a while.” 

The quarter ended at 50-37 in favor of the hosts, leaving little doubt as to the identity of the eventual champions. Gray’s forays into the lane grew more and more reckless and Cansdale couldn’t get open outside, and the Gaels never got closer the eight points on their way to a second-place finish. 

“It’s nice to win our own tournament,” Nakamura said. “The best thing is that we got better each game.” 

The Lady Yellowjackets head to Chicago for the Nike Tournament on Dec. 16.

Despite possible legal challenges, the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Directors voted Wednesday to continue using the school’s current desegregation system — which assigns students to schools based upon a combined choice and lottery system. 

The board assigns students to schools to maintain the racial distribution in each school so that it’s within five percent of the racial makeup for the entire Berkeley school system. 

While the assignment method has generally met with support from the community, the district’s legal counsel – Celai Ruiz of Ruiz & Sparrow – have cautioned the board that it could be vulnerable to legal challenge because it uses race as a deciding factor in determining which school a student will attend. 

Berkeley, which initiated its school diversity program in 1968, was the first district of its size in the country to voluntarily use school busing for desegregation. The current desegregation method, called “Zoned Choice,” allows students to list their first, second and third choice schools and then assigns them by lottery, distributing them along ethnic lines. Preference is given to students who have siblings at the schools or live in close proximity. The goal of the program, according to the Student Assignment Advisory Committee charged with reviewing it, is to ensure equal access to educational resources by placing all students in an integrated environment. 

But the school district has become concerned that Proposition 209 and other recent legal challenges to race-based student assignment programs may pose questions of the system’s legality.  

Those questions prompted the school district to ask for the committee’s investigation and recommendation. 

At Wednesday’s board meeting, the committee reported that — after careful review — it had voted not to recommend an alternative assignment plan.  

“We concluded that our assignment plan is currently the most effective way to ensure equal access to a strong core curriculum, enriched learning experiences and individual, community, social and educational resources,” reported committee chair Ferdinand Martinez. 

Most teachers and boardmembers present enthusiastically endorsed the system.  

“I heartily encourage the board to keep using race as a major criteria in assigning students to schools,” said Judy Ann Alberti, of the Berkeley Citizens Action Steering Committee and newly elected Rent Stabilization Board member.  

“Berkeley continues to lead the nation in the push toward a society where we can all live in equality and diversity, and this program shows our leadership.”  

“Our system is still legal and until I’m told by a higher authority not to, I’m going to continue to use race as a criteria,” asserted boardmember Joaquin Rivera. 

Boardmember Shirley Issel cast the lone dissenting vote, saying she was concerned that the program could cost the district significant funds if challenged in court.  

“I’m committed to conserving the educational resources of this district, and poor policy could result in expensive litigation that will deprive us of those resources,” she said.  

Concerns were also raised over a few schools that had below-target racial distribution, particularly magnet schools which are not part of the Zoned Choice program.  

One of those schools is Franklin Elementary, with a student body that is 75 percent African-American, four percent Caucasian and 21 percent other ethnicities. According to district spokesperson Karen Sarlo, that disparity is caused by the school’s age — it is only two years old and has not yet had time to recruit a diverse student body. Many of the students have come to the school because they live nearby or because they followed Principal Barbara Penny James from LeConte, where she was a longtime principal. 

Advisory committee chair Martinez suggested that Franklin consider adding dual-immersion classes, which have drawn large numbers of applicants. The classes, which are made up of an equal amount of native Spanish speakers non-Spanish speakers, feature instruction in both languages.  

School boardmembers also asked the advisory committee to investigate ways to add other factors influencing diversity — such as socioeconomic status and native language — as factors in assignment.  

Santa Clara fought hard to escape Haas Pavilion Sunday afternoon with a win, answering California’s every effort throughout the game to pull out a 77-73 victory over the Bears. Senior guard Courtney Johnson scored a career-high 32 points for the Bears in the effort. The contest marked a reunion of sorts for California head coach Caren Horstmeyer, who left Santa Clara last year to take over coaching duties at Cal this season.  

“That was a great game,” said Horstmeyer. “There had to be a winner and there had to be a loser. For me, it was a really fun game. I think Santa Clara ended up doing what they needed to do to win the game. I’m very proud of our team.”  

California (3-5 overall, 0-0 in the Pac-10) jumped out to an early lead, holding the Broncos off through most of the first half while compiling an 11 point lead, 21-10, with 8:54 remaining in the frame. That’s just about when Santa Clara (4-2 overall, 0-0 in the WCC) switched gears, chipping away at the Bears’ lead slowly but consistently until sophomore forward Julie Butler was able to hand the Broncos their first lead of the game with 1:41 remaining the in first half, 31-30. Santa Clara would go on to take a 36-35 lead into halftime.  

In the second half, roles were reversed, this time with Santa Clara running up a slight lead early, forcing the Bears to play catch-up. With 12:20 remaining in the game, it was Butler again for the Broncos, this time handing Santa Clara its largest lead of the afternoon, 53-42.  

At that point, it was California’s turn to chip away at its opponent’s advantage, and that’s just what it did. Junior center Ami Forney went into action, scoring six points in 2:15 minutes to bring California within one, 53-52, with 8:35 to play in the game. Forney finished the night with her third career double-double, her second of the season, tallying 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears. Senior forward Lauren Ashbaugh knocked down 12 points to round out the Bears’ leading scorers.  

“I think that we definitely did learn from this,” said Horstmeyer. “What I think was great was that we played against a lot of different things. I think we were a little flustered in the first half but in the second half we made some good adjustments.”  

As resilient as they’d been all night, Santa Clara had a response for the Bears, adding a couple of points to their lead and holding through for the victory, eventually holding off the Bears’ final minute of fouling to secure the 77-73 win.  

Santa Clara had five players in double-digit scoring, led by sophomore forward Kendra Rhea’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guards Caroline Gruening and Becki Ashbaugh each added 12 points for the Broncos while senior forward Jennifer Glysson and Butler tapped down 10 apiece. The Broncos also benefited from the Bears’ 21 turnovers during the course of the game, compared to their own 14.  

California returns to action Friday, Dec. 22, at San Diego State in a 7 p.m. match-up with the Aztecs.

Berkeley residents are concerned about health risks from the radiation-emitting wireless antennas sprouting up around town but city officials say there’s nothing they can do as long as the antennas look good. 

The City Council will consider a recommendation to amend the municipal code to better regulate the installation of telecommunications systems this Tuesday. But the new ordinances will only regulate maintenance and installation of the systems.  

Federal law limits the city to only regulating the appearance of the antennas, according to Vivian Khan, interim deputy director of the Planning and Development Department. 

Khan said the antenna emission levels and safety concerns are regulated by the federal government under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and there is absolutely nothing the city can do beyond requiring the structures not be unsightly. “Residents concerned about negative health effects from the towers should be directing their concerns to their federal representative,” she said. 

But Dr. Leonard Schwartzburd , who lives 75 feet from the proposed site of a wireless antenna on the roof of the Oaks Theater at 1875 Solano Ave., said the city has more influence over antenna placement than it is willing to admit. 

“There pleading impotence when its really a lack of initiative,” he said. 

In a letter to the Daily Planet, Schwartzburd referred the city to the FCC web site (fcc.gov) where he said there are volumes of information presented by the National League of Cities addressing the broad powers of cities to regulate radiation transmitting antennas. 

Schwartzbud also cited Berkeley’s 1996 “Wireless Telecommunications Antenna Guidelines,” which states that such antennas are not appropriate for residential areas and should be discouraged. 

Medical journals in the United Kingdom have been publishing articles describing a growing body of evidence that wireless antennas and cell phones emit harmful amounts of radiation, according to John Taylor, a professor of mycology at UC Berkeley and neighbor of the Oaks Theater. The articles claim that children are especially at risk. 

In fact, government officials in the United Kingdom just announced a $10 million commitment to research the effects of cellular radiation and to launch a public information campaign discouraging children from any cell phone use, according to an Associated Press article published Friday. 

“Even in this country, every time they enact new regulations for antenna emissions they lower the allowable levels of emissions,” Taylor said. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board approved an application by Nextel Corporation to place a wireless antenna on top of the Oaks Theater on Oct. 12. Neighbors have filed an appeal that will be heard by the City Council at their Dec. 19 meeting. 

Another antenna has been proposed by Sprint telecommunications on the roof of the Berkleley-Richmond Jewish Community Center on Walnut Street.  

The ZAB will be considering the proposal at its Dec. 14 meeting. 

In is uncertain exactly how many wireless antennas there are in Berkeley but Senior Analyst Roger Miller of the City Manager’s Office said most of the existing antennas are in West Berkeley.

Overcoming fatigue and an early deficit, the Berkeley Yellowjackets won the consolation championship game of the Chris Vontoure Classic at De La Salle Saturday, beating Castlemont (Oakland) 69-60. 

Berkeley again relied on turnovers created by its full-court press defense and scoring from its guards, creating turnovers that became easy baskets. Off guard Allyn Washington scored 16 points, and point guard Ryan Davis added 14 while distributing the ball. Davis, a Lincoln (San Francisco) transfer, was the only Berkeley player to make the all-tournament team. 

Forward Louis Riordan finally found his touch from the outside and got into the offense, hitting three three-pointers on his way to 12 points. 

Riordan is the tallest Yellowjacket at 6-foot-5, and the lack of size again hurt Berkeley on the boards. Castlemont’s big men flew in for several offensive rebounds during the first half, keeping the score close. Beefy senior forward Roderick Picou was especially productive, grabbing four offensive boards and scoring 10 points in the half. Only a Riordan trey and Davis free throw in the last minute gave the ’Jackets a 36-31 halftime lead. 

Following a six-point Berkeley run to open the third quarter, Picou again asserted himself on the offensive glass, getting two putback buckets within a minute to put his team back in contention. Two Berkeley turnovers turned into Castlemont layups, and forward Marquis Nettles hit another layup and drew a foul. He converted the free throw, and the Knights had their first lead of the second half at 48-46. 

But Riordan got open outside again, draining another three, then forced Castlemont’s Damien Matthieu into a double-dribble. Guard Byron St. Jules hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, and the ’Jackets were on top again, 52-48. 

But the Knights refused to die, hitting two fast-break layups to tie the score. But Washington and Davis answered back with easy baskets, and Riordan broke the Knights’ spirit with his final three-pointer of the game. Guard Muhammed Nitoto scored five points in less than a minute to give the ’Jackets a 10-point lead with less than two minutes left to leave no doubt as to the outcome of the game.

All night study sessions. Nails bitten to the quick. Dark circles under the eyes. Final exams are next week, and students at UC Berkeley are gearing up for the most stressful time of the semester. 

Counselors working at the Student Life Advising Services said that for some students, the pressure to succeed is overwhelming. And around finals week, many reach their breaking point. 

“A lot of students come in teary-eyed and frustrated at this time of year,” said Saba Ali, a peer adviser who said her calendar is completely booked with appointments. A small number of the students she advises are so anxiety-ridden that they have contemplated suicide, Ali said.  

But most just suffer from simple procrastination. 

“The majority of people who come in here just want to vent,” she said. “They're not looking for a solution, they know the solution. They know they’ve got to stop talking about how much work they have to do and go hit the books.” 

But hitting the books is not that easy for everyone. Fabrizio Mejia, an academic counselor at the advising service, said that developing good study habits can be a challenge-particularly for students who are the first in their families to attend college. 

“Their biggest problem is realizing that they belong here. They are usually coming from low-income schools where the standards are different than they are for students coming from better schools,” Mejia said. His average caseload during finals week is six students a day, and he said many of them are unfamiliar with academic life. 

“A lot are not just here for themselves, but for their family. They are sort of like pioneers-and that can be a huge burden,” Mejia said. 

According to the Office of Student Research, 16.4 percent of last year’s freshman class had parents with a high school education or less. Harold Campbell, the Director of the Academic Achievement Division, said that some 6,500 students at UC Berkeley are educational “trailblazers” within their families. His program is federally supported to assist 350 of them to stay in school. 

Barbara Mumby knows how tough it can be. A Native American, she became the first in her family to pursue a college degree when she transferred to Berkeley from a community college last year. She said it took her two semesters just to figure out how to find the support services she needed to study effectively. 

“When you first get here there is this fear of the unknown,” Mumby said. “There is this terror because you don't know if you're going to pass.” She said that her family keeps her going. “They are so proud of me for making it this far, and I don't want to let them down.” 

Priscilla Cervantez, also a first generation student, said that when she arrived at Berkeley as a freshman last year, she was ready to hit the ground running. She signed up for study groups and tutoring sessions at the Student Learning Center. This year, she said she has a rigorous twenty-five hour a week study schedule for her economics class, which is a prerequisite for her major. 

“For me, there was no other option than to go to college.” Cervantez said, adding that her parents, themselves immigrants from Mexico, “bought into that mainstream American ideology that the key to success is education. That really rubbed off on me.” 

Though many of these students have a cheering section at home, Campbell said they still need all the support they can get during finals. 

“Finals are a traumatic time for everyone, but is especially so for these students who are still feeling their way through the system,” he said. “They knew the ropes in high school and community college, but this new circumstance is unfamiliar, and they internalize that as a personal deficit.” 

Fortunately, Campbell said, there are many resources at Cal to help first generation students manage the final exam crunch-including student peer groups, individual counselors and tutors. 

“There is a myth at Berkeley that everyone is doing well and that feeds itself,” said Mejia, one of those counselors. “It goes on and on until people finally break down and look for someone to help.” 

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s horrifying animal lovers and baffling scientists — two sea otters are sexually assaulting and then drowning harbor seal pups in an area about 80 miles south of San Francisco. 

Over the past three months, the raging otters have killed more than a dozen young seal in the waters of Elkhorn Slough, a tidal inlet located midway between Santa Cruz and Monterey. 

“Their motive remains a mystery. All I know is we’ve suddenly have a couple of otters killing seals at a fairly fast pace,” said Jim Harvey of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. “And if we get five or six of these otters in the slough, we won’t have a seal pup left.” 

Witnesses to the slaughter say the otters attempt to have sex with the seal pups before shoving them underwater long enough to drown them. 

The first otter to exhibit the behavior was Morgan, a graduate of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation program which rehabilitates abandoned otters.  

The second otter is apparently mimicking Morgan’s deadly ways. 

“This doesn’t absolve Morgan of anything, but it gave us the feeling everybody was focusing on Morgan when he wasn’t the only culprit,” said Andy Johnson, director of the otter conservation program. 

The slain seal pups had bite marks and scratches on their snouts and lungs filled with water. 

Morgan’s antics disturbed researchers who watched him cling to the carcass of one seal pup for two days as he sought food. During that period, he tried to mate with the corpse. 

Aquarium researchers tried to capture Morgan, but he proved too elusive in the murky waters of Elkhorn Slough. 

If Morgan can be captured he will be equipped with a radio transmitter in his abdomen and possibly relocated. Animals authorities can’t kill Morgan or the other otter because they are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. 

“I’d rather have the animals removed from the wild,” Harvey said, noting that pregnant seals will begin to give birth in March. 

SAN FRANCISCO – A three-year-old boy originally thought to have died Wednesday from scooter injuries was actually killed by another person, a coroner’s report revealed. 

Police announced Sunday that Patrick Goodman, 26, the boyfriend of the boy’s mother, was arrested in connection with the Elija Sanderson’s death. 

Sanderson’s mother had told police the three-year-old repeatedly fell from a scooter while playing with his brothers and sisters Tuesday. The next morning Sanderson claimed she found Elija in bed, lying unconscious in a pool of vomit. 

At that time police said their were no indications of negligence or foul play, according to Lt. Judie Pursell. 

But the medical examiner’s report completed over the weekend ruled Elija’s death a homicide, and the investigation began to focus on those around him. 

The report and the continuing investigation into the boy’s death ruled out the reported scooter falls as the cause of death, police said. Goodman is the main suspect. 

SAN JOSE — More than 50 people were hospitalized Sunday after pepper spray was released in four stores, police said. 

Customers first began complaining of watery, burning eyes at a Kmart on the city’s east side, about five miles from downtown. The store was evacuated about 3 p.m., sending 30 people to local hospitals complaining of nausea, sore throats and itchy eyes, said San Jose Fire Capt. Mark Mooney. No serious injuries were reported. 

Two hours later, the same symptoms cleared a Ward’s department store and a Walgreen’s pharmacy, sending 16 and six people to the hospital, respectively. A Starbucks also was evacuated, but no one was hospitalized, Mooney said. 

No suspects have been identified, but police believe the incidents, which occurred within a five-mile radius, are related, said San Jose Police spokesman Rubens Dalaison. 

MODESTO – Detectives have found the remains of a five-year-old girl in the backyard of her guardians’ home. 

Megan Lynn Mendez was reported missing by “a concerned person” in March this year, Stanislaus County Deputy Jeff Broumas said, but evidence shows she died in early 1999. 

On Friday Sheriff’s detectives dug up the remains of a child they believe to be Mendez after questioning Josephine and Margarito Origel. The couple was friendly with Mendez’s mother and had custody of the girl when she disappeared. 

Josephine Origel, 45, was charged with murder and Margarito Origel, 47, was charged with accessory to murder and child endangerment. 

Broumas said detectives questioned the couple Friday afternoon and they helped detectives find Mendez’s body when they returned in the evening. Detectives spent several hours digging five feet deep near a row of fruit trees in the couple’s backyard, where they found a bundle of cloth and a child’s decomposed remains. 

Broumas would not say what new information detectives had that led them to get a search warrant for the Origels’ home on Friday. 

The missing girl was last seen alive in late 1998 or early 1999, according to investigators. they said Mendez was suffering from injuries before she died — the exact date of her death is unclear. 

“There’s nothing ’regular’ about this case. Nothing is as it should be,” Broumas said. “We get a thousand missing persons reports a year, and this is nowhere near the norm.” 

When Mendez disappeared, she lived with the Origels at a different apartment. Police said Josephine Origel locked her body in a freezer until the couple moved to their current home. 

“It’s just a tragic way for a little girl’s life to end,” Broumas said. 

Mendez’s mother, Laura Gunter, died of a drug overdose on March 27, 1998, and her father was not a part of her life. Police said Mendez was addicted to narcotics at birth.

By Paul Chavez 

Associated Press Writer 

LOS ANGELES – California’s main power supplier issued an emergency warning for the seventh consecutive day Sunday, and utilities in the Northwest urged customers to cut back their electricity use as temperatures there plunged. 

“A warning like this is price-blind, it’s not an economic action. Energy isn’t available at any price,” said Dulcy Mahar, a spokeswoman for the Northwest Emergency Response Team, comprised of Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho utilities and state representatives. 

The Northwest group met Sunday and reissued a Stage Two warning for the region, where temperatures were about 15 degrees below normal. 

While the Northwest cold snap isn’t expected to be as harsh as previously thought, forecasters still expect temperatures will dip well into the 20s this week. 

“Just about every degree above what was previously expected makes things a little bit better,” Jay Albrecht, a National Weather Service forecaster in Seattle, said of the weather’s impact on the energy crisis. 

The cold weather in the Northwest affects much of California as well because as the cold increases, natural gas that powers generating facilities could be diverted to Washington and Oregon to heat homes and offices. 

The Independent System Operator, which manages the power grid that serves 75 percent of California, also issued a Stage Two emergency on Sunday between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. and urged residents statewide to keep their holiday lights off until 7 p.m. 

Last week, Stage Two emergencies — power reserves at less than 5 percent —were issued each day, and on Thursday, an unprecedented Stage Three emergency was issued, meaning reserves had fallen below 1 1/2 percent and the threat of rolling outages loomed. 

Electricity deregulation, the cold weather and rising power costs have been blamed for the state’s recent power problems. 

California approved a phased-in deregulation of the electricity market in 1996 in an effort to lower prices for consumers through competition, but so far it has only led to higher energy prices. The Northwest, which relies on hydroelectric power, has struggled with low water tables and has had to import electricity from other states, including California. 

At the request of California officials, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday approved lifting price caps on wholesale California electricity to ease the power crunch. The order means the $250 per megawatt hour limit for wholesale electricity can be exceeded if the sellers can justify the costs. A megawatt is enough to power about 1,000 homes. 

California Gov. Gray Davis criticized the move saying it would only lead to more price increases. But ISO officials said Sunday that lifting the price cap had already affected the power market. 

Wholesale power costs have been soaring, due in large part to skyrocketing prices for natural gas. Wholesale natural gas, which sold for less than $20 per million British thermal units a week ago, now sells for three times that. 

“Our emergency action we took on Friday has certainly helped,” said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. “It made megawatts available to the market.” 

The power flow will receive another boost Monday when a unit at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to resume production after one of its two units was shut down for maintenance, McCorkle said. The two units can provide enough power for about 2 million people.

ONTARIO – Police rescued a teen-ager Saturday after a roughly 10-hour standoff that ended with the death of a federal police officer accused of kidnapping the boy a day earlier. 

David Leonard Clairmont, 32, was shot just after 9 a.m. during an exchange of gunfire with a police SWAT team after he barricaded himself inside a hotel room bathroom. It was not immediately clear whether the fatal shot was self-inflicted or from officers’ fire. 

Clairmont was due in court Monday to face three felony charges related to sex crimes with the same boy, a 13-year-old middle school student, Riverside County Sheriff’s spokesman Mark Lohman said. 

Shortly before the standoff’s furious ending, police believed Clairmont was ready to surrender peacefully. 

“He gave every indication that he wanted to come out,” Lohman said. 

The boy was unhurt, suffering only the effects of tear gas that officers pumped into the room after negotiations deteriorated. Wearing blue jeans and a gray T-shirt, he was taken from the bathroom, passed through a hotel window and rushed to an ambulance before the gunfire erupted. 

Clairmont, an officer with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles, was in uniform when he abducted the boy about 7 a.m. Friday from a school bus stop in Bermuda Dunes, an unincorporated area about 15 miles east of Palm Springs, Lohman said. 

Several other children witnessed the kidnapping but were not hurt. 

Clairmont forced the boy into a rented car and fled west on Interstate 10, leading California Highway Patrol officers on a chase that hit speeds of 110 mph. The CHP lost sight of him in Redlands. 

Still in uniform, he checked in about four hours later to the Country Suites hotel in Ontario, a San Bernardino County city about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. 

Police received a tip sometime after 10 p.m. that Clairmont was there and later evacuated a section of the hotel. 

They found his service gun in the trunk of his rented Pontiac Grand-Am, but he told hostage negotiators that he had another weapon, Lohman said. 

Negotiators kept in contact with Clairmont and the boy throughout the night. Clairmont told officers he wanted to give up but was “just trying to get up the nerve,” Lohman said. 

He did not immediately know why Clairmont refused to surrender, but the man faced felony charges after being arrested for allegedly molesting the boy last summer. 

He was booked into Riverside County Jail on July 23 and released on bond. 

At the time, Clairmont and the boy lived in the same Riverside apartment complex, Lohman said. The boy’s family has since moved to Bermuda Dunes. He was to be reunited with them Saturday after being treated at a hospital. 

Clairmont, who police said had a military police background, most recently was living in San Luis Obispo County and was on administrative leave from his job, authorities said.

PASADENA – Dozens of picketers lined the sidewalk in front of a local Target store Saturday, claiming that garments sold in the chain stores are made under sweatshop conditions in Nicaragua and that workers are not paid a living wage. 

“We’re asking Target to be responsible corporate leaders,” said Marissa Nuncio of Sweatshop Watch, an Oakland-based civil rights organization. “By taking a stand and being a responsible corporation they can encourage other retailers to do the same.” 

Officials at Minneapolis-based Target Stores, a division of the Dayton-Hudson Corporation, did not return phone messages left Saturday at their headquarters. 

After a similar protest in Milwaukee in August, Patty Morris, a spokeswoman for Target Stores, said the company has performed four audits on a Nicaraguan factory this year and no evidence of abusive working conditions were found. 

About 100 protesters, many carrying signs painted with reproductions of the retailer’s bull’s-eye logo, crowded the curb on one of Pasadena’s busiest streets. They also railed against the plight that garment workers face in El Salvador, Saipan and Los Angeles sweatshops. 

They also chanted slogans and handed fliers to motorists, some of whom honked their horns in support. 

Activists said they chose to demonstrate during the holiday shopping season, which they called “the season of conscience,” to bring home their message of working conditions in garment factories. 

“During this holiday season a lot of people go shopping and don’t always take the time to think about how the products in the store are produced,” Pam Brubaker of the group Mobilization of the Human Family told a cheering crowd. “This is the purpose of the season of conscience, to help educate shoppers about sweatshop conditions.” 

Demonstrators sang protest songs set to the tune of Christmas carols, with titles like “Rest Easy Wealthy Gentlemen,” led by the musical group Billionaires for Greater Global Inequity. 

“If people realize that goods and services are being brought to them by labor that’s exploited, I don’t think a lot of people are going to be happy with that equation,” said musician Clifford Tasner, who uses the stage name Felonius Ax. “I don’t think that a lot of people want to buy goods that somebody bled to create for them.” 

“The idea is not to boycott because we don’t want these people to lose their jobs,” said Mo Menon of the United Students Against Sweatshops. “But we have power as consumers and we should use that power to pressure the corporations.” 

Shoppers leaving the store said they were not aware of the demonstrators’ allegations that garments sold at Target are made under sweatshop conditions. 

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” said Jimmy Goeller, a software engineer vacationing from Tucson. “Realistically, I don’t think it will change my shopping habits. I wish it would, though.”

LOS ANGELES – Farm labor leader Dolores Huerta was recovering in fair condition Sunday from pneumonia and an infection. 

Huerta, 70, remained at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center after being admitted in critical condition on Thursday. Doctors removed her from the intensive care unit Saturday night, hospital spokesman Dan Page said. 

“Her voice is really weak, her physical strength is very weak, but apart from that she’s in great spirits,” said her son, Emilio Huerta. “She’s in a little bit of discomfort but she’s trying not to show it.” 

Emilio Huerta has asked that well-wishers not try to visit or telephone the labor leader but instead donate blood to their local blood bank in honor of his mother. Dolores Huerta received 27 pints of blood over the course of her surgery and recovery, the son said. 

Huerta fought an infection she developed while recovering from intestinal surgery in Bakersfield in October. 

She was in critical condition for more than a week after the surgery and later spent two weeks at a rehabilitation center. Complications forced her back to Bakersfield Heart Hospital on Nov. 30. 

Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union with the late Cesar Chavez. Together they negotiated collective bargaining agreements and contracts with big growers, winning the first health and benefit plans for farm workers. 

Huerta stepped down as UFW secretary-treasurer in September to help campaign for Al Gore.

ORLAND – The parish hall at St. Dominic Catholic Church is packed on a Thursday night — some 70 parents want to learn about the gangs on their streets. 

Many in the audience wear headphones to hear a Spanish translation of the talk by Glenn County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Dahl. After exhibiting an arsenal of gang paraphernalia, Dahl addresses an unspoken question. 

“People say we’re picking on Hispanic kids,” Dahl says. “Unfortunately, at this time, 95 percent of our gangs are Hispanic.” 

The number is more like 75 percent, according to research funded by a federal anti-gang grant. That research concludes area gangs also attract white, black and Asian teens. 

“This is not a Hispanic issue. This is a community issue,” says Linda Shelton, Glenn County’s chief of probation. 

Glenn County’s gang statistics come from “field interview” reports filed by sheriff’s deputies. A deputy marks a teen-ager as a gang member if he fits any three of 12 characteristics — ranging from “admits gang membership” to “observed associating with known gang members.” 

This method quantifies the gang problem. But it does have critics. 

“The police tend to perceive minority kids hanging out on the corner as all gangsters,” says Lewis Yablonsky, a professor of criminology at Cal State-Northridge and an expert witness in dozens of gang trials. “The sheer fact of association doesn’t prove membership.” 

Like many other parts of rural America, Glenn County is changing. In the 1990s, whites dropped from 74 percent to 68 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census. Meanwhile, the Hispanic population increased from 20 percent to 26 percent. 

But since a majority of gang members are Hispanic, shouldn’t members of the Hispanic community be among the chief organizers of the anti-gang effort? 

That question bugs Richard Judkins, a pastoral assistant at St. Dominic, and member of the anti-gang grant oversight committee. He says Hispanics are underrepresented on the panel. 

“The first or second meeting I sat there and looked around and asked, ’Shouldn’t we have some Latinos here?”’ Judkins said. “It’s just one more bureaucracy in the county echelons, and consequently it has no legitimacy in the Hispanic community.” 

Shelton disagrees, saying that Hispanics participate actively in the project. 

“It’s not like we sit here in a lily-white office and point our fingers and say ’it’s their problem,”’ Shelton says.

The Associated Press 

BURBANK – Investigators are surprised that a 12-year-old girl who lived in a “slave setting” for at least two years survived the abuse. 

Police, who were responding to a call, found the girl Dec. 2 hiding near the home where she lived with Erlinda Reyes Allan, 37, and Marcus Allan, 42, said Burbank Police Lt. Don Brown. 

Brown said the girl was so malnourished that she appeared to be 7 or 8 years old. This was the worst child abuse case Brown said he had seen in his 40 years on the force. 

“There was not a part of her body that was not bruised, cut or split open,” he said. “When we see people in this condition, they are usually dead.” 

The Burbank couple was arrested and charged earlier this week with one count each of torture, child abuse and corporal injury to a child.  

Bail is set at $630,000 for Marcus Allan and $600,000 for Erlinda Allan, who are both scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 4 in Burbank Superior Court. 

If convicted, Brown said, the couple could be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. 

Police said neighbors and school officials called child abuse investigators twice before to report that the girl had not been at school.  

But investigators said she was never found at home because they later learned the couple — who would tell officers the girl was in the Philippines with relatives — ordered the girl to flee the house and hide. 

According to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials, Erlinda Allan is an illegal immigrant who came from the Philippines in 1977 on a visitor’s visa. 

Authorities are trying to determine the relationship between the girl and the couple.  

Three teen-agers, two girls and a boy, also lived at the home, but police weren’t sure of their relationship to the adults or the girl. 

Authorities said the teen-age children were also abused. 

All four remained Friday in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

VALLEJO – One year ago, 7-year-old Xiana Fairchild left home for school and never came back. 

A high-profile search for the girl with wavy-hair and a gap-toothed grin has seen flurries of accusations, rifts between families and countless leads — but no prospect of her return. 

On Dec. 9, 1999, Fairchild’s mother Antoinette Robinson reported her daughter missing. Robinson’s then-boyfriend, Robert Turnbough, told police he had left Fairchild at a bus stop, but later changed his story to say she walked alone to catch the bus. 

Vallejo police have never called Turnbough a suspect, although they said he has been under “a cloud of suspicion” because of his conflicting tales. 

A federal grand jury questioned both Turnbough and Robinson a half- dozen times in the past year. Over that period, police sifted through a landfill in Washington that accepts Vallejo’s trash, organized searches and kept up hope. 

But a mystery that involved 30 Vallejo investigators has become just another case that a team of three detectives must juggle. 

Still, some in Fairchild’s family persevere. 

Stephanie Kahalekulu, the girl’s great aunt, has drawn hundreds of people to the periodic fund-raisers and continues with weekly searches. 

“I know they say there’s a good chance she’s not alive, but I can’t accept that,” Kahalekulu told the San Francisco Chronicle. “You know there’s one person or a whole group out there who’s evil, who knows what happened to Xiana, and I believe any day now we are going to find out who they are.” 

Kahalekulu raised Fairchild in Hawaii and Colorado until six months before her disappearance. She sent Fairchild to Vallejo, a former Navy town about 30 miles north of San Francisco, after Robinson assured her family she had kicked a drug habit. 

Vallejo police say though it’s not likely Fairchild is alive, the investigation presses forward. 

“We’re actively pursuing leads and keeping our hopes up,” Vallejo police spokeswoman JoAnn West said. 

Some of those hopes are tied to another kidnapping case in Vallejo. In August, police charged Curtis Dean Anderson with kidnapping and sexually molesting an 8-year-old girl. He has denied all the charges and has not been charged in the Fairchild case. 

Following Anderson’s arrest, however, Vallejo police repeatedly searched his mother’s house for clues that might link him to Fairchild’s disappearance. 

In an interview, Anderson told the Contra Costa Times there was nothing wrong with adults having sex with children. 

“I’m different,” he told the paper. “I do what I want, when I want, how I want.”

HOLLISTER – For two lesbian women who started a small-town weekly newspaper in rural Hollister, it seemed like a simple and sweet idea: Leave the daily grind of the big city behind and take on a slower pace while being your own boss. 

But Tracie Cone and Ana Marie dos Remedios hadn’t planned on being targeted by an unknown Internet antagonist bent on smearing their names and reputations by linking them to Internet pornography and accusing their columnist of child molestation. 

“The worst thing is not knowing who it is and what the risks are,” dos Remedios said. 

The troubles began in October with the emergence of a Web site attacking their publication, the Pinnacle. Three more anti-Pinnacle Web sites soon followed. 

Then the couple’s horses were mysteriously let out of their enclosure, followed by an odd computer crash in the newsroom. Cone and dos Remedios admit it could be coincidence, but they’re getting spooked by the string of bad luck that has hit them, and they think someone is out to get them. 

They say they’ve been attacked because they make no secret they are a gay couple. 

“The whole underlying theme of the site is anti-gay,” dos Remedios told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The Web site says we are trying to turn this place into Sodom and Gomorrah.” 

The San Benito County sheriff’s office has investigated, but they say the Web sites, albeit accusatory in tone, do not constitute criminal activity. 

Cone and dos Remedios aren’t taking the mocking Web sites lightly. They filed suit in U.S. District Court in San Jose last month and are requesting $5 million in damages from their yet unknown detractors, listed as John Does in the suit.  

The suit alleges libel, copyright infringement and civil rights violations. 

Pinnacle columnist Bob Valenzuela joined the suit after discovering a picture of himself on the Web site with accompanying text accusing him of child molestation. 

Cone explained that the Pinnacle has extensively covered growth issues in the area and that may have instigated some of the venom directed toward them. City councilman Joseph Felice said Cone and dos Remedios are typical of Hollister’s newcomers who want to move in and slow growth by closing the door behind them. 

Felice, a vocal detractor of the Pinnacle’s stance on growth, says the Web sites appear to be designed to implicate him as their author, and he believes it has likely been posted on the Internet by one of his supporters. 

He says the Web sites have every right to coexist in a world with the Pinnacle. 

“It’s freedom of speech. It’s no different than what’s printed in the Pinnacle each week,” Felice said.

BERKELEY – To James Vander Putten, it’s somewhere he can laugh about the time his blue collar slipped out at a fancy faculty do. 

Ken Oldfield sees it as a chance to brag on the grandmother who kept things together by cooking eight hours a day on the cement floor of a West Virginia diner — and not have to worry that he’s losing points with his audience. 

The place is Working Class Academics, an Internet support and networking group. The point: How to negotiate the chardonnay-and-brie world of academia on a beer-and-pretzels background. 

“It’s a minefield,” says Vander Putten, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and one of the more than 200 members of WCA. “In my very brief faculty career, I’ve learned that like hires like and so what you don’t know is often more important than what you do know.” 

Professors like Vander Putten and Oldfield aren’t the first to look at academia through blue-collar glasses. But it’s only been in the last five years that they’ve had an Internet connection. 

It began when sociologist Barbara J. Peters happened upon an Internet posting from a woman who wrote that she didn’t understand the fuss about social background — after all she’d chosen to be working class with a stint as a waitress. 

“It just pushed a button,” says Peters, a former welfare mother who grew up in rural poverty — no running water for starters. “I sent a message: If you chose to be working class you definitely were not working class. It’s not a choice.” 

Response to that message was so heavy Peters decided to create a separate forum — Working Class Academics. 

Since then there’s been a regular stream of postings as members vent, mentor, network and chew over such philosophical issues as when — or if — one ceases to be working class and the right way to twirl spaghetti. “We’ve talked about, ‘Is country music working class? Is wearing polyester versus linen working class?’ You name it, we’ve talked about it,” says Peters. 

It’s hard to pin down the number of working class academics. 

At the American Association of University Professors in Washington, D.C., spokeswoman Iris Molotsky said she doesn’t know of any survey that arrives at a total of working class scholars. Still, on an anecdotal level, a recent New York Times article on Working Class Academics got people at the association “thinking about all of our friends and our own backgrounds and we realized that in fact it’s quite unusual,” she said. 

Oldfield, a professor of public administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield, has researched the point, surveying faculty at a Big Ten university about their parents’ education and occupation. 

He found that more than half of the 567 respondents said their parents were doctors, lawyers or other professionals. Only about 2 percent reported their parents were from the lowest 20 percent of the socio-economic ladder, with backgrounds such as janitors or cooks. 

Oldfield thinks it’s time universities start collecting this kind of data on their own, with the idea of creating affirmative action for poor and blue-collar students and faculty. 

He knows that’s a tough proposition. 

“There is this unwillingness to talk about class,” he says. 

Is social class that important in a self-help world? 

Vander Putten has run into people who say, “so you take an etiquette class, you can learn those things.” 

The problem, he says, is that entering university life from the wrong side of the tracks means more than not knowing what fork to use at the chancellor’s holiday gala. 

There’s the time, for instance, when, as a promising graduate student, he was invited to a swank soiree. 

Prepped to impress, he announced he’d soon be making his first trip overseas — to the Scottish city of Edinburgh. 

Except he mangled “Edinboruh” as “Edin-BERG” — “Thinking, hey, I’ve been to Pittsburgh.” — and also discovered the well-heeled and well-traveled table wasn’t too impressed to find out he was making his maiden voyage at age 37. 

“Of course they bust out laughing and it doesn’t take me long to realize that they’re not laughing with me,” he says. 

Vander Putten can laugh, too — now. But he and other WCA members don’t laugh off the perils of crashing the college class-barrier. 

“From the day you arrive you don’t know the rules, says Chelsea Starr, a sociology lecturer at the University of California at Irvine who as a child helped her mother clean houses at night. “Your parents haven’t been to college, let alone graduate school. They can’t tell you, ’If you want an office, go find out who’s on the office space committee. If you want that grant, go find out who’s on the awards committee.”’ 

Big career moves can ride on the small talk of department receptions. 

“One thing you never want to do is talk about what your parents did for a living unless they were professionals,” says Oldfield. 

Peters only recently realized why she feels like falling apart at those department get-togethers: “Poor people, when we talk to each other, we sit down. We don’t stand with a wine glass and little plate of stuff trying to balance everything.” 

So far, WCA has had five conferences, where members present papers, engage in scholarly discussions and then repair to a local diner — or barbecue pit — for the keynote banquet. 

“There’s this, ’Oh, yeah,’ feeling,” says Oldfield. “You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have those distant looks in people’s eyes.” 

Like many on the list, Peters has “come out” to her students, drawing on her life to help teach sociology at Southampton College of Long Island University. 

Peters’ father was a railroad worker; she became a welfare mother in the early 1970s after her first husband left her when she was five months pregnant with their first child. She later remarried and had two more children, one of whom died at 19 months from a rare heart ailment. Her second marriage also ended and for a while she was incapacitated by a disability. 

“If I talk about poverty; I know about welfare. I know that it’s not like the politicians and people would have us believe,” she says. 

Through lessons learned the hard way, Peters is there to help students overcome the big hurdles. And she knows how to set a classy table. 

Recently, Peters presented a student who had overcome tremendous personal odds with a graduation gift of one napkin ring and a napkin to go in it. “I told her, when you get your Ph.D., you get the rest of the napkins,” she said.

SAN JOSE – The world’s largest manufacturer of computer chips can’t stop making them faster. 

Intel Corp. says its lab researchers have built the world’s smallest and fastest transistor — a milestone that will allow the Santa Clara-based company to build within the next five or 10 years microprocessors that will be 10 times more powerful than the ones available today. 

Intel officials plan to share details of the breakthrough Monday in San Francisco at the International Electron Devices Meeting, a technical conference for semiconductor engineers and scientists. 

“It’s discoveries like these that make me excited about the future,” said Sunlin Chou, vice president and general manager of Intel’s technology and manufacturing group. “It’s one thing to achieve a great technological breakthrough. It’s another to have one that is practical and will change everyone’s lives.” 

Chips, which are the brains of computers and other smart devices, contain transistors that act like switches controlling the flow of electrons. The smaller the transistors, the faster the chips can perform. 

Intel scientists think the breakthrough will make devices of science fiction stories a reality within a decade. Intel cited an instantaneous voice translation device as an example. 

Today’s fastest chip on the market, Intel’s Pentium 4, squeezes 42 million transistors onto a sliver of silicon, runs at a speed of 1.5 gigahertz, or 1.5 billion cycles per second, and consumes 1.7 volts of power. 

With the latest tiny transistors, future chips could have 400 million or more transistors and run at 10-gigahertz speeds, operating at less than a volt. The new transistors, Intel said, are .03 microns wide, or about three atoms thick. A pile of 100,000 of them would equal the thickness of a sheet of paper, the company said. 

“Semiconductors have been on this growth curve for a long time, and Intel has validated that we’ll be able to continue on this path,” said Jim Handy, a chief analyst with Dataquest. 

Other semiconductor manufacturers, such as IBM Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., have all been locked in a race with Intel to create faster, smaller chips. 

For the moment, Intel is holding the crown.

SAN DIEGO – A shareholder has filed an investor lawsuit against Gateway alleging the computer seller misled investors in the fall about financial statements. 

The lawsuit was filed late Thursday on behalf of Houston shareholder James Burton, who is seeking class-action securities status in federal court in San Diego. 

The lawsuit claims that Gateway reported false and misleading financial results for the three months ending in September. It also alleges that Gateway failed to record the declining value from its investments in start-up companies and insisted that it was experiencing strong retail demand for PCs, despite obvious signs of weakening sales. 

“We deny the allegations and will defend ourselves vigorously,” said John Spelich, a Gateway spokesman. “I really can’t elaborate beyond that.” 

Gateway said it expected a strong fourth quarter when it reported its third quarter results in October. 

The financial analysis firm Wit Soundview downgraded Gateway’s stock on Nov. 20 from buy to hold, citing the company’s reliance on a U.S. consumer market in which PC demand has been slowing and signs of weak cash flow. 

Gateway itself warned Nov. 29 that holiday sales were going to be weaker than expected and the announcement sent its stock plummeting 34 percent, to $20.30, on the day of the warning. It closed Friday at $17.50. 

The 25-page lawsuit accuses Gateway’s founding chairman, Ted Waitt, and chief financial officer, John Todd, of knowing the third-quarter results issued Oct. 12 were misleading. 

The lawsuit also alleges that Gateway executives tried to hide information that countered their bullish outlook and shredded documents. 

Investor lawsuits have become relatively common as shareholders unhappy over soured investments seek compensation from corporations and their executives. 

A group of investors sued Lucent Technologies last month claiming the struggling telecommunications equipment maker misled shareholders in October by reporting inflated earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter.

LOS ANGELES – Managing chads, hanging and otherwise, is a regular part of business for BigBallot Inc., the company that runs the All-Star balloting for Major League Baseball and other sports leagues. 

In BigBallot’s elections, in which as many as 400,000 votes are counted a day, battered ballots are discarded and workers struggle to keep tabulating machines from getting clogged with tenaciously clinging bits of paper. 

“We deal with a lot of the same things they’re dealing with in Florida,” said Jeff Gehl, chief executive officer at BigBallot. “We have the same issue with chads. It fills up our machines. You end up with ballots that are unreadable.” 

While counting and recounting is causing turmoil in Florida, it is fueling the success BigBallot has enjoyed over the past 25 years. At a time when Internet companies are struggling, BigBallot is making a successful transition from bricks to clicks. 

The company, based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., began its life tabulating paper ballots for the National Basketball Association All-Star game in 1975. It was known as The Marketing Center in those days, and soon it was managing the all-star balloting programs for most major league sports. Its current roster of customers also includes ESPN’s Espy Awards and the TV Guide Awards. 

Two years ago, a group led by Gehl bought TMC and offered its services to Web-based companies to get in early on a growing trend — moving offline clients to the Internet and offering Internet firms a much-needed offline presence. 

For Internet clients, the company offers a way to keep visitors on their sites longer — known in Web lingo as making the sites “sticky.” 

“As they rushed to get to the Internet, they created these great sites, but didn’t have strategies in place for repeat visits,” said Eric Bechtel, executive vice president of sales. 

To add stickiness, BigBallot develops polls, sweepstakes and other interactive offerings that require visitors to fill out registration forms, play games and come back daily for chances to win prizes. The company also incorporates offline elements that encourage someone to log onto a client’s Web site to play a game or cast a vote. 

A notably sticky Web site is iWon.com. The sweepstakes portal and search engine, whose majority owner is CBS television, offers its users a chance to win $10,000 a day, $1 million a month and an annual grand prize of $10 million. Visitors qualify for the prizes simply by using iWon’s site to search the Web. 

The entire program — even the phone call made to the winners — is run by BigBallot. 

“The stickiest sites on the Web tend to be the sites with money components attached to them,” said Sean Kaldor, vice president of ecommerce at NetRatings. “People are flocking to sites that give them a financial incentive to go there.” 

For Citysearch, an online entertainment guide, BigBallot ran a promotion to choose top attractions in various cities that was designed to drive traffic to the sponsor’s site. 

“We’re very much behind the scenes,” said Gehl. “We do a lot of the grunt work and back room stuff companies don’t want to do.” 

BigBallot’s experience in tabulating ballots and entries yields a sideline business — detailed databases that clients can use to more efficiently target advertising and promotions. That service is critical on the Web, where advertisers are looking for a bigger bang than that derived from generic banner ads. 

“Many advertisers are focused on their return on investment and the actual conversion they’re getting,” said Christopher Todd, an analyst at Jupiter Research. 

The transition online for BigBallot has been better than expected. The privately owned company said its revenue grew 100 percent last year, and it is predicting similar growth during the next three years.  

The company does not release sales figures. 

The company also has plans to extend its services to the wireless world.  

This year, BigBallot ran a test with the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, allowing fans to use cell phones to choose a most valuable player each inning and answer a trivia question flashed on the scoreboard. Correct answers went into a drawing for a prize.

Focus on risks of 170-foot antenna tower 

On Tuesday the City Council will likely adopt a resolution to begin the process of studying possible health risks and alternatives to the 170-foot communications tower next to the new Public Safety Building. 

Councilmembers will consider a request from the city manager to approve a search for consultants to study the tower that neighbors have nicknamed the “Oil Rig.” The study will determine possible health effects from the antenna’s electromagnetic radiation, possible alternatives to the tower’s design and location as well as costs associated with possible changes. 

The city has set a deadline of Jan. 12 for consultant applications and expects to award the contract by March 30. 

City staff worked with the Tower Study Committee, a group of residents mostly from the immediate neighborhood, to determine the scope of the study. 

The communications tower was erected this year next to the new Tsukamoto Public Safety Building and is designed to enable the police and fire departments to communicate with field personal. The tower is designed to continue functioning through major seismic events. 

The triangular tower, which stands out among the one and two storied homes in the area, is the second tallest structure in the area. 

Neighbors have complained since construction of the tower that it blocks views, hurts property values and is possibly a health risk because of the electromagnetic radiation that would emanate from 15 vertical antennae. Currently the tower is not in operation. 

Erica Etelsonm, member of the Tower Study Committee said she is happy with the scope of the study but is anxious to get moving on the process. “I’m not all that frustrated with the delay as long as that tower is not in operation,” she said. 

Among the possible mitigation measures the consultant will research are the relocation of the tower, dispersing the structure into several smaller towers and placing the antennae on roofs in the downtown area. The consultant also will be asked to submit designs, health evaluations and cost estimates for each alternative. 

The City Council approved $50,000 for the study in May. The city manager estimates there will be an additional cost of $18,000 for administration and management by the Department of Public Works. 

John Rosenbrouck, manager of the Office of Capital Projects, said the scope of the study might change somewhat because of the fixed amount of funding. “Once we start working with a consultant there may be more discussion about how many things we can look at effectively with the limited resources,” he said. 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Interior Plastering 

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

A hands-on workshop conducted by expert Art Guerro.  

$90  

Call 525-7610 

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” 

8 p.m.  

Florence Schwimley Little Theater 

Allston Way (between Milvia & MLK Jr. Way) 

Berkeley High School’s annual theater production.  

$5 tickets available at the door  

Berkeley Community  

Chorus & Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magnolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

Cabinet Refacing  

9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Seminar led by workshop instructor Dick Taylor.  

$50 Call 525-7610 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater. $12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

Poems  

on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

Untraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 235-6134 

— compiled  

by Chason Wainwright 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” 

8 p.m.  

Florence Schwimley Little Theater 

Allston Way (between Milvia & MLK Jr. Way) 

Berkeley High School’s annual theater production.  

$5 tickets available at the door  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Retire Campaign Debt  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Takara Sake  

708 Addison St.  

Berkeley City Council member Margaret Breland’s fundraiser with food, sake tasting, beverages and live music.  

$25 donation requested 

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

4 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Video on Netanyahu protest 

9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Fact vs. Truth 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Philip Trounstine, communications director for Gov. Gray Davis speaks on “Skepticism vs. Cyniscism and Other Notes from the Dark Side.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Berkeley High Concert Chorale 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

An evening of seasonal music. Free  

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

“Water Over the Dam?” 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses hall  

UC Berkeley 

Timothy Duane, city and regional planning at UC Berkeley speaks on “PG&E’s proposed Hydro Divestiture and California’s Electricity Crisis.” Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies.  

Call 642-1474 

Models for the Millenium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs Co-ordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Former Foster Children Drop-In 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Free Clinic  

2339 Durant  

Open discussion  

Call Nancy Delaney, 548-3223 

Children’s Holiday Gift Drive  

2 - 6 p.m. 

1708-B Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Virginia) 

Donate new games, puzzles, coats, books, and toys for younger children. Donate phone cards, movie passes, gift certificates, and new clothes for teens. Or donate money to support Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency.  

Call 848-3409 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Friday, Dec. 15

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16

Video on the Netanyahu protest 

noon 

Berkeley Community Media, BTV-ch 25 will air “Two for Netanyahu,” a video by John Lionhart and David Landeau. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Rebecca Riots  

8 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

“A band with a conscience that heals minds with its political and social commentary.”  

Cal 548-1761 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Sunday, Dec. 17

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

It’s not your ordinary medical clinic. No doctors in white lab coats, and they don’t ask for your insurance information at the door. But for more than 30 years, the Berkeley Free Clinic has provided thousands of clients with basic health services. 

The clinic’s motto says it all: “Health Care for People, Not Profit.” The colorful sign over the clinic entrance at the corner of Dana Street and Durant Avenue features a dragon (an Eastern symbol of health and strength) twined around the physicians’ staff.  

In an era of increasingly draconian managed care, when California leads the nation in uninsured residents, the BFC is the antithesis of the conventional health-care provider. It is a collective, managed almost entirely by trained volunteers. The clinic provides services to anyone, no questions asked.  

“We feel that health care is a right, not a privilege,” explains Sairah Husain, a Cal undergraduate who coordinates the clinic’s referrals and information resources. 

That oft-repeated slogan summarizes the philosophy of a free clinic. The BFC has its roots in the same era as the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco. HAFC was founded in 1967 by Dr. Dave Smith in response to the seamier side of the Summer of Love, i.e., drug addiction and its attendant health problems. Similarly, the BFC started as a “street clinic” in 1969, ministering primarily to the homeless.  

Homeless people still make up a portion of the clientele, but only a portion. Students and low-income residents, people who are between jobs or waiting for their health insurance to kick in, all make use of the BFC.  

It’s one of the few places in the Bay Area that offers free dental services, and it is known throughout the area as a safe place to get anonymous testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. 

And it is known as a low-key place, where patients (”clients” is the preferred term) are on an equal footing with caregivers.  

Health workers may spend an hour or more talking with a client at the first visit. Most of the health workers are not physicians, but trained volunteers. The approach is non-authoritarian. Emphasis is on demystifying health care for the average person. “We really try to make the clients partners in their own health care,” says Husain.  

“There’s a lot of emphasis on education, on disease prevention and harm reduction. When someone comes in, we don’t just ask about their health – we try to find out what’s going on in their life that might be effecting them, any other needs they may have.” 

Certainly the clients on a recent evening seem comfortable with their surroundings. They range from a young woman in business clothes to a gray-bearded man in a trenchcoat, who has dropped off to sleep and snores gently from his chair. A female student in jeans and a sweater comes by to discuss a recent TB inoculation. She jokes with the medical staff, all lay health care workers about her age. 

BFC survives on a combination of government contracts, grants, and donations. Currently, there are about two hundred volunteers who work in various capacities. Seven “coordinators,” paid a nominal salary, manage the clinic’s seven different sections, from dental to medical to peer counseling.  

Many of the volunteers are UC Berkeley students interested in going into medicine or public health. They undergo a rigorous training process – three months of training at eight hours a week, followed by a minimum one-year volunteer commitment. Attrition is high – about half of volunteers drop out during training. 

Morgan Fitzpatrick is in her fifth month as a volunteer, working the front desk one recent night.  

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” she jokes. “It’s really changed my perspective on volunteering.”  

She is now re-evaluating whether she wants to pursue a career in medicine. In the meantime, she likes the real-world experience she gets as a volunteer. 

Medical professionals also donate their time. They include doctors, nurse practitioners, and physicians’ assistants. In keeping with BFC’s egalitarian nature, they are referred to as “shift professionals,” distinguishing them from the trained volunteers, but not denoting the usual hierarchy seen in hospitals. 

As a health care provider, BFC is clearly limited in scope. You don’t come here for heart surgery.  

The clinic doesn’t have the resources for emergency medicine or management of a chronic illness, and it sees only adult clients. That’s why an entire section of the clinic is devoted to gathering and sharing information, providing referrals to people who need more intensive or specialized health services.  

Still, the clinic continues to fill an important niche, doing its part to bridge the yawning gaps in America’s health-care system.  

The National Free Clinic Foundation of America, based in Roanoke, Virginia, estimates that there are currently some 300 free clinics in the United States, serving 1.3 million people each year. 

And the Berkeley Free Clinic is an institution with fond associations for the thousands who have trained and volunteered here through the years.  

Some have gone on to become medical professionals; many others have taken their commitment to social medicine into other professions. Many friendships and marriages have come out of volunteering at BFC. 

Sairah Husain sums up her experience: “It’s unique here in that it’s very egalitarian. You’re not being told what to do. I wanted to see the community, be part of the world – and I am.” 

The Free Clinic is at 2339 Durant Avenue. Hours of service are posted on a bulletin board there. To get information, call 548-2570 from 3-9 p.m. Monday-Friday or 4-8 p.m. on Sunday. 

Demonstration began, did not squelch Middle East discussion  

Free speech is precious. The right to express ideas without fear of reprisal is at the core of democratic society. None of us should take it for granted; history offers too many examples of the cost of its loss. 

Benyamin Netanyahu is not, it's worth pointing out, a friend of freedom of expression. And Israeli suppression of free speech in occupied Palestine has been severe. In occupied Palestine when I visited in 1989, it was illegal to own a Palestinian flag; displaying one would have brought troops into your home. It was illegal to own a map that showed The West Bank divided by a border from Israel, trade unions were prevented from holding elections, and political parties and political meetings were banned. Under Netanyahu Palestinians who demonstrated to oppose Israel's brutal and illegal occupation were shot at and beaten and jailed and tortured. 

Still, despite Netanyahu's own contempt for freedom of speech, if the protest against his appearance at the Berkeley Community Theater had threatened his ability to take part in the public debate it would have deserved our principled opposition. If the protest against Netanyahu really kept those who came to attend the Berkeley Community Theater event from having access to his thoughts and opinions it would have raised real questions about everyone's right to hear all sides of an important issue. But that is not nearly the case. 

U.S. media is open to Netanyahu 

Netanyahu has easy access to a shamefully uncritical American media. He has appeared hundreds of times on CNN and The News Hour and Nightline. And his perspective is everywhere in American media coverage. For years Americans rarely heard the term 'Palestinian' without hearing the word 'terrorist' follow it. Israeli soldiers occupy Palestinian cities and villages and our major news organizations use pro-Israeli spin terms to describe the reality; they speak of Israeli troops defending themselves as if it were the Palestinians who had invaded someone else's neighborhood.  

Occupying soldiers fire missiles from helicopter gunships into homes in Palestine while Palestinians fight using slingshots and rifles and our media speaks of Palestinian violence and Israeli "retaliation". Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and we hear of them mostly as numbers added to a running tally. It is the Israeli's tragedies that find their way into human interest stories in the American press. 

Given this imbalance in the press, does it really serve the cause of free speech to invite a criminal like Netanyahu (or Henry Kissinger who Netanyahu replaced as a speaker in this lecture series when Kissinger suffered a heart attack) to appear in a format that doesn't provide a chance for rebuttal? Does freedom of speech really require that Netanyahu or Kissinger be rewarded for what they've done with the hefty speaking fees that usually attend such engagements? And all without a protest? 

Demonstrators expressed outrage 

It is Netanyahu's critics whose perspective is ignored, misrepresented, and censored not only in Israel but here in the land of the free. It is very rare indeed to see the perspective of Palestinians or any non-Zionists represented in the reporting on the Middle East. In an effort to break out of this media blackout those of us who want peace and justice for all in Israel and Palestine demonstrated against Netanyahu. Our purpose was not to prevent him from taking part in the public debate. That would be neither remotely possible nor desirable. We sought to express our outrage at what he has done, to remind the public that there is another, largely unheard, perspective, and to encourage a movement for a change in American policy. Our demonstration against Netanyahu was non-violent and if the police had intervened we would have dispersed or allowed ourselves to be arrested peacefully. That is called civil disobedience. It has an honorable history. 

American progressives don't often condemn acts of non-violent civil disobedience. And civil disobedience not infrequently infringes in some way on free speech. Didn't the Free Speech Movement disrupt classes in 1964 with its massive demonstrations? I know that we did when we closed Columbia University during the anti-war demonstrations of 1968 and 1969. We chanted "on strike-shut it down." Wasn't that a violation of the free speech rights of the professors or of the students who wanted to deliver their lectures and pursue their careers unbothered by our demand that they notice the struggles for peace and justice that surrounded them? Would we call early 1960s civil rights heroes in the deep South violators of the right of freedom of speech if they sat-in at a segregated library and prevented it from functioning until it was open to all? How about the newspaper unions in Seattle which are on strike as I write: are they violating the publisher's right of free speech? The reader's right to read? Do we condemn those who try to close the School of the Americas? 

What if their picket lines block scab workers from entering the plant? Do we see a threat to free speech when rebels take a radio station from a state that has held power by brutal repression? 

I doubt that any of these actions would precipitate condemnation from progressives although each has aspects that could be characterized as infringing upon free speech. But the recent demonstration against Benyamin Netanyahu has been condemned as if it represented a betrayal of our common principles. 

I cannot know the feelings of each individual who has expressed concern over our demonstration. But it is time that we as a community notice and talk about the fact that there is a consistent pattern to the way those who oppose what Israel does are treated in our press and in our culture. For many Americans Israel evokes tremendous emotional loyalty. For all of us Nazi crimes have left an abiding sense of horror and a determination to prevent such atrocities in the future. Seeing Israel challenged makes some people deeply uncomfortable and angry. Our demonstration demanded that Israel's immunity from criticism must end. And it condemned not only Netanyahu but Israeli policy under both Labor and Likud governments. That often makes people upset. But is not easy for those who are troubled by such demands to engage Israel's critics in a discussion of the issues. No one wants to defend torture, illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing, institutionalized racial and religious discrimination, the shooting of young people who throw stones, the closure of schools, the destruction of homes, shooting at ambulances, the theft of land and water rights, the application of collective punishment, and the denial of fundamental human rights.  

Need to face Israel’s wrongs 

In fact many people don't even want to hear that such things might be real. So it is easier to oppose us with an accusation. In this case it is that we represent a threat to freedom of speech. At least this is a change from the usual accusations. For years we have been called anti-Semites if we are not ourselves Jewish, or self-hating Jews if we are. Those who take prominent roles in defending the rights of Palestinians regularly receive hate mail and anonymous threats. 

We should speak truthfully about freedom of speech. There is a clear difference between the threats to freedom of speech that come from repressive actions taken by a government or by the institutions of established power or even a threatening mob or letter writer on the one hand and the momentary and superficial interference with speech that may result from a peaceful protest against repression on the other. There is a difference between an effort to exclude a person or an idea from the public debate and a demonstration that happens to inconvenience a powerful political figure. 

The fact that so many Americans will protect Israel and Israeli policy from significant challenge has important and dismal consequences. Israeli policy makers take advantage of Israel's immunity from criticism to maintain their occupation of Palestine by brutal and illegal force. The purpose of our demonstration was to begin the discussions that may move us toward change. Misrepresenting the true impact of the demonstration does not further the cause of free speech. 

Netanyahu's access to a sympathetic media will not be diminished by the demonstration against him. His ideas are in no danger of being silenced. And those of us who condemn what Israel has done and is doing in Palestine will in all probability continue to be shut out of the national dialog on Middle East policy. 

That is the real threat to free speech. 

Robbie Osman hosts the program “Across the Great Divide” on KPFA and is on the board of the Middle East Children’s Alliance. His email is acrossthegreatdivide@robbie.org.

California sophomore forward Laura Schott was one of 12 players selected to the 2000 NSCAA/adidas first team All-America team announced Wednesday at the NCAA Men’s College Cup in Charlotte, N.C.  

Schott is the first Golden Bear to be named an NSCAA first team All-American since U.S. national team member Joy (Biefeld) Fawcett was selected in 1989. Cal’s last All-American was Erika Hinton, who earned second team honors in 1993.  

A first team All-Pac-10 pick from Wilsonville, Ore., Schott finished the season as the Pac-10’s leader for points (47), goals (23) and game-winning goals (9). Her 23 goals tied Fawcett’s school record set in 1987. Nationally, Schott concluded the year ranked second for goals per game at 1.15 and ninth for points per contest at 2.35. After two years in Berkeley, Schott ranks third in school history for goals (34) and fourth for points (77) and is on pace to break Fawcett’s records of 55 and 133, respectively.  

Schott was rightfully named Cal’s Offensive MVP at the annual team awards banquet Thursday night. Her offensive exploits combined with the Bears 10th-ranked defense (0.65 goals-against average) helped the Bears put together one of the best seasons in school history. Cal posted a 17-3-1 record, placed second in the Pac-10 at 7-2 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 17 wins broke the previous school record of 16 set in 1986, ‘87 and ‘88. The Bears ended the year ranked as high as No. 4 by Soccer America.  

Schott was the only Pac-10 Player to be named to the first team, while three conference players were named to the second team and one to the third. The first team also was comprised of four seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and one freshman.

Adelia Lines was a lover of words. Director of the Berkeley Public Library, Lines died Dec. 7 of brain cancer at her home in Richmond. The 56-year-old library advocate, known as Dede to her friends, was a champion of literacy and of bringing resources to the under-served. She was also a wicked punster who, according to friends, could use humor to ease tension in the most stressful of situations. 

Lines led a major undertaking to restore and renovate the city’s Central Library, marshaling forces for the passage of Measure S, which allocated $30 million for the project. She also helped found the Berkeley Public Library Foundation, which raised more than $3.5 million to equip and improve the library.  

“Dede believed in the role of the public libraries almost as a mission, as a way to offer free and equal access to information,” said her twin sister Jodie Lines. “She was always worried about those who were under-served in the community and believed the libraries could step in and offer computer training and computer access.” Recently, Lines obtained several advanced-generation computers for the library from the Gates Foundation. 

But in spite of her interest in offering the latest technology, Lines was a firm believer in putting a human face on the information age, stressing to her staff the importance of providing attentive service, according to her colleagues at the library.  

Before coming to the Berkeley, Lines was director of the Richmond Public Library, during which time she was appointed by then-governor George Deukmejan to serve on the advisory board to the State Librarian of California. She also served as president of Bibliotecas Para La Gente, an organization devoted to delivery of library services to Spanish-speaking populations She was honored in November with an official commendation from the city for her role in bettering the library system. 

“She was a Berkeley person if ever there was one,” said Councilmember Betty Olds. “She had that warmth and friendliness and spontaneity we value so much.” 

Lines was diagnosed with cancer in March 1999. She left her post at the library three weeks ago when it became clear she was in the last stages of the disease.  

Lines continued her work to help the disadvantaged throughout her own struggles, volunteering for charity work even when she was very incapacitated, according to friend Bea Young, who became close with Lines when the two became some of the first women to join the Berkeley Lions Club. 

Young said Lines was a master of using humor to bring people together. “In a mood of potential conflict, at just the right moment, she’d insert a pun and it would lighten up the mood. She was an absolute master at it.” But, while Lines was a clever speaker, she was also a talented listener, people close to her attested. “She had that unique ability to make other people feel important,” said Olds, who said she seemed to make friends wherever she went. 

Those friends rallied to her side over the last year, cooking meals, running errands and helping out with the housework. “I was pretty humbled by her ability to allow others to help her and show they cared even in times she might have isolated herself,” Young said. 

Her death was mourned by leaders throughout the community. “She will be deeply missed,” said deputy library director Mary Lou Mull. “I regard her passing as a deep loss to the community.” 

Lines’ family plans to hold a ceremony in celebration of her life in January of next year. 

Guard scores 20 as defense stifles Dons 

SAN FRANCISCO – The California women’s basketball team utilized strong team defense to defeat San Francisco, 61-53, Friday night at War Memorial Gym. With Cal’s first road win of the season, the Bears improved to 3-4 overall, while the Dons dropped to 3-2 with their other loss being to Stanford.  

USF entered the game averaging 86.8 points per game, 50 percent shooting overall and 46.2 rebounds per game. Cal held USF to 34-points below its scoring average and to 33 percent shooting for the game, and out-rebounded the Dons 45-33. The Bears also shot 44.9 percent for the game, including 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (5-12). The second half also marked Cal’s best shooting effort of the season at 52.2 percent.  

Starting senior guards Kenya Corley and Courtney Johnson paced Cal with 20 and 17 points, respectively. Corley and Johnson keyed Cal’s uptempo offense and full-court pressure. Senior forward Lauren Ashbaugh and senior guard Nicole Ybarra led Cal on the boards with eight each.  

Kim Whisler led USF with 18 points and Lindsey Huff contributed 14.  

“I’m pleased because I thought we had a great defensive effort,” said Cal coach Caren Horstmeyer. “And, we held them to 53 points. I’m happier about the way we played against the zone, and we shot the ball a lot better than we have. I thought that was very important, especially when we had kids in foul trouble. We had some kids really step up for us. I thought Kenya and Courtney in particular and Lauren got some huge boards for us.”  

The first half was characterized by sloppy play by both teams with the Bears committing 16 turnovers and the Dons 11. Cal jumped out to an 8-5 lead four minutes and 35 seconds into the game with three-pointers coming from Johnson and Corley. USF countered by building its biggest lead of the game at 21-16 with Whisler posting five of her team-best eight first-half points. The Bears rallied to grab a 26-24 lead at the half with a short baseline jumper from Johnson with two seconds until the break. Johnson had a team-high eight points.  

Less than two minutes into the second half, Cal built a six-point lead, its biggest lead to that point, at 30-24 following a three-point play from Ami Forney.  

The Dons evened the game at 30 before Corley nailed her second of three treys with 16:38 to go to spur a 15-2 Bear run over the next five minutes, giving them a 45-32 advantage.  

A four-point play by USF’s Lindsey Huff briefly pulled the momentum back in the Dons favor.  

The Dons closed to within seven on a couple of occasions and got as close as five at 52-47 with 5:16 on the clock, but Johnson and Corley combined for six of Cal’s final nine points to seal the win.  

“I thought they played with the fight they needed to down the stretch,” said Horstmeyer. “They’ve been really working on that and were able to do that tonight.”  

Cal returns home to Haas Pavilion on Sunday to face Santa Clara Sunday at 2 p.m. The game against Horstmeyer’s former team will be carried live on FOX Sports Net Bay Area.

Protests that caused cancellation of a lecture by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Community Theater last week have sparked heated debate around free speech issues. 

Mayor Shirley Dean, the Anti-Defamation League, friends and relatives of the late Free Speech Movement hero Mario Savio and others have weighed in asserting that all persons, no matter what their views, should be free to speak. 

While contending that demonstrators blocked the gates to the theater spontaneously, rather than following a deliberate plan to shut down the lecture, organizers of the demonstration defend the action. They point to the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East and the rights of Palestinians which they say have been trampled upon. They argue that the deaths in the Middle East merit a “no business as usual” response. 

Former School Board Director Barbara Lubin, director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance and one of the demonstration’s organizers, points to other protests, such as those against the former regime in El Salvador that shut down the federal building in San Francisco, the demonstrations where people blocked the gates of Livermore Lab and the free speech protests of the ’60s where hundreds of people sat in the administrative offices at UC Berkeley, stopping work there for days. 

“When it comes to the issue of demonstrations against Netanyahu and the state of Israel, everyone says ‘free speech,’” she said. Then turning to the hostilities of the last few weeks in the Middle East, Lubin, who recently returned from a trip there, asked, “What about the free speech rights of the Palestinians, what about their right to go to school and to work? Their roads are blocked off and their houses are demolished.” 

Similarly Palestinian Maad Abu-Ghazalah, board member of the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee, said he had attended the organizing meetings in preparation for the demonstration, but no one had proposed shutting down the event. 

He explained the demonstrators actions like this: “People feel really strongly about Netanyahu, with all the killing going on in Palestine. This is an issue of human rights.” 

It becomes a question of weighing the right of Netanyahu to speak at one event and people’s right to demonstrate and have their voices heard. “It’s a balancing act,” Abu-Ghazalah said. 

As for those who see the cancellation of the lecture as muffling the voice of the former (and perhaps future) prime minister, “Netanyahu gets on TV any time he wants,” Abu Ghazalah said. On the other hand, the Palestinian side of the debate is lost. “We have no access at all.”  

Bruce Vogel, who scheduled Netanyahu to speak in place of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger when Kissinger had a heart attack, defended his choice. Asked if he did not realize how controversial the man is, particularly in the light of the volatile Middle East situation, Vogel responded that was precisely a pressing reason to bring him to speak. 

“What better time is there to bring people?” he asked. “We invite people who make news.” 

Vogel argued that it was unfair for 500 demonstrators to prevent 2,000 ticket holders from hearing Netanyahu speak. “They were deprived of their free speech. The demonstrators won the day.” 

It was Vogel’s call to cancel the speaking engagement. “Whatever our rights are, our obligations were to Netanyahu’s safety,” he said, further noting that he feared the demonstrators might wreck property or that people would be hurt. 

He added that he was “sure the organizers (of the demonstrations) did not want to do damage, but you get a mob in motion in a state of emotion – I don’t want to be left holding the bag.” 

Quoting former United Nations Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, one of the speakers in the 1991-92 series, Vogel asserted, “‘Your right to punch in the air ends with my nose.’” 

Mayor Shirley Dean also weighed in on the side of permitting Netanyahu to speak. 

Reflecting on a recent visit to Israel, Dean said she had the opportunity both to talk to the mayor of Jerusalem then to hear from the Palestinian side. She was able to “sit down in a Palestinian refugee camp with the leaders.” 

She said listening to both sides of a question is important and contended it is crucial for people to hear Netanyahu as part of the debate. “It’s not the point whether I agree with this guy,” she said.  

The public can read books by controversial figures such as Netanyahu, she said, but it is important “to be able to see them face to face.” 

A video of the demonstration produced by John Lionhart and David Landeau can be seen on TV-25 Monday at 9:30 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m. and Dec. 16 at noon. 

SIDEBAR: Lecture series provides intellectual entertainment 

Bruce Vogel’s been putting on a lecture series for 10 years. “I’m in the business of providing people with intellectual entertainment,” he said. 

The lectures began in San Mateo 1990 and expanded to Marin four years later. He attempted a further expansion of the series to San Francisco, but found that ticket sales lagged, probably because there is so much to do in the city, he said.  

So this year he moved the third arm of his operation to Berkeley. 

Subscribers buy a series of eight lectures by a wide range of people. This year’s lecturer’s include Frank McCourt, author of Angela’s Ashes, Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander, Beck Weathers, who climbed Mt. Everest, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Benjamin Netanyahu replaced him when he had a heart attack). Lily Tomlin and Neil Armstong are among those scheduled to speak in 2001. 

Vogel describes the speakers as people demonstrating “lifetime achievement.” They are chosen by the interest of ticket holders, who are presented with a list of 100 possible names. They indicate a first, second and third choice for a group of speakers. 

“We stay away from sports and motivational speakers,” he said. 

Most people are drawn to the series by one or two speakers, then “they get hooked. They hear others they would not have heard,” he said. 

Vogel said he was taken by surprise with the “extent and intensity” of the demonstration, which he credited, to a degree, with the announcement that day, calling for new elections in Israel. 

“It’s my first time dealing with demonstrators,” he said. 

The Peninsula-Marin-Berkeley Lecture Series website can be accessed at: http://www.speakerseries.net/home.htm 

Backcourt comes through in victory 

A day after losing a heartbreaker to St. Ignatius, the Berkeley boys’ basketball team turned up the heat on their out-of-state opponent, beating the Reno Huskies 57-48 in the second round of the Chris Vonture Spartan Classic at De La Salle High. 

Facing a much bigger opponent, the ’Jackets relied on their quickness and experience to pull them through. Three Berkeley guards scored in double figures, and the full-court pressure that has been drilled into the players’ minds by first-year coach Mike Gragnani forced the Huskies into numerous turnovers. 

Reno’s offense revolves around 6-foot-11 sophomore center David Padgett, who scored 17 points. Senior guard Alex Gamboa also poured in 17 for the Huskies, but only three other players scored against the Berkeley press. Gamboa spent most of the game trying to break that press, only to be held up over and over by the tenacious Berkeley defenders. 

“We’ve really got a three-headed monster in (guards) Allyn Washington, Ryan Davis and Byron St. Jules,” Gragnani said. “They all put tremendous pressure on the ballhandler.” 

Those three seniors also were the main scoring options for the ’Jackets, taking the ball to the basket despite the towering presence of Padgett. 

“I have no fear when I go into the lane,” said Washington, who scored eight points in a fast-paced third quarter. “My teammates just told me to take it to (Padgett).” 

Davis and St. Jules each finished the game with 11 points, while Washington contributed 10 points to the cause. 

The teams traded baskets and leads for the first three quarters, with neither team able to extend a lead beyond five points. But Gragnani’s players could see that the fast tempo was getting to the bigger Huskies. 

“It helped a lot that their big men got tired,” said forward Louis Riordan, a 6-foot-5 wing player who guarded Padgett for most of the game. “We dominated on the boards in the second half because of the pace.” 

Gragnani praised his forwards for their defense on Padgett. 

“Lou did a good job fronting him, and the help-side defense was there quickly when he got the ball,” Gragnani said. “He got tired and frustrated.” 

That frustration showed itself early in the second half, as Padgett elbowed Riordan out of the way, picking up his third foul and heading to the bench. His return was short-lived, however, as a collision with Berkeley’s rugged Ramone Reed resulted in Padgett being carried to the bench by two teammates, never to return.  

With their offensive hub out, the Huskies started tossing up outside shots with abandon. A five-point run gave the ’Jackets a 47-38 lead, and the Huskies never got closer than four points again.  

“This was a real good win over a quality opponent,” Gragnani said.

Interested in learning more about the Votomatic? Now a household word, the vote-counting machine spawned numerous similar machines, including the one at center stage in the Al Gore-George Bush battle for the presidency.  

Transcripts from a 1980 interview with James P. Harris, the inventor of the Votomatic, are now available on the Web for the public.  

Harris, who died in 1985 at age 88, was a political science professor at the University  

of California, Berkeley, from  

1941 to 1963.  

The campus's Bancroft Library conducted an interview with Harris as part of its oral history program. That interview, “Professor and Practitioner: Government, Election  

Reform and the Votomatic,”  

can now be read at www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/ROHO/Vote.  

During the interview, Harris discusses how he invented and patented the concept of a punch-card voting machine in the 1930s. His development of the Votomatic occurred three decades later, in response to new computer technology. He describes obstacles he faced marketing the device, criticisms the device drew from losing politicians and business competitors, and instances in which he believed counting ballots by hand would be advisable.  

Harris expresses pride in the accuracy of the machine itself, but noted that it can be vulnerable to programmer error.  

Harris notes one instance in which a programming error caused one county in Montana to incorrectly show that a candidate who was considered the heavy favorite actually lost in that county. 

Harris also notes Florida's widespread use of the machine.

From a D- to a B+ in one day. That’s pretty impressive. 

One day after drawing the ire of their coach for lackadasical play, the Berkeley girls’ basketball team picked up their intensity and defeated a tough opponent in Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton), 62-45, earning a B+ from head coach Gene Nakamura. 

“We started strong and established a good tempo,” said Nakamura, who gave his starters that D- for their effort in Thursday’s win over Bonita Vista. “We know we have to be super-intense to play well.” 

The ’Jackets also picked up their shooting a bit following a dreadful 20-for-71 performance from the field on Thursday. Berkeley made 24 of 59 shots against Sacred Heart. Senior Robin Roberson continued to struggle, however, following up her 2-for-13 Thursday with a 6-for-21 Friday. Roberson scored a game-high 17 points, in addition to nabbing seven steals, but her shooting form is clearly suffering from a long break due to illness. 

“It didn’t seem like she missed that many shots,” Nakamura said. “She got quality looks, and she’ll keep taking them. She’s a shooter.” 

Junior off-guard Angelita Hutton had another well-rounded performance, scoring 13 points while tallying three rebounds and two steals. 

“We expect Angelita to do that every game,” Nakamura said. “She’s a lot more patient this year, not so out of control.” 

Once again, Berkeley’s full-court press forced their opponent into a lot of mistakes, although nothing compared to Thursday’s turnover-fest. Sacred Heart point guard Melissa Bayol handled the pressure calmly for the most part, and she managed to score 16 points, including four three-pointers. But other than forward Catherine Holman, who scored 12 points, Bayol didn’t have much help, and the constant harrassment forced her into several turnovers. 

“(Bayol) is a pretty good guard, but we flustered her at times,” Nakamura said. “We really hawked the ball today.” 

The ’Jackets will face Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. in Donahue Gymnasium.  

Berkeley’s press could have its hands full, as the Bishop Gorman backcourt duo of Shanae Green and Breona Gray have combined to score 78 points in their two games so far. Bishop Gorman defeated Piedmont 55-41 in the other semi-final Friday afternoon.

Bruce Vogel’s been putting on a lecture series for 10 years. “I’m in the business of providing people with intellectual entertainment,” he said. 

The lectures began in San Mateo 1990 and expanded to Marin four years later. He attempted a further expansion of the series to San Francisco, but found that ticket sales lagged, probably because there is so much to do in the city, he said. So this year he moved the third arm of his operation to Berkeley. 

Subscribers buy a series of eight lectures by a wide range of people. This year’s lecturer’s include Frank McCourt, author of Angela’s Ashes, Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander, Beck Weathers, who climbed Mt. Everest, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Benjamin Netanyahu replaced him when he had a heart attack). Lily Tomlin and Neil Armstrong are among those scheduled to speak in 2001. 

Vogel describes the speakers as people demonstrating “lifetime achievement.” They are chosen by the interest of ticket holders, who are presented with a list of 100 possible names. They indicate a first, second and third choice for a group of speakers.  

Most people are drawn to the series by one or two speakers, then “they get hooked. They hear others they would not have heard,” he said. Vogel said he was taken by surprise with the “extent and intensity” of the demonstration, which he credited, to a degree, with the announcement that day, calling for new elections in Israel. 

“It’s my first time dealing with demonstrators,” he said. 

The Peninsula-Marin-Berkeley Lecture Series Web site is: http://www.speakerseries.net/home.htm 

LOS ANGELES — Federal agents have arrested five employees of a San Fernando Valley telemarketing firm that sold initial public offering shares of a company that never existed. 

Hundreds of investors were promised that when Assured International Inc. went public they’d quickly double their minimum investment of $5,000 in 10,000 shares, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Borthwick. Investors were told the company made and distributed latex gloves. 

Arrested Thursday were Terry Harding, 30, of Sherman Oaks; Sam E. Harris, 46, of Thousand Oaks; Henry Perrin, 58, of Van Nuys; Charles Peterson, 47, of Culver City; and Sharman Walker, 47, of Canoga Park. 

The suspects, who face arraignment Monday, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on Tuesday on charges of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud. 

Harris owned and managed Assured International even though he was under orders from regulators in seven states not to sell securities, Borthwick said. He was censured and fined $20,000 in 1998 by the National Association of Securities Dealers. 

In addition to the conspiracy and fraud charges, Harris is charged with 13 counts of money laundering and criminal contempt of court and Walker is charged with criminal contempt of court. 

Two other Assured International employees, Max Becker, 77, of Newbury Park and Anthony Durant, 41, hometown unknown, have agreed to surrender, Borthwick said. Durant is charged with perjury in addition to conspiracy and fraud. Kirk Kuykendoll, 51, of Thousand Oaks, is a fugitive, Borthwick said. 

Harris and the other defendants continued selling Assured International stock despite cease and desist orders filed in January and February 1999, Borthwick said.

SAN FRANCISCO — Socially conscious rockers Rage Against the Machine have apologized to their fans after Napster Inc. blocked access for users swapping the band’s mosh-rock favorites. 

“Rage Against the Machine would like to sincerely apologize to all of our fans who were kicked off of Napster for downloading ‘Renegades,’ ” wrote Rage guitarist Tom Morello on the band’s Web site. 

“Renegades” is the band’s latest CD. Despite Thursday’s ban of users trading tracks from the album, the free-for-all continued Friday with every song from the CD readily available on Napster. But the ban remains in effect, and if Napster catches the users trading Rage Against the Machine songs they’ll be blocked from all access to the service. 

A spokeswoman for Redwood City-based Napster confirmed that the company had received an allegation from the band’s parent label, Sony, that Rage’s music was being traded without permission. The band puts out music under the Epic Records label, which is owned by Sony. 

Morello said he phoned the band’s management, Q Prime, in an attempt to get blocked Napster users reinstated. Morello also posted links to Web sites that distribute small programs that allow booted Napster users to reconfigure their Napster accounts, log back on and continue trading music. 

Those blocked from using Napster are redirected to the company’s Web page explaining the alleged improper activity: 

“The allegation is that material that you have made available through the Napster service is copyrighted and that your making it available infringes the notifier’s copyright,” explains Napster on the Web page. 

Napster could not confirm exactly how many users were affected by the latest ban. The band vowed to fight such attempts to block access in the future. 

“Per my instructions, no further notices will be sent out, and again, I apologize for this undermining of your right to hear our music. In the future we will be more vigilant about this matter,” Morello wrote. 

Morello’s apology to fans runs contrary to the other musicians who have fought to keep their music off online Napster directories. Rapper Dr. Dre and the heavy metal band Metallica previously have sent requests to Napster after the artists discovered their music was traded freely via the company’s service. 

Napster continues to defend itself in a copyright infringement suit filed against it by the recording industry. Both sides await an opinion from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on a preliminary injunction against Napster that was stayed in July. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Napster, http://www.napster.com 

Rage Against the Machine, http://www.ratm.com 

LOS ANGELES — As tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East, violence abroad against Jews and Muslims is rising, say leaders of civil rights groups that track hate crimes. 

There were more than 100 incidents in 20 countries targeting Jews between Oct. 1 and mid-November, the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, which monitors anti-Semitic attacks, reported last month. 

Monuments honoring the victims of concentration camps during World War II have been desecrated in Germany.  

Prayer shawls were used as a wick to start an arson attack at an Australian synagogue. More than 30 firebomings of synagogues and Jewish homes have occurred in France alone, the Wiesenthal Center said. 

Muslims say they are also experiencing a ripple effect in the form of vandalism and threats.  

In November, the Islamic Center of Southern California was vandalized three times in a 14-day span.  

The center’s administrator had his home and business address posted on an Internet message board with the title, “Arab Nazi Center.” 

The recent wave of violence has prompted heightened security at synagogues and mosques worldwide during the holiday season when both Jews and Muslims observe their religions’ most sacred days. 

While both sides condemn violence against religious institutions, Jewish and Muslim leaders fear the violence won’t subside until a resolution is reached in the Middle East. 

“What we are talking about is the largest wave of attacks in the past 60 years,” Mark Weitzman, director of the Task Force Against Hate at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said Friday.  

“There is no reason for this bloodshed to overflow into other parts of the world. But the conflict has become global.” 

Outbreaks of violence have historically followed clashes in the Middle East but now attacks are being fueled by hate-spreading propaganda on the Internet and the formation of extremist groups, said Salam Al-Marayati, national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.  

He said the “environment of hate” has been focused on Jewish and Muslim groups seeking a peaceful resolution. 

“The vitriol that we have seen is frightening,” he said.  

“It indicates to us that there is a campaign to silence the moderate voice.” 

United States law enforcement officials are also receiving more reports of hate crimes, which for a long time had gone unreported, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gennaco. 

He added that a better network of resources and community partnerships has contributed to the increase of reported incidents and convictions. In some cases, he said, the increased reporting has actually reduced violence. 

“The word has gotten out here that hate crimes are taken more seriously,” Gennaco said. 

“We are seeing some offenders who aren’t abandoning their beliefs but don’t engage in racial violence.”

LOS ANGELES — In a move that alarmed environmentalists but failed to placate automakers, staff for the state’s air-quality board proposed Friday to sharply scale back a rule that would put thousands of battery-powered vehicles on California roads by 2003. 

Automakers would instead be allowed to sell more vehicles that use other emission-cutting technologies.  

Examples include the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight – which use both gas and electric motors – or cars that run on natural gas. 

The California Air Resources Board, which directed its staff to draft the revisions in September, will vote on the proposal next month. 

Clean-air advocates complained the change would halt the progress made so far toward making electric cars cheap and available enough to be a feasible option for California drivers. Production must increase if the technology, particularly batteries, is ever going to get cheaper, they argue. 

“What we’re setting up here is a slow death rather than a quick death,” said Tim Carmichael, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Clean Air. 

Automakers have complained the state board’s rules would make them force an expensive technology with low environmental benefits on consumers who don’t want it.  

They say spending millions of dollars on marketing has shown interest in alternative vehicles to be virtually nonexistent. 

California’s zero-emission rules have been a model for much of the country. The rules, which the board revisits every two years, presently require zero-emission vehicles to make up 4 percent of annual sales by 2003.  

An additional 6 percent would have to be cars that fall just short of the zero-emission standard.

LOS ANGELES — A 77-year-old Echo Park apartment building partially collapsed Friday, killing a man and causing minor injuries to 36 other people. 

At least several dozen people, many of them immigrants from Mexico and Central America, were left homeless when the wood and stucco building in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods gave way. An apartment building next door was evacuated also. 

Structural failure of the 24-unit building was suspected, although reports of a possible explosion were not ruled out, Fire Chief William Bamattre said. Cracks in the building’s foundation had been repaired just last year, a city Building and Safety Department spokesman said. 

The dead man was trapped between floors in what may have been a stairwell. 

“I heard this rumbling that crescendoed into an explosion. Then I heard women screaming,” said Tom Panages, 48, who lives nearby and rushed outside thinking there might have been a car accident. 

“I opened the door and lo and behold the building had collapsed in on itself. Tenants were streaming out of the bottom windows,” he said. 

Firefighters were initially told that up to three people might be trapped but all residents were eventually accounted for and a search of all but the most heavily damaged units and the basement turned up just a small dog, which was rescued. 

Twenty-five people were treated for injuries at the scene and another 11 were taken to hospitals, Capt. Steve Ruda said. 

Damage was heaviest at the front, where second-story units fell onto the ground floor. One side of the building leaned on a next-door apartment building and the opposite side had extensive exterior damage, with slabs of stucco fallen away. 

Forty-four adults and 33 children from both buildings were given shelter at a church. 

Property owner Nicholas DeLuca of TransCon Properties said the collapse was “devastating.” 

“We need to find out if it was an act of earth movement or something else,” he said in a telephone interview from Tucson, Ariz. 

A code enforcement team had noticed cracks in the building foundation during an inspection of the area in 1998, said Bob Steinbach, spokesman for the city Department of Building and Safety. 

The agency ordered the building’s owner to repair the cracks and the city attorney’s office followed up in May 1999 by holding a hearing with the owner, Steinbach said.  

The owner agreed to have an engineer perform an evaluation of the structure and to obtain a work permit. 

The Building Safety Department issued that permit in July 1999 and work on the apartment complex, which was built in 1923, was finished in April and approved by the department, Steinbach said. 

Garry Pinney, general manager of the city Housing Department, said apartment buildings are inspected about every three years. 

The city’s inspection program has been mired in the courts since shortly after an anti-slum ordinance was approved in 1998. The ordinance imposed an annual $12 inspection fee per unit against owners of rental properties and the revenues were to be spent on administering and enforcing an anti-slum program. 

Shortly after the program was implemented, the Apartment Association of Los Angeles Inc. and other property owner groups filed suit.  

The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles said the program violated Proposition 218, which was adopted in 1996 to prevent local governments from creating and imposing taxes without taxpayer approval.  

Under terms of the proposition, affected property owners must be notified of the fee and given a chance to vote it down, the appeals court ruled. 

The California Supreme Court is now considering whether the fees actually fall under Proposition 218. A ruling on the case is expected next month. 

The collapse was reported just before 8:30 a.m. Thirty-three people inside at the time managed to escape, authorities said. 

Passersby helped people get out amid chaos until firefighters arrived, he said. 

Luis Hernandez, 16, said he was in his downstairs apartment with his brother, Roberto, when a woman knocked on the door and told him the building was falling.  

He said he didn’t believe her and was about to shut the door when his brother told him to leave it open.  

A moment later the ceiling came down around them, he said, and they had to make their way out of the rubble. Hernandez said he saw the man who was killed and recognized him as a resident. 

The building stood across the street from landmark Echo Park Lake, a favorite Los Angeles postcard setting for decades, just northwest of downtown. 

“There’s all kinds of tenants in there day and night,” Panages said. “There’s dogs barking and music playing. It’s a real vibrant, lively place. For this to happen to these people is as sad as it gets. It’s a sad day for Echo Park.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Energetic fourth grader Fredrika Keefer glides across a rehearsal floor, showing off some of the moves the San Francisco Ballet School refused to watch when it rejected her, apparently for being too short and too chubby. 

Fredrika’s mother responded by filing a complaint with the city’s Human Rights Commission, alleging the criteria used to weed budding ballerinas from also-rans violates the city’s Nondiscrimination In Contracts provision. 

“They told me not to have her audition into the professional program because they would never take her into the professional program,” Fredrika’s mother, Krissy Keefer, said Thursday.  

“They eyeball these children that they hope by the time they are 18 will have developed into the body type that they think is suitable for the company.” 

Keefer auditioned her daughter anyway, but was told Fredrika – who is 3-foot-9 and weighs 64 pounds – didn’t have the right body type and that she was too short. 

“I said, ‘Do you think she’s too short?’ And the woman said, ‘Not just that,”’ Keefer said.  

“And I said, ‘You don’t think she has the right body?’ And she said, ‘No, she does not have the right body. They will not even look at her.’ ” 

The San Francisco Ballet School falls under the nondiscrimination provision because the program receives $550,000 annually from the city.  

The complaint was filed with the commission last month and the school responded Wednesday, denying any discrimination. 

“We are training classical ballet dancers. This is an industry standard that we are working with,” said SF Ballet School spokeswoman Diane Kounalakis. 

“They’re looked at. How could they not be looked at? ... If it can be a well-proportioned body, that is fine.” 

The school’s Web site describes the candidates it is seeking: 

“The ideal candidate is a healthy child with a well-proportioned body, a straight and supple spine, legs turned out from the hip joint, flexibility, slender legs and torso, and correctly arched feet, who has an ear for music and an instinct for movement.” 

Fredrika looks like many girls her age.  

A moment of giggles next to her mother quickly gives way to a series of leaps and tiptoed prances across the floor of Dance Mission, a rehearsal and performance space Keefer has run for two years. 

The SF Ballet School never saw those jumps and fifth position poses, opting instead to reject Fredrika on other standards. 

Fredrika stands out in other local performances and has been selected to dance the role of Clara, the female lead in an upcoming production of “The Nutcracker.” But she strives to be a ballerina. 

“It made me feel like they didn’t see what I could really do,” Fredrika said between dance steps.  

“They didn’t look at me. They probably saw my body already when I walked in and said, ‘Oh, she’s too short, let’s not look at her.”’ 

Eleanor D’Antuono, a former prima ballerina with American Ballet Theater, said at Fredrika’s age it is too young to tell what kind of dancer and body may emerge. 

“Realistically, what you see at eight and nine is what not you see at 15,” D’Antuono said, adding she would be reluctant to use the criteria described on the SF Ballet School’s Web site, and thought it inappropriate for such young, budding dancers. 

The Human Rights Commission will try to mediate the differences between the ballet school and Fredrika’s mother. If the ballet school is found to be in violation of its contract with the city, it could be fined or have its funding revoked. 

On the Net: 

http://www.sfballet.org/school

With a Stage Two power emergency declared almost every day recently, Californians are being asked to turn off lights and bundle up instead of cranking their heaters – and they have. 

Though electricity demand is up over last year, threatened with blackouts, Californians have cut back on energy use this week. 

But will Californians make turning off the lights as much of a habit as turning off the faucet, as they have during droughts? 

“We really have to focus on conservation and developing conservation measures, especially because it will be a while before we see anymore (new) generators brought online,” said Kyle DeVine, a spokeswoman for the state Public Utilities Commission. 

Until more power plants are built, California will continue to operate with minimal energy reserves, said Lorie O’Donley, spokeswoman for the state Independent System Operator which controls the power grid. 

O’Donley expects the power shortage to last at least several weeks. And when the current energy situation calms down, there still will be barely enough power to go around. 

“The dynamic the last year is the state growth has been at a high level, and at the same time, the supply of generation has been pretty static,” O’Donley said. “We’re operating at slim margins on a frequent basis.” 

She said energy use has increased by about 7 percent over the past year in California. 

The state has three emergency stages – each is declared when energy reserves fall below a certain percentage. Stage Three is the most dire. 

Cold weather, idle power plants and scant supplies led to a Stage Three emergency for the first time in California history Thursday.  

The Stage Three, which could have caused rotating blackouts throughout the state, lasted two hours. 

As a result of the declared emergencies, power grid regulators have asked people to turn off lights and computers that aren’t being used, and to wait to turn on their holiday lights until after 7 p.m. 

Duane Shaw, 54, a wastewater treatment plant operator, began taking steps to improve the energy efficiency of his San Diego home 18 months ago when rates began rising. He purchased a more energy efficient refrigerator, installed a $30 device to regulate the heating of his home, and converted all his incandescent lights to more efficient fluorescent bulbs. 

“It’s a philosophical thing,” he said. “It just believe in conserving energy.” 

Energy conservation is a long-term project for Macy’s West Department stores, which have been cutting electricity use for at least two years, spokeswoman Rina Neiman said. 

The company has cut about 14 percent of its energy usage in 100 stores in six states, she said. In the San Francisco store, the company’s largest, Macy’s has cut energy use by about 25 percent. The store has tied cutting power use with store managers’ bonus systems – saving energy means a bigger bonus. 

“We’re spending a lot of money changing lighting systems and rewiring so certain lights can be turned off, and we can still conduct business,” Neiman said. 

Monty Boscovich, who lives in a Victorian house decorated for the holidays in Alameda, is skeptical about power companies’ claims that the power shortage is attributable to scheduled maintenance. 

“You listen to the stuff on the news and you don’t know if it’s true,” he said. “Is it really scheduled maintenance or are they doing it to drive up the price?”

NEW YORK — Wall Street went on a buying spree Friday, encouraged by a government employment report that could bolster the case for an interest rate cut early next year. Investors were so optimistic they shrugged off an earnings warning from Intel. 

The Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq composite index each had solid triple-digit gains until the afternoon but gave up ground before the close, partly because of the continuing uncertainty from the presidential election. 

The Nasdaq gained 6 percent, rising 164.77 to 2,917.43 and ending the week with a 272.14-point or 10.3 percent gain. 

The Dow rose 95.55 to 10,712.91, a 0.9 percent gain, after spiking more than 185 points in earlier trading. The blue chips had a gain of 339.37, or 3.3 percent, for the week. 

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 26.34 to 1,369.89, giving it a 54.66-point or 4.2 percent advance for the week. 

In after-hours trading, technology stocks fell after a late ruling from the Florida Supreme Court made it less likely the presidential deadlock would be resolved soon. But analysts said the election limbo and the after-hours decline in stocks shouldn’t detract from what otherwise was a strong day. “The political uncertainty has intraday effects but it doesn’t affect the market’s general movements,” said Chris Dickerson, an analyst with Global Market Strategists in Gainesville, Ga.  

“If we took out this political uncertainty, the market looks like it’s trying to find a bottom.” 

Wall Street started the day with a lift from a Labor Department report showing weak job growth in November helped the unemployment rate edge up to 4.0 percent. It was the first increase in the jobless rate since August.  

The growth is viewed as a sign the economy is moderating, and a possible reason for the Fed to reduce interest rates. 

Tech stocks surged ahead despite the warning Thursday from Intel, the latest high-profile tech company to forecast an earnings slowdown. 

Intel rose $1.69 to $34 after announcing that its fourth-quarter revenues would be flat due to slowing demand for PCs. It fell $1.13 to $32.88 after the Florida Supreme Court ruling. 

In previous months, warnings such as Intel’s prompted massive selling on Wall Street. Analysts said the market’s different reaction Friday showed investors were taking the warnings in stride, and may be viewing the technology sector as being oversold. 

Other tech bellwethers also fared well in regular trading, only to lose ground after the market’s close.  

Oracle fell $1.44 to $28.63 after gaining $1.75 in regular trading. Cisco Systems slipped $2.25 to $50.13, nearly wiping out a gain of $2.44 in the regular session. 

Motorola, which had warned Thursday, closed up 6 percent, gaining $1.69 to $18.88, but managed to keep its increase in late trading. 

The surge in high-tech helped lift financial stocks as well, but some sectors – particularly those popular with investors in times of uncertainty – did not share in the advance. 

Market Roundup 

The Nasdaq gained 6 percent, rising 164.77 to 2,917.43 and ending the week with a 272.14-point or 10.3 percent gain. The Dow rose 95.55 to 10,712.91, a 0.9 percent gain, after spiking more than 185 points in earlier trading. The blue chips had a gain of 339.37, or 3.3 percent, for the week.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Julian Dixon, a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus who represented his west Los Angeles district for 22 years, has died. He was 66. 

Dixon died Friday morning at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital in Marina del Rey, hospital spokeswoman Zan Dubin said. She wouldn’t release the cause of death, but Democratic lawmakers said he apparently suffered a heart attack. 

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Dixon had recently informed his colleagues that he was undergoing minor surgery. 

Los Angeles Urban League President John Mack said Dixon’s wife told him her husband had gone in for bladder surgery and was scheduled to be released from the hospital at noon Friday. 

“That makes it all the more stunning and shocking,” said Mack, who had known Dixon for 20 years. “I’m sure there weren’t any strong warning signs, or the doctors wouldn’t have performed the surgery.” 

He checked into the hospital Sunday and remained there until going into cardiac arrest shortly after 4 a.m. Friday, said Dion Morrow, a retired Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who knew Dixon for 40 years. 

He was with Dixon’s wife, Bettye Lee Dixon, on Friday. 

Morrow recalled his friend and neighbor as someone who preferred to work hard but out of the limelight. 

“He was a very friendly, easygoing guy,” he said. “He was very intelligent, but he didn’t flaunt it.” 

A strong advocate of civil rights causes, Dixon’s legislative career also covered a broad range of subjects that included intelligence, defense, congressional ethics and federal management of the District of Columbia. 

“I’ve never known a more gentle, conciliatory, wonderful human being than I’ve known in Julian Dixon,” said House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who led a somber procession of lawmakers to the House floor to pay tribute to Dixon. 

Dixon was the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee and a key member of the panel that determines defense spending, a position he used to promote federal aid for communities hit by base closings and other defense cuts. 

As the House ethics committee chairman, he led the investigation in 1989 into then-House Speaker Jim Wright’s book sales that prompted Wright to resign. 

He also was known for his efforts to boost the economic standards of his district and maintain the nation’s commitment to civil rights. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume called him “a man of quiet strength and dignity.” 

State Assemblyman Herb Wesson said Dixon was a mentor who taught him humility and the importance of accepting responsibility for his actions. 

“He was the person that helped guide me through this political maze,” said Wesson, D-Los Angeles.  

“The things I learned from him are how I conduct myself.” 

Dixon was long regarded as Congress’ leading supporter of Los Angeles’ commuter rail system. 

“Without Julian Dixon, there wouldn’t have been a Metro Rail here,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Marc Littman. “He’s long been a champion of not just Metro Rail, but other transportation projects in Los Angeles ... He really led the charge to improve transportation.” 

Following the 1992 riot after the first trial arising from the Rodney King beating, Dixon moved to provide emergency money for damaged businesses. He also led efforts to help his community after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. 

He chaired the Congressional Black Caucus in the 1980s and more recently worked to pass legislation to establish a memorial to Martin Luther King in the nation’s capital. 

“Steady as a rock. Dependable. Friendly. You could always go to him for help,” said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. 

Dixon was born in Washington, D.C., in 1934 and had long been involved in House panels that oversee federal funding for the nation’s capital. 

He received a bachelor’s degree in 1962 from California State University, Los Angeles and a law degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles in 1967.  

He served in the Army from 1957 to 1960 and in the state Assembly from 1972 to 1978. That year he was elected to the first of 11 terms in the House. 

He won re-election in November with 84 percent of the vote. 

Dixon is the sixth member of Congress to die in the two-year session about to end. Two senators – John Chafee, R-R.I., and Paul Coverdell, R-Ga. – and three other House members died. 

Gov. Gray Davis ordered the flag over the state Capitol lowered in Dixon’s honor. His successor in the solidly Democratic district is expected to be chosen in a special election next year. 

He is survived by his wife and a son, Cary Gordon Dixon of Santa Barbara. 

Associated Press Writer Judy Lin contributed to this report. 

In a stunning decision that resurrected Al Gore’s presidential candidacy, the Florida Supreme Court ordered an immediate count of the “undervote” across Florida and put the vice president within a razor-thin 154 votes of George W. Bush’s in the race for the White House. 

Bush’s top attorney said he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and the campaign filed an emergency petition with the Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta asking that counting be stopped before it begins – until the nation’s highest court can settle the issue. 

As relief lifted Democrats from days of despair, Gore advisers said they fully expected the vice president to overtake Bush in the Florida vote count, at which time they would begin pressuring the Texas governor to concede defeat much as Bush had attempted to do with Gore. 

Florida’s justices were split 4-3 in ordering the new count, and Bush attorney James H. Baker III said the decision “could ultimately disenfranchise Florida’s votes in the Electoral College.” Florida is required to certify its slate of 25 electors on Tuesday and the Republican-controlled Legislature is meeting to make sure those electors are pledged to Bush. Congress might ultimately be forced to decide whether to accept votes chosen through the court battle in Gore’s favor, or a slate picked by the legislature for Bush. 

Baker seized on the dissent of Chief Justice Charles T. Wells who wrote that the ruling “propels this country and this state into an unprecedented and unnecessary constitutional crisis.” 

The court majority said so-called undervotes – meaning ballots on which there was no vote for president – must be checked in all Florida counties “where such a recount has not yet occurred.” Democrats believe the undercounts are concentrated in 17 counties that use punchcard ballots. 

Republicans expressed outrage. “This judicial aggression must not stand,” House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said. 

Gore campaign chairman Bill Daley called the decision “a victory for fairness and accountability and our democracy itself.” He said the count would insure that “America will know with certainty who has really won the presidency.” 

Baker told reporters, “This is what happens when for the first time in modern history a candidate resorts to lawsuits to try to overturn the outcome of an election for president.” He said it was “a sad day for Florida, it is a sad day for the nation and it is sad for our democracy.” He then announced the GOP legal steps. 

The Republican-dominated Florida legislature met Friday to start a process of picking an Electoral College slate for Bush, setting up a potential constitutional clash should Gore overtake Bush in the count. “All of these matters should be resolved by our independent courts - not by legislators and politicians,” said the Gore campaign statement. 

“No elected official can ignore the full count of a state endorsed by the state’s highest courts, and we’ll have that in a few days,” said Gore spokesman Mark Fabiani. 

Republicans considered seeking an emergency order to stop the recount while asking the U.S. Supreme Court for a final ruling settling the election. Both the Gore and Bush campaigns dispatched dozens of aides to protect their interests in recounts that could cover as many as 45,000 ballots in dozens of Florida’s 67 counties. 

There have been many topsy turvy days since the election deadlock of Nov. 7 but surely none so turbulent as this. Friday was widely expected to decide the election in Bush’s favor and for Gore the day began ominously when Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature convened to protect Bush’s state-certified claim on the White House. Within hours, the vice president suffered another setback when two Florida judges rejected Democratic challenges to disqualify 25,000 absentee ballot challenges in Republican-leaning Seminole and Martin counties. 

With hopes fading, dispirited Democrats openly suggested Gore would concede if the Florida Supreme Court rejected his request for recounts in South Florida. The court, a day earlier, had seemed skeptical about Gore’s appeal and in a last-minute legal maneuver, Bush’s lawyers filed an unusual clarification, telling the seven justices they don’t have authority to grant Gore the manual recounts he seeks. 

When the ruling came, it was a 4-3 decision in Gore’s favor. “I guess it’s time to do some counting,” Leon County elections supervisor Ion Sancho said. Court spokesman Craig Waters said, “Because time is of the essence, the recount shall commence immediately.” 

In Jacksonville, the Duval County canvassing board met to determine its next move. Officials there have some 5,000 undervotes to count out of 291,000 cast, said Terry Faulkner of the Supervisor of Elections office. 

Recounts were completed earlier in Volusia and Broward counties, and the results incorporated into the results that Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified. A partial recount was completed in Miami-Dade County before the local canvassing board suspended its work. In addition, Palm Beach County officials completed a recount, but submitted the results after the deadline that Harris had been enforcing. 

The opinion overturned a ruling Wednesday by Circuit Judge N. Sanders Sauls. In a scene repeated throughout federal offices in Washington at 4 p.m., a handful of aides watching television with Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder on the fourth floor of the Justice Department let out a simultaneous “Whoop!” when the Florida court decision was announced. 

A statement released by the vice president’s campaign said that Gore and running mate Joseph Lieberman were gratified by the decision. 

Ruling jointly in cases involving 25,000 absentee ballots, Circuit Court Judges Nikki Clark and Terry Lewis said that despite irregularities in ballot applications – the basis of the Democrats’ challenge in Seminole and Martin counties – “neither the sanctity of the ballots nor the integrity of the elections has been compromised.” 

Gore was not directly involved in those cases, and his advisers said they had never counted on them succeeding. 

“This is the definitive day,” Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., said as he awaited the Supreme Court decision. He said that if Gore could not win there, “Then this battle is over.” Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., said that if Gore is turned down, “I would expect that he would concede today.” 

Gore spent two hours at the White House, working in his West Wing office. “Howdy, it is a beautiful day, isn’t it,” he said, ignoring reporters’ questions about his prospects. 

Bush was in Austin, meeting with advisers at the governor’s mansion and conducting a telephone conference call with running mate Dick Cheney and others at the Bush transition headquarters just outside Washington. 

“We are hopeful that we’ll finally see finality when it comes to this election,” the governor said. “It’s time to get on with America’s business. But we’ll see what the courts decide today.” 

Asked if he thought there would be a president-elect by day’s end, Bush raised the possibility of the Florida Supreme Court ordering a recount. “We’re prepared if need be to take our case back to the (U.S.) Supreme Court,” Bush said. “I hope that doesn’t take place.” 

Bush said that if he wins the presidency, he would be ready to name his White House staff quickly and lay out a timetable for announcing his Cabinet. 

In Tallahassee, the 160-member legislature opened with partisan fireworks. Republicans presented resolutions in the House and Senate that would ratify the 25 Bush electors who were named when Harris certified him the statewide winner on Nov. 26. 

House Speaker Tom Feeney said the lawmakers must act because there has been no “timely and universally accepted outcome” to the Nov. 7 election. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Rossin shot back, “I believe this is illegal, unconstitutional and plain wrong.” Democrats complained that Bush’s campaign was calling the shots. 

“Senators, no matter how bad you want the governor of Texas to be president, we cannot substitute our will for the will of the people,” said Rossin. “Our constituents sent us here to represent them, not to vote for them.” 

Both houses adjourned within an hour, reserving Monday for hearings on the resolutions. 

Despite their protests, outnumbered Democrats are powerless to stop the Republicans. Bush’s team acknowledged that its lawyers had provided legal advice to legislators. “No one could be surprised by that,” Bush spokesman Tucker Eskew said. 

WASHINGTON — Floridians who believe they were denied their right to vote because of discrimination, fraud or other illegal practices will get a chance to testify next year before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. 

The panel voted unanimously Friday to convene hearings in Florida and possibly other states on whether voters’ rights were violated, though the hearings will come too late to affect the presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore. 

The decision came after the group’s general counsel, Edward Hailes, told the seven commissioners about a variety of complaints from Florida voters, including allegations that blacks were turned away from the polls and that voting machinery used in minority areas was old, outmoded and defective as compared with equipment used elsewhere. 

“There can be no faith in the democratic process if there is not some reasonable sense of fairness and equity in the election process,” said Commissioner Russell G. Redenbaugh. 

The panel can hold hearings and subpoena witnesses, but has no enforcement power. 

The number of hearings that will take place, and a timetable, have yet to be determined, but they must begin sometime after Congress meets to count votes from the Electoral College on Jan. 6. 

Commission Chairwoman Mary Frances Berry must also determine whether there is a need for hearings in other states, based on a staff report outlining voters’ complaints from around the country. 

“Although we can have no impact on any particular outcome of the election, we can have a tremendous impact on the process in the future,” Redenbaugh said Friday. 

The commission is an independent, bipartisan fact-finding agency. Established under the Civil Rights Act of 1957, it investigates complaints of voters alleging they are being deprived of their rights because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin or because of fraud. 

If it finds laws were broken, it refers evidence to the Justice Department, which can prosecute. Justice Department representatives are already in Florida to gather information about alleged voting irregularities, though a formal investigation has not begun. 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has criticized the Justice Department for what he sees as a “wait-and-see” approach. Civil Rights Commissioner Christopher Edley Jr., agreed. 

“I’ve been very, very disheartened by what has struck me as an extraordinarily slow pace by the Justice Department,” Edley said. 

In response, Berry explained that in recent discussions with Attorney General Janet Reno she had gotten the impression that the department was proceeding cautiously because the situation is so “fraught with political tension.” 

Nevertheless, Commissioner Victoria Wilson said she was “slightly dismayed that we seem to be the only governmental institution that is undertaking this.” 

Among the allegations discussed by the commission: 

• Elderly citizens were made to stand on long lines and then improperly turned away from the polls. 

ª Voters were told they couldn’t vote because they were convicted felons but, in fact, were not. 

ª Some people had been improperly expunged from the voter rolls. 

ª Some Haitian-American voters didn’t receive needed language assistance. 

ª A large police presence in certain neighborhoods may have deterred some people from voting. 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People says it gathered 486 complaints and took more than 300 pages of sworn testimony from people who say they were blocked from voting in Florida.  

That organization plans to sue the state and several counties, alleging voter intimidation and other violations. 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and several black Florida officials have filed a lawsuit against Duval County, Bush and running mate Richard Cheney, claiming the county intentionally used a confusing ballot and turned away blacks from the polls. 

On the Net: 

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: http://www.usccr.gov

NEW YORK — Hundreds of John Lennon devotees made their annual pilgrimage to Central Park on Friday to sing and reminisce about the former Beatle 20 years after he was shot to death by an obsessed fan. 

By early afternoon, more than 200 fans were listening to his music in Strawberry Fields, a section of the park that was renamed for the Beatles hit after Lennon was gunned down by Mark David Chapman outside his apartment building on the night of Dec. 8, 1980. 

Some of those in the park were not even born when Lennon was murdered. Others were baby boomers who had watched the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” 

“John’s spirit is in this park,” said Dave Reahle, 46, who drove overnight from Warren, Ohio. “It’s been a lifelong dream to come up here.” 

Lennon’s music wafted through Strawberry Fields. Around a mosaic with the word “IMAGINE,” some fans left handwritten notes, while others took turns keeping candles lighted in the wet snow and wind. Some of the candles were arranged to spell “J-O-H-N.” 

Each year since Lennon’s death, fans have gathered in the park to remember him and his message of peace. 

Fran Power, 34, flew in from Liverpool, England. Although there were ceremonies in Lennon’s hometown, Power felt this was the year to make the pilgrimage to New York. 

“Out of respect,” he said. “The music is timeless. It’s jumped generations.” 

Fans hoped to keep the vigil going into Saturday, but Mayor Rudolph Giuliani refused to waive the park’s 1 a.m. curfew despite a personal appeal from the lord mayor of Liverpool. 

In Cleveland, Lennon fans packed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to sign a card to the ex-Beatle’s widow and to stare – with red eyes and heavy hearts – at a collection of memorabilia from his life. 

Among the items: Lennon’s bloodstained glasses from the night he was shot and a sealed bag from Roosevelt Hospital containing the clothes that were removed from his body. 

“I’m an emergency room nurse, and when I saw the glasses, I had to walk away,” said a tearful Cyndi Campbell of Pittsburgh. 

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Denver Gray remembers the carnage created by a bomb dropped at Hickam Air Field. 

Albert Thomas still can feel the tremors of a Japanese plane dropping a bomb 600 yards from him at Schofield Barracks. 

Douglas Phillips recalls watching the damaged USS Utah roll over into the waters at Pearl Harbor. 

On the 59th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, each veteran has his own unique and sharp memory of what happened on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed the U.S. Pacific fleet, plunging the nation into World War II. 

“We realized at that time, it wasn’t a drill. We just stood in awe,” said Phillips, 83, who was among the dozen survivors who attended a private ceremony Thursday aboard the USS Arizona Memorial. 

A soft mist started falling during a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the exact time when the first bombs fell. The mist created a brilliant rainbow over Ford Island that lasted until the American flag was raised over the gleaming white USS Arizona Memorial during the Navy’s ceremony. 

“Why do we remember Pearl Harbor above and beyond all others?” asked Adm. Dennis Blair, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. “In part, because we considered it an act of treachery. 

“But did we think we defined the rules by which others act? Did we think we could never be hit at home? This was one of the great lessons of Pearl Harbor to Americans.” 

About 240 survivors, veterans, dignitaries, military officials and invited guests attended the private services on the memorial, now a tomb for nearly 1,000 of its crewmen. 

The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and other military bases on Oahu lasted two hours. The Japanese sank or heavily damaged 21 ships, destroyed or damaged 323 aircraft, killed 2,388 people and wounded 1,178. 

“When the bombs hit, it was so dense you could see nothing,” said Gray, a retired insurance agent from Atlanta. “It seemed like eternity it was black. You could see nothing – no sound, no noise. The dust finally settled down like a fog. When it cleared, the dead and the wounded were everywhere.” 

Several veterans, wearing leis and garrison caps embossed with their ship’s name, wiped away tears during the ceremony. 

Rear Adm. Robert Conway said there was no greater honor for him to be among so many “genuine American heroes.” 

“We truly owe our gratitude to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and those who survived, ” Conway said. 

——— 

On the Net: 

USS Arizona Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/usar 

Surviving on defense and rebounding, the Berkeley Yellowjackets won their first-round game in the First Annual Lady Yellowjacket Basketball Tournament on Thursday, defeating an outgunned Bonita Vista team 50-36. But against a weaker opponent, Berkeley’s front-line players struggled, leading coach Gene Nakamura to bench several of them for much of the second half. 

“I’d give my starters a D- for this game,” Nakamura said. “They didn’t hustle, and I’m very dissatisfied with their play.” 

The ’Jackets started fast, and their tough defense shut out the Barons for the entire first quarter, which ended with an 11-0 advantage for the home team. 

“We got a little over-confident after the first quarter,” said Berkeley forward Natasha Bailey. “We lost some intensity.” 

Coming off of a tough come-from-behind victory over Oakland High Tuesday, several ’Jacket starters looked tired, and it showed in their rough shooting. Juniors Bailey and Sabrina Keys and senior Robin Roberson combined to shoot just 7-for-30 from the field, and point guard Danielle Milburn tossed up eight shots from the outside, making just one three-pointer. Berkeley made just 20 of their 71 shots as a team. 

But the junkyard-dog defense of Nakamura’s squad carried them through, as the ’Jackets tallied 24 steals, mostly from their full-court press, and the Barons guards threw several other balls out of bounds. Roberson made up for a 2-for-13 shooting day by snagging eight steals, and off-guard Angelita Hutton grabbed five more. 

Hutton has been a revelation for the team this year, leading the team in scoring in two of the first three games. The junior scored 14 on Tuesday, the only Berkeley player to score in double figures. 

The Barons were led by senior Ashley Jensen, who scored 16 points, including eight in the fourth quarter when the outcome was already decided. Jensen got little help, as her guards could barely get the ball past half-court most of the time. 

Nakamura said he is considering changing his lineup for Friday’s second-round matchup against Sacred Heart Prep. (Atherton) to inject some energy into his team. 

“I’m just waiting for some people to step out and prove they want to start,” Nakamura said. “Until then, I’ll just shuffle them in and out like I did today.” 

Berkeley will take on Sacred Heart in the semi-finals Friday at 8:30 p.m. 

Other first-round games: 

Sacred Heart Prep. (Atherton) 41, Atwater 32 

A third-quarter burst, fueled by Melissa Bayol’s back-to-back three-pointers, led Sacred Heart past Atwater in the first game of the day. Bayol scored 10 points in the game, and teammate Haley Woods scored 11 in the victory. 

Both teams went scoreless for five minutes in the second quarter, but Sacred Heart was much faster to shake off the scoring blues. They put the game away with a 6-0 run in the final period to earn a second-round matchup with host Berkeley High. 

Piedmont 47, Chino 24 

After jumping out to a 6-0 lead, the Piedmont Highlanders never looked back. Chino never had a lead in the game, and no Cowgirl scored more than six points. Piedmont closed out any hope for the Cowgirls with a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. 

Piedmont will face Bishop Gorman in the semi-finals Friday at 7 p.m. 

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 66, Kennedy (Richmond) 34 

A close game through most of the first half turned into a rout as Bishop Gorman outscored Kennedy 28-13 in the second half. Bishop Gorman guard Liz Cansdale scored a first-round-high 23 points, and her backcourt partner Breona Gray poured in 19 to lift their team to victory. 

The halftime score of 34-21 became a sure win for the most far-flung team in the tournament when the Las Vegans wnet on a 19-2 run in the third quarter.

Regulate the antennas 

Editor: 

The following is from a letter origianally addressed to the city clerk: 

As Berkeley citizens currently involved in this issue, we would like to affirm that there is virtually unanimous support in the neighborhoods for more careful control of telecommunications systems throughout the city.  

In addition to supporting the proposed amendment, we’d also like to suggest the following:  

1. These systems should be treated like any other utility, and should be subject to the same zoning requirements as other utility services.  

These installations have significant adverse impact on the quality of a residential neighborhood, and should not be treated as innocuous or "invisible" additions to existing structures or uses.  

2. The FCC encourages cities to regulate the installation of wireless systems in order to reduce friction between the industry and local citizens. 

3. We also believe that for clarity the current "Administrative Guidelines for Wireless Telecommunications Antennas" adopted by the City Council on December 10, 1996, should be incorporated into the current proposed amendment, at least by reference.  

These guidelines recommend that antenna arrays should be located in the manufacturing zone whenever possible.  

4. If an applicant wishes to locate telecommunications systems outside of the manufacturing zone, the application should include a description of the use and purpose of the installation so that city staff and citizens can weigh the costs and benefits of the installation.  

5. Unfortunately, the proposed amendment and the current "Administrative Guidelines" will have no effect at all unless the Planning and Development Department enforces them, so it is important that the mayor, the council, and the city manager ensure that they are enforced.  

6. In addition to requiring permits, it is also essential that the city maintain a record of telecommunications systems and their locations in Berkeley, so that the cumulative effect of these systems can be evaluated by both City staff and citizens.  

Neighbors are concerned about new installations, but they are also concerned about additional transmitting antennas added to existing installations.  

Additions are almost inevitable in this growing industry, once a location has been approved for telecommunications systems. 

Constance and Kevin Sutton  

Berkeley 

Beth El’s ties to the community are relevant 

Editor: 

A letter to the Planet about Congregation Beth El’s proposal to build a new synagogue referred to “what a fine institution this is and how much it does for the community.” 

Nothing new there. But then, amazingly, the letter says that this is irrelevant information that should not be a part of the discussion. 

Would we decide to approve a new library or school or any other important building in Berkeley without reference to what that institution does for our community? 

Beth El provides a remarkable array of valuable programs and services to residents of our city, and it seems to me that it is extremely relevant to say so.  

The letter writer implies that the only real issue is the impact this new building would have on its site and neighborhood.  

That issue is thoroughly addressed in the telephone book sized Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the project.  

The EIR concludes that, based on studies widely respected experts in everything from traffic to parking to fish and trees, the new synagogue would create no significant impacts that cannot be addressed.  

Our city officials will use the objective findings in the EIR, and the responses to that document from all interested parties, to determine the future of this project. 

And the members of Beth El will be ready, as they have always been, to consider ways to make this beautifully designed building and the green space around it as much of an asset to the community as the congregation’s fine educational, spiritual and outreach programs already are.  

Jerry Weintraub 

Berkeley 

Asphalt strip not fitting memorial to Brower 

Editor: 

While in general I support Mayor Dean's and Councilmember Olds's plan to honor David Brower, a car-oriented strip of pavement on top of a stretch of bay fill hardly seems the most fitting memorial for the founder of Friends of the Earth.  

Why not a park, preserve, trail, or bike path instead, for example the 31-mile East Bay Skyline National Recreational Trail? 

Robert Lauriston 

Berkeley 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177  

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689  

A Time to Give  

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center Theater 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

A benefit for the Applied Ballet Arts Foundation, the show features new choreography to Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, Schubert’s Sonata for arpeggione, and Max Bruch’s Schottish Fantasy for violin.  

$12 - $15 sliding scale  

Call 268-9000 x218  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development.  

Call 832-4244 

Bridge Biker Collective Party  

8 p.m. 

6447 Regent St. (near Alcatraz) 

Celebrate the new initiative to win equal access to Bay Area bridges at a party following the monthly Berkeley critical mass ride. Free  

Call 273-9288 or visit www.bikethebridge.org 

WomenSing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. Call 845-2612  

Berkeley Community Chorus  

& Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

– Compiled by 

Chason Wainwright 

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10 

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Retire Campaign Debt  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Takara Sake  

708 Addison St.  

Berkeley City Council member Margaret Breland’s fundraiser with food, sake tasting, beverages and live music.  

$25 donation requested 

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

4 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Monday, Dec. 11 

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13 

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Models for the Millenium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs Co-ordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14  

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Sunday, Dec. 17  

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Monday, Dec. 18 

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Tuesday, Dec. 19 

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Wednesday, Dec. 20 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 21 

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Dec. 22 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Saturday, Dec. 23  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

Green Party Consensus Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

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. 

531-8664 

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. 

644-8511 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesday and Thursday 

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. 

644-6109 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

The historic Fox Cottage, at 2612 Channing Way is being prepared for its 500-foot move to 2350 Bowditch St. The cottage, built in 1930, has had some interior walls removed so workers can brace the frail brick walls for the move. Once the walls are stiffened, the cottage will be hydraulically lifted and put on dollies before it trundles to its new home around the corner. The cost of the excursion is estimated to be at least $750,000.

Habitot Children’s Museum 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

“Back to the Farm.”  

Ongoing 

An 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 more.  

Cost: $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under.  

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.  

647-1111 or www.habitot.org 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St.  

549-6950 

Free 

Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 

“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. 

“Second Annual Richard Nagler Competition for Excellence in Jewish Photography” 

Through Feb., 2001. 

Featuring the work of Claudia Nierman, Jason Francisco, Fleming Lunsford, and others.  

UC Berkeley Art Museum 

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 

Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Open Thursdays til 9 p.m.  

Through Jan. 16, 2001: “Amazons in the Drawing Room”: The Art of Romaine Brooks  

Predominantly a portrait artist, Brooks paintings were influenced by elements of her life and are a visual record of the changing status of women in society and her own refusal to conform to the social order of early twentieth-century Europe.  

Through Jan. 28, 2001: “Tacita Dean/MATRIX 189 Banewl” 

A film instillation by British conceptual artist Tacita Dean of the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 11, 1999.  

Pacific Film Archive Theater Gallery 

2625 Durant Ave. 

Through Jan. 8, 2001: “Continuous Replay: The Photographs of Arnie Zane” 

Best known as the cofounder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Zane began his exploration of the human form through photography. 

Through Dec. 17: Wolfgang Laib/Martrix: “188 Pollen from Pine” 

Laib uses elements of nature including beeswax, milk, rice, pollen, and stone to create his art pieces.  

The Asian Galleries  

“Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery,” open-ended.  

A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection.  

“Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. 

“Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. 

“Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students age 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 through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

642-0808. 

UC Berkeley Museum  

of Paleontology 

Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley 

“Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing.  

A 20-foot tall, 40-foot long replica of the fearsome dinosaur. The replica is made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. 

“Pteranodon”  

A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22 to 23 feet. Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst  

Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 

“Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended.  

This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. 

This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi. 

$2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

643-7648 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

“Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. 

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

experiments. 

“In the Dark,”through Jan. 15, 2001. Plunge into darkness and see amazing creatures that inhabit worlds without light.  

“Saturday Night Stargazing” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza.  

“ChemMystery,” through Jan. 1, 2001. The LHS becomes a crime scene and a science lab to help visiting detectives to solve two different crime scenarios.  

Call 643-5134 for tickets  

“Family Holiday Programs,” Dec. 26 - 31. An entire week of song, music, dance, and other assorted entertainment that are guaranteed child-pleasers. Call LHS for details or check “out & about” close to Dec. 26.  

Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

$7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4 

642-5132 

Holt Planetarium  

Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 

Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. 

“Moons of the Solar System,” through Dec. 10. Take a tour of the fascinating worlds that orbit Earth and other planets out to the edge of the Solar System.  

“Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18;  

$3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

The Oakland Museum of  

California 

1000 Oak St., Oakland 

“Secret World of the Forbidden City” Through Jan. 24, 2001. A rare glimpse of over 350 objects which illustrate the opulence and heritage of the Chinese Imperial Court Under the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 - 1911. For this exhibit: $13 general, $10 seniors and $5 for students with ID.  

For museum: $6 general; $4 seniors and students; free children age 5 and under; second Sundays are free to all. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; first Friday of the month, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Many special events scheduled for November and December related to “Secret World of the Forbidden City.” 

(888) OAK-MUSE or www.museumca.org. 

Music 

924 Gilman St. 

All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted 

$5; $2 for a year membership 

525-9926 

Dec. 8: Good Clean Fun, S.E.E.D., more TBA 

Dec. 9: Phobia, Grief, 16, Noothgrush, Spaceboy 

Dec. 15: Monopause, Moe! Kestra!, Pendulum, Iron Ass, Spezz Arotto 

Dec. 16: Yaphet Kotto, Lions of Judah, Blood Brothers, The Shivering 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Dec. 8: Mood Swing Orchestra, 9:30 p.m.; dance lesson, 8 p.m., $11  

Dec. 9: Magnolia Sisters, 9:30 p.m.; dance lesson, 8:30 p.m., $14 

Dec. 10: Obeyjah with Princess’d & Village Culture, 9 p.m., $8  

Dec. 12: Tom Rigney & Flambeau, 9 p.m.; dance lesson, 8 p.m., $8  

Freight & Salvage  

All shows begin at 8 p.m.  

548-1761 

Dec. 8: Ian Tyson (classic Canadian cowboy) 

Dec. 9: Robin Flower & Libby McLaren (string & keyboards) 

Dec. 10: The Magnolia Sisters (cajun) 

Dec. 11: Judy Henske (blues & jazz) 

Dec. 12: Bob & Sheila Everhart (country) 

Dec. 13 & 14: Dan Bern 

Eli’s Mile High Club 

3629 MLK Jr. Way  

Oakland 

Doors for all events, 8 p.m. 

Dec. 8: Mojo Madness 

Dec. 9: Eli’s Allstars 

Dec. 15: Jimmy Mamou 

Dec. 16: Ron Thompson 

Albatross Pub 

1822 San Pablo Ave. 

843-2473 

All shows begin at 9 p.m., unless noted 

Dec. 9: pickPocket ensemble (European cafe music) 

Dec. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo 

Crowden School 

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

559-6910 

Dec. 10, 4 p.m.: 2nd Annual Colin Hampton Memorial Concert featuring young artists from around the Bay Area, $10; Free for those under 18.  

Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school.  

ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series 

Tuva Space 

3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 

444-3595 

All shows begin at 7:45 p.m.  

Dec. 17: Thomas Day, Boris Hauf, and Kit Clayton 

$8 suggested donation per show 

Live Oak Concert Series 

1275 Walnut St.  

644-6893 

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. 

Dec. 10: Minstrel Voices perform works by Jacopo Perl, Cipriano Di Rore and Josquin Des Pres. 

Dec. 17: Cellist Elaine Kreston performs suites by J.S. Bach 

$10 general, $9 students/seniors, children under 12 Free 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

845-5373 

All events begin at 4:30 p.m. 

Dec. 10: Tocar featuring David Frazier 

Dec. 17: San Francisco Saxaphone Quartet 

$6 - $12  

Dec. 21, 8 p.m.: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Dmitri Matheny 

Solano Holiday Performers  

Solano Ave.  

On weekend afternoons until Christmas, various artists will be performing.  

Dec. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 & 24, Noon - 6 p.m. 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 

841-2800 

Performance dates include Jan. 31, April 3, and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m.  

Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96  

Strolling Musicians & Carolers  

Downtown Berkeley 

Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association and co-sponsored by the Daily Planet and the City of Berkeley. 

Performances are 5 - 7 p.m. 

Dec. 8: Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Dec. 15: Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, a Barbershop Quartet 

Dec. 22: Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir  

Baroque Choral Guild  

First Congregational Church  

2345 Channing Way 

408-733-8110 

Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. Performing the music of Giovanni Croce, Giovanni Bassano, Claudio Monteverdi, and others.  

$20 general, $15 senior/student 

Klesmeh! Festival  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

415-454-5238 

Dec. 23, 8 p.m. A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Theater 

“Dinner With Friends” 

by Donald Margulies 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St.  

Through Jan. 5, 2001 

845-4700, www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Weir” by Conor McPherson 

Aurora Theater Company 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Through Dec. 17, Tuesday - Saturday, 8 p.m. (no performance Nov. 23); Sunday, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. 

$35 opening night 

$30 general 

Call 843-4822 

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller 

Berkeley High Drama Dept.  

Florence Schwimley Little Theater 

Allston Way (between Milvia & MLK Jr. Way) 

Dec. 8 & 9, 8 p.m.  

$5 

Tickets available at the door  

“Resist Me” by Jackie Bendzinski 

Campus Performing Arts Association 

Zellerbach Room Seven  

UC Berkeley  

Dec. 14 - 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 16, 2 p.m. 

$8 general; $5 students with ID  

Call 697-7529  

“The Hard Nut” 

The Nutcracker With a Twist 

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 

Dec. 8, 9, 14 - 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 & 16, 2 p.m.; Dec. 10 & 17, 3 p.m.  

$26 - $50 

Call 642-9988 

“The Nutcracker” 

Berkeley Ballet Theater 

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Dec. 8 & 15, 7 p.m.; Dec. 9 & 16, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Dec. 10 & 17, 2 p.m.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689  

“The Christmas Revels”  

Scottish Rite Theater  

1547 Lakeside Dr., Oakland 

A celebration of the winter solstice that combines dance, drama, ritual, and song.  

Dec. 8 & 15, 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 & 16, 1 & 5 p.m.; Dec. 10 & 17, 1 &5 p.m.  

$15 - $30, discounts for groups, seniors and children under 12 

For tickets call Ticketweb, 601-8932 

For info. call 893-9853 

Exhibits 

Berkeley Art Center 

Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St., Berkeley 

644-6893 

“Against All Odds: Ingenuity, Talent and Disability,”  

Featuring the work of six disabled artists who use inventive, adaptive art-making techniques to create media ranging from prints and ceramic sculpture to computer-generated paintings and collage works. Through Dec. 16. Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free.  

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Call 528-0494  

“Artists at Play Holiday Sale” 

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Dec. 9, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

Call 540-5296 x3 

“Holiday Crafts Fair” 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Dec. 9 & 10, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

California College of Arts and Crafts  

Oliver Art Center, 5212 Broadway, Oakland  

594-3712 

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free. 

Kala Art Institute 

1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley 

549-2977 

Over sixty artists affiliated with the Kala Art Institute will show works ranging from wood block prints to digital media.  

Through Jan. 16, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday “Open Studios” 

For a free map send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: 

Berkeley Artisans Map, 1250 Addison St. #214, Berkeley, CA. 94702.  

11 a.m. - 5 p.m ., Saturdays & Sundays, Through Dec. 17 

For additional info. call 845-2612 

You may also download the map at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com  

Traywick Gallery 

1316 Tenth St., Berkeley 

527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Group show by Traywick artists, Through Dec. 23.  

Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Nexus Gallery  

2701 Eighth St., Berkeley 

531-9229 

“The Glitter Reminder,” paintings by Michele Theberge, prints and textiles by Sharon Jue, photographs by Amy Snyder, sculpted water environments by C.R. Mitchell and Tom Mataga and textile installations by Claudia Tennyson.  

Dec. 9 - 23, Opening reception: Dec. 10, 2 - 5 p.m. 

Gallery hours: Monday - Friday, Noon - 6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

Call 848-0181 

“Berkeley’s Ethnic Heritage.” An overview of the rich cultural diversity of the city and the contribution of individuals and minority groups to it’s history and development.  

Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free.  

Pro Arts Gallery 

461 Ninth St., Oakland.  

763-9425  

2000 Juried Annual, Through Dec. 30. This years show features 79 works by 70 artists. This show is juried by Larry Rinder, curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum. 

Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

YWCA  

2600 Bancroft Way 

848-6370 

Benecia artist Connie Millholland’s semi-abstract images of personal pain created by the Holocaust.  

Through Dec. 15.  

Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Call 548-9286 x307 

Alan Leon: Hebrew Calligraphy and Illuminations, Through Dec. 15. Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m.; Saturday, Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 

2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852  

& 1730 Fourth St., 559-9500 

Telegraph events (all begin at 7:30 p.m., unless noted): 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave.  

Kensington  

559-9184 

www.boadeciasbooks.com 

All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted  

Dec. 8: “Gaymes Night” Play Pictionary, Taboo, Scattergories and eat pizza  

Dec. 9: Meredith Maran discusses “Class Dismissed: A Year in the Life of an American High School, a Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” a result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students over the course of a year.  

Dec. 10, 11 a.m.: LesBiGayTrans Parenting group.  

Dec. 14: Lillian Ann Slugocki & Erin Cressida Wilson will read from their book, “The Erotica Project,” a result of their realization that there was little well-written erotica for women who have sex with men.  

Lunch Poems: A Noontime Poetry Reading Series 

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley 

Call 642-0137 

12:10 - 12:50 p.m.  

Under the direction of Professor Robert Hass, this is a series of events on the first Thursday of each month. Free.  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 

843-3533 

All events begin at 7:30 p.m. 

Dec. 12: Peter Booth Wiley discusses why architects hate the Victorians of San Francisco  

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National  

Laboratory 

Scientists and engineers guide visitors through the research areas of the laboratory, demonstrating emerging technology and discussing the research’s current and potential applications. Reservations required at least two weeks in advance of tour. 

Free. University of California, Berkeley. 

486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 

Guided tours through Berkeley’s City Club, a landmark building designed by architect Julia Morgan. 

$2. The fourth Sunday of every month except December, between noon to 4 p.m.  

2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 

848-7800 

Golden Gate Live Steamers 

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size, run along a half mile of track in Tilden Regional Park. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley.  

486-0623  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 

The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. 

Botanical Garden Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. $3 general; $2 seniors; $1 children; free on Thursday. Daily, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Botanical Garden, Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/ 

Lectures 

Berkeley Historical Society 

Slide Lecture & Booksigning Series 

Berkeley Historical Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

848-0181 

Sundays, 3 - 5 p.m.  

These are free events  

Dec. 10: Mal and Sandra Sharpe on “Weird Rooms” 

People who collect strange things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Jan. 14: Richard Schwartz on “Berkeley 1900,” the history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

City Commons Club 

Luncheon Speaker Series 

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

848-3533 

Social Hour, 11:15 a.m.  

Luncheon, 11:45 - 12:15 p.m. 

Speaker, 12:30 p.m. 

$1 - $12.25, Speeches free to students 

Dec. 8: Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty speaks on “Julia Morgan collaborating with Bernard Maybeck” 

An interim parking plan for Berkeley High School approved 4-1 by the Board of Education Wednesday night provoked acrimony between school representatives and neighbors of the school, who feared it would compound an already dire parking situation.  

The plan would allow the school to apply for up to 110 residential parking permits to be issued to staff and designates 70 additional parking spaces around the north, west and south perimeter of the school for exclusive use by the staff. 

Construction of a new physical education building and a new administrative building and student center will usurp 150 staff parking spaces now on the school campus. Originally, the school had planned to provide parking on the blacktop during the construction, which is estimated to take three years.  

But after a fire destroyed one of the major buildings earlier this year, the school had to locate portable classrooms on the blacktop. This has left BHS with  

little staff parking during the new  

building construction, scheduled to start early next year. 

“This is a crisis situation and an interim situation,” said School Board President Terry Doran. 

Doran said the board had searched for alternate solutions but found none that were realistic.  

A significant number of Berkeley High staff members live in areas not served by public transit, said Principal Frank Lynch. “The bottom line is that with all our good intentions to get people to use alternative methods of transport, there are still people who out of necessity are going to drive.” 

More than a dozen area residents came to the meeting to protest the plan, which they said would create vicious competition for an already limited number of parking spaces. “We are being told that we won’t be able to unload our groceries so that teachers can unload their teaching materials,” said area resident Wendy Alfsen.  

Councilmember Dona Spring said, “If we give stickers to everyone who wants them, we don’t have a permit parking system anymore.” 

Opponents of the measure had suggested the school use a lot off site, perhaps at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, and offer shuttle service to the school. But several members of the school board rejected this plan, as did a teacher representative. 

“Who is going to drive all the way past Berkeley to Albany and then have to wait for a shuttle?” said Barry Fike, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers and a Berkeley High neighbor as well. “Or should we ask our teachers to disrupt our classes and play the two-hour shuffle?” he said, referring to requiring them to park in spaces that have a two-hour limit. 

Residents said the measure would strain relationships between neighbors and the school. “I don’t like to complain about the presence of the high school in my neighborhood,” said Nick Bertoni, who lives across the street from Berkeley High. “But this is our home and our neighborhood and we have to live here. Many residents don’t have garages or driveways and there is no other place for us to park.”  

“There’s something about an inconvenience like this that really gets to you and makes you feel like you’re getting screwed,” said Jason Bathrick, who testified that when he takes his wife to work in the morning, he cannot find a place to park when he returns.  

Some Berkeley High teachers also had concerns. “Providing teachers with permits in a neighborhood where there is no parking isn’t giving them anything,” said Berkeley High teacher Julie Gilfoy. “By giving us permits you are giving us nothing but anger and frustration.” 

Defenders of the plan said they had searched for a better alternative, but found none. “We’ve been in discussions for a long time with city staff and that didn’t generate solutions,” Doran said. He said the school was simply exercising its right to the parking spaces allotted them through the residential parking permit system, which allows permits for 60 percent of school staff. 

Newly-elected Board Director John Selawsky, who was sworn in at Wednesday’s meeting, cast the one dissenting vote. “Just because we are an educational institution and we have a laudable mission does not mean we can ignore the issues of the community,” he said. “I have a gut feeling the district hasn’t done its homework on this and that some of these problems could have been foreseen.” 

The board unanimously approved a recommendation to offer other trip reduction incentives. These included building a bicycle storage area, providing employees information on public transport and carpool programs, assigning priority parking spaces for car-poolers and participating in a program which allows employees to get tax write-offs for public transit costs. Doran proposed an amendment to the plan that would reimburse staff who use public transport for up to $65 a month. “We have to show we are willing to absorb some of the problem,” he said. Board members declined to pass the proposal on the spot, but approved an amendment to investigate such a subsidy. 

The deadline for resolution of the parking issue may be pushed back a bit, as construction is expected to be delayed from its original January start date to February or March of this year.

The City Council was unable to act Tuesday on a second air quality study that might definitively determine health risks to people who live or work near Interstate 80. 

Mayor Shirley Dean submitted a recommendation to the council asking the city manager to develop criteria for a second study that would thoroughly and definitively asses the risk of respiratory disease in west Berkeley. While the first study, completed in September, showed dangerous levels of air pollution, it was criticized by air quality officials as inconclusive.  

Councilmember Linda Maio submitted a competing recommendation at the Tuesday meeting, but the council did not have time to discuss it. Maio’s proposal called for a reworking of the first study and a collaboration between the city and various government, health and environmental organizations to develop a regional public awareness campaign that links emissions to the health and well being of the community. 

“If we’re just going to study, study and study, we won’t get anything done,” Maio said. “I want to partner with other cities and groups and I want action that will end up with results.” 

Dean said she didn’t think the two motions were incompatible. “I don’t mind rewriting the first study or forming committees as long as we do a more definitive study,” she said. 

In June, the City Council allocated $10,000 for the first study, which focused on west Berkeley primarily along I-80. Acurex Environmental Corp. of Mountain View, deployed a series of monitors, or filtering devices, that collected particles from the air that were analyzed and summarized in a report completed in September. 

According to the mayor’s written recommendation, the study showed there were high levels of two toxic compounds, acrolein and formaldehyde. Both are associated with vehicle exhaust. 

But, a review of the study by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, was critical of the study. According to the BAAQMD report the project duration was too short and the collected data was insufficient to estimate health risks.  

Dean said approving $10,000 for the report before determining the extent of the project was ill-conceived and any future proposals to address emissions coming from I-80 would carry more weight with a thorough and definitive study.  

“I’m concerned we’ll spend another year talking about how we need another study and I’m there already,” Dean said. “I think we should do another study and do it right.” 

Maio, who put the original study on the agenda in June, said she had the idea after reading a 1999 report by the Bay Area Regional Asthma Management and Prevention Initiative. The report analyzed asthma hospitalization rates in Alameda, Solano, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. 

In Alameda the highest rates of hospitalization for asthma were among residents who live along the I-80 corridor. 

Maio is convinced the cause of the high level of asthma and other respiratory illnesses is related to auto emissions, especially those generated by the popularity of sport utility vehicles. 

“There needs to be more awareness about the impact of our driving habits,” Maio said. “People should know that driving an SUV has consequences for you, your family and your friends.” 

Richard Varenchik, a California Air Resources Board spokesperson, said the majority of SUVs are used as passenger vehicles but their allowable emissions are three times higher. He said legislation was passed in November 1998 that will reduce SUV emissions beginning in January 2004. 

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the second air quality study at the Dec. 17 meeting. 

While most Berkeley students prepare for long nights of studying and last-minute cramming, Muslim students will spend the last few weeks of this semester strengthening their links to God. And they will do so by fasting in celebration of Ramadan. 

“Ramadan is like no other time of the year,” said Aadil Maniar, who is in charge of publicity for the Muslim Student Union. “Spirituality is very enriching.” 

The holiest month on the Muslim calendar, Ramadan takes place on different dates in the Western calendar each year. This year the holiday began Nov. 27 and will end Dec. 26. 

During the entire month of Ramadan, the time when the Qu'ran, was sent to the prophet Mohammed by God, Muslims fast during daylight hours. 

After sundown, the complete fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. 

A time of worship and contemplation, Ramadan is also a time that brings the community together. Following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. 

“People get closer during this time,” said Hooma Multani, a senior majoring in environmental studies. “A group of us gets together everyday to break fast at 5 p.m. It is a very festive time.” 

Fasting may seem counterproductive for students in the middle of finals, but for Multani, not eating or drinking helps her concentrate more on her studies. 

“It's not that I forget that I am fasting,” Multani said. “But there is the sense that I am doing something for God. It makes you not pay attention to material things.” 

Eman Tai, a student at Hastings Law School and UC Berkeley graduate, agreed. 

“The difficult part is not fasting,” Tai said. “ The difficult part is having to deal with school and exams and at the same time having to get ready for the holiday. I think it would be hard, too, if people celebrated Easter or Christmas during school time.” 

Fasting does not affect her performance at school, said Multani. On the contrary, “it is easier to concentrate because you have a higher level of spirituality.” 

This is also a perfect time to educate people about a misunderstood religion, said Maniar. 

“When people see you are not eating they ask why,” Maniar said. “I think it helps build bridges between Muslims and non-Muslims.” 

OAKLAND— A class action federal suit was filed Thursday on behalf of at least 12 black men who say their civil rights were violated by four Oakland police officers known as “The Riders.” 

Lawyers for the group also called for a federal investigation into the department’s “ongoing pattern and practice of police misconduct.” 

The suit names as defendants the four officers charged in the scandal, Frank Vazquez, 44, Clarence “Chuck” Mabanag, 35, Jude Siapno, 32, and Matthew Hornung, 29, as well as Police Chief Richard Word and the city of Oakland. 

Mabanag, Siapno and Hornung have pleaded innocent to charges including assault, kidnapping and filing false reports. Authorities are still looking for Vazquez, who may have fled to Mexico. 

A call to Word’s office seeking comment Thursday was not immediately returned. 

But Word and Mayor Jerry Brown repeatedly have said the four officers’ alleged misconduct was isolated to about three weeks last summer and that no additional officers were involved.  

Word vehemently has denied any “code of silence” or institutionalized abuse. 

Two of the officers, Mabanag and Siapno, have been fired. Vazquez and Hornung remain on paid administrative leave. 

Calls to the officers’ attorneys were not immediately returned Thursday. 

Lawyer John Burris, who filed Thursday’s suit, called the misconduct “a matter of official policy rooted in an entrenched posture of deliberate indifference to the constitutional rights of African-American males” in West Oakland. 

He said Word and other high-ranking officials tolerated abuse within the department and were aware of a “repeated pattern of misconduct” by “The Riders,” but failed to stop them. 

”(Former Police Chief Joseph) Samuels and Word are both men of honor who want to do the right thing,” Burris said. “But the chiefs only get the information that filters up to the top at the very end.” 

There was a “breakdown within the department to allow officers to feel comfortable when this behavior can go on,” he said during a news conference attended by at least 10 black men who said they had been beaten up, framed or otherwise abused by “The Riders” and other officers. 

At least four of the alleged victims who filed the civil suit also are named in the criminal complaint against the officers. 

All 12 of the men who brought the suit have had their criminal cases dismissed. 

Prosecutor David Hollister has said about 50 cases have been dismissed so far, but Burris said hundreds more could be affected as calls from people who believe they were wrongly accused pour into his and other lawyers’ offices. 

Lawyer Jim Chanin said he asked the district attorney’s office to “accelerate the process of finding victims of ’The Riders”’ and “reversing those injustices.” 

“The Riders” case has been compared to the Rampart scandal in Los Angeles in which three officers were convicted of framing suspects, more than 100 cases have been thrown out and 70 civil rights suits have been filed. 

Burris said the Oakland case is even more disturbing because the officers intimidated and coerced their victims with name calling and personal put-downs. 

“It’s a subversion of the whole criminal justice system,” he said.

SACRAMENTO — Imagine this: A public school in a poor, minority neighborhood where the teachers are all fully qualified, the buildings shine with new paint, each class has only 15 students and books and supplies are plentiful. 

Hard to imagine? 

It’s certainly not the case now, according to a new study being released Thursday by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning that says underqualified teachers are still concentrated in urban schools with mostly poor and minority students. 

But it could be so if state lawmakers, Gov. Gray Davis and local districts choose to concentrate efforts and shower resources on the 1,600 public schools where one in five teachers are underqualified, says the study. 

“We’re thinking, we need to flip the idea of low-performing schools around,” says Margaret Gaston, codirector of the nonprofit center based in Santa Cruz that focuses in improving teaching. Now, in most cases, teacher pay and working conditions are better in suburban districts than in the urban and rural schools with high concentrations of poor students who don’t score well on tests. 

Consequently, good, veteran teachers don’t want to work in the very low-performing schools that most need them. 

The education establishment should turn those low-performing schools into places where teachers want to work, says the study. 

“We need to make these schools compelling places to be. We can do that. We know how to do that. It will take political will and serious investment, but it’s possible to do,” Gaston said. 

The Legislature and Davis are currently working on their proposals for the 2001 session. The Assembly’s Select Committee on Low Performing Schools is holding a hearing Thursday to discuss the study and look at future legislation aimed at those schools. Davis makes his recommendations to the Legislature in January. 

Gaston says education officials need to concentrate additional resources in the lowest-performing schools to improve the learning conditions by making the buildings clean and safe, providing sufficient books and other materials linked to the state’s new rigorous standards and perhaps offering higher pay. 

State school Superintendent Delaine Eastin agrees. 

“I would say this is more challenging work than being a suburban teacher,” she said. “There should be a differential.” 

However, Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association, says giving some teachers higher pay has never worked in the past. In Los Angeles in the 1970s, officials gave a large bonus for working in “hard-to-staff schools,” he recalls. “They didn’t have any takers. It became known as combat pay. The community hated it, saying ’You have to pay teachers more to come in and teach our children.’ I don’t think pay will do it,” said the head of the state’s largest teachers’ union. 

The numbers have actually worsened since the center’s similar study a year ago. However, Gaston stresses that the effects of several new programs passed this year by Davis and the Legislature to recruit teachers to low-performing schools are not yet being felt. 

“The fact remains that the problem is so huge, it’s not going to be solved overnight. They’re going to have to maintain their focus and their interest in this issue over time in order to fully address this crisis,” Gaston said. 

The report found that in the 1999-2000 school year, more than 40,000 teachers, or about 14 percent, did not have a full state credential, meaning they have not taken the full five-year course that includes how-to-teach instruction. 

Eastin says the figure now is closer to 49,000, including 37,000 teachers working with “emergency” credentials, meaning they have graduated from college but need more teaching courses, plus 12,000 who are in intern programs or are teaching subjects outside their training. 

Those underqualified teachers, however, are not evenly distributed around the state. Thirty percent of schools, most of them in suburban areas, have no such teachers. 

In 24 percent of schools — up from 21 percent the year before — more than one-fifth of the teachers do not have full credentials. 

Those 1,600 schools with 1.5 million students are predominantly urban schools with mostly poor and minority students, says the study. 

In schools where 75 percent of the students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches because of family poverty, an average of 22 percent of teachers are underqualified. 

In addition, the schools with the state’s lowest quarter of test scores have an average of 23 percent of teachers underqualified, says the study. 

The CTA is surveying its teachers and will present its own plan to improve teaching at low-performing schools by spring, Johnson said. 

He thinks the top recommendation is likely to be reducing class sizes in low-performing schools to about 15 to give teachers more time to work with kids who need more help. 

Class sizes now are 20 in most kindergarten-through-third grade classes and a few high school classes, but exceed 30 in most other grades. 

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On the Net: The center is at http://www.cftl.org 

SACRAMENTO — California declared an unprecedented electricity alert Thursday after the state’s overwhelmed power grid, crippled by idled power plants and scant supplies, struggled to meet evening demands. 

The alert lasted about two hours, and the power grid’s managers said they hoped to avoid blackouts by tapping electricity intended for the enormous state and federal pumps that push water from Northern California to the central and southern regions of the state. 

“We’re hoping that with these resources we can avoid the blackouts,” said Lorie O’Donley, a spokeswoman for the Independent System Operator. 

The Stage Three alert, which lasted from about 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed hours of increasing stress on California’s electricity grid, which has been strapped by cold weather, power plants idled for maintenance and repairs, and dwindling imports. 

But by temporarily halting the pumps – two-story structures that suck water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta east of San Francisco – authorities hoped to obtain at least an additional 500 megawatts, perhaps more. 

The demand on grid reached 31,600 megawatts Thursday evening, nearly the maximum available. Reserves dipped to below 1,000 megawatts, prompting the alert. One megawatt is enough electricity for 1,000 homes. 

“We are within less than 1,000 megawatts right now,” said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. 

If the reserve is exhausted, power outages likely will begin. 

“If we’re short by 500 megawatts, that’s 500,000 people affected (by blackouts). If we’re short 1,000 megawatts, that’s a million people,” McCorkle said. 

She said about 85 percent of California, which is about 900 miles long with 34 million people, was covered by the alert. 

Throughout the day, hundreds of companies cut their electricity usage. Others awaited notification to do likewise – computer chip maker Intel prepared to turn off 50 percent of the lights at its 6,500-employee Folsom campus if necessary. 

“If that’s not enough, we’ll take the lights down 100 percent and work in the dark,” said Bill Mueller, Intel’s director of communications. 

The IS0 said an unidentified 500-megawatt power plant unexpectedly went down in the afternoon, further stressing the system. 

Shortly before the Stage Three alert, the ISO said California utilities, which try to buy power at least a day in advance to obtain the best possible price, had purchased power with just one hour of lead time. 

By late afternoon, that lead time had been cut to 10 minutes, the ISO said, reflecting a dramatic tightening in the market. 

The ISO also said a new cold snap was expected to hit Sunday evening, posing new stresses for the system. 

Gov. Gray Davis said the problems stemmed in part from flaws in California’s newly deregulated electricity system, including huge increases in the cost of wholesale power. 

“We’re simply not ready for deregulation in California,” the governor said. 

“California is riding point on this deregulation experiment,” Davis added.  

“The problem is, I can’t control the process. There are too many players. I’m trying to use a combination of reforms, good ideas and guilt to produce the desired result” of stability and an easing of high rates. 

California has experienced isolated blackouts in the past, but has never endured controlled widespread blackouts ordered by authorities to protect the state’s power grid. 

The ISO declared a Stage Two power emergency at 4 a.m., urging millions of residential and business customers to conserve energy. 

Hundreds of companies voluntarily cut power under “interruptible” energy conservation agreements triggered by the alert. Those companies get huge rebates in exchange for agreeing to reduce power if necessary during such emergencies. 

The alerts are the latest in a series of problems to bedevil California’s deregulated electricity system, which has been rocked for six months by dramatic increases in wholesale energy costs. 

Under a 1996 law, California’s investor-owned monopoly utilities began a gradual transition to deregulation. The companies were required to sell off their power-generating assets, such as dams and power plants, and purchase electricity on the open market. 

The goal was to lower prices to consumers through a competitive market. But skyrocketing energy costs have sent market prices sharply higher. 

During the transition, the utilities operate under a rate freeze. Afterward, the freeze is removed. 

San Diego Gas and Electric Co., with 1.2 million customers in San Diego and southern Orange County, was the first to complete its transition. It passed on the costs of wholesale electricity to its customers, resulting in a doubling and tripling of customers’ bills. The increases prompted state and federal investigations. 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co., with 4.5 million customers in Northern and Central California, and Southern California Edison Co., with 4.2 million, still have a rate freeze. 

Together, the two utilities contend they have paid more than $5 billion in excess wholesale charges since the summer. The companies have sought permission from state regulators and the federal courts to pass those charges on to their ratepayers. 

With few power plants of their own, California utilities have been forced to pay high rates for wholesale electricity. 

Concerned about deregulation, power plant builders shunned California and no new power plants were developed for a decade, leaving supplies stagnant. Several new plants are under construction now — eight have been licensed since 1998 — but the soonest they will begin operation is next summer. State officials believe costs will ease as that new energy becomes available. 

The last major blackout in California occurred June 14 during a heat wave in the San Francisco area. It lasted several hours and was due to local voltage and equipment problems. 

In 1996, there was an uncontrolled cascading blackout throughout the Northwest, including many areas of California, that lasted up to nine hours. 

Earlier in the week, the state Public Utilities Commission ordered engineers and inspectors to examine idled power plants at a dozen sites across the state to verify the legitimacy of their shutdowns. 

Authorities ordered the inspections after an unusually large number of power plants, producing about 7,000 megawatts, reported they were down for maintenance or other reasons. 

Publicly, there was no indication officials were concerned about deliberate shutdowns to drive up costs. Privately, though, officials at two state agencies said they were concerned the number of idled power plants could result in cost spikes ultimately benefitting those plants. 

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On the Net: 

The California Idependent System Operator Web site is www.caiso.com 

SACRAMENTO — Saying California needs more classrooms now, the Legislature’s Republican leaders proposed using $1 billion from a projected $10.3 billion state budget surplus for school construction. 

Assembly Minority Leader Bill Campbell, R-Villa Park, said Thursday it was “very appropriate to use part of this surplus” for schools instead of waiting for voters to approve a new school construction bond measure in 2002. 

The $1 billion for school construction and renovation would include $800 million that would be available to school districts agreeing to spend an equal amount. 

Campbell and Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, said that would be enough to wipe out a backlog of more than 200 projects awaiting approval by the State Allocation Board. 

Another $200 million would go to small school districts and charter schools that have difficulty raising construction money, and to charter schools that serve low-performing students. The Republicans also proposed: 

• Giving community colleges $320 million in the coming fiscal year to bring them up to the minimum funding level required by Proposition 98 of 1988. Assemblyman Robert Pacheco, R-Walnut, said the two-year schools repeatedly have been shortchanged during the last 10 years despite the funding requirement. 

• Creating an income tax credit of up to $500 to encourage Californians to contribute to a college trust fund for their children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews. 

• Authorizing a tax credit for employers who loan employees to teach math or science in public schools.  

The credit would be equal to 50 percent of the cost of loaning the employee. 

The Legislature’s budget analyst, Elizabeth Hill, predicted last month that California’s hot economy would generate an extra $10.3 billion in revenue over the next 18 months. Her projections have triggered a slew of spending proposals. 

Republican leaders have scheduled a series of news conferences to discuss their suggestions. 

They said last week that lawmakers should spend $710 million on jails, crime labs, law enforcement equipment and prosecution of gun-related crimes. 

ATLANTA — Ask people what they think about using “smart growth” to curb sprawl, reduce traffic and protect open land, and the idea ranks up there with world peace and ending hunger. 

But when developers start building stores and workplaces near suburban homes, they usually get one response from locals – “Not in my neighborhood!” 

With the country’s top proponents of smart growth – dense development that combines homes within walking distance of schools, stores, apartments and workplaces – meeting in Atlanta this week, the hot topic has been overcoming local opposition to change. 

“What we say is there are two things Americans hate about growth: sprawl and density. The joke is, what the hell else is there?” said Ron Terwilliger, a developer and chairman of the Urban Land Institute, which sponsored the conference. 

The dilemma is especially pronounced in metro Atlanta, where the 35-mile average commute is the longest in the nation and where smog is so bad the federal government has cut off highway funds and parents are warned to keep small children inside on some summer days. 

However, even here, several planned subdivisions that were to include stores and bike trails have fallen flat because of resistance from neighbors. 

There’s no question people are unhappy with the clogged roads and blight that often accompany suburban growth. The problem is many people favor mass transit and dense development for others but choose one-acre lots tucked in subdivisions for themselves. 

“People move out to the suburbs because they like the greenery,” said planner Robert Preston. “Then things come in and destroy that. They want to put space – literal and psychological – between themselves and the growth.” 

But while developers told war stories of getting smart-growth support from residents – not to mention investors and local zoning boards – there was a great deal of optimism as planners and government officials talked about changing minds. 

Real estate consultants talked about recent surveys of likely home buyers that found up to a third would trade in a bigger lot for a shorter commute. And businesses in congested areas see the consequences of sprawl and are starting to request smart-growth planning from local governments. 

The key to making smart growth the norm is showing people real examples of how it works, planners said. 

“There’s an immediate fear in changing anything. People think we’re trying to cram them in small places,” Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes told the group. “We need to educate people, show examples, so they know there is another way.” 

As traffic gets worse and strip malls age, planners predicted they soon won’t have to preach smart growth — even suburbanites will clamor for it. 

“It’s going to take people seeing others doing it, living it successfully,” said Michael Pawlukiewicz, environmental policy director of the Urban Land Institute. “It’s not going to change overnight. But I have no doubt it’s going to change, and people are going to get excited about it.” 

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On the Net: 

Urban Land Institute: http://www.uli.org/indexJS.htm 

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — The mother of an American held hostage in the southern Philippines has appealed anew to a Muslim extremist group to free him. 

In a telephone call from her home in Oakland, California, to a radio station in Zamboanga City, Carol Schilling said she was worried about her son, Jeffrey, who was seized by members of the Abu Sayyaf group on southern Jolo island in August. 

“I appeal to the Abu Sayyaf to free my son, Jeffrey, in the name of Ramadan,” Islam’s holiest month, she said in the call late Tuesday to the Radio Mindanao Network. 

Schilling, a Muslim convert, was seized by the Abu Sayyaf after he visited their camp with his Filipino wife. His wife, a cousin of one of the rebel leaders, was not abducted. 

The rebels said Schilling was a CIA agent, which he denied. 

Later, the rebels demanded $10 million in ransom for Schilling, but the government and the U.S. Embassy refused to pay, and instead the Philippine military launched a rescue operation to free him and another hostage, Filipino Roland Ulla. 

In a call to the same radio station in September, Schilling’s mother pleaded with the rebels to release him unharmed. 

“Jeffrey is not your enemy and I am not your enemy,” she said. 

In another interview last month, Schilling said he is being kept in chains, has an infection in his leg and is losing hope that he will be released. He said he was becoming “less and less optimistic every day.” 

Schilling, 24, said the rebels holding him travel at night to escape pursuing military troops. He said no doctors are available to treat his infected leg and he had no medicine. 

An Abu Sayyaf spokesman told the radio station last month that the rebel leader who had custody of Schilling, Abu Sabaya, was lost at sea and feared dead after his boat capsized in rough waters while traveling from Jolo to Tawi-Tawi, farther south. 

Jolo is about 950 kilometers (595 miles) south of Manila. 

The spokesman said Schilling was not with them at the time and that he was in the custody of rebel chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani at an undisclosed hide-out. 

The military could not confirm the report about Sabaya and expressed doubts about it. 

Since the start of Ramadan, the Abu Sayyaf have stopped contacting local radio stations. 

Ulla, the Filipino hostage, is the last of a group of 21 tourists and workers abducted from a Malaysian diving resort in April still held by the rebels. More than dlrs 15 million in ransom was paid for the release of the others, according to negotiators. 

The Abu Sayyaf claims it is fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but the military regards it as a bandit gang. 

An analysis of 69 people who died with the help of Dr. Jack Kevorkian found that only 25 percent were terminally ill and five had no physical problems. It also found that more women than men sought his assistance. 

Studies of physician-assisted suicide suggest that terminally ill men over 65 are more likely than women to seek a doctor’s help to die. In the Kevorkian analysis, 49 patients, 71 percent of the total, were women. 

“We figured that men would be more likely to seek assistance from Dr. Kevorkian. In fact, the opposite turned out to be true,” said one of the researchers, Julie Malphurs of the University of South Florida in Tampa. 

The analysis was described in a letter published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers only looked at the 69 people who died with Kevorkian’s help in Michigan’s Oakland County because the autopsies were done by the same medical examiner’s office. They ranged in age from 21 to 89. 

“We wanted to see what kind of person went to Dr. Kevorkian to help them die and what factors went into them reaching that point,” Malphurs said. 

Kevorkian has said he helped some 130 people end their lives from 1990 to 1999. He was convicted and sentenced to prison last year for the 1998 death of a terminally ill man whose death he videotaped. 

L.J. Dragovic, the Oakland County medical examiner and one of Kervorkian’s harshest critics, shared the patients’ records and also signed the letter. 

Kevorkian’s former attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, criticized the report. 

“This is nothing new. This is the same analysis he’s been making for the last 10 years,” said Fieger, adding that Kevorkian didn’t require those he assisted to be terminally ill but to be “interminably suffering.” 

According to the analysis, autopsies determined that 17 of the 69 patients, or 25 percent, were not expected to live more than six months. Autopsies also failed to confirm any physical problems in five people. Twenty-nine percent had cancer; 38 percent had Lou Gehrig’s disease or multiple sclerosis. 

“It’s very clear ... they wanted to die but the reason they wanted to die was something beyond terminal illness,” said another university researcher, Donna Cohen. 

“It probably had do with some desperation, depression and a sense of helplessness and an inability to control their lives. That part is real. We need to look carefully at how we support people who are living through these things” 

She said the analysis could help states considering physician-assisted suicide legislation. Oregon is the only state where doctors can legally prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients. 

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On the Net: 

New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org 

With Wednesday’s opening of its solar power facility in west Berkeley – the largest photovoltaic solar array in the Bay Area – Green Mountain Energy kicked off a drive to get people to switch to solar for their power needs.  

At a dedication ceremony Thursday, Julie Blunden, GME’s western regional president, said electricity production is the largest source of industrial pollution.  

The facility, located at 815 Heinz St., produces 100 kilowatts, or 120,000 volts of continuous power. 

“Enough to power thousands of Christmas trees” said Dan Shugar, executive vice president of PowerLight, the Berkeley company that designed, manufactured and installed the 924-panel grid-connected solar electric system, which sits atop their manufacturing facility.  

Janice Lin, PowerLight’s director of business development, said PowerLight bought photovolataic cells from AstroPower, an independent corporation based in Delaware, constructed the system and sold it to GPU Solar, Inc.  

GPU, Inc., a registered public utility holding company based in New Jersey, is selling the 165,00 kilowatt hours produced by the facility each year to GME. Green Mountain will then re-sell the energy to their customers in California. 

Howard Wenger, director for North America business at AstroPower noted that electricity makes our society today possible.  

“If power was god’s greatest gift, solar is god’s second greatest gift,” he said. 

Wenger said the cells used in the panels at the Green Mountain Solar facility would last up to 30 years.  

The solar panels themselves are laid out on the roof in groups called strings, which are groupings of 22 panels. Stephen Smith of PowerLight said the panels, which can withstand hail balls up to an inch thick, can be monitored via a weather station mounted on the roof. The station monitors the roof temperature, wind speed, and the brightness of the sun. Customers can remotely access the information to make sure the system is working at its maximum capacity. 

According to GME statistics, over the 30 year life of the panels, the facility will produce enough electricity to avoid the burning of 13,773 barrels of oil or 876 million cubic feet of natural gas.  

This is the company’s second Northern California venture in cooperation with GPU Solar. 

Lin said funding for the Green Mountain Solar facility was provided in part by the California Energy Commission’s renewable energy program, the City of Palo Alto’s renewable energy program, and the Department of Energy through the Solar Electric Power Association.  

GME, which has a regional office in San Francisco, currently serves 100,000 customers in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  

Ceramic tiles are a beautiful accent in many old homes. Whether decorative or plain, the richness of this material commonly lends an air of grace and charm to old entranceway floors, baths and fireplaces. 

Like everything else in this world, some of these tiles may become damaged over time and need replacement. In most cases the answer isn’t as easy as a trip to the local home center or tile store.  

The difficulty in finding matches for old hand-painted, -printed or -carved tiles is obvious.  

Differences in the way tiles were made years ago make most of today’s mass-produced tiles inappropriate replacements for even plain field tiles. 

Color variations were common in the glaze of many old tiles. Two glaze variations that were typical of tiles produced 50 years ago are picture framing and crazing or crackle glazing.  

Picture framing occurs when the glaze puddles around the edges of the tile, outlining or framing it. The latter situation appears when the glaze doesn’t actually fit the body of the tile but shrinks at different rates, causing cracks to occur in its face. Today, the pair would be considered color flaws. 

Fortunately, both can be reproduced by some of the custom tile studios catering to this type of work.  

The first step in this process is sending the studio a good sample piece of the tile you’re trying to replace. A good quality photo can help if you can only send a section of tile instead of an entire undamaged piece. 

Tile reproduction is a costly process, the major expense being the research and development for the glaze and clay body. Much trial and error is involved here, and the experts depend on their past experiences to guide them.  

Choosing a glaze color is not like choosing a paint color: What you see is not what you get.  

The unfired state of glaze is nothing like its fired state.  

Finding the right match of glaze and clay body is a slow process. Expect to pay from $150 to $300 for this work, unless the shop you choose has already developed a matching glaze for a past job and has this information in its files. 

Once the color match is developed, the next step is creating the template or mold. Depending on how intricate or carved the tile is, you can pay anywhere from $100 on up for this work. 

Matching hand-painted tiles runs from $25 to $100 each. Of course, pricing is not a static figure. Each situation is unique. 

A less expensive alternative is to retile the entire area, whether it’s a fireplace, foyer or bath.  

Some tile companies offer a line of historic designs that will blend in with your old-home decor. 

If you’re interested in tile history, you might want to contact The Tile Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 1850, Healdsburg, CA 95448. This is a nonprofit, member-supported organization for research and preservation.  

As such, it has a network of tile identifiers across the country that is able to establish where a tile came from and what type of tile it is. If you want to learn more about this part of your old house, all they need from you is a good quality photograph of the tile and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope.

Have you looked at the glazing putty around your windows lately? If so, chances are you noticed some cracked, broken or entirely missing strips of putty. The fact is, all single-pane windows need reglazing periodically. Replacing cracked putty will save energy and prevent rot from invading your windows. 

Start your glazing project by removing any screen, storm or combination window that might be in place. Then look to the most deteriorated strip of putty and start chipping it away with a rigid, chisel-edge putty knife. Old, rock-hard putty may first require heat to soften it. Use an electric heat gun, rather than a torch to reduce the risk of fire. 

Once the putty is out, remove the half-dozen glazer’s points that lock the pane against the sash frame. These will either be diamond-shaped metal points or formed metal clips. Use a needle-nose pliers or screwdriver to unseat them. 

To remove the glass, go indoors and press evenly against the bottom of the glass pane. When the glass is pushed just past the bottom rail of the sash, go back outside, grasp the pane (with heavy gloves) and pull down steadily.  

Because glass is usually seated firmly in a slot in the top rail of the sash, you may need to twist and tweak it a bit, until it breaks free. If the pane is broken, remove the loose pieces first. 

When the glass pulls free, brush the L-shaped recess with a wire brush and wipe away loose particles. Then use a utility knife to pry the remaining putty from the top slot of the sash. 

To install new glass, slide the pane from below into its upper slot and gently press the bottom against the sash.  

If the pane won’t slide into its recess at the bottom, slip a putty knife into the recess and gently pry the glass until it clears the recess edge. Then secure the pane with glazier’s points. Press the points into the frame with a screwdriver or a putty knife. 

Install a bead of putty all around the window. Soften the putty, if necessary, before  

using it by rolling a glob of it in your hands.  

Smooth the putty by drawing a clean knife along the joint. Carefully trim away any excess when finished. 

In most cases, you’ll want to paint the glazing when it’s had a few hours to skin over. Don’t worry about getting paint on the glass. Overpainting makes painting easier and also helps seal the joint and picks up the oily film left on the glass by the putty. The paint dries in a few hours, so just scrape the glass clean with a single edge razor blade.

A proposal to rename a stretch of University Avenue near the Berkeley Marina after labor hero Cesar Chavez has met with objections from some family members and supporters, who are calling the move a back-handed compliment.  

The proposal, put forward by Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmember Betty Olds, designated the stretch of University connecting with Marina Boulevard and Spinnaker Way, a relatively lightly-travelled area, for the distinction. 

“We believe Cesar Chavez merits the honor of a principle thoroughfare, such as has been done in San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said Federico Chavez, nephew of Chavez and head of the Cesar E. Chavez Labor Organizer Legacy Committee. The Committee has been working with local businesses to secure support to rename Sacramento Street in honor of Chavez. “We’ve really been gaining momentum on this,” said Chavez.  

“This proposal is a slap in the face to people who have been working to honor Cesar Chavez by naming a major street after him,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. Worthington said he had been engaged for several years in efforts with Chavez supporters to find a major East Bay corridor that would run through Latino communities and would offer a marked interstate exit.  

Worthington charged Mayor Shirley Dean with proposing the stretch of University near the marina to “deliberately pre-empt our process.” He said he had discussed the efforts to rename either Sacramento or an equivalent street as far back as 1998. 

The mayor said she knew nothing of these plans. “Nobody has ever come to me to discuss renaming Sacramento Street.” 

Dean said her proposal was motivated in part by a desire to accommodate the wishes of Chavez supporters that the entity bearing his name be featured on an interstate sign. Dean attempted to have Cesar Chavez park indicated on the University Avenue exit sign but, she said, the California Department of Transportation refused to give such a designation to a city park. By naming a stretch of road that exits the highway after Chavez, Dean hoped to address the problem. 

The Mayor retracted her recommendation after learning of the opposition to it.  

“We’re not in the business of shoving honors down people’s throats,” she said. “We’re trying to do the right thing here.” 

The effort to name a street after Cesar Chavez was initiated in 1994 with a push to rename University Avenue. Those efforts were scrapped following significant opposition from businesses along the road. Shortly thereafter, the North Waterfront Park was renamed in honor of the United Farm Workers’ leader. Recently, controversy has erupted again over an off-leash dog park that was designated for a section of the park. “There were hurt feelings over the way that was handled,” said the younger Chavez, who explained his group objected to having been left out of discussions about the dog park. But Mayor Dean noted that the dog run is one of the most popular places in the park.  

“It was no insult to the Latino community,” she said. 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who agreed that a major road should be named after Chavez, observed that the name-change proposal at least had brought the issue to the fore. “The idea in its basic form was a good beginning to initiate a process that will help us decide the best way to honor these national leaders,” said Maio. 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic  

Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Women’s Travel Book Club 

6:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Join a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher’s “Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town & A Considerable Town.” New members are always welcome. The group meets the first Thursday of each month.  

Call 482-8971 

Make a Wreath 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual  

materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Prepare Meals  

in a Snow Kitchen  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Chuck Collingwood of the Sierra Club will present a slide lecture on how to survive overnight in the snow.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Let Your Chi Flow Freely 

6 - 7 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway Ave. 

Oakland 

Share peace and tranquillity communally and regain harmony and balance.  

Call Idris Hassan, 835-4827 x31  

Lunch Poems Reading Series 

12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.  

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley  

Featuring the first three authors in the UC Press’s California Poetry Series. Featured poets will be Fanny Howe, Mark Levine, and Carol Snow. Free 642-0137  

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussions will include staff reports on state rent restrictions for section eight vacancies and on the vacant unit inspection program.  

Public Works Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Berkeley Special Education  

Parents Group 

7 p.m. 

King Middle School  

Library 

1781 Rose St.  

A discussion of social living skills, graduation requirements, and other issues of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St.  

Second Floor Conference Room 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177  

A Time to Give  

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center Theater 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

A benefit for the Applied Ballet Arts Foundation, the show features new choreography to Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, Schubert’s Sonata for arpeggione, and Max Bruch’s Schottish Fantasy for violin.  

$12 - $15 sliding scale  

Call 268-9000 x218  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development.  

Call 832-4244 

Bridge Biker Collective Party  

8 p.m. 

6447 Regent St. (near Alcatraz) 

Celebrate the new initiative to win equal access to Bay Area bridges at a party following the monthly Berkeley critical mass ride. Free  

Call 273-9288 or visit www.bikethebridge.org 

WomenSing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Berkeley Community Chorus  

& Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Retire Campaign Debt  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Takara Sake  

708 Addison St.  

Berkeley City Council member Margaret Breland’s fundraiser with food, sake tasting, beverages and live music.  

$25 donation requested 

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

4 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Models for the Millenium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs Co-ordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Debate continues on Netanyahu protests and free speech rights 

ADL not concerned with everybody’s rights 

Editor: 

In its letter to the Daily Planet and the City of Berkeley, the Anti-Defamation League, describing itself as a “civil rights organization dedicated to countering division and hatred and protecting all people’s rights to fair representation and expression,” expresses concern about the handling of Netanyahu’s recent aborted speech and asserts that “the city has an obligation to do whatever it can to provide a safe environment in which people can express their opinions freely.” 

In fact, the ADL is much more concerned about some people’s rights than others.’ In its written statement on the ongoing Palestinian crisis (see www.adl.org), the ADL one-sidedly blames the Palestinians and Palestinian leadership while whitewashing the violence perpetrated by Israeli forces.  

Thus, the actions of the Palestinians, who for decades have suffered under a brutal Israeli occupation, is unequivocally portayed as insidious and morally wrong, while Israeli violence is at worst “unfortunate” or “tragic”, and of course thoroughly “restrained”.  

Not surprisingly, the ADL extends its views to Netanyahu, who is in no small part responsible for the situation in Palestine, and feels that not enough was done to protect this great leader’s right to make money and promote his political career in the city of Berkeley.  

In fact, the high school campus where Netanyahu was to speak was cleared of all students, denying them their rights (which matter little to the ADL, as they are not great Zionist leaders), and many armed police troops and a bomb squad were specially deployed on Netanyahu’s behalf.  

But perhaps the Berkeley police should have done more, like firing volleys of tear gas at the protesters or shooting a few of them in the eye with a rubber-coated bullet, or perhaps launching missile strike at their homes (all in a most restrained manner, of course) - after all, that’s how it’s done in Israel.  

And if some of the protesters died or were severely injured, that no doubt would have been “unfortunate,” but at least then Netanyahu’s rights would have been safeguarded, and others who oppose the ADL’s and Netanyahu’s political agenda would not be encouraged to stand up for what they believe.  

Herman Kahn 

Berkeley 

The ACLU gets  

speech rights right 

Editor:  

I joined the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles in the 1950s, inspired by the work of the late A. L. Wirin, its general counsel.  

He was the Southern California counterpart of the late Ernest Besig, the inspirational ACLU spokesperson here in the North. 

The Netanyahu free speech controversy reminds me of a comparable situation in the 1930s in Southern California in which A. L. Wirin had intervened. 

The notorious fascistic demagogue the Rev. Gerald L. K. Smith was refused the right to use Glendale High School for a speech. Wirin took the issue to court on behalf of the ACLU arguing Smith’s Constitutional rights of free speech. He won. On the night of Smith’s meeting, there was an angry picket line in front of the school protesting his reprehensible views. A prominent demonstrator in that picket line was one A.L. Wirin. 

Harry Siitonen 

Berkeley 

Need to hear all sides, even offensive speech 

Editor: 

As former members and supporters of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, all currently active in efforts to preserve the FSM's legacy, we wish to affirm that the right of free speech exists even when (perhaps especially when) the speaker and/or the content of his or her speech is unpopular or even offensive, as the views and actions of Benjamin Netanyahu are to many of us. 

While peaceful and even vigorous protests are more than warranted, we are very disturbed by attempts of participants and apologists for the 28 November incident at the Berkeley Community Theater to justify preventing the speaker from addressing his audience by associating this position with the FSM. 

We are equally offended by the statements from some critics of those actions that imply such a connection, thereby discrediting the FSM. 

Although the FSM began as an attempt to protect the free-speech rights of students engaged in the civil rights movement, it never limited its defense of free speech to those with whom we agree or to advocates of causes we like, a position that would have been hypocritical to say the least. Free speech, as Mario Savio has said, is not just "a tactic for political ends"; it is a good in and of itself, a touchstone of humanity. 

Let there be no mistake--we consider any infringements of the free speech of controversial speakers and, equally important, the rights of their would-be listeners, to be a serious violation of the principles for which thousands of students struggled in 1964. Berkeley is, should be, and will remain a bastion of free speech and free assembly. 

Reginald Zelnik, Lynne Hollander Savio, Bettina Aptheker, Mal Burnstein, Kate Coleman, Tom Savio, Lee Felsenstein, David L. Goines  

Fox Cottage may be near end 

Editor: 

If you haven’t already heard, the University of California appears to be moving swiftly to dismantle the City of Berkeley landmark at 2612 Channing Way.  

Two weeks to the day after the UC Regents approved the Underhill Area Plan FEIR – I noticed yellow “caution” tape stretched around the Fox Cottage and a redwood or two.  

The building’s front window has been boarded up, or maybe removed. A white van with the UCB “fiat lux” logo was out in front around 10:15 this morning, between orange cones. 

My guess is that the bricks and materials which comprise the cottage will be stored offsite for a while, and then, when someone decides that Fox is really too expensive to reconstruct after all, they’ll quietly find their way into the Altamont landfill or Omega Salvage.  

Here’s additional evidence that these are the final hours for Fox Cottage as we know it: 

(1) As of 1 p.m. December 4, a big green “HARD HAT AREA” sign (white letters) has been posted on the boarded-up window, 

(2) A large grey dumpster has appeared on the NE portion of the Fox lot, near the redwoods 

(3) The side door on the east side is open with some construction debris in the doorway. 

If you need more information about the significance of this structure and its relationship to what remains of the pre-1950’s Southside neighborhood, I recommend that you contact Anthony Bruce or Lesley Emmington at the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, 841-2242. These other people know more than I do about Fox Cottage and the history of the Southside.  

Jim Sharp 

Berkeley 

Need to know status of the Chernobyl nuclear plant  

Editor: 

I am writing to inform you of the upcoming closure of Unit 3 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine. Unit 4 at this power station was the plant that was destroyed in the 1986 accident at Chernobyl. 

Some concerns has been brought up by Greenpeace regarding the safety of the reactors that would replace Chernobyl's generation capacity. The Greenpeace press release is here: http://www.greenpeace.org/pressreleases/nucreact/2000nov30.html and the leaked report is here: www.greenpeace.org/~nuclear/waste/k2r4risk.pdf 

I urge you to carefully review the section beginning with "Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident: A Current Assessment." Many news organizations have incorrectly reported the health impacts of the Chernobyl accident. 

Please contact me if you have any additional questions.  

Lance Kim 

President 

American Nuclear Society 

Berkeley Student Section 

lancekim@nuc.berkeley.edu 

Following up a tough win against the towering frontcourt of Skyline last week, the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team was looking to avoid a letdown against a much smaller Balboa (San Francisco) squad. No problem. 

Going over, around and through the hapless Balboa players, the Yellowjackets (2-0) dominated the entire game, ending up with an easy 84-42 win. Four Berkeley players scored in double figures, led by forward Louis Riordan’s 16. Guard Allyn Washington chipped in 14 despite sitting for much of the second half, while forwards Ramone Reed and Jahi Milton scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.  

Defensive terror Byron St. Jules led Berkeley with five steals, repeating his frenzied harrassment of the opposing point guard he showed against Skyline. Berkeley’s full-court press forced Balboa into a huge number of turnovers, and as a result they got off almost twice as many shots as the Bears. 

“We want to make teams work all the way up the court, and to expend their energy getting the ball across the half line,” said Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani. “We just wore them down.” 

That made up for a bad shooting day, as the ’Jackets made just 27 of their 70 shots. Balboa made nearly half of their shots, but that didn’t make up for throwing the ball around the court like a pinball.  

The claustrophobic conditions in the Balboa gym, which has walls within a foot of the court on all sides, seemed to effect the home team more than the visitors. But Gragnani was still unhappy with his team’s sloppy turnovers. 

“We’re an intense team, and sometimes intensity on offense makes you play too fast,” he said. “We need to slow the ball down and get good shots.” 

Gragnani praised Reed for his play against the Bears. Reed, who is being recruited by several major colleges for football, pulled down 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points and two steals. 

“Ramone was a real leader on the floor today,” Gragnani said. 

Contact Jared Green at jared@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

The driver of a truck narrowly escaped serious injury Tuesday evening when his truck was struck by a train after he became impatient and drove around a guard arm in an attempt to reach a construction yard 50 yards away, Union Pacific police said. 

A witness, a woman who was waiting in the car behind the O.C. Jones and Sons construction truck in the east bound lane, told Berkeley police that the driver suddenly pulled out and drove around the barrier and the vehicle was immediately struck.  

Police said the front of the truck was smashed and the truck was thrown approximately 50 feet spewing hammers, shovels and jackhammers along the tracks. 

The driver, Pedro Martinez, a long time employee of O.C. Jones and Sons General Engineering and Construction, Inc., at 1520 Fourth St., appeared to be from bleeding from the hand, but was able to walk, police said. 

“He was walking and could talk but he seemed to be dazed,” a traffic officer said. 

Martinez was rushed to Alameda County Medical Center where hospital officials said he was in stable condition and would likely be kept overnight for observation. 

Union Pacific police officer Bob Oliver said the Amtrak train bound for Oakland from Chicago was held up for an hour while authorities conducted an investigation of the accident scene. 

Cedar Street between Second and Fifth streets were blocked off to traffic for an hour as well. 

Shaking off a cold-shooting first half, the Cal Bears came on strong to beat Cleveland State on Tuesday night at Haas Pavilion. 

Led by senior forward Sean Lampley’s season-high 22 points, the Bears broke away late in the game for a 62-54 victory over the visiting Vikings. Junior center Solomon Hughes pitched in 10 points in the winning effort.  

Guard Jamaal Harris paced Cleveland State (3-4) with 19 points, with 15 coming in the first half, and Theo Dixon added 16 points.  

The win broke a three-game losing streak for Cal (2-3). Coming out of halftime tied at 27, the two teams traded scoring runs. Cleveland State scored the first seven points and then went up by eight at 37-29 five minutes into the period. Behind six points by Hughes and four more from Lampley, the Bears went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead for good at 39-37 with 10:45 left.  

“I thought the big key for us in the second half was picking up the pressure and doing a better job against Jamaal Harris,” Cal head coach Ben Braun said. “Cleveland State did a great job extending our defense.”  

Cal, which missed its first 12 three-point attempts, finally connected from behind the arc when Joe Shipp nailed a trey for a 45-38 advantage with 8:35 remaining. The Bears later extended their lead to 10 at 52-42 on a pair of Lampley free throws.  

Cleveland State responded by scoring five straight points to cut its deficit in half. Cal, though, made 10 free throws in the final 2:08 to put the game away. 

“I thought that we played a very good game and I thought that they (Cal) played a terrific second half,” said Cleveland State head coach Rollie Massimino. 

A combined 66 fouls were called in the contest, 34 on the Vikings.  

The Bears host Colorado at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. 

Contact Jared Green at jared@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers called on policymakers Wednesday to continue expanding the technologically-dependent domestic economy and to foster relationships between international trading partners. 

“Undoubtedly, the largest and more important impediment to growing the scale and size of markets is the very imperfect integration of the global economy,” said Summers in a speech at UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School. 

Summers’ appearance at the university comes at a time when his future with the Treasury Department is unclear, since the federal election quagmire remains unresolved. 

Many Washington-watchers believe if Gov. George W. Bush emerges as the victor in the presidential contest, Summers, a Clinton appointee, will be ushered out. 

Summers has also been tight-lipped about the status of his job if Vice President Al Gore were to win the presidency. But a recent lunch between Summers and Gore has been fueling speculation that he would be included in a Gore administration. 

Summers told the standing-room only crowd that the country needs to take advantage of the stable economy before the economy slows down. He said, for example, investing money into construction of new school buildings is an important piece of business that needs to be addressed. 

“There are plenty of philosophical differences and issues that are the right subject to partisanship.  

“But I don’t know what philosophy there is that says that when you’re the richest country that’s ever been that you can’t afford to do something about that problem,” he said. 

Summers also said that there is an “overwhelming importance” in committing more funds to research in the advancement of technology. 

“If one thinks about the potential ahead of information technology and in medical technology, it is hard to believe that we as the richest country and the world shouldn’t be making every plausible investment in basic research.” 

Summers also urged academics and the business community to educate the public about the benefits of global trade, which he said are largely invisible. 

“How many times have you ever heard anyone say, ‘Thank God for international trade. I can buy more toys for my kid at the holiday season.’ There’s an enormous task of education if we are going to make this case that international trade works,” he said. 

Before his remarks, Summers relaxed in a chair, from which he smiled and acknowledged members of the audience. The congenial atmosphere in the Arthur Anderson Auditorium was a marked departure from the hostile audience Summers faced earlier this week in Ohio. 

Students at Oberlin College heckled and jeered the nation’s top economist, a former chief economist for the World Bank, during his 90-minute speech on Monday, as he laid out his views on how to aid developing countries. 

Despite neighborhood opposition and legal complications, a neighborhood group brought an armload of petitions to the City Council Tuesday to underscore its request that the city continue working for the new hills fire station. 

It has been eight years since funding for a new hills station was approved by the voters – Measure G called for a new hills fire station, jointly funded by several jurisdictions. The city has just hired an architect to put together preliminary design and engineering plans for the station. 

Encouraged by this development, the Neighbors for Fire Safety neighborhood group submitted a petition to the City Council with 735 signatures of north hills area residents urging the city to continue the process for construction of a fire station at Shasta and Park Gate roads, three blocks from existing Station No. 7 at 2931 Shasta Road. 

“It’s more than a fire station at stake here, it’s a question of our lives, our children’s lives, homes, property, our health and income,” said NFS member Collin Murphy. 

The site of the estimated $5 million station, which will be approximately 7,500 square feet, is being opposed by a loosely organized neighborhood group that says the proposed plan does not satisfy the Measure G requirements and should be moved to another location. 

“We oppose this plan on grounds that it does not offer efficient fire protection,” said Andrea Cukor, who lives across the street from the proposed site. Cukor said the group also opposes the station’s cost, size and its deviation from Measure G. 

The Fire Department conducted a study of at least eight sites and determined the Shasta and Park Gate site to be the best suited for fire response time. “It would be our number one choice and we don’t have a number two choice right now,” said Assistant Fire Chief David Orth. 

Measure G, a bond measure for $55 million was passed in 1992 partly in response to the devastating Oakland/Berkeley hills fire in 1991. It called for replacing deteriorated water mains, retrofitting Berkeley’s seven fire houses and the construction of a new fire station that would be jointly funded, staffed and equipped by multiple jurisdictions.  

According to fire department officials, the city worked with Oakland to meet measure G requirements by developing plans for a jointly-funded and staffed fire station. But four years ago, Oakland decided to build its own fire station on Alvarado Road in the Oakland hills leaving Berkeley at the alter without a partner to satisfy the wording of Measure G. 

Now, Berkeley has signed a contract with Marcy Wong Architects for $35,000 to develop the initial architectural and engineering plans for a station at the Shasta and Park Gate site. 

“At least we’ve jumped the first hurdle,” Murphy said. 

If hiring an architect is the first hurdle there will likely be many more to come. 

The architect is expected to consult neighbors of the proposed site to determine what would be an acceptable design. Once there is some agreement and plans are drawn up, an environmental consultant will be hired to produce an Environmental Impact Report. The EIR will have to consider alternate sites that would cause less of an environmental impact and be better suited for purposes of fire fighting. 

According to Cukor, there is at least one site that fits the bill. “There is a site at Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Centennial Drive which is owned by the East Bay Regional Park District and is not environmentally sensitive,” she said. 

Cukor added that the site at Shasta and Park Gate is used as a salamander study habitat by UC Berkeley. 

Once the Environmental Impact Report is ratified by the City Council, the whole package will go before a superior court judge who will decide if the project meets the requirements of Measure G.  

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said the project no longer meets those guidelines because there is currently no other jurisdiction participating in the new station. If the project is challenged in court, Worthington said it could delay construction of the fire station for at least another year and the judge could possibly throw the whole thing out. 

The seven NFS members who presented the council with the petition were challenged by Worthington who was concerned about the portion of the petition which read “having informed ourselves of the arguments for and against the city’s preferred site for a replacement of Berkeley’s Fire Station 7.” 

Worthington wanted to know specifically what arguments the signatories had been presented with before they signed. “If they were told this is their last chance for a fire station, of course they are going to sign,” he said.  

Worthington was rebuffed by Councilmembers Betty Olds and Polly Armstrong who apologized to the group.  

“I apologize for the public criticism,” Armstrong said. “Petitions are not legal documents and should never held up to legal standards.” 

Councilmember Olds, who is the representative of District 6, where the proposed site is located, said the criticism was a disgrace. “In all the time I’ve been on the council, I’ve never heard a group of citizens attacked who were trying to do their duty,” she said. 

Worthington said on Wednesday that he too is frustrated with the long delay for a new fire station, but said the whole issue could have been settled if the neighbors had put the current plan on the ballot last November. 

“If this is such a great idea why would they trust a judge to decide the matter instead of the voters? I trust the voters,” he said. 

Murphy said a new bond measure would have required a two-thirds vote for approval and the group didn’t want to risk it. “I think it would be a big mistake to lose the bonds that already passed,” she said. 

OAKLAND — Three of the four police officers charged in “The Riders” scandal pleaded innocent Wednesday to assault, kidnapping, filing false reports and other charges in one of the city’s biggest crackdowns on police misconduct. 

Jude Siapno, 32, Clarence “Chuck” Mabanag, 35, and Matthew Hornung, 29, each pleaded innocent to all charges against them in Alameda County Superior Court. 

The crimes, which allegedly took place between June 13 and July 3, were brought to light after a rookie officer who had been on duty about three weeks came forward to his superiors in early July. 

Dressed in suits and ties, the officers smiled and appeared relaxed in the courtroom before the proceedings. Hornung sat with his parents. The officers spoke only in response to questions from the Judge Marshall Whitley. 

Several uniformed police officers also attended in support of their accused colleagues. 

A fourth accused officer, Frank Vazquez, 43, did not appear. Authorities believe he may have fled to Mexico, where he has relatives. 

After the hearing, Mabanag’s lawyer, Michael Rains, described his client as an officer who never missed a day of work during his 10 years on the force, had an exemplary record and could not suddenly have become a bad cop. 

“What we see is a case that’s going to largely hang on a rookie police officer ... with very little life experience,” Rains said outside the courtroom. “He simply didn’t see what he said he saw. He was not equipped to deal with the rigors of life in Oakland on the morning shift.” 

Rains said the rookie, Keith Batt, who quickly resigned after accusing the officers, was having a tough time during his initial weeks on the force and resented Mabanag, his trainer, for being tough on him. 

Rains also said police officers are held to a higher standard than civilians. 

“We say officers shouldn’t be entitled to bigger rights ... but I see that they can be prosecuted when others can’t,” the lawyer said 

Their next court appearance was scheduled for Dec. 20. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A public interest group sued Kaiser Permanente on Wednesday, accusing the state’s largest HMO of jeopardizing patients’ health by prescribing them double dose-sized pills they must cut in half. 

“Kaiser’s mandatory pill splitting policy is an outrageous example of an HMO endangering its own patients to increase its own profits,” said Arthur Bryant, an attorney for Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, representing six patients and a doctor involved in the suit. 

The health care giant said its 8 million patients nationally were not endangered by the 7-year-old pill-splitting practice. Of the 1,000 medications it dispenses in pill form, only seven qualify for splitting, said Kaiser spokeswoman Beverly Hayon. 

Those seven medications are for conditions such as high blood pressure and depression, and include some antibiotics, she said. 

“We encourage patients to split those kinds of pills. It is voluntary but at the discretion of the physician,” she said, adding that Kaiser provides patients a pill splitter. Pill splitting, she said, is to counter the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs. Drug companies often charge the same for varied doses of medication. 

The suit said patients were forced to split pills, while Kaiser said the program was voluntary. 

Charles Phillips, a physician who worked at a Kaiser emergency room in Fresno, said that many patients suffering from severe hypertension, heart attacks and strokes received uneven dosages of their blood pressure medication because Kaiser told them to split pills. 

“As a doctor, I have a duty to prevent harm to my patients,” said Phillips, a plaintiff in the suit. 

The American Medical Association, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the American Pharmaceutical Association oppose mandatory pill-splitting. Research shows that dosages may vary greatly, resulting in overdosing and underdosing. 

The suit, filed in Alamada County Superior Court, requests a court order demanding Kaiser cease the pill-splitting practice. The suit covers Kaiser’s 6 million California patients, but not the 2 million others nationally. 

The case is Timmis vs. Kaiser, 833971-7. 

LOS ANGELES — People pay to get their pools cleaned, their lawns raked and their trees trimmed. So should it come as any surprise that more and more of them are paying to get their holiday lights put up? 

Professionals in the holiday-light-stringing business in Southern California report record numbers of requests this year – electricity shortage or no. 

“When I first started, I was doing two or three homes,” said Jeff Clericuzio, who operates ’Tis the Season Holiday Lighting in Canyon Country in northern Los Angeles County. “Then it jumped to 60. Now I’m up to 300 ... I have too much to handle just by word of mouth.” 

Elwood and Linda Johnson are among those who want their home to twinkle and glow for Christmas – but would rather have someone else do the hard part. 

Elwood Johnson, 63, said he put up his own lights for decades. But when he moved from Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area to Stevenson Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley last year, he noticed that the majority of his neighbors were paying more in dollars than in effort for their light displays. 

Last year, he persuaded the folks with the cherry pickers to squeeze him into their schedule, paying about $125 in his initial outlay. This year, he doubled the number of lights, as well as the cost, to about $250. 

The cost of professional holiday installations depends on the elaborateness of the display and varies with services provided, such as taking down the lights and storing them.  

Companies can generally provide a range of lights, while some permit owners to use their own, provided they meet electrical safety codes. 

Ric Robertson of RMR Holiday Lighting in Beverly Hills said clients spend an average of $800 to $2,000. Some, including a few celebrities, pay as much as $20,000, he said. 

Wayne Walker of Trius Construction of Northridge and Palmdale said displays average about $1,500 per home. Costs range from $75 to $3,000 per tree, “depending on whether the client wants it lit up like the burning bush of Moses.” 

Nationwide, the market for home holiday decorating is leaping by 30 percent to 35 percent per year, said Jim Ketchup, who converted Christmas Decor – his home holiday lighting business in Lubbock, Texas – into a national franchiser five years ago. He estimates 300 franchisees will decorate more than 35,000 homes this year, up from about 27,000 last year. 

FOUNTAIN VALLEY — Power shortfalls and price spikes are leading some California companies to consider solar power, not just as a cleaner substitute for conventional energy but also as a reliable source of electricity in a volatile market. 

Two solar projects went on line Wednesday at Southern California office buildings, including a one-acre, 230-kilowatt array in Fountain Valley. It is believed to be the largest private commercial photovoltaic system in the Western Hemisphere. 

The energy companies involved in that project and another in Carlsbad said interest in onsite energy sources is rising about as fast as electricity prices and power alerts. 

“There’s been an enormous increase. We’re basically sold out through the first quarter (of 2001),” said Daniel Shugar, executive vice president of PowerLight Corp. 

The Berkeley-based company has sold nine 100- to 200-kilowatt photovoltaic systems in the last two months. 

“People want their systems online by summer,” he said. 

The managers of California’s power grid declared about 15 Stage Two emergencies last summer when reserves fell below 5 percent, triggering voluntary outages. The state has never called a Stage Three emergency, which would be triggered when reserves fall below 1.5 percent and force rolling blackouts. 

Winter is shaping up to be just as rough on the grid. 

The California Independent System Operator declared its third Stage Two emergency in as many days Wednesday. Also Wednesday, inspectors examined all the state’s power plants to verify an unusually high number of forced outages. 

The solar energy produced at the Fountain Valley office complex won’t solve the state’s power problems. 

In fact, it will provide only about half the electricity needs of the 110,000 square-foot building, or enough to run about 40 homes. 

It will, however, provide an important hedge against power outages, said Robert Accomando, a vice president for property owner Arden Realty. 

“If we can’t provide electricity to our tenants, we’re out of business,” he said. 

The photovoltaic systems for the Fountain Valley and Carlsbad offices cost a total of about $2 million. They are owned by RealEnergy of Los Angeles, which will sell Arden the electricity for whatever rate the utility company is charging at the time, RealEnergy Chairman Daniel Cashdan said. 

Solar energy costs about 15 cents per kilowatt hour to produce, while traditional electricity can run as low as 3 cents, RealEnergy President Paul Slye said. Electricity costs during periods of peak use, however, can rise to 27 cents or more per kilowatt hour, he said. 

Subsidies are helping pay for the Fountain Valley and Carlsbad projects, including more than $880,000 from the state. 

The state has provided more than $10 million in incentives to buy solar systems and other alternative fuel sources during the last four years, California Energy Commission economist Sanford Miller said. 

A recent extension of the incentive program means it could provide nearly $200 million by 2012. 

Cashdan said RealEnergy is working on other commercial projects that likely will be bigger than the Fountain Valley system. 

“I think this marks the beginning of a new era of innovation in energy,” said Ananth Ananthasubramaniam, director of new technology investments for the utility DTE Energy, a company involved in the solar projects. “It’s just like PCs, just like cell phones — I think this will transform the business.” 

——— 

On the Net 

www.realenergy.com 

www.energy.ca.gov/greengrid 

www.caiso.com 

MARIPOSA — In the shadow of the mountains where he lived, worked and killed, motel handyman Cary Stayner pleaded innocent Wednesday to slaying three Yosemite National Park tourists. 

The brief appearance in Mariposa Superior Court is the closest Stayner has been to the crime scenes since he led investigators to evidence following his arrest for beheading a Yosemite naturalist – a crime for which he is serving life in prison. 

The arraignment was also the first time the husband and father of two victims set eyes on the accused killer. 

“I was repulsed. I know what he did,” a weary looking Jens Sund said outside the historic courthouse in the tiny Sierra foothills town. 

Returning to the area from his home in Eureka reopened wounds that had begun to heal since the bodies of his wife, Carole Sund, daughter, Juli, and their friend, Silvina Pelosso of Argentina, were found in March 1999, a month after they disappeared. 

“This reminds me of everything,” Sund said, standing beneath towering evergreens outside the white clapboard Greek revival building that looks more like New England church than a courthouse. 

Sund and Stayner, though merely yards apart, never made eye contact as the manacled defendant shuffled into court soon after the bell in the courthouse clock tower tolled 9 a.m. 

Stayner grinned at his father and took a seat in front of the potbelly wood stove that is the centerpiece in the 146-year-old courtroom. 

As Judge Thomas C. Hastings read the charges – three counts of murder and five special circumstances that could bring the death penalty – Stayner nodded and shook his head and then declared his innocence. 

As he left the courtroom, Stayner glanced in the direction of the Sund family sitting beneath a painting of Half Dome, one of Yosemite’s famous granite features. Of the bandits, cattle rustlers and killers who have paraded through the courthouse since it was built in pioneer days, Stayner may be the most notorious. His story has been told around the world because the killings shattered the calm in one of America’s most dramatic landscapes. 

A manhunt ensued in the rugged Sierra Nevada and rolling foothills after the three women disappeared during a trip to Yosemite. Stayner, 39, an avid outdoorsman, allegedly confessed to the February 1999 slayings while the FBI was questioning him in the July 1999 beheading of park naturalist Joie Armstrong. 

The three women were staying at the Cedar Lodge, a rustic motel just outside the park’s western gate where Stayner worked. 

Law enforcement sources told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Stayner told investigators he entered their motel room, saying he had to fix a leak in the bathroom. Once inside, he said he pulled a pistol and told the women to lie face down on their beds, then bound their hands with duct tape and gagged them. 

He said he strangled Carole Sund, 42, and Pelosso, 16, in the motel room, and also sexually assaulted the girls. He then drove Juli, 15, and the two bodies to a remote reservoir, where he slashed Juli’s throat, he said. 

More than a month later, the remains of Carole Sund and Pelosso were found in their burned-out rental car, abandoned along a logging road. Juli Sund’s body was found a week later near the reservoir with the help of a map Stayner admitted sending anonymously to the FBI. 

Armstrong, a 26-year-old nature guide, was found beheaded near her cabin in the park. Stayner was caught three days later and allegedly admitted killing all four women. 

During his sentencing in federal court last Thursday for killing Armstrong, Stayner sobbed and said he couldn’t explain his actions. 

“I gave in to the terrible dark dreams that I tried to subdue,” he said. “The craziness that lurked in my mind for as long as I can remember became a reality in this terrible crime.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Mariposa County sheriff Web site: http://www.sierratel.com/sheriff/ 

ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Commission called on the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday to drop its ban on gays, indicating it may fold the Police Department’s Explorer Scout program if it doesn’t. 

The organization was asked to take up the issue at its national governing board meeting in February. If the commission isn’t satisfied with the outcome, commissioners said they would consider replacing the Explorer Scout program with something else. 

“It is regrettable that the Boy Scouts of America, which had been such a significant, positive force in our society, has chosen recently to take such discriminatory positions toward gays and lesbians,” Commissioner Dean Hansell, a former Eagle Scout, wrote in his motion calling for the Scouts to reconsider. 

Police Chief Bernard Parks also expressed concern, saying, “We have officers who are openly gay on the department,” who could not serve as Scout leaders. 

But another former Scout, Commissioner Bert Boeckmann, defended the organization, saying “it embraces everything we want in young people.” 

The Explorer program, which serves mainly minority youths between 14 and 21, operates in 18 Los Angeles police stations. 

Scouting officials pointed out that it is administered by a separate organization called Learning for Life, which has no policy against gays. But they also acknowledged that Learning for Life is closely affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America and some of the people who run the organization are also Scouting employees. 

Several school districts and cities around the country have prohibited Scout troops from meeting in their facilities since the Supreme Court upheld the organization’s ban in June. Some police departments, including San Diego’s, have severed their ties with the Explorer program. 

The City Council has asked all the city’s departments to review their affiliations with the Scouts, and the city attorney’s office has said anti-discrimination laws could invalidate any contracts the Scouts have with those departments. 

SACRAMENTO — The state school board approved two very different charter schools on Wednesday – an urban military academy backed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and Gov. Gray Davis, and a basics elementary sought by parents in the high desert of Kern County. 

Both were approved by 6-0 votes, the Oakland military school after a 90-minute hearing featuring rare testimony by Davis and an overflow crowd of backers and opponents, some of whom called the proposal racist. 

The two new schools are the first actually chartered by the state under a 1999 law allowing proponents rejected by local school boards to seek a charter from the state. 

The previous 348 schools were approved by local or county school boards since the original charter school law was passed in 1993. 

Charter schools are public schools that operate largely free of the complex education code and use a variety of methods to try to improve student achievement. 

Former governor Brown got help from his former chief of staff Davis, who told the board his own private military school experience taught him character, discipline and responsibility. 

“I’m not saying military schools are good for everyone,” Davis said. “I’m saying they’re good for some people.” 

The Oakland Military Institute will be a partnership between the mayor’s office and the California National Guard. It will eventually have 972 students in grades seven through 12, but will open this summer with 162 seventh-graders, Brown said. 

Students will wear uniforms, attend a two-week summer camp and have classes on Saturdays. The goal, said Brown, is prepare each graduate to attend the best colleges. 

Brown’s proposal was rejected in June by the Oakland Unified School District and in September by the Alameda County Board of Education. 

Opponents said the school would drain resources from the other troubled public schools in Oakland, which is heavily minority. Others objected to its military nature. 

The school, in addition to the state funding it will receive as a public school, already has $1.3 million from the state that Davis put in this year’s budget plus $2 million in federal funds.  

While potentially drawing from beyond Oakland and Alameda, most of the students would likely come from inside the districts, bringing a net loss in per-pupil state funding. 

Brown says he will seek private funds if necessary to make the school a success, noting that both he and Davis are formidable political fund raisers. 

“We’ve got powerful people here who are committed and we’re going to make it happen,” he said. 

Opponent Wilson Riles Jr., a former Oakland City Council member and son of the late former state schools superintendent, said the charter school would not help solve the real problems in the other schools. 

“We don’t need another disaster in Oakland,” he said. 

The Rev. T.C. Wilson Jr. said the school was not sponsored by “the community,” although Brown has support from several other black pastors. 

“This is a new form of racism that’s coming through,” Wilson said. 

“Why not try to get money to make all of our schools better?” asked parent and grandparent Gwen Hardy. “We do not want a military school. What we want is moneys to go into our schools and improve the schools we already have.” 

Brown said his charter school would help improve other schools. 

“With just a bit of competition, just a little bit, maybe 10 percent of the students moving into excellent charter schools, I believe the effect on the entire school system will be a renewed call to excellence,” he said. 

By contrast, approval of the Ridgecrest Charter School in the northeast corner of Kern County took only minutes. 

Its backers, a group of Ridgecrest parents unhappy with the public schools in their Sierra Sands Unified School District, had their public hearing in September and were told to make some changes in their proposal. 

They have been working on their school for nearly two years. Three of them have since been elected to the Sierra Sands board, but do not have the majority needed to get their school approved locally. 

They whooped with joy as they left the board meeting room. Now they must find a building to open their kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school emphasizing reading and math basics by next September. 

“I’m elated, ecstatic,” said grinning parent Terri VarnHagen. 

——— 

CHARTER SCHOOL SPECIFICS 

• WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS: Public schools created by parents, teachers or community members that operate free of much of the state Education Code. The 348 in existence were approved by local or county school boards. A 1999 law allows backers who are turned down by local boards to ask the state Board of Education to grant the charter. 

• OAKLAND MILITARY INSTITUTE: Charter No. 349, backed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown in partnership with the California National Guard. It will have 972 students in grades seven through 12. Students will wear uniforms and attend summer camp and Saturday classes. The goal is to have all students pass the high school exit exam, score at least 1200 on the college-entrance test and qualify for admission to state universities. 

• RIDGECREST CHARTER SCHOOL: Charter No. 350, backed by a group of parents in Ridgecrest in northeastern Kern County. It will be run by School Futures Research Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit that operates eight other California charter schools. It will emphasize basics, use phonics to teach reading, teach Spanish in all grades and have longer school days and years than regular schools. It will have 200 to 300 children in kindergarten through eighth grade, expanding to high school in future years. 

• CONDITIONS: The board required both charter schools before opening to provide proof of liability insurance, contract with a school agency for needed special education services and contract with an outside agency to monitor the school’s progress. The charters are for three years, starting with opening day. 

On the Net: Read about charter schools at 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/charter 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Al Gore hung his presidential hopes on legal proceedings moving at head-spinning speed a day ahead of arguments before the Florida Supreme Court, counting on a court shocker to upset George W. Bush’s certified Florida victory. 

Lawyers sprinted between courtrooms Wednesday to battle over absentee ballots while Bush and Gore submitted papers to persuade the state Supreme Court to rule their way in a fight over recounts. 

Late in the day, Republican legislative leaders called for a special session on Friday to choose a slate of electors to enforce Bush’s election. But the two leaders said they hoped such a step would become moot through a final court resolution of the disputed election. 

Gore’s team set the stakes in its filing with the high court, writing: “In but a few more days, only the judgment of history will be left to fall upon a system where deliberate obstruction has succeeded in achieving delay – and where further delays risk succeeding in handing democracy a defeat.” 

Bush’s team countered that the people had spoken on Election Day and that “at no time in our nation’s history has a presidential race been decided by an election contest in a court of law.” 

The stalemate that has loomed since Nov. 7 seemed to be nearing the end of overtime and heading to a sudden-death score, almost surely in the form of a court ruling. 

One surprise might come from two parallel cases unfolding before separate judges in the same Tallahassee courthouse. Democrats were challenging a total of 25,000 absentee ballots in Seminole and Martin counties, saying Republicans had been unfairly permitted to correct mistakes on ballot applications, in violation of state law. 

Either suit had the potential to switch the lead in Florida’s vote count from Bush to Gore, since Bush won the absentee ballots by a 2-to-1 margin. 

Bush, leading by a few hundred votes ever since the Nov. 7 election and talking more like a president-elect each day, said he had “pretty well made up my mind” on his White House staff. 

Meeting in Austin, Texas, with his presumptive national security adviser, Stanford University administrator Condoleezza Rice, Bush warned the nation’s enemies not to look for advantage amid political uncertainty. 

He said he would do “whatever it takes to send a chilling signal to terrorists that we’ll protect our property and our people.” 

In Washington, congressional leaders held the traditional nail-driving ceremony to kick off construction of the inaugural platform on which someone will be sworn in on Jan. 20.  

The printing of thousands of programs, invitations and tickets remained on hold. 

Virtually everyone was looking toward the courts for a final answer. 

One interim ruling finally went Gore’s way on Wednesday.  

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta said Bush and his supporters failed to prove they were irreparably injured by hand recounts that lowered his lead from 930 votes to 537 out of 6 million cast in Florida. 

At the same time, the judges made clear they were not ruling on the constitutional points raised by the Texas governor. 

In Florida, the legal landscape was less clear. Bush and Gore submitted written legal arguments to the state’s highest court in advance of Thursday morning’s oral arguments. 

“Time is of the essence in this matter,” Gore said in his papers. “If the office at issue was not the presidency, ... delaying ballot counting until after all other issues are resolved would not be such irremediable and egregious error.” 

Gore asked the high court to overturn Leon County Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls, who refused to order a hand recount of some 14,000 disputed ballots in predominantly Democratic counties. 

Sauls rejected every Gore argument on Monday, saying even recounts would not be likely to give a victory to the vice president. 

Bush’s legal team seized on the judge’s reasoning, saying “Yet another recount on any significant scale would likely prove futile.” 

The Bush team Sauls’ decision “well-reasoned and careful” and argued that the great public interest would be “frustrated, not furthered, by prolonging these legal proceedings” 

At a trial on the Seminole case, a transcript of a deposition with a county elections supervisor was read aloud, showing that never before had she allowed party officials to fill in voter identification numbers on absentee ballot applications. This time, she made the accommodation only for Republicans. 

Sandra Goard, the elections supervisor, admitted allowing two Republican operatives to fill in the missing numbers that were required before ballots could be mailed out. 

Goard also admitted that Florida law did not give her the authority to allow party officials to fill in the numbers. 

Bush won the absentee ballots in Seminole County by some 4,797 votes. In Martin County, he beat Gore by 2,915 absentee votes. The Martin County case remained in the pretrial phase. 

First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams said he thought it would be unlikely that Leon County Circuit Judge Nikki Clark would toss out a sufficient number of votes to give Gore a victory. 

“If Judge Clark were to throw out enough votes to put Gore ahead, there would be a lot of stunned people on the streets as well as in the camps of both candidates,” he said. 

It’s the middle of the day and dozens of shoppers buzz in and out of coffee houses, boutiques and music stores. Many sport designer sweaters and leather jackets with tall, black leather boots. 

Middle-aged women and young mothers with babies in tow look for gifts for friends and family. A homeless man with an overgrown beard knocks on the door of an abandoned church nearby.  

This is Berkeley’s Fourth Street. The holiday season has arrived and consumers are ready. 

“I’m being absolutely frugal this year,” said Helen Fox from the Oakland Hills as she browses through Garden Home. She picks up 99 cent candles and inexpensive napkins, and says she will use them to decorate her home for her annual holiday party. She expects more than 50 guests and will be catering the event. “I get to do the fun part and decorate the house,” she said. 

But the recent presidential election and the stock market dips have made Fox wary this season. 

“We’ve lost a ton of money on the stock market,” she said.  

Nevertheless, Fox is budgeting $3,000 for gifts. She said she refuses to use credit cards for the holidays. 

A nationwide survey conducted by Myvesta.org, a nonprofit debt counseling organization, found that the average credit card debt increased from $1,700 to $2,800, up 60 percent from 1999 to 2000.  

Fear of debt is one reason why 24 percent of consumers plan to spend less this holiday season, reports a recent survey of the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. 

But debt isn’t on Helen Kenyon’s mind as she scrutinizes an embroidered pillow with a fur-trimmed coat over her arm. Kenyon came to the United States from Cheshire, England, to go Christmas shopping. “I find more unique gifts and Christmas decorations in the U.S.,” she said as she displayed a sparkly stuffed snowman ornament. 

Kenyon flew into San Francisco after a Christmas shopping spree in New York. “I enjoy the shopping as much as the giving,” she said. “It’s nicer to come here and shop. It’s more relaxed and casual.” 

Kenyon finished her Christmas list, which she stores on her computer, at the end of October. “I look at what has changed in my life and decide how much I’m going to spend on each person,” she said, adding that she expects to spend about $1,200 for the season, plus airfare and a gift for her boyfriend. 

Caroline Fong entered Sweet Potatoes Inc., a children’s clothing store that sells girl’s dresses for $84, with her newborn daughter, Sarah, strapped to her chest in a baby jumper. She stopped working when her baby was born, and she says that is part of the reason she is looking for bargains this year. Fong came from Castro Valley to go to the Dansk cookware outlet. 

The most commonly cited budget limit for shoppers interviewed on Fourth Street, this year was $3,000. That’s more than twice the national average, as estimated by Myvesta.org . They said the average shopper will spend about $1,200 this holiday season. 

Many shoppers complained about parking on Fourth Street, but this is not a place where shoppers come by public transportation. When asked where the nearest bus stop is located, a woman wearing a red velvet coat, working in a corner boutique responded, “I have no idea. I’ve never ridden a bus in my life.”

PALO ALTO — Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina said Wednesday the company made management changes and sharpened its focus after posting disappointing results in its most recent quarter. 

Addressing the company’s semi-annual conference for investment analysts, Fiorina said she and other HP executives will not get bonuses for the second half of this year. Also, some personnel changes, such as the retirement of the company’s comptroller, were being put into place earlier than previously planned, she said. 

HP is still on track to increase revenues by 15 percent to 17 percent this year despite the sales slowdown plaguing the domestic market for personal computers, Fiorina said.  

She said the company is better positioned in other markets and other product lines than competing PC makers who have been reporting hard times in the past week. 

Fourth-quarter earnings at HP fell a dime per share short of Wall Street expectations last month, after Fiorina had spent all year working to transform HP from a relatively slow-moving Silicon Valley institution into a nimble technology and service provider. 

Fiorina said the results had “given the management team additional energy and urgency to accomplish the goals we laid out in this journey.” 

“It is a multiyear process,” she said. “I don’t think anyone at HP believed we could take on substantial and systemic change ... and have it over and done with in 12 months.” 

She also lamented that word of her negotiations to buy the PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting company was leaked, forcing her to negotiate in public before the deal fell through. Fiorina said she has not ruled out some business arrangements with the consulting company or a similar deal with another firm. 

Shares of HP fell $3 to $32 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, but rose to $32.38 in the after-hours session. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.hp.com 

NEW YORK — Stocks turned abruptly lower Wednesday when an earnings warning from Bank of America incited a wave of selling and wiped out much of Tuesday’s big advance in the Dow industrials. High-tech stocks also fell sharply. 

A mid-afternoon statement from the nation’s second largest banking company intensified selling that began in after-hours trading Tuesday, when Apple Computer issued its own warning of disappointing earnings. 

The warnings killed Tuesday’s euphoric rally, which began after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan hinted that the Fed is inclined to lower interest rates early next year. 

“It brought us back to earth,” said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp., of the latest batch of bad earnings news. “It’s a reminder that we are not out of the woods yet.” 

But Tuesday’s buying spree “was probably overdone,” said Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co., reasoning that investors are still grappling with plenty of uncertainty. 

“The presidential election hasn’t been resolved yet ... There is still uncertainty about earnings for next year,” Berman said. 

— The Associated Press 

Bank of America skidded $3.19 to close at $38 after warning of poor earnings and saying that it is budgeting for significantly higher loan and credit losses in 2001. The banking company’s announcement was particularly painful because financial stocks recently had been seen as a relatively safe haven amid the volatility in the high-tech sector. 

Apple slid $2.69 to $14.31. The company said Tuesday it is losing money this quarter and that a sales slump will drive earnings well below analysts’ forecasts. 

In recent months, similar announcements from tech companies have led to huge selloffs on Wall Street. More companies are expected to issue earnings warnings and poor quarterly results even if the Fed reduces interest rates early next year. That means it’s too soon for the market to have a rally with some momentum, analysts said. 

“It’s not going to have a significant impact on the sales and earnings of companies for at least nine months. And, during that period we are going to have to slug our way through one report after another of companies telling us that their earnings are disappointing,” said Johnson of First Albany. 

“At some point, we will see enough light at the end of the tunnel in which outlook for earnings will brighten. But we’re just not there yet. It’s that simple.” 

Other personal computer makers suffered. Compaq dove $4.25 to $20.12 and Gateway fell $1.82 to $17 after Credit Suisse First Boston downgraded both stocks. 

Yahoo! tumbled $6.38, or 14.5 percent, to $37.50 after Internet analyst Henry Blodget of Merrill Lynch reduced his earnings and revenue estimates for the Web portal through June. Blodget cited a decline in Internet advertising. 

Some of the Dow’s tech issues also fell. Chip maker Intel lost $4.25 to finish at $31.75. Microsoft ended down $3.19 at $56.69. 

Among blue chips, retailers were hurt by declining consumer confidence and a lackluster holiday shopping season. Limited fell $1.31 to $17.94, and Best Buy lost $1.81, closing at $28.81. 

Pharmaceuticals also posted losses, even though the sector is considered a safer bet in a bearish market or a slowing economy. Drug maker Johnson & Johnson slipped $3.19 to $96.13. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume was 1.67 billion shares, down from Tuesday’s 1.71 billion. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller companies, ended down 7.63 at 463.54. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 1.3 percent. European markets fell slightly. Germany’s DAX index lost 0.2 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 fell 0.4 percent, and France’s CAC-40 slipped 0.2 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

SAN FRANCISCO — The state sued 18 school districts Tuesday in a bid to force them to fix allegedly shoddy classrooms, issue textbooks and hire credentialed teachers as required under state law. 

The suit is an outgrowth of one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which accuses the state of sidestepping its duty to guarantee students an equal public education. 

Last month, San Francisco Superior Judge Peter J. Busch declined to dismiss the ACLU suit accusing the state of providing its poorest public school students with an inferior education.  

The judge said the ACLU could sue the state on allegations that its “oversight and management systems are nonexistent or inadequate.” 

“This case is exclusively about the state’s system of oversight and that system’s alleged inadequacies and failures,” Busch said.  

“The lawsuit is aimed at ensuring a system that will either prevent or discover and correct such deficiencies from going forward.” 

The state, in its suit filed Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court, claimed the school districts and their locally elected boards, not Sacramento, ultimately are responsible for ensuring equal educational opportunities for all children. 

Gov. Davis’ media office did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. 

“Rather than suing the districts, a system of oversight and management should be set up,” said ACLU attorney Michael Jacobs. “They’re suing themselves.” 

He likened the state’s response to the ACLU suit as “a publisher not having the ability to order a newspaper to stop the presses.” 

The state suit, known as a cross-complaint to the ACLU suit, seeks a court order demanding the districts fix the various defects if the ACLU proves that the conditions exist. 

At the Cloverdale High School, the ACLU alleges that classroom temperatures reach as high as 110 degrees in the summer and that students cannot take certain books home because there aren’t enough. 

At the Morris E. Daily Elementary School in Fresno, the ACLU alleged that some children “have urinated or defecated on themselves at school because toilets were locked when they needed to use the restroom.” 

The ACLU says economics textbooks at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra haven’t been updated since 1986 and, among other things, one-third of the student population must stand during assemblies because the seats are missing. 

Last week, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning said that one in five teachers at 1,600 California public schools is underqualified. 

The ACLU sued in May in a case that grew to represent 98 students in 46 schools in 18 school districts.  

The ACLU will ask the judge in February to expand its suit to cover all 1,100 school districts and their 5.8 million students. 

Here are the 18 school districts named in the state’s cross-complaint:  

Alhambra City Elementary School District;  

Alhambra City High  

School District;  

Campbell Union Elementary School District;  

Cloverdale Unified School District;  

Fresno Unified School District;  

Inglewood Unified School District;  

Long Beach Unified School District;  

L.A. Unified School District;  

Lynwood Unified School District;  

Merced City Elementary School District;  

Montebello Unified School District;  

Pioneer Union Elementary School District;  

Oakland Unified School District;  

Ravenswood City Elementary School District;  

San Francisco Unified School District,  

Visalia Unified School District;  

West Contra Costa Unified School District. 

The ACLU’s case and the state’s suit are Williams vs. California, 312236.

SAN FRANCISCO — The city holds a runoff election for nine supervisors Tuesday that could determine the future of dot-com expansions and other projects that some say are robbing San Francisco of its bohemian character. 

Many residents are so fed up with spiraling housing costs, traffic gridlock and other side effects of the Internet boom that none of the 18 candidates campaigned in favor of the way the city has changed during Mayor Willie Brown’s five years as mayor. 

Even his allies – including Juanita Owens, a black lesbian running in the district that includes Haight-Ashbury – have distanced themselves from the mayor in speeches and campaign literature. 

“It angers me that some in City Hall have betrayed our community’s confidence and trust,” said Owens, a former school board president.  

“If you elect me supervisor, I’ll promise not to be ‘bought or bossed.”’ 

Nine of the 11 seats on the city’s Board of Supervisors are up for grabs on Tuesday. 

At the heart of Tuesday’s election is the pro-growth agenda backed by Brown and his allies. Supporters say it is critical to San Francisco’s economy, while critics contend it has changed the city for the worse. 

The races have been fierce: A group of developers, construction companies and downtown corporate interests has tried to preserve Brown’s control over City Hall by pumping almost $2 million since July into a block-by-block battle for voters. 

Much of that money came from out-of-town interests, such as Ohio-based Malrite Corp., which wants to develop a theme park on Pier 39m complete with a “thrill ride” through an imitation San Francisco. 

Voters voted 3-1 on Nov. 7 for an educational center instead, but the theme park idea isn’t dead yet. It and similar plans – including a proposed floating hotel and conference center built to resemble the Titanic – could ultimately go before the Board of Supervisors. 

The board also may have  

the final word on planning decisions for 724,000 square feet of new offices, mostly proposed for dot-com businesses that would be exempt from having to  

pay into the city’s affordable-housing fund. 

“It’s just really criminal,” said Tom Ammiano, one of the two supervisors elected outright on Nov. 7. “I think people want to be at the table.” 

It was Ammiano who mobilized an improbable grassroots write-in campaign last year that briefly threatened to unseat Brown and his Democratic Party machine, which has such a lock on local politics that there are no elected Republicans within the city limits. Brown defeated Ammiano, but the grassroots movement he spawned has only become more organized: Only four of the supervisor candidates Brown backed finished first in last month’s election. 

Brown himself has kept a low profile. Days before the general election, he did say he hoped anti-Brown forces didn’t “load us down with a lot of crazy people.” 

Among the “crazies” are Aaron Peskin, whose neighborhood association blocked a Rite-Aid drug store from opening among the Italian cafes of North Beach. It is one of many campaigns against chain stores in the city. 

“The mayor is more interested in doing large real-estate deals than making sure the buses run on time and making sure our infrastructure is in good shape,” Peskin said Monday. 

“This is a breath of fresh air that is sweeping over our city,” he said of the board elections. 

The mayor’s spokesman, P.J. Johnston, said both sides will soon find that they need each other to get anything done. 

“People should be elected on their ability to serve the city of San Francisco regardless of whether they differ or agree with mayor,” he said. 

“The basis of serving should not be totally whether they’re anti-Willie Brown.”

Berkeley police say another shooting took place yesterday morning in a city that has seen a rash of violence in the past several weeks. 

The incident occurred just after midnight this morning when four men standing near 841 Gilman Street were approached by three other men, one of whom produced a handgun, police said.  

The armed suspect ordered the four men to lie on the ground, but one resisted and a struggle ensued.  

A single shot was fired, wounding a 27-year-old man, and the three men fled, police said.  

A Berkeley police officer nearby heard the shot and was able to apprehend Caderias Rayandre Evans, 22.  

Police say Evans has been positively identified by witnesses as the shooter. 

Evans was booked and is currently being held at the Berkeley City Jail. The other two men presumably are still at large. 

The victim, who was not identified, is in stable condition at Highland Hospital, police said. 

Berkeley police say an unprecedented number of shootings have hit the city in the past month and a half. 

BERMUDA DUNES — Authorities were hunting Friday for a federal police officer who allegedly abducted a middle school student from a bus stop and escaped after a high-speed freeway chase. 

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect as 32-year-old David Clairmont of Riverside, a police officer with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles.  

He was once investigated on suspicion of molesting the boy but never charged. 

He was wearing his uniform when he pulled up to a bus stop in Bermuda Dunes, an unincorporated area about 15 miles east of Palm Springs, and forced the 13-year-old into his car, Deputy Ray Verdugo said. 

“He remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous because he is a peace officer and he does have weapons,” he said. 

Several other children witnessed the abduction but were not hurt, Verdugo said.  

They told officers they didn’t see Clairmont display a weapon. 

Verdugo said Clairmont recently was investigated by Riverside police on suspicion of molesting the youth, a student at La Quinta Middle School. The officer and the boy were once neighbors. 

The Riverside Police Department referred all inquiries about the case to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, which was closed Friday night. 

After forcing the boy into the car, authorities said, Clairmont sped west on Interstate 10 and was spotted near Banning by a California Highway Patrol officer. He allegedly fled at speeds reaching 110 mph before officers lost sight of him at a freeway exit in Redlands. 

Clairmont, 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes, was driving a blue, four-door 2000 Pontiac Grand Am. He is on administrative leave from his job, Verdugo said. 

The boy is 5-foot-5 and 95 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black jacket, gray shirt and blue pants. 

——— 

The car’s California license plate No. is 4JAC535 

SAN JOSE — Foreign-born residents of Silicon Valley earn less on average than U.S.-born residents, but pay more for housing, a new government survey concludes. 

The region is a hub for both issues – a booming high-tech economy is attracting overseas labor, but also pushing housing costs to dizzying heights. 

Those market forces have created a gap between U.S.-born residents who settled down before the housing crunch and immigrants, who must contend both with generally higher housing costs and landlords who may see them as easy targets for inflated rents. 

Immigrants are susceptible to rent gouging for several reasons, experts say. Poor skills in English may prompt them to sign an unfavorable lease; a large family may make them desperate to find a place to live, and a landlord born in their home country may see a chance for a scam, or a landlord may be covering what they see as an increased risk that immigrant tenants will leave without paying rent. 

“Immigrants, especially recent arrivals, have less of a knowledge of housing law,” said Rand Quinn, executive director of SIREN, a non-profit immigrant services agency.  

“They’re more susceptible to discrimination.” 

Mexican-born Rocio Ortiz, 33, moved into her mother’s house in 1998 from a $1,000-a-month apartment in San Jose. She now shares a pullout couch with her two daughters. 

“We are hard working, but we don’t have enough money to keep our own place,” said Ortiz, an elementary school teacher’s aide. Renting again seems impossible now, she said, given that a security deposit and down payment make signing a lease a $3,000-plus proposition. 

If, that is, a landlord will consider the application. With vacancy rates near zero in Silicon Valley, it’s a seller’s market. 

“From the application, the landlord can tell. Can you write in English? They don’t even have to see you,” Ortiz said. ”’Too many children,’ they say. ’Oh, Hispanic. They don’t pay.”’ 

In fact, immigrants pay disproportionate amounts of their income for housing, according to a Santa Clara County report released Wednesday in conjunction with its Summit on Immigrant Needs and Contributions.  

The report surveyed more than 800 immigrants from the five largest immigrant groups – Mexicans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Chinese and Indians – over 16 months. 

Santa Clara County is Northern California’s most diverse. Whites are far from a majority here, and one in three residents is foreign born. 

The housing stock isn’t nearly as diverse – it’s all expensive. One-bedroom apartments in some complexes start at $1,800 in San Jose, the center of the 1.8 million-resident county. And rents can jump by 40 percent in six months. 

Technology has built the local economy, and the workers have come.  

Many enjoy six-figure jobs as computer programmers – but many others are janitors and dishwashers. 

Indeed, as a whole, immigrants earn less than U.S.-born workers, the report said. 

The average U.S.-born county resident took home $33,800 last year – but the total for immigrants was $28,600 per month, according to the report. 

The exceptions are Indians, who earn more than U.S.-born residents in part because many are recruited to fill high-wage technology jobs. 

But while immigrants generally earn less, across the board they pay more for housing. 

The average U.S.-born resident pays just over $1,100 per month in rent or mortgage. Members of the five largest immigrant groups all pay more. 

Indians, for example, pay $1,750 per month – perhaps understandable given their higher incomes and their arrival in a tight housing market. But Mexicans and Vietnamese, many of whom arrived in the U.S. two decades ago if not before, still pay more than U.S.-born residents. 

Whatever the reason, the impact is acute, says Alicia Carvajal, a housing counselor at San Jose’s Legal Aid Society. 

“When we have expensive housing, we have to work two jobs and our children are on the street,” Carvajal said. “I know of one family that had to move four times in a year. Their children had to change schools. It was very disruptive.”

UNION CITY — An explosion at a pipe factory late Wednesday afternoon injured at least 12 people, rescue officials said. 

The explosion at the U.S. Pipe and Foundry Co. factory occurred about 4:45 p.m, said Roberto Munoz of the Union City Police Department, and led authorities to block off Whipple Road, a major street leading to Interstate 880. It was closed for more than an hour. 

No chemicals were involved in the explosion, and there was no fire, Munoz said.  

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, but it happened during the pipe-making process as workers were pouring a substance into a mold, Munoz said.  

The 24-hour plant was not evacuated and operations were not shut down, said Union City Police Capt. Connie Van Putten. 

Three injured people who suffered cuts and burns were transported to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. They were listed in fair condition Wednesday evening, said hospital spokeswoman Cassandra Phelps. Another person, suffering less serious injuries, also went to Eden, said Brad Shehan, a spokesman for American Medical Response. 

Four others were sent to St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, while the remaining four went to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Hayward. All eight suffered minor injuries, Shehan said. 

The factory is located in an industrial area of Union City, about 12 miles southeast of Oakland. A counseling center was set up for family members across the street at Alpine Awards, which makes school, corporate and sports league trophies and other awards. 

About 40-50 people gathered there following the accident, said Yolanda Murray, an employee of Alpine Awards who heard the explosion. 

“There were just two tremendously loud explosions,” Murray said.  

“It kind of felt like an earthquake at first, but I knew it wasn’t because it happened too fast. It shook the windows. I wish it would have been an earthquake.”