TUCSON, Ariz. – On a night loaded with emotion, Arizona’s Loren Woods lost his cool. 

His teammates kept theirs, though, and the Wildcats (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 Associated Press) beat California 78-75 in their Pacific-10 Conference opener. 

Michael Wright matched his career high with 28 points and Gilbert Arenas scored nine of his 13 points in the final six minutes, after Woods was thrown out of the game. 

The Wildcats (8-4) were without coach Lute Olson for the second consecutive game. Olson has taken an indefinite leave of absence following the death of his wife, Bobbi, of cancer on Monday. 

Arizona players wore a black strip across their left shoulder in honor of the woman they and many before them knew as a second mother. She had cooked pancakes for the players and was a constant, outgoing presence in the crowd until illness kept her away. 

Arizona, which had struggled throughout the early season after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason, nearly lost consecutive home games for the first time since 1983-84, Olson’s first season at Arizona. 

“It was a real emotional week,” the Wildcats’ Luke Walton said, “but we knew we had to win this game.” 

The Wildcats, who face No. 2 Stanford on Saturday, took the lead for good with a 9-1 run, with Arenas scoring seven, after Woods was thrown out with 6:17 left. 

Sean Lampley scored 21, including 4 of 6 3-pointers for the Bears (8-4), who had won seven in a row. Ryan Forehan-Kelly added 16 points. Cal shot 57 percent from the field, including 8-for-17 from 3-point range. 

Arizona shot 54 percent, and the Wildcats made 10 consecutive free throws in the final 3:51. 

Woods, Arizona’s 7-foot-1 center, had to be restrained by teammates after referee Charlie Range called a foul against him with 6:17 left. Range called a quick technical, then another when Woods kept trying to get to him, using profanity over and over. 

Arizona associate coach Jim Rosborough said Woods, recently selected one of the team captains, might face some sort of penalty from the university for what the coach called “inexcusable” behavior. 

“It’s intolerable. I don’t think it represents us very well. I mean it’s embarrassing as heck,” Rosborough said. 

Rosborough wouldn’t say whether he might bench Woods for the big game against Stanford, “but I’m not going to sit here and say I’m going to win at any costs.” 

Woods said he was frustrated the whole game. 

“I was getting a lot of cheap fouls and things like that,” Woods said. “It was like quicksand out there. I just kept getting lower, like I was going to die out there. Fortunately, the refs took care of that for me.” 

California turned the incident into a five-point play. 

Shantay Legans made three of four free throws on the technicals, then Solomon Hughes made two more on the foul and the Bears led 65-61. 

Arenas sank a 3-pointer, Hughes missed two free throws, and Arenas banked in a short jumper to put Arizona ahead 66-65 with 4:21 to play. Arenas’ two free throws made it 68-65 with 3:51 left. 

Hughes blocked Arenas’ shot, but Wright grabbed and put it in to put Arizona ahead 70-66 with 2:23 remaining. Arenas’ two free throws with 1:55 to go made it 72-66 with 1:55 left. 

But Cal rallied again. Forehan-Kelly sank his last 3-pointer and Lampley made a short jumper to cut the lead to 72-71 with 34.4 seconds remaining. 

Jason Gardner and Wright each sank two free throws to make it 76-72, then Brian Wethers banked in a 3-pointer to slice it to 76-75 with 11.6 seconds to go. 

“At the free-throw line there at the end is where we could have crumbled,” Rosborough said, “but we didn’t.” 

Richard Jefferson’s two free throws put Arizona up 78-75 with 6.6 seconds remaining, and Wethers’ 3-pointer at the buzzer wasn’t even close. 

“As disappointing as it was to lose, tonight we showed we can play,” Hughes said. “Arizona is a strong, good team. It’s like playing against an all-star team, but at the same time, they are beatable.” 

Wright was 11-for-13 from the field. 

“Michael Wright had a great performance tonight,” Cal coach Ben Braun said. “He is a warrior and has a great attitude. We tried to take him out of the game, but we just couldn’t. He was as good as advertised.” 

There was a moment of silence before the tip-off, preceded by a brief tribute by public address announcer Jonathan Norris. 

“Bobbi and Lute were an unbeatable team,” Norris said. “During the 18 years that she called Tucson home, Bobbi’s warm personality and graceful nature made everyone feel very special.”

“This is a critical moment for lesbian and gay people in California,” says Alan LoFaso, the affable chief of staff for Assembly member Carole Migden. “We have the opportunity to expand our rights in California,” he says, “and it’s very important, no - it’s crucial, for us to seize this opportunity.” 

The critical moment LoFaso refers to concerns new legislation coming out of Migden’s office that gives California’s year-old domestic partner policy more teeth with a host of new benefits and rights for same-sex couples. LoFaso and activists around the state are urging same-sex couples to register as domestic partners in 2001 to demonstrate to the legislature - and thereby to the people in California and around the nation - that gay and lesbian couples want and need the important benefits such legislation provides. 

“Use it or Lose it” 

Though California is one of just three states in the country to provide statewide recognition of domestic partners, only 6,000 couples have registered here. And given the states’ burgeoning population of 34 million people, there are likely hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples across the state. Fearing a “use or lose it” response from the legislature or the general public, experts argue it is essential for same-sex couples to register this year.  

“Numbers speak volumes, especially to politicians,” explains Lisa Belsanti, the Director of Communications for the California Alliance of Pride and Equality, the biggest statewide lobby for gay rights. “When Migden and other legislators are pushing for additional domestic partner benefits in their bills,” Belsanti says, “they need to show there is a segment of the population that is in need of the benefits.” 

The current California law grants domestic partners hospital visitation rights and requires government employers contracting with the state to offer domestic partner health benefits. Though widely understood to be a starting point for gay couples on the long road to equality, the law’s limited benefits may account for the small number of couples who registered last year.  

Among the benefits of the new bill, however, domestic partners will be able to make medical decisions on each other’s behalf, inherit property, use sick leave to care for a partner or a partner’s child, be appointed the conservator of each other’s estate, and leave a job to relocate with a partner without jeopardizing unemployment benefits. These are, of course, but a small part of the countless benefits automatically available to spouses when they marry.  

Not Civil Unions or Marriage.Yet Belsanti and others believe that a strong showing of same-sex couples registering in California will help foster additional pro-gay legislation in the state and help other states to follow suit. “It’s not marriage and it’s not civil unions yet,” she says, “but other states are certainly looking to California to see what happens in terms of our domestic partner laws.”  

Given the strong sentiment against same-sex marriage among certain segments of the population, with 36 states passing same-sex marriages bans since 1995, LoFaso is convinced that the path to equality will only happen incrementally: “The referendums against same-sex marriage can be interpreted to say, “If you go too fast, voters will backlash,” so in California we’re doing it slowly and we’re doing it legislatively.” 

Attacks from the Right 

With a strong Democratic majority in both houses and a Democrat, albeit a centrist one, in the Governor’s seat, California is poised to pass some of the most pro-gay legislation in its history. That said, the organized and well-funded Right in the state is actively campaigning against what they refer to as the “counterfeit” and “anti-marriage” domestic partner laws. 

In mid-December, the group “Californians For Families” sent state legislators a “Marriage Protection Pledge,” stipulating that lawmakers “uphold the spirit of Proposition 22 (the anti-gay marriage initiative passed in California last year) and refuse to support domestic partnerships.” Since gay marriage is not likely to appear on the horizon here for a while, the Right has set its sights on dismantling domestic partner laws. “Let’s face it,” says LoFaso, “fear and ignorance is all they have going for them. But fear and ignorance are potent forces in American politics.” 

“In 2001 I will register...” 

Same-sex couples are strongly encouraged to make registering as domestic partners a resolution for the New Year. Couples and families across the country are clamoring for legal recognition, and here in California all you need do is fill out a simple form, have it notarized, and drop it in the mail with a $10 registration fee. Registering is a public affirmation of your relationship, an important political step for gay rights, and, well, it’s certainly easier than trying to lose those ten pounds you said you’d lose last year.  

Patrick Letellier is a freelance writer and activist living in Oakland.

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”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. $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. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Judah L. Magnes Museum “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. 2911 Russell St.  

549-6950  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “Amazons in the Drawing Room”: The Art of Romaine Brooks through Jan. 16. 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. “Tacita Dean/MATRIX 189 Banewl” through Jan. 28. A film instillation by British conceptual artist Tacita Dean of the total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999. Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Open Thursdays to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Gallery “Continuous Replay: The Photographs of Arnie Zane” through Jan. 8. Best known as the cofounder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Zane began his exploration of the human form through photography. 2625 Durant Ave. 

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 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur 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 22-23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. 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 “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, the last surviving member of the tribe. $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. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations. 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. “Vision,” Jan. 20 - April 15, 2001. Get a very close look at how the eyes and brain work together to focus light, perceive color and motion, and process information. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “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.  

Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership 

Jan. 5: Remnants, The Clumsy Bears, Eleventeen, Whorange, Tear It Up, Fast Times; Jan. 6: The Locust, Beautiful Skin, National Acrobat, The Pattern, Heart of Snow; Jan. 12: The Sick, Totimoshi, 7 Days of Samsara, Vida Blue, The Sabians; Jan. 13: The Stitches, Tsuanami Bomb, Derelectrics, Starvations, Labrats; Jan. 19: Plus Ones, Anti 45, Strike-O-Matics, The P.A.W.N.S., The Bob Weirdos, This Bike Is A Pipebomb; Jan. 20: Groovie Ghoulies, Pansy Division, Subincision, The Potatomen, The Sidekicks; Jan. 26: Tragedy, Yaphet Kotto, Esperanza, Under a Dying Sun; Jan. 27: San Geronimo, Merrick, Anti Domestix. 525-9926  

Ashkenaz Jan. 5, 9:30 p.m.: Reggae Angels Foundation, Jah Light Music; Jan. 6: California Cajun Orchestra, dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; Jan. 9, 9 p.m.: Andrew Carrier & Cajun Classics, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; Jan. 10: Red Archibald & the Internationals, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; Jan. 11: Benefit concert for Food First featuring: Ten Ton Chicken, Tree o’ Frogs, The David Thom Band and Buffalo Roam, $10 - $15. 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Jan. 5: Scott Duncan; Jan. 6: Takezo; Jan. 12: Ron Hacker; Jan. 13: Frankie Lee; Jan. 19: Craig Horton Blues Band; Jan. 20: Jimmy Mamou; Jan. 26: Carlos Zialcita; Jan. 27: Mark Hummel. 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All shows begin at 8 p.m. Jan. 5: Beth Custer Dona Luz 30 Besos; Jan. 6: The Waybacks; Jan. 7: The Joyce Todd Trio; Jan. 9: Modern Hicks; Jan. 10: Sonia of Disappear Fear, Denice Franke; Jan. 11: Duck Baker & Jamie Finlay; Jan. 12: Ginny Reilly & David Maloney; Jan. 13: Caren Armstrong; Jan. 14: Street Sounds; Jan. 15: John McCutcheon; Jan. 18: Dry Branch Fire Squad. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761  

Jupiter All music begins at 8 p.m. Jan. 5: Full Throttle Trio; Jan. 6: Post Junk Trio; Jan. 10: Realistic w/DJ Turtle; Jan. 11: Joshi Marshall Project; Jan. 12: Kooken & Hoomen; Jan. 13: Mitch Marcus Trio; Jan. 17: Realistic w/DJ Turtle; Jan. 18: Joshi Marshall Project; Jan. 19: Sex Fresh Trio; Jan. 20: Mamas Boy. 2181 Shattuck Ave. Call THE-ROCK  

Crowden School Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school. 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 559-6910 

Jazzschool/La Note All shows at 4:30 p.m.Tickets are $10 - $12  

Jan. 14: Afro-Jazz with Pascal Bokar ; Jan. 21: The BlueJazzHouse Party with Brenda Boykin and The Eric Swinderman Quartet. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 

Cal Performances Jan. 19, 8 p.m.: Gospel ensemble The Mighty Clouds of Joy and The Campbell Brothers, $16 - $28; Feb. 2 & 3, 8 p.m.: Allee der Kosmonauten by Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz with video installations by New York artist Elliot Caplan, $20 - $42; Feb. 4, 4 p.m.: Russian National Orchestra, $30 - $52. Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Jan. 31, April 3, and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“Sing for Hope” Jan. 12, 8 p.m. The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS. $35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception. First Congregational Church, 2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 655-3435 

Dia de los Reyes Concert Jan. 13, 8 p.m. Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena. $ 12 - $15. St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison (415) 431-4234  

“Rebecca Riots” Jan. 6, 8 p.m. A trio of women who sing about contemporary political, social, spiritual and personal issues. La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave.  

“Clori, Tirsi e Fileno” Jan. 27, 8 p.m.; Jan. 28, 7 p.m. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before each performance. Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company perform Handel’s opera. $15 - $20. Crowden School Theater 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 658-3382 

“Women in Salsa” Jan. 25, 8 p.m. Orquesta D’Soul, a San Francisco based band, is hosting this benefit featuring the musical talents of local bay area women in salsa. $8 in advance, $10 at the door. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or visit www.lapena.org 

Theater 

“Dinner With Friends” by Donald Margulies Through Jan. 7. $15.99 - $51. Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025 Addison St. 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org  

“Fall” by Bridget Carpenter Jan. 19 - Feb. 11. $15.99 - $51. Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025 Addison St. 647-2949, www. berkeleyrep.org 

“Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett Jan. 5 through Feb. 3, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. $8 - $12. Subterranean Shakespeare La Val’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 234-6046  

Films 

New Iranian Cinema Featured films include Mariam Shahriar’s “Daughters of the Sun,” Rassul Sadr Ameli’s “The Girl in Sneakers,” and Parvi Shahbazi’s “Whispers,” and many others. Through Jan. 13 $7 for one film, $8.50. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412  

“Abel Paz Durruti & the Spanish Revolution” A new documentary film made in 1998. Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m. $7 donation requested. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. LaborFest, 415-642-8066  

Exhibits 

Toki Gallery “Heads of the Class,” ceramic sculptures by seventh and eighth grade students at the East Bay Science & Arts Middle School. Through Jan. 10, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 1212 San Pablo Ave. 524-7363  

Kala Art Institute 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. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

Berkeley Historical Society “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. 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Consecrations: Spirits in the Time of AIDS,” Jan. 24 - Feb. 24. An exhibit seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people affected by them. Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth St., Oakland. 763-9425  

“Celebration” An exhibit of artists working and living in the East Bay. Jan. 10 - Feb. 3; Opening reception Jan. 13, 7 - 9 p.m.; Tuesday - Saturday, 11 - 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 - 5 p.m. !hey! Gallery 4920-b Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349 

Acrylic Paintings of Corinne Innis Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings. Jan. 16 - Feb. 26; Opening reception Jan. 20, 5 - 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m. and by appointment. Women’s Cancer Resource Center 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 x307  

Drawings & Watercolor Paintings of Daniel Hitkov Hitkov is a young Bulgarian artist whose subjects are the real and unreal in nature, people and things. Through Feb. 12. Red Cafe 1941 University Ave. 843-7230 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Jan. 6: Gaymes Night; come play Balderdash, Sequence, and others and enjoy pizza, company, and teamwork; Jan. 13: Dyke Open Myke!; Jan. 14, 11 a.m.: LesBiGayTrans prospective parenting group meeting; Jan. 19: Marcy Sheiner and local contributors read from “Best Women’s Erotica 2001”; Jan. 20: Jenny Scholten reads from “Daystripper”; Jan. 27: Susan Swartz reads from “Juicy Tomatoes: Plain Truths, Dumb Lies, & Sisterly Advice About Life After 50” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Jan. 10: Poetry of Neeli Cherkovski & Judy Grahn; Jan. 12: Spanish Book Club discusses “Los Anos Con Laura Diaz”; Jan. 14: Poetry of James Schevill, Parenting Book Club discuss “Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences”; Jan. 16: Eliahu Klein discusses “The Babbalah of Creation”; Jan. 17: Poetry of Judith Tannenbaum & Ruth L. Schwartz; Jan. 18: Elwyn Berlekamp plays “Dots & Boxes: Sophisticated Child’s Play”; Jan. 19: Anita Roddick discusses “Business As Usual”; Jan. 22: Mona Halaby discusses “Belonging: Creating Community in the Classroom”; Jan. 23: Rebecca Walker reads from “Black, White, & Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self; Jan. 24: “Grrrrr Anthology” poets CB Follett, Lynne Knight, Rafael Jesus Gonzalez, Robert Aquinas McNally, & John B. Rowe; Jan. 25: Norman Stolzoff presents “Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica”; Jan. 26: James Carroll discusses “Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews”; Jan. 28: Poetry of Lynne Knight & Kathleen Lynch; Jan. 29: Tim Wohlforth discusses “On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left”; Jan. 30: James Elkins discusses “how to use Your Eyes”; Jan. 31: Poetry of Steven Ajay & Anita Barrows  

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Mondays Through June, 2001, 1 - 3 p.m. Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 549-2970  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All free events at 7:30 p.m. (unless noted) 

Jan. 11: Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “California Babylon: A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.”; Jan. 16: Various travel authors discuss the spiritual aspects of traveling, “Travel as Pilgrimage.”; Jan. 18: Berkeley resident, restaurant and move critic John Weil, through a slide presentation and talk, takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. Jan. 11: Kirk Lumpkin; Jan. 18: Ayodele Nzinga; Jan. 25: Glenn Ingersoll; Feb. 1: John Rowe; Feb. 8: Tom Odegard; Feb 15: Kathleen Lynch; Feb. 22: Charles Ellick; March 1: Eliza Shefler; March 8: Judy Wells; March 15: Elanor Watson-Gove; March 22: Anna Mae Stanley; March 29: Georgia Popoff; April 5: Barbara Minton; April 12: Alice Rogoff; April 19: Garrett Murphy; April 26: Ray Skjelbred. Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 848-7800  

The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2  

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley. 486-0623  

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting.  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/  

The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. 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. 

Lectures 

Berkeley Historical Society Slide Lecture & Booksigning Series Sundays, 3 - 5 p.m. $10 donation requested Jan. 14: Richard Schwartz on “Berkeley 1900,” the history of Berkeley at the turn of the century; Jan. 28: “The Finns in Berkeley and Co-op Beginnings,” a panel discussion on Finnish and Co-op history; March 11: Director of Berkeley’s International House, Joe Lurie, will show a video and dicuss the history and struggle to open the I-House 70 years ago. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Feb. 13 - April 3; An annual program featuring specialists in the field of national foreign policy, many from University of California. Goal is to inform the public on major policy issues and receive feedback from the public. $5 per session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 526-2925 

City Commons Club Social Hour & Speaker Series Fridays, 11:15 a.m., Jan. 5 - 26; Jan. 5: “Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are,” Stephen West, professor of East Asian studies at UC Berkeley; Jan. 12: “Innovative Approaches to Farming,” Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz; Jan. 19: “Evidence-Based Practice - How It May Effect You,” Eileen Gambrill, professor of social welfare at UC Berkeley; Jan. 26: “The Aftermath of the National Election,” Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

Friday, Jan. 5  

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free 848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Jan. 6  

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more)  

Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50 643-2755 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St. 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Lessons for Children  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

P.U.R.R.S. Pet Adoption Day  

Noon - 5 p.m.  

Pet Food Express 

1942 MLK Jr. Way  

Pet’s Are Us is a non-profit animal rescue organization. 444-3204 

Monday, Jan. 8  

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White. The chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107  

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. 

531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Wednesday, Jan. 10  

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Glaucoma: Early Detection Free Lecture  

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Alta Bates Summit North Pavilion  

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Dr. Richard Lee, ophthalmologist, will discuss the risk factors and causes of glaucoma, as well as other aspects of the aging eye. Free 

Call 869-6737 

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

“Igniting the Dream: Social Justice in  

the New Millennium”  

6 - 9 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality  

2141 Broadway  

Oakland  

An art reception, film screening, and panel discussion featuring Rev. Phillip Lawson, Rafael Gonzalez, Luisah Teish, and Dr. Barbara Cannon. Free  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser  

8 a.m. - Noon  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

The Teen Clubs of Berkeley present this fundraiser in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets available at all city of Berkeley recreational sites and at the Young Adult Project.  

$3 - $5  

Call 644-8515 

Bridge Rail Unveiling  

9:30 a.m.  

Codornices Creek at the Ohlone Greenway  

Members of the Berkeley and Albany city councils, along with members of the creek-restoration group, will swing sledgehammers to remove forms from the concrete bridge footing and towers. 

Call 8 48-9358 or visit www.fivecreeks.org  

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 

Monday, Jan. 15  

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church  

1188 12th St. (at Adeline) 

Oakland  

Featuring Rev. Dorsey Blake, Dr. Matthew Fox, Reconnect Performance Troupe, Cole Performing Arts Choir and Avotcja.  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

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 

“Travel as Pilgramage” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Various travel writers discuss the spiritual aspects of travel. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Avalanche Safety Course  

6 - 9:30 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Dick Penniman, internationally known avalanche instructor and consultant, presents a slide lecture and video presentation on the fundamentals of avalanches and rescue techniques.  

$20  

Call Dick Penniman, (877) SNO-SAFE 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the role of the U.S. in global politics and priorities.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Your Justice System at Work 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

West Oakland Senior Center  

1724 Adeline St.  

Oakland  

Judges of the Superior Court, attorneys, probation officers, sheriff’s officers and other justice system representatives will be present to hear the concerns of the public and to answer their questions.  

Call 268-7610 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

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  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ayodele Nzinga and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

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  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Become Berkeley City Smart 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

In a slide presentation & talk, Berkeley resident, restaurant and movie critic John Weil takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Veterans Memorial Building  

1931 Center St.  

Any woman who has had a relative serve in the U.S. military is invited to attend and join the auxiliary.  

Call 916-372-8364 

Journey Across China 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Eugene Tsiang, Shanghai native, will give a slide presentation on his two-month journey last spring by train and four-wheel drive vehicle across China’s Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us  

Friday, Jan. 19 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Evidence-Based Practice - How it May Effect You” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Eileen Gambrill, professor in the department of social welfare at UC Berkeley with speak. 

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Jan. 20  

On Death & Dying 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Buddhist Temple  

2121 Channing Way (between Shattuck & Fulton)  

Kathleen Gustin, Zen priest, and Rev. Ronald Nakasone of the Graduate Theological Union speak at this workshop designed to help those considering their own ending or that of loved ones.  

$20 per person (box lunch included) 

Call Ken Kaji, 601-5394 

Corinne Innis Reception 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings.  

Call 548-9286 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Monday, Jan. 22  

Berkeley Rail Stop Community  

Design Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 1900 Sixth St.  

The public is invited to suggest ideas and comment on plans for design-development at the rail stop/transit plaza area of West Berkeley.  

Call 644-6580 

Urban Homelessness  

& Public Policy Solutions 

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Alumni House  

UC Berkeley  

This day-long conference will include key scholars, service providers, and policymakers in the homelessness field. Some of the subjects to be covered will be: Homeless population dynamics and policy implications, health issues in homelessness, and legal and political issues in homelessness. Free and open to the public.  

For more info, visit: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/homeless.htm 

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 

Wednesday, Jan. 24 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Jan. 25  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland 

Pro Arts reception for the opening of their new exhibition seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people who are affected by them.  

Call 763-9425 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Climbing Mt. Everest  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Bob Hoffman, organizer and leader of four environmental clean-up expeditions on Everest, will give a slide presentation on the Inventa 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition’s recent ascent. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Glenn Ingersoll and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Women in Salsa  

8 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

Orquesta D’Soul, a San Francisco based band, is hosting this benefit featuring the musical talents of local bay area women in salsa.  

$8 in advance, $10 at the door 

Call 849-2568 or visit www.lapena.org 

Friday, Jan. 26 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“The Aftermath of the National Election” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Cuddly, Soft, Furry Things & Friends 

10 - 10:50 a.m. & 11:10 a.m. - Noon  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

A special workshop for two - three year-olds to meet, pet, and feed rabbits, doves, and snakes.  

$22 - $25, $10 for additional family members, registration required  

Call 642-5134 

Book Publishing Seminar 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

Regent Press 

6020-A Adeline St.  

Mark Weiman presents an overview of the business of book publishing oriented towards the author considering self-publication. From page layout to promotion and distribution, Weiman will cover all practical aspects of independent book publishing.  

Call 547-7602 or e-mail: regent@sirius.com 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

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 

Wednesday, Jan. 31 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra  

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring “Berkeley Images,” a world premiere by Jean-Pascal Beintus.  

$10 - $35  

Call 841-2800 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 1 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet John Rowe and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 2 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Allee der Kosmontauten 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Performance of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz 1996 work in its West Coast premiere. Also features the film work of Elliot Caplan.  

$20 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

“A Night In Oakland” 

8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

Savage Jazz Dance Company launches their 2001 spring season along with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.  

$10 - $15 

Call 496-6068 or visit www.savagejazz.org 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Feb. 3 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Artists Talk 

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to hear artists speak about their work and show slides. Free 

Call 763-9425 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Russian National Orchestra  

4 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

On their tenth anniversary tour, the RNO will perform Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 2.  

$30 - $52  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

From Flatlands to the Stars  

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Diamond Park  

Fruitvale Ave. (at Lyman Rd.) 

A hardy hike along Sausal Creek in Oakland’s unexplored Diamond and Joaquin Miller parks. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

“A Night In Oakland” 

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

Savage Jazz Dance Company launches their 2001 spring season along with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.  

$10 - $15 

Call 496-6068 or visit www.savagejazz.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 6  

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is sex, love, dating, and relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  

Call 527-9772  

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, Feb. 7  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 8 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Tom Odegard and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 9  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Feb. 10  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Open Mic.  

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to see special performances, spoken word, commentary and more.  

Call 763-9425 

Masters of Persian Classical Music 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring vocalist Mohammad Reza Sharjarian and his son, Homayoun Sharjarian.  

$20 - $40  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

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  

Horacio Gutierrez  

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall 

UC Berkeley  

The Cuban-American pianist will perform Berg’s Sonata, Op.1, George Perle’s Nine Bagatelles, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29.  

$24 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Tuesday, Feb. 13 

“Great Decisions” - U.S. Trade Policy 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple  

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, Feb. 14 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

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  

Basics of PCs 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley 

A class for adults that will cover file management, loading software, software management, downloading pages from the Web, and more. 

$30 - $35, registration required  

Call 642-5134  

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kathleen Lynch and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 16 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Feb. 17  

“Go-Go-Go Greenbelt!” 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Rockridge BART  

Oakland  

A bike tour on this ride into the rolling East Bay hills. A free ride sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Sunday, Feb. 18  

Waterfalls of Berkeley  

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART  

Sacramento at Delaware  

On this urban waterfall hike, discover three waterfalls along rushing creeks hidden in Berkeley neighborhoods. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 20 

“Great Decisions” - China & Taiwan 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is different cultural, ethnic and religious values.  

Call 527-9772  

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, Feb. 21 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 22 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Charles Ellick and host Louis C

The need to dig through your car’s coin trays for dimes and quarters to feed ravenous parking meters may soon become a thing of the past.  

The city will begin using E-Park cards, electronic debit cards accepted by about 3,000 Berkeley parking meters, as soon as Feb. 1. 

The cards are the size of a credit card said Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

Like a BART card, E-Park cards withdraw money every time they are placed into a slot in the front of the parking meter. However, unlike BART cards, they are not disposable, so people can keep their cards and recharge them. 

“The idea is great,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “It means that people don’t have to shift around for change. That’s exciting.” 

The cards will come in $10 increments up to $50 and will be sold at the Finance Customer Service Center at 2020 Center St. When the cards run out of money they can also be recharged there.  

Every time the card is put into a meter 25 cents will be deducted, good for 20 minutes of parking. People will be able to insert the card multiple times.  

Kamlarz said the cards will work on nearly every meter in Berkeley that operates for a single parking space. These meters already have a small slot for electronic cards just below the coin slot. Reinos – Berkeley’s new meters that control several parking spaces at once – will not accept the E-Park cards. 

“We have gone out and asked people what they thought because we had to see if they would use it,” he said. “It’s not a money-maker, it is just more of a convenience.” 

The idea came up several years ago and the city has since been working with the Chamber of Commerce to implement E-Parking. In 1998 the city installed 3,000 electronic meters and last July the City Council approved a resolution to implement the system, which included purchasing software. 

In the future, electronic cards may be used for other city services that are charged by hourly rates. Kamlarz said parking garages are a possibility. The city may also adapt a regional E-Park card that people can use in other nearby cities. 

Minneapolis and Orlando are two cities that already use parking meter cards. Kamlarz said Berkeley officials talked with officials in those other cities about implementation of the system. 

The city has set up a parking meter hotline at 1-877-METER-411, which leads a caller to a voicemail system for the city’s Finance Department. The Daily Planet continues to wait for a call back from that number.

California head football coach Tom Holmoe announced the signing of former UCLA offensive coordinator to the same job at Cal Thursday, ending a two-month search to fill the position. 

“Having Al Borges join our football staff is a major development, a move that will have a huge impact on our program,” Holmoe said. “There’s a strong consensus in football circles that he is one of the best offensive coordinators in the game and I certainly agree with that assessment. He’s imaginative and creative while also being fundamentally sound.” 

Borges spent the last five years as the offensive coordinator at UCLA, following one season at Oregon. He was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 1997 and ’98, and has established a reputation as one of college football’s best offensive minds. 

Borges, 42, is Holmoe’s third offensive coordinator in his five years at Cal, but he comes in with much more experience than either Doug Cosbie, Holmoe’s first hire, or Steve Hagen, who Holmoe fired at the end of last season. Neither man had been a coordinator at a major university before coming to Cal. 

Borges enters a coaching staff that is on shaky ground, as Holmoe’s first four years have resulted in little success. Many consider next year a win-or-else situation for Holmoe. 

“People may be surprised at my moving to Cal, but I really believe it makes a lot of sense,” Borges said Thursday. “Cal is a place with incredible potential and I think I can help. They have a lot of athletes, in particular on offense, who are champing at the bit to be successful.” 

Borges’ most important task will be tutoring quarterback Kyle Boller, a highly-touted recruit who has been inconsistent for the past two seasons. 

“I think Kyle Boller has a chance in the right system, and with the right discipline, to be as good as anybody in the conference,” Borges said. 

Boller will benefit from an offensive line that returns four starters, as well as talented tailbacks Joe Igber and Joe Echema. In all, nine starters return to the offense, which averaged 317 yards per game and 22.4 points per game last year. 

Borges governed an explosive offense at UCLA, peaking in 1997 when the Bruins scored more than 40 points per game and rolled up 433 yards per game, ranking 13th in the nation. 

Borges grew up in Salinas, and was a part-time assistant at Cal in 1982 and ’83 under head coach Joe Kapp before moving on to Diablo Valley College. 

“The last play when I was at Cal was when we ran through the Stanford Band for the winning touchdown in the 1982 Big Game. That has to be some type of omen,” he said. “Ultimately, I think the timing is good for me to come to Cal and I’m excited as heck to get started."  

From Diablo Valley, he moved to Portland State and Boise State before being hired at Oregon in 1995.

Need incentives for new housing construction 

Editor: 

Four years ago the idealogues on the PUC deregulated the power companies with the mantra that the free market would reduce prices. In Berkeley, the Planet has carried a number of opinion pieces on how deregulation of the rental market will solve the rental crisis.  

It is the same argument. 

I was taught that the market is the most efficient, and equitable, way to allocate resources, if certain fairly common conditions are met. If I remember correctly one of those conditions is that supply and demand be rapidly responsive to price signals. A two to three year lead time for new power plants clearly violates this condition. Demand too, tends to be slowly responsive. Small, temporary changes are possible through changes in habit, but major permanent changes require the purchase of more efficient equipment or structures, or changes in product mix or production technology. 

The rental market is similarly inelastic, and neither market is necessarily efficient or well-behaved when allowed to operate in a completely unregulated fashion. This does not mean that one should simply ignore the influence of the market, as former Rent Stabilization Board Chair Randy Silverman does in his arguments for more extensive rent control (Forum: 12/12/00).  

The current form of rent control forces landlords to shoulder the burden of the social problems of poverty and over-population without even an atta-boy in recompensation. If we are serious about the rental problem we should restructure our regulations to provide incentives for new construction, and continued availability of low-income units. 

Robert Clear 

Berkeley

Developers, commissioners and activists have expressed interest in establishing a shelter in Berkeley for survivors of domestic violence.  

Even with widespread support, proponents have found the creation of a shelter difficult; for several years they’ve struggled with the problem of balancing shelter confidentiality with the public input required by zoning ordinances.  

Now planning commissioners say they are at an impasse. 

The difficulty was brought to the fore because of a failed development project in 1996, when nonprofit developers Resources for Community Development attempted to get loans for a project without disclosing the location. The city determined that the project had to go through a public process and the organization dropped the idea. 

“The whole concept of trying to do housing for survivors is it’s not a publicly known site,” said Dan Sawislak, executive director of Resources for Community Development. “We did not want to go through the process that would disclose the location of the site.” 

“It’s very important to secure confidentiality on the address for the safety of the residents in there,” said Susan Sung, member of the Commission on the Status of Women. “Because of the nature of the population, usually they are being pursued or are in danger of perpetrators.” 

But Sawislak said there needs to be a way for the community to give input. “The reality is that these projects are going to have community scrutiny.”  

Other cities in the Bay Area have found ways to allow sites and maintain confidentiality. Oakland manages to keep confidentiality by being circumspect. Willie Yee, zoning administrator with the city of Oakland, said that when posting public notices about the housing facilities, Oakland lists that there will be a residential care facility for a certain number of residents, without specifically saying who the facility will serve.  

“We talk to the applicants and say they should apply under their own names,” he said. “If you have as the applicant Bay Area Battered Women’s Collaborative it’s a pretty dead giveaway of what it is. It’s not to mislead the public but to insure the safety of the women.” 

Most other shelters seem to get through the zoning process by similar means, avoiding the public hearings that would advertise the location of the shelter. 

“Basically they did not go through a zoning process,” said Planning Commissioner Susan Wengraf.  

Commissioners have been trying to find a way out of the dilemma. The Commission on the Status of Women was working with the Planning Commission to find a way to give special dispensation to battered women’s shelters within the zoning ordinances. Somehow, they want to find a way to avoid posting notices and calling public hearings for battered women’s shelters.  

Deborah Arthur, coordinator of the city’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program, called this attempt a progressive step. “In some ways I think Berkeley is kind of on the cutting edge in trying to be proactive,” she said. “They’ve done the research in calling around the state and there’s not a lot of precedent.” 

Deeming complete confidentiality impossible, commissioners decided to create a special permit that would allow for limited public disclosure – instead of posting the notice on telephone poles, they would send it to close neighbors by mail. To get the special permit, management would need to meet with neighbors before the shelter opened and would have to plan for a well-run facility. 

However, the city attorney, in what planning commissioner Zelda Bronstein described as a “conservative ruling,” called the plan a violation of equal rights, because the city would require special procedures from a targeted group. 

At the crux of zoning problem is the relationship between neighborhoods and the social services the community provides to disadvantaged members. It’s a problem that commissioner’s feel can be overcome. “You can try to facilitate working relationship between the neighbors and a transitional house,” said Bronstein.  

Arthur agreed that building community support around domestic violence issues is possible, and imperative to making a neighborhood amenable to the shelter. 

“We as a community need to support the existence of a transitional house,” said Arthur. “We need to recognize what our role is and educate ourselves about domestic violence: how we can be involved to stop the violence and also challenge perpetrators.” 

There are still people who want to create a shelter in Berkeley, if the zoning question can be addressed satisfactorily. But Bronstein said the city attorney’s opinion has left the planning commissioners with their hands tied. 

As Kenya Corley goes, so go the Cal Bears. 

Corley, the Bears’ senior shooting guard, has been hot and cold this season. She was instrumental in Cal’s four pre-Pac-10 wins, averaging 17 points per victory. But she averaged less than nine points per loss, and the Cal offense clearly struggles when she is off her game. 

So it was no surprise that when Corley scored 11 points in the first half against Arizona Thursday in the Pac-10 season opener for both teams, the Bears had a lead over the favored Wildcats going into halftime. But Corley came out cold, missing all eight of her shots in the second half, and the visiting Wildcats took over the lead and held it for a 79-68 win at Haas Pavilion. 

“I can’t explain it,” Corley said of her second-half slump. “I just stopped being as aggressive, and I missed some open shots.” 

Making those open shots carried the Bears to leads as big as six points in the first half, as they shot over 46 percent from the field. But Corley’s coldness was catching, and Cal shot just 31.4 percent in the second half. 

While Corley and her teammates were clanking shots, Arizona point guard Reshea Bristol was heating up after a slow first half. She drew her team within one point with two quick baskets, then gave the Wildcats a 39-38 lead with a three-pointer. Bristol’s teammates rallied behind her, and before the Bears blinked, they were behind by seven points. 

All of this happened despite Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini suiting up just eight players for the game. Leading scorer and rebounder Veranda James was left in Tucson to finish a winter course, and guard Tysell Bozeman is suspended this week for violating team rules. 

“We stayed together as one unit, and we came out with a win,” Bristol said. “We knew we had to step it up another notch with players out.” 

Helping Bristol out were forward Elizabeth Pickney and center LaKeisha Taylor, who each scored 16 points and caused havoc on the offensive glass. The two combined for eight offensive rebounds, and the Wildcats outrebounded Cal 50-35 overall. 

“Our defense was pretty good, but we didn’t finish it off by blocking out,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said. “We just gave up way too many offensive boards and second chances.” 

Cal forward Ami Forney continued her recent success with a career-high 22 points to go with nine rebounds, but her staunch inside play couldn’t offset her team’s bad shooting. Point guard Courtney Johnson was just 3-of-12 from the floor, and forward Lauren Ashbaugh never got into the flow of the game, grabbing just five rebounds and scoring just five points. 

But the dominating force of the second half was Bristol. She scored 22 points in the half, including her team’s first seven, and time after time penetrated the Cal defense for short jumpers or passes to wide-open teammates. Despite committing 10 turnovers in the game, she handled the ball well against the Cal pressure, and her confidence spread to her teammates. 

“Reshea has been our leader all year, and she carried the team tonight,” Bonvicini said. “Her confidence and big plays just give our other players more confidence.”

The Jewish Community Center on Walnut Street has decided against installing two Sprint PCS wireless communication antennae on the center’s roof after members, staff and neighbors expressed health concerns. 

JCC Director Joel Bashevkin said the board of directors voted Dec. 19 not to install the antennae, after soliciting input from the community. JCC staff presented the community with reports supplied by Sprint PCS which downplayed possible health effects, but after reviewing them some community members were still not convinced. 

“When we looked at the reports, using the most conservative estimates, the antennae emissions would have been 400 times lower than what the FCC regards as unsafe,” Bashevkin said. “But there were still people concerned about possible long-term health effects.” 

Caroline Semerdjian, a spokesperson for Sprint PCS, said she understands the community’s concerns but said they are based more on a fear of the unknown rather than factual evidence. 

She said cell phones and their antennae have been used for 20 years without any confirmed adverse health effects. 

Ironically, the JCC board decided to nix the antennae installation on the same day the City Council adopted a 45-day citywide ban on any new applications for wireless antennae. 

The council adopted the moratorium after neighbors protested the Zoning Adjustments Board’s approval of a plan to install seven antennae on the roof of the Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue. 

A neighbor is appealing the ZAB’s decision and the City Council will hold a public hearing on the appeal this month. 

In recent years there has been growing concern about possible health risks from the electromagnetic radiation associated with cell phones and their supporting antennae. 

Community concerns were fueled last month when a respected British medical journal published an article claiming a growing body of evidence that electromagnetic radiation is harmful, especially to children. That report, along with others, prompted the British Government to fund a $10 million research and education program. 

The JCC’s cancellation of the installation will come at some cost. The center was going to use lease proceeds from Sprint PCS to pay for the replacement of a smoke stack on the roof. The stack, now purely an architectural element of the facade, has not been functional since the 1940s. The exterior of the building has been a city and state historical landmark for 18 years. 

“We want to replace the smoke stack to keep the building beautiful,” Bashevkin said. “We’ll just find another way to pay for it.” 

Health fears cause JCC to say no to antennae 

Friday 

Men’s Soccer – St. Mary’s at Piedmont, 3:30 p.m. at Piedmont High School 

Men’s Basketball – Berkeley vs. DeAnza, 7 p.m. at Donahue Gymnasium 

Women’s Basketball – Berkeley at DeAnza, 7 p.m. at DeAnza High School 

Saturday 

Women’s Basketball – Cal vs. Arizona St., 1 p.m. at Haas Pavilion 

Men’s Swimming – Cal vs. Michigan, 1 p.m. at Spieker Aquatics Complex

California death row inmates will soon receive legal representation from one of the top law schools in the country, the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall).  

Boalt Hall officials announced Thursday the establishment of the Death Penalty Clinic, where Boalt Hall faculty members will supervise law students in investigating cases, interviewing witnesses and launching death row appeals in state and federal court.  

The Death Penalty Clinic, scheduled to open July 2001, will be the first such clinic in the state to be run by a law school.  

“This is an important opportunity for our students to gain first-rate, hands-on criminal law experience and provide a service that is central to our most cherished principles in criminal justice – the right to a fair trial and equal protection under the law,” said John P. Dwyer, dean of the law school.  

Dwyer, who has had experience working on death penalty appeal cases, said the clinic will open after the law school hires a death penalty specialist. A national search is under way.  

Boalt Hall law professor Charles Weisselberg, who directs the law school's clinical center, also will join the new clinic's staff and help lead the program. Weisselberg has more than 15 years of experience representing criminal defendants in trial and post-conviction cases.  

“There is a growing awareness that the death penalty and, indeed, our criminal justice system in general is not always fairly administered,” Weisselberg said. “This seems to be a very good time to start a program that will look closely at the death penalty in California.” 

While much has been written about death row cases in Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere, Weisselberg said capital punishment in California also merits attention for several reasons. Among them:  

• With 585 inmates, California has the nation's largest number of inmates on death row.  

• More than 160 of California's death row inmates have no attorney to represent them in their appeals.  

• In recent years California voters have expanded the categories in which individuals may be sentenced to death.  

Weisselberg said Boalt Hall is in an ideal position to work on death penalty cases because of enormous student interest and enthusiasm in the project. In addition, he noted that the lawschool is within 15 miles of San Quentin State Prison, which houses all of the state's male death row inmates.  

Sarah Ray, a first-year law student at Boalt Hall, said she is looking forward to the prospect of hands-on experience with a death penalty case.  

“It’s a great learning experience for us," said Ray, "but, more importantly, it affords some legal representation and a voice to people who don't have the resources or the ability to speak for themselves.”  

Students will work on appeal cases from top to bottom. They will hit the streets to search for important new evidence and seek out mitigating information about an inmate's upbringing. 

They will scour the legal record, evaluating the work of defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges, all in an effort to ensure that their clients – whether they appear innocent or not – received a fair trial and sentence.  

Cases will be selected carefully, with preference for cases with a strong Northern California link. A local tie will facilitate investigations, said Weisselberg.  

Students will not work on direct appeal cases - the automatic state Supreme Court review that is confined to the trial court record. Instead, they will focus on "habeas corpus" cases in which defense counsel can explore issues beyond the trial court record, including matters such as the discovery of new and compelling evidence and the conduct of the prosecution and defense.  

Martha W. Barnett, president of the American Bar Association, said strong legal representation for death row inmates is crucial.  

“The ABA looks to all segments of the legal community to respond to the shortage of competent, adequately funded counsel in capital cases," Barnett said. “The association is extremely pleased that Boalt Hall has established a capital punishment clinic, which will train law students to become skilled defenders in this demanding area of litigation and will also make a vital contribution in securing due process and fundamental fairness for those who face the death penalty.” 

The clinic has been funded by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Nick McKeown and Peter Davies, who were brought together by a common desire to abolish the death penalty in California and the United States. For now, they want to ensure that inmates receive fair treatment under the law. The donors chose Boalt Hall because of its strong commitment to clinical education.  

“A death penalty clinic will engage students in capital defense cases and, at the same time, educate the next generation of criminal defense lawyers,” said McKeown. 

McKeown and Davies, who have donated more than $1 million, plan to fund the death penalty clinic for at least five years. Boalt Hall's clinical education program includes the International Human Rights Law Clinic and the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic.

The Associated Press 

California approved emergency rate hikes Thursday for two cash-starved utilities, who denounced the move as inadequate and pleaded for intervention from the governor and state Legislature to avoid bankruptcy. 

Wall Street reacted negatively to the decision by the Public Utilities Commission: Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Inc. sharply downgraded the credit-worthiness of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. 

The stock of both utilities dropped sharply for the second consecutive day. 

Wall Street’s fiscal analysts said the rate increase was insufficient to assure the teetering utilities with enough cash flow to remain solvent over time. 

S&P reduced the investor-owned utilities’ rating to near junk bond status. Fitch went even further, cutting their rating to the level of junk bonds. 

The intervention sought by utilities could include a state-backed, multibillion-dollar bond package to refinance the utilities’ debts, with ratepayers paying off the bonds through a monthly surcharge on their bills. 

PG&E spokesman Ron Low said company executives have presented the bond financing plan to Gov. Gray Davis. SoCal Edison also is interested in exploring the proposal, a company executive said. 

Davis has not yet responded to the proposal, spokesman Steve Maviglio said. 

“Four years ago, Californians were promised that deregulation would reduce the cost of electricity. If I had my way, there would be no rate increase to consumers,” he said. 

The governor is expected to discuss electricity issues Monday. 

in his State of the State Address, including a new plea to federal officials to intervene in California’s electricity crisis and a $1 billion energy conservation and supply plan. 

The plan is expected to include low-cost financing for new power plants, plus incentives for consumers to replace energy-guzzling appliances. 

The five-member PUC voted unanimously to allow PG&E and SoCal Edison to raise residential rates 9 percent, and businesses’ bills by 7 percent to 15 percent, effective immediately. 

Utility company executives had urged the PUC to approve rate increases of 26 percent to 30 percent or more, and Wall Street analysts had supprted rate hikes of that magnitude. 

“We are voting the epitaph for deregulation in California today,” Commissioner Carl Wood said. “Deregulation is dead.” 

The commission also said it would convene Jan. 18 in San Francisco to consider deregulation-related issues. The commission did not offer specifics of the Jan. 18 meeting, but consumer groups suggested more rate increases may be in the offing. 

The stock of both utilities continued their two-day slide. 

PG&E’s parent company, whose stock lost 13 percent of its value on Wednesday, was down another 29 percent to $12 on Thursday. SoCal Edison, which lost 18 percent on Wednesday, was down another 12 percent Thursday to $10.75. 

Together, the utilities have lost more than $9 billion since June, paying spiraling prices for wholesale electricity but blocked by a rate freeze from passing those costs on to their 10 million customers. 

They buy power for roughly 30 cents a kilowatt hour and, because of a rate freeze, they can only charge customers about a fifth of that amount. 

Low said lawmakers in Sacramento should move quickly to stave off insolvency for the utilities, which say they could run out of cash within weeks. 

SoCal Edison agreed. 

“The Legislature will have to take action on a very expedited basis,” SoCal Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said. 

The rate freeze, part of California’s 1996 deregulation law, was established at what was then a generous level to assure utilities a steady stream of revenue as they sold off assets and made the transition to deregulated companies. 

But earlier this year, the cost of wholesale electricity skyrocketed. The rate freeze prevented the utilities from charging customers more to cover those costs. The utilities must maintain a good credit rating to borrow money to buy power. Otherwise, they might be forced to institute rolling blackouts. 

Standard and Poor’s was skeptical of the rate hike’s value, saying it would make only a small dent in the utilities’ cash-flow problem. 

Even if the rate increase remained in effect for a full year, not just 90 days, it would provide only $274 million for PG&E and some $234 million for SoCal Edison, the credit-ratings service said. The numbers were calculated on 1999 figures from the Energy Department. 

“It may be a question of too little, too late,” said David Bodek of Standard and Poor’s. 

But the PUC’s estimates were far higher. 

The commission’s advisory group estimated the rate increase would provide $1.4 billion annually, said Kim Malcolm, chief of staff to PUC President Loretta Lynch. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://cpuc.ca.gov 

California approved emergency rate hikes Thursday for two cash-starved utilities, who denounced the move as inadequate and pleaded for intervention from the governor and state Legislature to avoid bankruptcy. 

Wall Street reacted negatively to the decision by the Public Utilities Commission: Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Inc. sharply downgraded the credit-worthiness of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. 

The stock of both utilities dropped sharply for the second consecutive day. 

Wall Street’s fiscal analysts said the rate increase was insufficient to assure the teetering utilities with enough cash flow to remain solvent over time. 

S&P reduced the investor-owned utilities’ rating to near junk bond status. Fitch went even further, cutting their rating to the level of junk bonds. 

The intervention sought by utilities could include a state-backed, multibillion-dollar bond package to refinance the utilities’ debts, with ratepayers paying off the bonds through a monthly surcharge on their bills. 

PG&E spokesman Ron Low said company executives have presented the bond financing plan to Gov. Gray Davis. SoCal Edison also is interested in exploring the proposal, a company executive said. 

Davis has not yet responded to the proposal, spokesman Steve Maviglio said. 

“Four years ago, Californians were promised that deregulation would reduce the cost of electricity. If I had my way, there would be no rate increase to consumers,” he said. 

The governor is expected to discuss electricity issues Monday. 

in his State of the State Address, including a new plea to federal officials to intervene in California’s electricity crisis and a $1 billion energy conservation and supply plan. 

The plan is expected to include low-cost financing for new power plants, plus incentives for consumers to replace energy-guzzling appliances. 

The five-member PUC voted unanimously to allow PG&E and SoCal Edison to raise residential rates 9 percent, and businesses’ bills by 7 percent to 15 percent, effective immediately. 

Utility company executives had urged the PUC to approve rate increases of 26 percent to 30 percent or more, and Wall Street analysts had supprted rate hikes of that magnitude. 

“We are voting the epitaph for deregulation in California today,” Commissioner Carl Wood said. “Deregulation is dead.” 

The commission also said it would convene Jan. 18 in San Francisco to consider deregulation-related issues. The commission did not offer specifics of the Jan. 18 meeting, but consumer groups suggested more rate increases may be in the offing. 

The stock of both utilities continued their two-day slide. 

PG&E’s parent company, whose stock lost 13 percent of its value on Wednesday, was down another 29 percent to $12 on Thursday. SoCal Edison, which lost 18 percent on Wednesday, was down another 12 percent Thursday to $10.75. 

Together, the utilities have lost more than $9 billion since June, paying spiraling prices for wholesale electricity but blocked by a rate freeze from passing those costs on to their 10 million customers. 

They buy power for roughly 30 cents a kilowatt hour and, because of a rate freeze, they can only charge customers about a fifth of that amount. 

Low said lawmakers in Sacramento should move quickly to stave off insolvency for the utilities, which say they could run out of cash within weeks. 

SoCal Edison agreed. 

“The Legislature will have to take action on a very expedited basis,” SoCal Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said. 

The rate freeze, part of California’s 1996 deregulation law, was established at what was then a generous level to assure utilities a steady stream of revenue as they sold off assets and made the transition to deregulated companies. 

But earlier this year, the cost of wholesale electricity skyrocketed. The rate freeze prevented the utilities from charging customers more to cover those costs. The utilities must maintain a good credit rating to borrow money to buy power. Otherwise, they might be forced to institute rolling blackouts. 

Standard and Poor’s was skeptical of the rate hike’s value, saying it would make only a small dent in the utilities’ cash-flow problem. 

Even if the rate increase remained in effect for a full year, not just 90 days, it would provide only $274 million for PG&E and some $234 million for SoCal Edison, the credit-ratings service said. The numbers were calculated on 1999 figures from the Energy Department. 

“It may be a question of too little, too late,” said David Bodek of Standard and Poor’s. 

But the PUC’s estimates were far higher. 

The commission’s advisory group estimated the rate increase would provide $1.4 billion annually, said Kim Malcolm, chief of staff to PUC President Loretta Lynch. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://cpuc.ca.gov 

Composting is a way to turn garbage into gold. 

Many landfills now compost yard waste, but backyard composting has the advantage of requiring less energy and taking care of food scraps also.  

If everyone composted their yard wastes and food scraps, 30 percent more space would be available in our landfills, even more if some nonrecyclable paper, such as dirty paper plates, were also composted. 

So how does one go about taking that leap from talking about composting to doing it? Begin with a compost bin, which keeps the ingredients neat, holds in moisture and heat, and discourages animals from scavenging.  

The best bins have solid walls so that the ingredients do not dry out excessively. Besides plastic bins available in stores and mail order, homemade ones have been made from cinder blocks, hay bales, logs, wood, even stone. 

Set the bin somewhere convenient, near the source of materials you are going to be adding or the place where you will be using the finished compost – usually between or near the garden and your kitchen door. 

Almost anything that is or was once living can go into the compost bin. The only items not to include are dog or cat feces, meat scraps high in fat, or colored paper. 

Like humans, composting microorganisms need air, water, and food to function at their best. Provide air by not overly compacting the pile as you build it, and by mixing dense materials, such as grass clippings, with fluffier materials, such as straw or leaves.  

Most compost piles are too dry when they are built, then too wet by winter’s end.  

Avoid either extreme by watering the pile as you build it, sprinkling the ingredients just enough to make them glisten.  

Then cover the pile with plastic or wood to prevent moisture from escaping or additional rainwater from entering. 

Carbon and nitrogen are the two most important foods of composting microorganisms. Old plant materials – dry, brown things such as straw, autumn leaves, and wood chips – are high in carbon.  

Succulent, green plant materials, such as grass clippings and vegetable and flower plants, are high in nitrogen.  

Manure and fertilizers also are high in nitrogen.  

Strive for a balance of carbon and nitrogen materials. 

Don’t fret about getting just the right foods and moisture levels into your compost. No matter what you do, the pile of material will eventually turn into rich, brown compost.

For growing indoor blooms in winter, why not try for the ultimate: roses? 

Miniature roses are a good choice for windowsills, a variety such as Lyn Gold, for example, which grows only 6 inches tall and sports lemon yellow blossoms each the size of a nickel. 

Miniature roses trace their lineage back to a plant found about a century ago.  

On some varieties, the petals are knit into a tight bud like those of hybrid teas; blossoms shape might be like a miniature hybrid tea, or loose and floppy like wild roses. Original miniature roses were scentless, but newer hybrids such as Sachet and Singles Better fill the air with their delicate scents. 

Plans for indoor rose blooms should begin in autumn. If you have miniature roses planted in the ground, dig up a plant and pot it up. A 6-inch pot is adequate for a rose as small as Lyn Gold, along with any standard potting mix.  

After giving the potted plant a thorough watering, keep it cool to hold back top growth while roots take hold in the potting soil. A sunny window in a cool room or a garage could provide temperatures close to the ideal 50 degrees Fahrenheit for this stage of growth. 

After a few weeks of cool temperatures, the plant is ready for some warmth to stimulate growth of new shoots and leaves. Put the plant in the sunniest window you have, and in no time you should see shoots capped by fat flower buds, which soon open. 

Q: My two-story house is 40 feet wide on each side, and has three 12-inch-square vents on the roof’s south side.  

There are four soffit vents on the house’s north and south sides. During the winter, frost collects on the attic side of the roof deck and on the rafters. The frost melts and drips on the insulation and seeps through the ceiling. What can I do to reduce the attic moisture in the winter? 

A: Your problem is typical of an attic that has excessive moisture buildup and inadequate ventilation. The unobstructed attic ventilation should be one-threehundreth of the attic floor area. 

Based on your data, the vent openings are about 20 percent less than the recommended amount.  

If there are insect screens covering the vent openings, then the percentage is even more. Insect screens reduces the effective opening by about 40 percent. 

To increase moisture reduction, the roof deck between the rafters should be “washed” with cool dry air.  

This can be achieved with continuous ridge and soffit vents. If these vents cannot be installed, then you must use additional roof and soffit vents. Frost tends to develop on the roof’s north slope, there are no vents presently located there, so install the vents on the north side. 

Also, moisture can migrate into the attic through wall cavities because water can collect in the basement or crawl space after a rain. Keep those areas dry. 

Q: The cathedral ceiling in my 10-year-old house was OK until five years ago, when we noticed black spots appearing through the sand finish. I painted it and it looked good but the black spots came back. No matter what I do, they come back. I have asked many carpenters what causes it, but none seem to know. Can you help? 

A: The black spots are probably mildew spores. Mildew is a fungus and unless you kill it, it will come through a new layer of paint, especially a water-based paint.  

Try washing the ceiling with a solution of bleach, detergent and water. After the ceiling is dry, paint it with a mildew-resistant paint or use a fungicide additive in the paint. 

Q: The plans I have for building a year-round doghouse state that low-radiant heat can be used during the cold winter months. Just what is low-radiant heat and where can I get the parts needed to install it? 

A: This type of heat radiates directly to objects so it does not have to heat the air around them to have a warming effect. Low-radiant heat is usually supplied by electric cables embedded in floors or ceilings.  

To protect the cables from damage by the animals, lay them in a bed of sand over polyurethane insulation and a vapor barrier followed by a minimum of 3 inches of concrete.  

Some low-radiant heating cables can be laid directly in the concrete, but insulation is still required to keep bottom heat loss to a minimum.  

Use Styrofoam panels for this purpose. Protect all wiring in metal conduit so your dog can’t chew it. 

To submit a question, write to Popular Mechanics, Reader Service Bureau, 224 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019. The most interesting questions will be answered in a future column.

NEW YORK — Wall Street stepped back Thursday, taking profits from the stellar gains that followed the Federal Reserve’s unexpected interest rate cut. Investors retreated from blue chips and also refrained from making new commitments to high-tech issues. 

Some pullback was expected after the Fed’s surprise half-point rate cut. 

“Investors awoke today to realize the reason the Fed lowered rates the way they did yesterday is because the economy is fairly soft,” said Charles G. Crane, strategist for Spears, Benzak, Salomon & Farrell in New York. “As exciting as it was to have rates cut, that is not going to prop up profits in the immediate future.” 

Trading was the heaviest ever on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume surpassed 2 billion for the first time. 

Most analysts agreed that Wednesday’s euphoric rally can’t be sustained yet. Investors still must face more signs that the economy is slowing and warnings that first-quarter profits will miss expectations. That was evident with software maker Inktomi, which tumbled $4.63 to $13.88 after it lowered its first-quarter forecasts. The company, which makes network software for delivering Web content, also said fourth-quarter earnings and sales fell short because customers canceled orders. 

But some technology companies built on Wednesday’s sharp gains. Hewlett-Packard gained 56 cents, finishing at $34.63, and Microsoft advanced 50 cents to $48.44. 

Given the cheaper prices in the long-battered tech sector, one market observer said he expected investors to do more buying Thursday. 

“If there is one surprise, it’s that tech stocks aren’t up more than they are,” said Dick Dickson, technical analyst for Scott & Stringfellow Inc. in Richmond, Va. But, “you have a back-and-forth between those who are bottom fishing and the get-me-out-even crowd.” 

But Dickson noted that it was blue chips, not high-techs, that caused the bulk of the losses in the S&P 500, considered the best indicator of the overall market. With Wall Street taking on a healthier tone in Wednesday’s rally, investors were not as attracted by blue chips that are seen as safe havens during times of market volatility. 

S&P component American International Group fell $6.94 to $89 in trading Thursday. Drug issues also hurt the index with Pfizer losing $1.81 at $41.75, and Merck dropping $4.13 to $85. 

Retailing issues rose significantly, despite many companies’ reports that holiday sales slumped. 

“The assumption is that the consumer is going to be an immediate beneficiary of lower rates and will have more disposable income and that is going to help those stocks,” said Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee. 

Abercrombie & Fitch climbed $2.50 to $22.75, although the trendy clothing retailer said December sales dropped 11 percent from last year. Sears was up 40 cents at $36.43, despite announcing that December sales fell 1.1 percent and that it is closing 89 underperforming store. 

A prolonged turnaround in consumer confidence, the economy and corporate earnings will require more than one rate cut by the Fed, analysts said. The Fed likely will be looking for more signs — like the government’s employment report due out Friday — that the economy is weakening before making any further moves. 

Analysts expect the Labor Department to report unemployment rose slightly in December from 4 percent in November. The department reported Thursday that initial applications for unemployment benefits rose by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 375,000 for the week ending Dec. 30, the highest level since July 4, 1998. 

Advancing issues narrowly outnumbered decliners 13 to 12 on the NYSE, where consolidated volume — including trades on other exchanges — was 2.48 billion, higher than the 2.2 billion on Wednesday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which measures the performance of smaller company stocks, ended down 7.18 at 477.20. 

Overseas markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed down 0.7 percent, and Germany’s DAX index slipped 0.9 percent. Britain’s FT-SE 100 gained 2.4 percent, and France’s CAC-40 advanced 2.3 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

LOS ANGELES — A staple of every auto show is the concept car – an idea rendered in steel that may never reach showrooms. 

Thursday, a top Ford Motors executive gave a concept speech, in which he challenged car companies to shed their old economy reputations and lead the way with new technology and new thinking. 

“I am pretty much fed up with the negative, defensive situation we in the automotive companies nowadays are so often put in,” Wolfgang Reitzle, head of Ford’s Premier Auto Group, said at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. 

Reitzle discarded his prepared remarks and spoke passionately about the auto industry and a future that might include dealerships with their own test tracks and vacation packages sold along with certain cars. 

Car companies should stop thinking of themselves as manufacturers of “sheet metal boxes” and define themselves as “mobility enterprises,” he said. 

For instance, Reitzle suggested that a globe-trotting customer might pay Ford $50,000 for a “mobility package,” which would provide a car wherever in the world it was needed. 

Reitzle also said car makers have much to learn from the fashion industry and companies such as Wal-Mart, which know how to package an experience and make shopping pleasant. 

He had harsh words for the typical American car dealership, which he called a “parking lot with a roof.” 

He called rebates a “disease” that cheapens a brand. 

“This comes from creating unattractive products which nobody wants that can only be sold by rebates,” he said. 

He was also critical of financial analysts who put great value on Internet companies and consider the automotive industry to be a poor investment. 

“I think we are the future economy,” he said. “Because there is no substitution for the car, it will always grow.” 

Reitzle heads Ford’s luxury car division, representing the Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Lincoln and Volvo brands. 

“Last year we sold more than 1,000 Aston Martins and I tell you, a few hundred went to these dot-com millionaires,” Reitzle said, generating a huge laugh. “Even in this way we have an advantage.” 

Reitzle said individualization is a trend, especially in California, that car makers have to embrace to survive. 

“My prediction is that the last step of personalization will take place in the big dealerships,” he said. “The big, strong dealers will not only have a service shop, they will also have a shop for personalization, where the dealer can change parts, make the interior a personalized interior. You can change the colors. You can change it after a year.” 

Reitzle said a new Premier Auto Group dealership will open soon near Phoenix that will have all five Ford luxury brands under one roof and will include two test tracks, including one simulating off-road conditions. 

The group has moved its headquarters to Irvine, Calif., where it will open a design studio, Reitzle said. A second studio in London will design branded merchandise for sale along with the cars, he said.

Throw those preseason predictions right out the window. The Pac-10 women’s basketball race is up for grabs, and no one can say who will end up in the winner’s circle. 

Preseason favorite Stanford has lost two guards to injury, and Oregon lost last year’s conference player of the year before the season even started. Those injuries have brought them back to the pack, and Arizona and Oregon State have stepped up to join them at the top of the conference. With conference play starting on Thursday, no one really knows what to expect. 

“I think you’ve got a number of teams that could vie for the championship,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said Tuesday. “I don’t know that there are any teams that can go through the conference without a few losses.” 

This is Horstmeyer’s first year at the Cal helm, but she’s very familiar with most Pac-10 programs from her 12 seasons as head coach of Santa Clara. So rather than concentrate on learning her opponents, she has spent her time working on her own team’s game. 

“I have seen a lot of the teams, and I’ve played a lot of the teams,” she said. “If there’s been an adjustment period for me, it’s been seeing where we are as a team.” 

The Bears start the conference season Thursday against Arizona, one of the conference’s top teams. The Wildcats have surprised many by going 10-2 in the preseason despite the loss of four starters from last year’s team. Freshman forward Veranda James has stepped forward to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, but the improvement has come from all over the roster. All five starters are averaging double figures in scoring, and Arizona’s only losses have come to ranked opponents. 

“They’re probably the best running team we’ve seen all year. They run very well, and they penetrate to the basket very well,” Horstmeyer said. “We’ll play very aggressive defense against them, try to limit their transition opportunities and limit them to one shot.”  

The Bears go into Pac-10 play with a 4-6 record, and they have been inconsistent on offense this season, scoring more than 70 three times but less than 52 three times. This up-and-down performance is due to the team not having any consistent offensive threats. Leading scorer Courtney Johnson hit for 32 against Santa Clara and 27 against Alabama, but has been held under double figures five times. Johnson is the team’s point guard, but not a natural floor leader. When she is forced to concentrate on scoring, the rest of the team seems to sag. 

The key to the Bears’ success may be guard Kenya Corley. The senior is averaging 17 points in Cal’s wins, but just 5.2 ppg in the five losses she has played in. When she is scoring, Johnson can concentrate on distributing the ball and running the offense, which clearly makes the Bears a better team. 

The team will get an offensive boost with the return of freshman forward Kiki Williams. After missing the first nine games with a stress fracture, Williams returned in the win against San Jose State. The Marin native is a superior athlete, and can score from inside or outside. Although the coaching staff considered redshirting her following the injury, she has impressed in practice and should see regular action this season. 

With all offensive forces intact, including center Lauren Ashbaugh and forward Ami Forney creating chances in the paint, the Bears feel they have a chance to break out. 

“I think we’re starting to shoot the ball with more confidence. You can see it in our shooting drills, and our percentages have been higher in our games lately,” Horstmeyer said. “We still have our moments when we don’t shoot well, but I think we’ve made great strides in that area.” 

Ashbaugh, a senior who has gone through the growing pains of a young team, agrees. 

“There have been times when we couldn’t shoot a lick,” she said. “We’ve definitely got the talent to be better this year. I think we’re still learning and still growing, and if people would underestimate us, it’d be wonderful.”

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. – noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical  

Center, Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Housing Advisory Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center  

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussion and action on the city proposal to provide equal benefits for domestic partners of city employees and domestic partners of employees of entities doing business with the city of Berkeley. Also discussion and possible action on the city’s Oxford St. parking lot proposal.  

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing) 

Call 848-3696  

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker 

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. 549-2970  

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more) Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50 643-2755 

Monday, Jan. 8  

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13. $75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Pato O’Sullivan 644-6107  

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. 531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

Wednesday, Jan. 10  

Kids Dance Open House  

& Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

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 League in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

“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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

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 

“Travel as Pilgramage” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Various travel writers discuss the spiritual aspects of travel. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Avalanche Safety Course  

6 - 9:30 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Dick Penniman, internationally known avalanche instructor and consultant, presents a slide lecture and video presentation on the fundamentals of avalanches and rescue techniques.  

$20  

Call Dick Penniman, (877) SNO-SAFE 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the role of the U.S. in global politics and priorities.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Your Justice System at Work 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

West Oakland Senior Center  

1724 Adeline St.  

Oakland  

Judges of the Superior Court, attorneys, probation officers, sheriff’s officers and other justice system representatives will be present to hear the concerns of the public and to answer their questions.  

Call 268-7610 

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  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ayodele Nzinga and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

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  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Become Berkeley City Smart 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

In a slide presentation & talk, Berkeley resident, restaurant and movie critic John Weil takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Veterans Memorial Building  

1931 Center St.  

Any woman who has had a relative serve in the U.S. military is invited to attend and join the auxiliary.  

Call 916-372-8364 

Journey Across China 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Eugene Tsiang, Shanghai native, will give a slide presentation on his two-month journey last spring by train and four-wheel drive vehicle across China’s Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us  

Friday, Jan. 19 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Evidence-Based Practice - How it May Effect You” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Eileen Gambrill, professor in the department of social welfare at UC Berkeley with speak. 

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 20  

On Death & Dying 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Buddhist Temple  

2121 Channing Way (between Shattuck & Fulton)  

Kathleen Gustin, Zen priest, and Rev. Ronald Nakasone of the Graduate Theological Union speak at this workshop designed to help those considering their own ending or that of loved ones.  

$20 per person (box lunch included) 

Call Ken Kaji, 601-5394 

Corinne Innis Reception 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings.  

Call 548-9286 

Monday, Jan. 22  

Berkeley Rail Stop Community  

Design Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 1900 Sixth St.  

The public is invited to suggest ideas and comment on plans for design-development at the rail stop/transit plaza area of West Berkeley.  

Call 644-6580 

Urban Homelessness  

& Public Policy Solutions 

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Alumni House  

UC Berkeley  

This day-long conference will include key scholars, service providers, and policymakers in the homelessness field. Some of the subjects to be covered will be: Homeless population dynamics and policy implications, health issues in homelessness, and legal and political issues in homelessness. Free and open to the public.  

For more info, visit: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/homeless.htm 

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 

Thursday, Jan. 25  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland 

Pro Arts reception for the opening of their new exhibition seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people who are affected by them.  

Call 763-9425 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Climbing Mt. Everest  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Bob Hoffman, organizer and leader of four environmental clean-up expeditions on Everest, will give a slide presentation on the Inventa 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition’s recent ascent. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Glenn Ingersoll and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Jan. 26 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“The Aftermath of the National Election” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Cuddly, Soft, Furry Things & Friends 

10 - 10:50 a.m. & 11:10 a.m. - Noon  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

A special workshop for two - three year-olds to meet, pet, and feed rabbits, doves, and snakes.  

$22 - $25, $10 for additional family members, registration required  

Call 642-5134 

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

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 

Wednesday, Jan. 31 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra  

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring “Berkeley Images,” a world premiere by Jean-Pascal Beintus.  

$10 - $35  

Call 841-2800 

Thursday, Feb. 1 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet John Rowe and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 2 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Allee der Kosmontauten 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Performance of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz 1996 work in its West Coast premiere. Also features the film work of Elliot Caplan.  

$20 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Saturday, Feb. 3 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Artists Talk 

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to hear artists speak about their work and show slides. Free 

Call 763-9425 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Russian National Orchestra  

4 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

On their tenth anniversary tour, the RNO will perform Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 2.  

$30 - $52  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

From Flatlands to the Stars  

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Diamond Park  

Fruitvale Ave. (at Lyman Rd.) 

A hardy hike along Sausal Creek in Oakland’s unexplored Diamond and Joaquin Miller parks. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 6  

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is sex, love, dating, and relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  

Call 527-9772  

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, Feb. 8 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Tom Odegard and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 9  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 10  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Open Mic.  

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to see special performances, spoken word, commentary and more.  

Call 763-9425 

Masters of Persian Classical Music 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring vocalist Mohammad Reza Sharjarian and his son, Homayoun Sharjarian.  

$20 - $40  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

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  

Horacio Gutierrez  

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall 

UC Berkeley  

The Cuban-American pianist will perform Berg’s Sonata, Op.1, George Perle’s Nine Bagatelles, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29.  

$24 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Tuesday, Feb. 13 

“Great Decisions” - U.S. Trade Policy 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple  

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, 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  

Basics of PCs 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley 

A class for adults that will cover file management, loading software, software management, downloading pages from the Web, and more. 

$30 - $35, registration required  

Call 642-5134  

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kathleen Lynch and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 16 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 17  

“Go-Go-Go Greenbelt!” 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Rockridge BART  

Oakland  

A bike tour on this ride into the rolling East Bay hills. A free ride sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Sunday, Feb. 18  

Waterfalls of Berkeley  

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART  

Sacramento at Delaware  

On this urban waterfall hike, discover three waterfalls along rushing creeks hidden in Berkeley neighborhoods. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 20 

“Great Decisions” - China & Taiwan 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is different cultural, ethnic and religious values.  

Call 527-9772  

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, Feb. 22 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Charles Ellick and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 23 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

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 

Tuesday, Feb. 27 

“Great Decisions” - Missile Defense  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, March 1  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Eliza Shefler and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 6  

“Great Decisions” - U.S. & Iraq 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is health, nutrition and science; bioengineering.  

Call 527-9772  

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, March 8 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Judy Wells and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 13  

Berkeley Rep. Proscenium Opening 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Featuring the premiere performance of “The Oresteia” by Aeschylus. Opening gala dinner held prior to performance. Performance will be at 8 p.m. 

Call 647-2949 

“Great Decisions” - International Health Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, 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  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Elanor Watson-Gove and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Saturday, March 17  

Berkeley Rep. Community Open House 

Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Tour the Berkeley Reps. new theater facility, a 600-seat proscenium stage theater. 

Call to reserve a tour, 647-2900  

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 

Tuesday, March 20 

“Great Decisions” - Mexico Reexamined  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interestin

Suspicious fire heats up border labor dispute 

RIO BRAVO, TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO – Since their house was burned to the ground a few weeks ago, Eliud Almaguer and his wife Evelia have been staying with friends, but rarely more than one night in the same place. 

They fear that those who destroyed their house might return. “I fear for the life of my family,” says Almaguer. 

He believes his house was burned because for the last three years he's led a campaign to organize an independent union at the Duro Bag plant, a maquiladora just across the Rio Grande from Pharr, Texas. 

Almaguer's home was typical of the houses lining a dirt street in a dusty Rio Bravo neighborhood. The Almaguers used wood for heating and cooking. These houses are often made of wooden shipping pallets, with unfolded cardboard boxes stapled onto them for walls. They're extreme firetraps the Almaguers were lucky they were not home. 

Modest as it was, the home nevertheless was broken into at least twice before the fire, Almaguer says. “I think they were looking for union documents, since I don't have anything worth stealing, but we keep them in a safe place.” 

Neighbors say they saw a man fleeing the scene just before flames engulfed the small dwelling, but police refused to listen. Almaguer himself says that police refused to take a report from him or conduct an investigation. 

The Duro factory churns out chichi paper bags that sell for a dollar at gift shops. The Kentucky-based Duro Corporation also operates seven U.S. plants. 

Duro's vice-president of manufacturing, Bill Forstrom, says wages start at 60 pesos a day (about six dollars), about three times the cost of a gallon of milk in the supermarket. Forstrom explains that Duro's automated operations are north of the border, but its labor- intensive operations are concentrated in Rio Bravo. “We're in Mexico to take advantage of inexpensive labor,” he explains. 

In the spring of 1998, Almaguer, an intense, stocky man in his thirties, got a job at the plant. He says he saw people lose fingers or suffer other injuries because of missing safety guards, unlabeled solvent containers and other hazards. “In terms of safety, well there just wasn't any.” 

Duro has a “protection contract” with a Mexican local of the Paper, Cardboard and Wood Industry Union, part of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM). The CTM has been a pillar of support for the country's ruling bureaucracy since the 1940s. The arrangement effectively means the company pays CTM union leaders to guarantee labor peace. 

When workers in the plant try to enforce that contract, bringing grievances to the human relations manager, “he'd throw us out,” Almaguer says. “The company was in violation of at least fifty percent of the contract.” 

Workers could not get the CTM to back their efforts. Finally, in October 1999, the company fired Almaguer. The CTM signed a new agreement with the company in 2000, ignoring workers' demands. In April, they struck in protest and 150 were fired. In June, workers began organizing an independent union. 

Throughout this period, Almaguer and his family were repeatedly threatened, he says. After he was elected local union leader two years ago, he says, one person first threatened his family and later offered money. “He told me to slow down and tell the workers not to be against the National Paperworkers Union and Duro or else I would pay the consequences. That night they came back at 1 a.m., knocking and kicking the door, trying to open it,” Almaguer recalls. 

Forstrom says only a minority of the plant's workers are involved in the protests and that conditions are better here than in some of the company's U.S. plants. “Almaguer has had an agenda different from the company and the majority of employees,” Forstrom says. “I think he has something to gain personally. It's fairly obvious – a job, money, status.” 

Despite opposition from the company and the CTM, the independent union won legal status last summer, but it has yet to negotiate a new contract and 150 remain fired, including Almaguer. 

Meanwhile, for five months, grim-faced women, often with their children beside them, have confronted police outside the plant, and camped out in Rio Bravo's main plaza. Their banners demand “libertad sindical,” or the right to belong to a union of their choice. 

Most of the 1.2 million Mexican workers employed in 3,450 foreign-owned factories belong to unions, at least on paper, but do not control those organizations. 

If more workers run their own unions, and negotiate their own contracts, companies will feel enormous pressure to raise wages. Success at Duro could cost a lot of money. 

“This fire was intentional,” Almaguer declares. “They were trying to wipe us off the map, and now my home is just ashes.” 

Berkeley resident and PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues. 

Police Chief Dash Butler has unofficially made it known around the department that he intends to retire by August pending the city’s adoption of a new retirement plan. 

“When you put all you’ve got into the job, your body lets you know when it’s time,” Butler said. “I feel good about leaving now.” 

Butler, 51, who has spent 30 years with Berkeley’s police department including 11 years as chief, has not made an official retirement announcement, but said he will if the City Council adopts a new state-approved retirement policy. The new policy will allow police officers to retire at 50 years old and receive 3 percent of their pay for every year they have been employed.  

Butler was at the helm of the department during some turbulent events in Berkeley. Among them were a hostage standoff in 1990 in which 31-year-old Mirdad Dashdi killed a UC Berkeley student and took 33 hostages at Henry’s Bar in the Durant Hotel, the 1997 policy fight over police use of pepper spray and the 1999 KPFA demonstrations.  

Butler said he was most proud of improving the relationship between the department, city government and the community. “Now we have a sound relationship and that’s because we always try to do the right thing.” 

City officials said they had heard rumors about Butler’s pending retirement. All agreed to be a police chief in a politically active city like Berkeley is a tough job.  

“To survive for 11 years is quite an accomplishment,” said Acting City Manager Weldon Rucker. “The Berkeley Police Department has been under heavy scrutiny for the last 35 years and if you look at some of his predecessors you’ll see they didn’t last so long.” 

Butler, who’s manner is unassuming and quiet, would only say that he would never have been so successful if it weren’t for the quality of the police department employees. 

Mayor Shirley Dean said she is very sorry to hear Butler may be leaving. “He has always been very sensitive on issues regarding youth,” she said. “You just don’t expect that from a police chief these days.” 

Dean said Berkeley is a tough place to be a police chief and it won’t be easy to replace him. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said Butler’s biggest success has been keeping illicit drugs to a minimum in Berkeley. She said people don’t think of drugs as a problem in Berkeley and that’s largely due to Chief Butler’s efforts. “His biggest priority has been to keep drugs out of Berkeley and out of the hands of young people,” Armstrong said. “If you look at other cities in the East Bay, they have not been as successful.”  

When Butler, who spent two years on the drug task force, talks about illegal drugs his normally relaxed, quiet tone becomes direct. “Violence and drugs are inextricably, inextricably tied together,” Butler said. “Drugs are the most traceable reason for street corner violence.” 

Again Butler would take little credit for any success Berkeley has had fighting against drug dealers, who Butler described as predatory. He said the patrol officers, the drug task force and the homicide department have worked together to do an incredible job. 

Butler has had his share of conflict with the Berkeley Police Association over policy issues and disagreements about promotions. BPA President Sgt. Randy Files said although he’s clashed with Butler, the chief was always willing to discuss differences. “When there’s been problems in the past we’ve always been able to keep working towards a common goal which was to create the best working environment possible,” Files said. “I wish him the best in his retirement.” 

Though he has had plenty of offers, Butler has never worked for any other police department. “I’ve only ever wanted to be a Berkeley police officer,” he said. 

Butler, who was born and raised in San Francisco, said his successful career with the department may all be owed to a traffic ticket. Butler was 19 years old and attending UC Berkeley when he was pulled over in his “hotrod blue VW bug” by officer Jerry Templeman. (Butler is vague about what the offense was.) 

“I had seen policing done in different ways, and Jerry was a straight shooter who was compassionate,” he said. “I thought about it and decided I wanted to make a positive change and I wanted to make it in Berkeley.” 

Butler said the most immediate task facing a the new chief will be finding qualified people to work in the department. He said the department may soon be facing a staff shortage and the competition for qualified recruits is tough. 

Butler has not said what exactly he will do after he retires but he is interested in computers and has done some writing. Whatever he does he said he feels good about his work in Berkeley. 

“There were a lot of things I said I was going to do in 1990 and I got most of them done,” he said. “I feel like I’m leaving a good legacy.” 

When the Cal men’s basketball team tips off the Pac-10 season against Arizona Thursday evening, they face a team that has seen more trouble than anyone could have imagined. 

The Wildcats are a supremely talented squad, favored by many experts to win the national championship. There was even talk of an undefeated season. But while the title may still be in the cards, the Wildcats have already lost four games and fallen to No. 15 in the polls, and two of their starters, center Loren Woods and wingman Richard Jefferson, have served suspensions for receiving improper gifts. 

The losses are bad, but easily take a back seat to the emotions of losing Bobbi Olson, head coach Lute Olson’s wife and a big part of the Arizona program for the past 18 years. Olson took a leave of absence Saturday to care for his wife, who died Monday of ovarian cancer. 

“She was like a second mom to a lot of the players over the years,” said Josh Pastner, an Arizona assistant coach and former Wildcat player. “She was instrumental in a lot of guys coming here.” 

Olson remains on leave, and no return date has been announced. The normally stoic coach broke down in tears when he told the players he would be leaving to care for his wife of 47 years, and several players expressed their grief by writing Bobbi Olson’s name on their equipment for Tuesday’s game against Mississippi State. 

“It’s an emotional time,” Woods said. “But it’s important we remain strong and play our best for Coach Olson.” 

The Wildcats’ play has been inconsistent this year, to say the least. With Woods missing the first six games and Jefferson missing one game, Arizona has only had its full starting lineup together for four games. They lost to Connecticut on a controversial call. They have been criticized for not playing hard, playing sloppily and trying to cruise by on talent alone. But with the emotional roller-coaster the team has been on, one suspects that fans haven’t seen the real Wildcats play yet. 

“I don’t think you can ever measure how a team is going to react to all of it,” said Cal coach Ben Braun. “We’re not machines. We're all still human beings and your emotional welfare and well being does affect your approach to things. It’s hard to imagine what that coaching staff and their players are going through.” 

But despite the emotional trauma and inconsistent play, the Wildcats remain many experts’ pick to win the Pac-10, including their biggest challenger for the title. 

“Arizona is still perhaps the most talented team in the country,” said Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, whose team is undefeated and No. 2 in the country. “I still think it should be the (Pac-10) favorite. They have had some circumstances recently that put them in a bad spot. But it’s still the team to beat and we have to approach it that way. Anyone who doesn't is not really looking at things very well.”

Extend time between cigs 

Editor: 

About twenty years ago, after several tries, I found a smokingintervention program run by a wise physician at the old French Hospital in San Francisco.  

His theory was that one should never set a date to quit smoking because you'd always find an excuse not to keep the date. 

Instead, he counseled the class to see how long they could go between cigarettes.  

He told us that the urge to smoke only lasts a few seconds and gave us a list of 49 things to do to curb the urge – chew on a tooth pick, get in the shower, kiss a friend, go to a movie... He also told us to congratulate ourselves on the length of time we beat that wee white stick and, if we succumbed, not to beat up ourselves, but to try for a longer record the next time.  

I have been between cigarettes for twenty years.  

I finally threw out the ash trays, changed the nicotine stained curtains and learned to smell the roses.  

I don't know why smoking cessation programs such as that described in your 1/3/01 paper make it such an onerous process with such a low success rate when the competitive instinct in all of us can make us all winners. 

Sally Williams 

Berkeley 

Community members and AC Transit administrators agree, the current complaint system is not working.  

The people who make decisions about the bus system are not getting input from the people who use it. 

“What we’ve been doing is looking at better ways to get a broader array of community input into the work we do here, so we get a better sense of what the community needs,” said Jim Gleich, Deputy General Manager of AC Transit.  

Currently two groups formally interact with AC Transit, one group specializes in disability issues, and the other is a broader group for riders’ issues, the Riders Advisory Committee. 

“I think we’ve felt for a long time that that amounts to limited input,” Gleich said. He said surveys around the country determined that advisory committees do not constitute adequate community input. “It becomes an excuse for not doing a better job. Those groups aren’t reflective of the community they serve. That’s not to say they’re not of value, but for us to pretend that that’s our community input process would be pretty irresponsible.” 

Complainants who are not members of the advisory committee often find themselves without a face to bring their complaints to. Malik Hassan, lead community organizer for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, a Berkeley based nonprofit, helped organize low-income individuals to bring issues before the board. His group attended Transit Board meetings to make their voices heard. 

But attending meetings is not an option available to all transit riders. 

“Where are the meetings happening?” said Darren Noy, lead community organizer for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. “Working with poor and homeless constituencies, the number one difficulty that we have is transportation. Mobilizing to come to a meeting is a tremendous expenditure of resources. It’s a lot of time and it’s a transportation cost.” 

Gleich is examining several options for revamping the system, including bus rider surveys, more public meetings, and hiring community liaisons. But bus advocates say that no matter how good a public input system is, it won’t change anything unless AC Transit listens to the suggestions and takes them to heart. 

And right now, they say, AC Transit ignores the input they are already getting. 

“They’re wrapped up in the way they run things, and they just are not prepared for community input,” said Charlie Betcher, member of the Riders Advisory Committee. He recommended that AC Transit hire an ombudsman to deal with complaints disinterestedly. “A complaint isn’t useful unless it serves to change the behavior of the party that’s complained about. A lot of people complain,” he said, “but (AC Transit) regards them as an administrative problem.” 

Gleich disagreed with the charge that AC Transit does not respond to complaints. “I think we’re very flexible,” he said. “There are things that get identified that require both some study and maybe fairly complex changes to address so it might take a little time, but we’re up for always being responsive.” 

On the heels of a successful union drive by restaurant workers at the Berkeley marina, another group of employees in the city has called for a union. 

They are the 25 people who work for the 27-year-old nonprofit Community Conservation Center, charged by the city with disposing of its residents’ recyclables. 

The organizing drive is spearheaded by the Industrial Workers of the World, the same almost-century-old union with which the Ecology Center recyclers organized about a decade ago. 

The workers, who are asking for better pay, more vacation time, specific skill level definitions and more democracy on the job, have called for a “card check,” by which a union is automatically established once a majority of the workers sign cards. The employer must agree to the card check. 

But the CCC management has rejected this form of balloting. 

Board secretary Pam Belchamber said a National Labor Relations Board-sponsored vote by secret ballot is the preferable alternative. This method “assures everyone gets to voice their opinion that is confidential,” she said. 

IWW organizer Steve Ongerth, however, argued that a labor board vote could take a year or more. “An employer can delay” the vote, he said. During that time, management might try to fire workers who want to join the union or cut employee hours, Ongerth said. 

“A supermajority signed the cards. They all feel it is in their interest,” he said. 

Belchamber, whose son Jeff Belchamber is CCC manager, said the board had no intention of holding off the election more than a month or 45 days. The board had to look into what unionization would mean for the company, she said, explaining that the concept of their workers joining a union was “new territory.” 

“It’s prudent to take a little time,” she said. “We need to talk about what our responsibility is.”  

Belchamber said the board planned to meet with the workers and a third neutral party to move the process forward.  

“Under no circumstances do we want to delay this.” 

When the downtown Berkeley YMCA reopens its Family Center later this month, it will provide new services for non-member families with disabled children, foster families, pregnant teens and teen mothers. 

In the past, the Family Center had a narrower focus, offering convenient low-cost baby sitting for YMCA members who wanted to ran a tread mill, lift weights or go for a swim.  

The new and improved Family Center will soon add a counseling component to its services. It will be a place where teen mothers and parents of disabled children can find a supportive ear. It will also serve foster families. 

“It’s our way of thanking parents who are foster parents for what they are doing and also to support them,” said Diane Dodge, associate executive director of the YMCA. Eden O’Brien-Brenner, family program director for the downtown Berkeley YMCA who also has a foster child, said the Family Center will serve as a community for parents to meet other parents and for young children to spend time with their peers. She said the programs will serve as an educational resource for parents. They can learn how to manage everything from their children’s separation anxiety to teething problems. 

Many families also need a place to leave their children while they exercise and cannot afford to pay steep prices for childcare services. Child watch services cost $2.50 per hour for members. 

“A lot of families could not exercise if not for this center and the programs,” O’Brien-Brenner said. The old Family Center occupied only one room in the YMCA at 2001 Allston Way. A second room is being added and the original room is being renovated. The area includes special places for kids – a reading loft, a computer learning area, a play area with tricycles and a private resting area for infants. There will also be an area for counseling. While their parents work out or receive counseling, children from eight weeks to seven years old can work with a literacy specialist and do yoga. Proposition 10, a state tobacco tax that gives money to childhood services, funded the expanded counseling program with a $50,000 grant. The YMCA was one of 11 organizations in Berkeley that received funding from the proposition. 

The Family Center will be in use by mid-January and the grand opening event for members will be Feb. 10. The idea for a new center began two years ago, but construction did not begin until child summer camps ended in early September and is not yet finished.  

The cost of construction for the Family Center and the soon-to-be-built Teen Center directly upstairs is about $200,000. 

Dodge said the center should serve at least 300 to 400 families a week, about a 30 percent increase from the previous center. 

“It will be so much fun here that the parents will have to come to work out just so the kids can spend time here at the Family Center,” she said.

SACRAMENTO — Boosting electricity bills for millions of homes an average of $5 a month, a plan floated Wednesday by state regulators, would give California’s strapped utilities a quick infusion of cash. 

But Wall Street is skeptical, it does nothing to preclude future rate increases and it doesn’t target the crux of California’s burgeoning electricity crisis – the spiraling cost of wholesale energy. 

Moreover, it begins to place on ratepayers the ultimate financial responsibility for protecting utilities – a responsibility likely to grow in coming months. For the first time, it spreads the reality of sharp electricity rate increases beyond San Diego and southern Orange County, where residential bills doubled and tripled earlier this year. 

And while the Public Utilities Commission’s proposed 90-day rate increase is far less than feared by consumer groups, it is dramatically smaller than the 26 percent to 30 percent boost urged by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. The PUC was scheduled to vote on its plan Thursday. 

“If it were adopted as proposed, it would give us cause for concern. It would suggest that the commission is not committed to preserving the utilities’ financial viability nor the utilities’ financial integrity, when you consider that the utilities are recovering from their customers only 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour and they are spending 25 to 29 cents to buy it,” said David Bodek of Standard and Poor’s. 

That means the two utilities that serve more than three-fourths of California’s population – and who are absorbing daily losses of $40 million from their wholesale electricity purchases – likely will be back soon seeking additional increases. 

“It certainly seems to be short of what the utilities were asking for and, more importantly, what the Wall Street credit-rating agencies were looking for. It sounds like more of a short-term arrangement and puts off a day of reckoning,” said Gary Schlossberg, senior economist for Wells Capital Management. The utilities say they have lost more than $9 billion since June, caused by huge increases in wholesale power costs that they have been blocked from passing on to their customers because of a rate freeze. 

The PUC’s draft proposal would increase residential rates by about 9 percent, or roughly $5 per month for the average $55 monthly bill. Small businesses’ bills would go up 7 percent, and the largest businesses and industrial ratepayers would pay up to 15 percent more. The bills of low-income people would not be affected. 

Even if the rate increase remained in effect for a full year, not just 90 days, it would provide only $274 million for PG&E and some $234 million for SoCal Edison. The numbers were calculated on 1999 figures from the U.S. Department of Energy for total kilowatt hours sold. 

“It may be a question of too little too late,” Bodek said.  

“They (the utilities) are looking at running out of cash over the next several weeks, and they will need bank financing and access to the capital markets to continue to operate their businesses. 

“It is safe to say the capital markets are looking for evidence that they will be repaid,” he added. 

The PUC’s recommendation includes language offering refunds if the market stabilizes and the utilities can afford it – but there is little likelihood that such refunds will materialize. 

Consumer activists believe the PUC’s initial rate plan is the first of many that will be required to assure fiscal protection for the utilities, who helped write California’s 1996 deregulation law. 

And they note – not happily – that the law allowed utilities to avoid billions of dollars in liabilities from earlier programs, such as nuclear energy development. 

The “PUC will continue to give little bites out of our paychecks to utility companies, hoping we won’t notice it and spreading the cost out over time,” said Harry Snyder, West Coast director of Consumers Union. 

“The problem in California is that there is no coherent leadership. The leadership from the governor is lacking. The leadership from the Legislature is lacking, mainly because nobody in the Legislature knows their elbow from a hot rock,” Snyder said. 

Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis, said the governor has acted to protect ratepayers and will outline new proposals on Monday in his State of the State Address to the Legislature. 

“He joined with Senator Feinstein in getting an emergency order to keep the lights on and continue getting power, and he approved emergency relief for San Diego,” Maviglio said, declining to comment on the PUC’s plan. 

“The problem is that wholesale power rates are federally regulated and there is nothing that anybody in California can do about it,” he added. 

But Bob Glynn Jr., president and CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric Corp., said California’s electricity crisis comes down to simple numbers – numbers the Legislature can understand. 

“I’ve got a fourth-grade grandson that can do the math on this. If you’re buying at 27 cents and selling at 7, you’re going to fun out of money,” Glynn said. 

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Mercury News has fired a reporting intern who had been suspended for plagiarism, after more evidence of copying work from other publications was discovered. 

The paper said it suspended intern David Cragin on Dec. 28 after discovering that parts of a story he wrote Dec. 26 about San Francisco’s high housing costs appeared to be lifted from a recent article in the Washington Post. 

A review of all of Cragin’s work at the Mercury News revealed he also plagiarized work from other publications, including a San Francisco Chronicle article published three years ago. 

“Plagiarism is unacceptable in our newspaper and in our business,” Managing Editor Susan Goldberg wrote in a memo to newspaper staff.  

“It is an inherent violation of the trust we have with our readers and with our professional colleagues.” 

The paper said it began to investigate Cragin after a reporter from the Chronicle called to question similarities in the two articles. 

In December, the Mercury News investigated whether former intern Eric Drudis fabricated sources in stories he wrote for the paper. 

“It’s obviously a case where the oversight broke down,” University of California, Berkeley journalism professor Thomas C. Leonard told the Chronicle. “That’s a question the Mercury News will want to address, since they’ve had two unfortunate cases recently.” 

The Mercury News reported that Cragin said he read the Washington Post’s Nov. 27 story about families living in cramped hotel rooms before filing his own story. 

The beginning of Cragin’s story mirrors the Post’s story almost word for word. 

“I know it’s pretty similar obviously, but that’s just a small piece of the story,” the Mercury News quoted Cragin as saying. 

Cragin graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and worked for Bay City News Service before joining the San Francisco bureau of the Mercury News last summer. 

NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve lit a match under the financial thermometer. 

It did so at a time when negative news was piling atop negative news, sending vibrations through the economy and threatening to send an avalanche that conceivably could bury the economy in recession. 

Clearly, the Fed had become nervous about losing its ability to control the slowdown it intentionally created by raising interest rates six times between June 1999 and May 2000. 

At the time, it feared that demands by consumers and producers might tax the economy’s ability to respond, an almost certain precursor of inflation and, eventually, recession. It got what it sought, and more. 

Since midyear 2000, negative news has piled upon negative news. Energy supplies fell and prices rose. Factories slumped. High-tech stocks crashed. Retailers were disappointed with sales. Confidence eroded. 

The general view of things, which had reached an extreme of optimism in which all news was viewed as good news, took a drastic turn. A mania of optimism showed indications of deteriorating into a panic attack. 

For many investors, large and small, professional and amateur, the erosion was seen vividly in Wall Street expectations. Belatedly, analysts who had deemed stocks a buy all year long now issued some sell advisories. 

The advice came too late for millions of investors, many of whom had bought at the January 2000 peak of 11,722.98 in the Dow Jones industrial average. Worse, some had bought at the Nasdaq March peak of 5,048.62. 

By yearend, those averages were down to 10,786.85 for the Dow and 2,470,52 for the Nasdaq – a 39 percent plunge. Worse, the prices of many stocks had collapsed, falling more than 50 percent from their highs. And so went confidence. 

While some viewed the tail end of the decline as the result of investors seeking tax deductions by selling before the end of the year, it persisted into the new year, amid the general worsening of economic news. 

While the Federal Reserve gave indications that it now had become more concerned with recession than inflation, few foresaw that it would lower interest rates by one-half percent, 50 basis points, in one sudden move. 

Nor was the timing widely foreseen, at least by ordinary Americans. What seemed to be a consensus among economists was for a 25 basis point cut at the Fed’s regular meeting just before the end of the month. 

The suddenness of the move might even have provided fuel for worriers, rather than a boost to confidence. Was the economic situation even more dire than foreseen? Was the Fed wary of losing control? 

All the time, however, the nation’s financial engineer, chairman Alan Greenspan, the fellow who braked the overly exuberant economy, was still at the controls, and able to throw the lever the opposite way. The worriers weren’t routed entirely. 

It doesn’t mean the Fed has automatic power to make the economy dance to its wishes, but the quick response of the stock market showed that it had restored at least some small measure of confidence. 

Despite the size of the Fed’s cut, it hardly unloaded its ammunition, and some, especially those who expect the economy to continue downhill toward recession levels, anticipate rates to be lowered by another 75 basis points in the near future. 

There are other possible correctives as well. President-elect George W. Bush has promised to seek a tax cut. While perhaps not as powerful as lower interest rates, a tax cut has enormous psychological value, a remedial shock for the entire economy. 

Social Security might enter the picture. Six years ago, the idea of allowing individuals to invest part of their Social Security withholdings in securities was the political third rail – touch it and die. 

Political thinking in both parties has now come around to believing some privatization of Social Security funds is a possibility, conceivably even this year. For stocks, that could be like found money. 

While recognizing the seriousness of the economic downturn, economist Jim Griffin of Aeltus Investment Management, had already taken a bright view of the future. 

“Don’t confuse an ugly present with the prospect for an ugly future,” he advises. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst and writer for The  

Associated Press

A change in behavior is the key to quitting smoking, says Marcia Brown-Machen, director for the city’s Tobacco Prevention Program, which is sponsoring a free six-week smoking cessation class. 

The program will help smokers identify the triggers and stressors in their lives that cause them to smoke. The ultimate goal is “to best create an environment for yourself where you can quit,” Brown-Machen said.  

Many people who quit try six or seven times before they break the habit, Brown-Machen said. The stop-smoking class will be repeated every two months.  

“Some people have to go through this class multiple times,” she said. 

In addition to the behavior modification, Brown-Machen said many students compliment the class with other resources. Some use a new medication called Ziban, which was originally used as an antidepressant and has been found to help people trying to quit smoking, she said.  

Others use nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch, nose sprays, nicotine gum and inhalers. They may also use hypnosis and acupuncture. 

People who attend the classes will learn that they need to go through five stages to change their behavior. The first is pre-contemplation, beginning to think about quitting. That’s followed by contemplation, then action, then trial – trying out and evaluating the new behavior. Finally, there is adopting the new behavior, or actually quitting smoking.  

Classes are limited to 20 people, but usually end up with six to eight students, Brown-Machen said. “We have a high drop-out rate. Many of the people are ambitious at first, but people have to be motivated.”  

She said much of this motivation comes from other people disapproving of the smoking habit, especially from people for whom the smoker cares. Conversely, friends’ support is very important to smokers who are trying to kick the addiction. 

The success rate is typically 10 to 20 percent, Brown-Machen said. 

She said has seen classes where 25 percent of the people are still not smoking six months after the class. She said the class is good because people decide a quit date as a group and then work toward that goal together.  

The class leader will be Carolyn Aust who has had extensive experience leading classes both for Kaiser Permanente and for the American Lung Association.  

Brown-Machen said that the program, which is funded by revenues created by a quarter-per-pack tax initiated by Proposition 99, would like to reach those people who have made New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking. 

The “Freedom from Tobacco” classes begin January 18 and runs for six Thursday evenings, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. Berkeley residents and employees are asked to call 644-6422 and leave a message or e-mail the Tobacco Prevention Program at quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us.  

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 

Commission on the Status  

of Women  

7:45 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

The Mayor’s special study group’s report on domestic violence and plans for international women’s day ceremonies for March, 2001 and other activities for Women’s History Month.  

Human Welfare & Community Action Commission 

7 - 10 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center  

2939 Ellis St. (at Ashby)  

The commission will consider their future schedule through the allocation planning process.  

Thursday, Jan. 4

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. - Noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Housing Advisory Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center  

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussion and action on the city proposal to provide equal benefits for domestic partners of city employees and domestic partners of employees of entities doing business with the city of Berkeley. Also discussion and possible action on the city’s Oxford St. parking lot proposal.  

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing) 

Call 848-3696  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12 234-6046 

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. This is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. 549-2970  

Saturday, Jan. 6

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds. $60 individual, $45 family (two or more) Call 845-8542 x376 or visit ww.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50 643-2755 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Monday, Jan. 8  

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Pato O’Sullivan 644-6107  

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. 

531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

Wednesday, Jan. 10  

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

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 

“Travel as Pilgramage” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Various travel writers discuss the spiritual aspects of travel. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Avalanche Safety Course  

6 - 9:30 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Dick Penniman, internationally known avalanche instructor and consultant, presents a slide lecture and video presentation on the fundamentals of avalanches and rescue techniques.  

$20  

Call Dick Penniman, (877) SNO-SAFE 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the role of the U.S. in global politics and priorities.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Your Justice System at Work 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

West Oakland Senior Center  

1724 Adeline St.  

Oakland  

Judges of the Superior Court, attorneys, probation officers, sheriff’s officers and other justice system representatives will be present to hear the concerns of the public and to answer their questions.  

Call 268-7610 

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  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ayodele Nzinga and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

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  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Become Berkeley City Smart 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

In a slide presentation & talk, Berkeley resident, restaurant and movie critic John Weil takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Veterans Memorial Building  

1931 Center St.  

Any woman who has had a relative serve in the U.S. military is invited to attend and join the auxiliary.  

Call 916-372-8364 

Journey Across China 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Eugene Tsiang, Shanghai native, will give a slide presentation on his two-month journey last spring by train and four-wheel drive vehicle across China’s Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us  

Friday, Jan. 19 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Evidence-Based Practice - How it May Effect You” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Eileen Gambrill, professor in the department of social welfare at UC Berkeley with speak. 

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 20  

On Death & Dying 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Buddhist Temple  

2121 Channing Way (between Shattuck & Fulton)  

Kathleen Gustin, Zen priest, and Rev. Ronald Nakasone of the Graduate Theological Union speak at this workshop designed to help those considering their own ending or that of loved ones.  

$20 per person (box lunch included) 

Call Ken Kaji, 601-5394 

Corinne Innis Reception 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings.  

Call 548-9286 

Monday, Jan. 22  

Berkeley Rail Stop Community  

Design Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 1900 Sixth St.  

The public is invited to suggest ideas and comment on plans for design-development at the rail stop/transit plaza area of West Berkeley.  

Call 644-6580 

Urban Homelessness  

& Public Policy Solutions 

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Alumni House  

UC Berkeley  

This day-long conference will include key scholars, service providers, and policymakers in the homelessness field. Some of the subjects to be covered will be: Homeless population dynamics and policy implications, health issues in homelessness, and legal and political issues in homelessness. Free and open to the public.  

For more info, visit: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/homeless.htm 

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 

Thursday, Jan. 25  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland 

Pro Arts reception for the opening of their new exhibition seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people who are affected by them.  

Call 763-9425 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Climbing Mt. Everest  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Bob Hoffman, organizer and leader of four environmental clean-up expeditions on Everest, will give a slide presentation on the Inventa 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition’s recent ascent. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Glenn Ingersoll and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Jan. 26 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“The Aftermath of the National Election” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Cuddly, Soft, Furry Things & Friends 

10 - 10:50 a.m. & 11:10 a.m. - Noon  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

A special workshop for two - three year-olds to meet, pet, and feed rabbits, doves, and snakes.  

$22 - $25, $10 for additional family members, registration required  

Call 642-5134 

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

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 

Wednesday, Jan. 31 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra  

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring “Berkeley Images,” a world premiere by Jean-Pascal Beintus.  

$10 - $35  

Call 841-2800 

Thursday, Feb. 1 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet John Rowe and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 2 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Allee der Kosmontauten 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Performance of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz 1996 work in its West Coast premiere. Also features the film work of Elliot Caplan.  

$20 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Saturday, Feb. 3 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Artists Talk 

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to hear artists speak about their work and show slides. Free 

Call 763-9425 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Russian National Orchestra  

4 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

On their tenth anniversary tour, the RNO will perform Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 2.  

$30 - $52  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

From Flatlands to the Stars  

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Diamond Park  

Fruitvale Ave. (at Lyman Rd.) 

A hardy hike along Sausal Creek in Oakland’s unexplored Diamond and Joaquin Miller parks. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 6  

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is sex, love, dating, and relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  

Call 527-9772  

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, Feb. 8 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Tom Odegard and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 9  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 10  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Open Mic.  

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to see special performances, spoken word, commentary and more.  

Call 763-9425 

Masters of Persian Classical Music 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring vocalist Mohammad Reza Sharjarian and his son, Homayoun Sharjarian.  

$20 - $40  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

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  

Horacio Gutierrez  

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall 

UC Berkeley  

The Cuban-American pianist will perform Berg’s Sonata, Op.1, George Perle’s Nine Bagatelles, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29.  

$24 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Tuesday, Feb. 13 

“Great Decisions” - U.S. Trade Policy 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple  

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, 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  

Basics of PCs 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley 

A class for adults that will cover file management, loading software, software management, downloading pages from the Web, and more. 

$30 - $35, registration required  

Call 642-5134  

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kathleen Lynch and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 16 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 17  

“Go-Go-Go Greenbelt!” 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Rockridge BART  

Oakland  

A bike tour on this ride into the rolling East Bay hills. A free ride sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Sunday, Feb. 18  

Waterfalls of Berkeley  

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART  

Sacramento at Delaware  

On this urban waterfall hike, discover three waterfalls along rushing creeks hidden in Berkeley neighborhoods. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 20 

“Great Decisions” - China & Taiwan 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is different cultural, ethnic and religious values.  

Call 527-9772  

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, Feb. 22 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Charles Ellick and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 23 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

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 

Tuesday, Feb. 27 

“Great Decisions” - Missile Defense  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, March 1  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Eliza Shefler and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 6  

“Great Decisions” - U.S. & Iraq 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is health, nutrition and science; bioengineering.  

Call 527-9772  

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, March 8 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Judy Wells and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 13  

Berkeley Rep. Proscenium Opening 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Featuring the premiere performance of “The Oresteia” by Aeschylus. Opening gala dinner held prior to performance. Performance will be at 8 p.m. 

Call 647-2949 

“Great Decisions” - International Health Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

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, 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  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Elanor Watson-Gove and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Saturday, March 17  

Berkeley Rep. Community Open House 

Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Tour the Berkeley Reps. new theater facility, a 600-seat proscenium stage theater. 

Call to reserve a tour, 647-2900  

Pasand boycott has merits 

Editor:  

I strongly disagree with Berkeley City Council member Miriam Hawley’s opinions that the council’s 7 - 2 vote to approve a resolution to support the boycott of Pasand Madras Cuisine is “premature” (Dec. 22, 2000).  

Since Councilmember Kriss Worthington has already made the point that Lakireddy Bali Reddy has already made it clear that he planned to admit his guilt regarding his sexual exploitation of the girls, and the four other members of his family indicated that they would plead guilty to other offenses - before Prasad Lakireddy changed his mind, I will focus on another of my objections to Hawley’s “premature” judgment.  

Hawley presumes that council members should wait passively for the results of the plea bargain or the court case to be completed - as if it is reasonable to assume that the outcome of these legal proceedings will necessarily be fair and just.  

Unfortunately, there is abundant evidence that this is a poor assumption.  

DNA tests are proving that increasing numbers of men, most of them African American, have been imprisoned for various violent crimes for which they are innocent.  

Strong biases against rape victims - particularly in the past - have resulted in the unfair dismissal of thousands of valid cases of rape.  

The sad fact is that the legal system and the systems of law enforcement are frequently racist, sexist, and classist. Celebrities, and wealthy, powerful men in general, are particularly likely to win innocent verdicts or to get off far too lightly. O.J. Simpson is the best known recent example of this phenomenon.  

Reddy’s power and wealth may account for the shocking prediction that plea deals “could keep all five family members from spending any time behind bars,” (Berkeley voice, 10/27/00, p. A-1). Given this possibility, as well as the marked fallibility of the legal system, I consider it highly commendable that seven out of nine members of the Berkeley City Council want to increase the likelihood that justice will be done in this ugly case - rather than waiting to mindlessly rubber stamp whatever the outcome of the plea bargain or trial may be.  

Diana E.H. Russell  

Berkeley  

Gratitude to those who gave for holidays 

As we ring in the New Year, I wish to express my gratitude to a company that voluntarily offered aid to two families with young children during the holidays. In the spirit of giving, Vanessa Wiggins of Check Agencies of California, in Berkeley, made a contribution to a family from Cragmont and a family from City of Franklin Magnet, both Berkeley Elementary Schools.  

The monetary contribution demonstrated the generosity and the spirit of giving that is present throughout the year in many ways, but especially during the holiday season.  

The appreciation for the donation was best seen in the smiling eyes of the children of the families on Christmas day. 

Because the generosity of Berkeley agencies, organizations, and the community at large are generally unmatched, I remind and/or invite every Berkeley resident to donate toys, food, clothing or cash to a Berkeley shelter once a month.  

Lets continue to keep the spirit of giving alive all year round. Thank you. 

Sherri Morton  

Berkeley 

About five years ago Eric Weaver, a Berkeley parent volunteering at his son’s school, discovered kids stealing the teachers’ snacks.  

“I asked them if they were eating breakfast and they weren’t,” said Weaver. So he began to bring Noah’s Bagels every morning for the kids to eat. 

For the rest of this school year all students at Oxford Elementary can have a free luxury breakfast of hot oatmeal, organic yogurt, and other fresh toppings including organic kiwis and satsuma oranges from local farmers. The elementary school is part of a study by Harvard Psychologist Michael J. Murphy documenting the effects of a healthy whole grain breakfast on students’ lives. 

Researchers will administer surveys to parents, teachers and food servers and test students to determine the impact of the breakfast on kids’ academic performance and social behavior. Previous studies have shown that when breakfast is provided children come to school more often, come earlier, and are better able to focus, said Janet Brown, program officer for the Food Systems Project at Berkeley’s Center  

for Ecoliteracy, one of the agencies involved. “The number one goal is that no child will be hungry in school,”  

said Brown. “The unifying principle recognizes the links between nutrition and cognition.”  

She said this policy takes a stand that nutrition is an essential component of learning, “at a time when there’s so much talk about tests, achievement, and accountability.” 

Melissa Agent, a senior at UC Berkeley, is the core researcher for the project. She said the choice of whole grains was to provide a food both healthy and filling, and said the students seem pleased with the choice. “One kid this morning said he didn’t think he’d ever really like oatmeal, but he does,” she said. 

This year the oatmeal is donated by Quaker Oats and labor costs are provided by grants and donations. 

Oxford principle Kathleen Lewis said that the program will continue once the subsidies are gone. 

An important part of the program is making healthy food a sustainable business, said Jared Lawson, program coordinator for the Food Systems Project. 

Brown said, “The big premise is when the quality goes up in the food that’s being served, participation goes up in the program. There are kids who have money who don’t take advantage of the program in very large numbers right now. If the food were great they would.”  

Previous pilot programs combining food quality and choice support her hopes. A salad bar at Malcolm X Elementary School increased food purchases by 46 percent. 

A combination of serious interest and good luck made Oxford School the site for the new study. “We were chosen because we’ve been really involved in improving the nutritional quality of the food served. We fought hard to get a breakfast program,” said Lewis, recalling Weaver’s trips to the bagel shop to get breakfast for students prior to the beginning of a breakfast program. 

Dr. Murphy, who is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School is studying school nutrition programs all over the United States. The Oxford breakfast bar is part of a larger health awareness program envisioned by the Food Service Project. The Center for Ecoliteracy will coordinate a curriculum that takes students to farms and orchards to show them where the fruit they put on their oatmeal comes from. Murphy will test whether students performance improves, and the Center for Ecoliteracy will learn, said Brown, whether “their IQ about the environment goes up.” 

“We want children to thoroughly understand that the food on their plate comes from a place in the earth, and be able to understand some of the greater implications of what that means. How we feed ourselves is one of, if not the greatest, threat to the landscape, and the single greatest threat to ecological communities,” she said. “How we feed ourselves has to do with, in the long run, if we’ll be able to feed ourselves.”

City planners are reviewing designs for a housing project at Acton Street and University Avenue that the City Council awarded to developers Panoramic Interests and Jubilee Restoration over 19 months ago.  

The recently-submitted design includes 72 units of housing and about 10,000 square feet of commercial space. In May 1999, the City Council voted to give the developers a purchase option for the state-owned property at a small percentage of its value in exchange for 20 units of affordable housing in the development.  

The council voted 6-3 for Panoramic Interests and Jubilee Restoration despite the for-profit status of Panoramic. A non-profit developer, Affordable Housing Associates, lost the bid for the contract even though the company proposed a smaller number of overall units but a greater number of affordable units. 

Since the council awarded the project, the city, the state and the developers, have had to work out the details of the land transfer. The property is being sold under a little used government code that says state land can be sold at below market rates if it is used as affordable housing. 

The land, which Councilmember Dona Spring said was valued at $1 million, will be turned over to the developers for the price of the state’s administrative costs and consideration for the commercial portion of the development. The final price of the land is still in negotiations between the developer and the state. 

The transfer from the state to the developers won’t be complete until the Zoning Adjustments Board has approved a use permit. 

“We’ve submitted our design to the Planning Department,” said Patrick Kennedy, the executive director of Panoramic Interests. “Next we go before the Design Review Committee and the Zoning Adjustments Board.” 

He added that Walgreens Drug Stores was interested in the commercial space but had recently pulled out of the deal because the company thought it was too close to its downtown store. “But we’re hoping to get something that will be valuable to the neighborhood,” Kennedy said. 

The 20 units of affordable housing will include 15 units of very-low-income housing. The U.S. Department of Housing defines very-low-income housing for people who earn 50 percent of the area’s median income.  

According to Stephen Barton, the Director of Berkeley’s Housing Department, median income for a family of two is $54,100. So, by that standard 15 units will be available for two-person families earning $27,000 a year.  

The other five low-income units will be available to renters who earn 80 percent of the area median income which would be $43,280 for a family of two. 

Spring, who supported AHA over Panoramic and Jubilee, said the 20 units of affordable housing is not much more than a straight for-profit developer would have had to create if it paid full price for the land. “Under our inclusionary zoning laws 20 percent of the units would have had to be set aside for affordable housing,” she said. “He’s only giving five and one-half more units than he would have had to provide otherwise.”  

While homicide rates for cities in the Bay Area are dropping, the number of murders in Berkeley was slightly higher this year then the past two years. Numbers are down significantly from 1996 and 1997. 

In 1996, there were eight homicides in Berkeley; in 1997, there were 11; in 1998, there were four, in 1999 there were three and in 2000 there were five. 

Lt. Russell Lopes said none of the homicides in 2000 were drug related, as far as the department has determined. 

Last January a murder on the 1400 block of Oregon Street was a “personal thing” between people who knew each other, Lopes said. The second incident considered a homicide was an officer-involved shooting, ruled “justified” by the district attorney. In a third incident outside a liquor store on the 3400 block of Adeline, a man punched another and that man hit his head on the sidewalk and died. The fourth incident on the 1200 block of Haskell street occurred during a robbery. The fifth incident, which occurred last month, is being investigated as a homicide, but may be ruled otherwise. A man was found lying near the sidewalk near Adeline Street and Martin Luther King, Jr Way, having apparently hit his head on the sidewalk. The coroner’s report has not yet been filed in this case. 

In Oakland, a city recently plagued by a police corruption scandal, homicides have been on the rise in the past year. Oakland logged 79 homicides in 2000, up from 60 the year before.  

San Jose, however, continued its run as one of the safest large cities in the country, with only 17 homicides in 2000, down from 25 in 1999 and almost as low as its record of 13 in 1970. 

San Jose fared better than two cities of comparable size – Las Vegas, which had about 100 homicides and Detroit, which had about 400. 

On average, homicide rates in the Bay area have been on the decline for the past eight years. San Francisco’s numbers were down slightly too, with 61 killings in 2000, compared to 64 the year before. 

City officials in Oakland point out that the city’s overall crime rate, which includes robbery and rape, is down 16 percent from 1999. But some experts say that an increase in homicide numbers over the course of only one year does not necessarily indicate a trend of increased killings. 

Law enforcement officers say high employment rates, a good economy and community policing are responsible for San Francisco’s and San Jose’s low rates. 

But San Jose Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said it has more to do with maintaining a constant police presence on the streets. 

“It’s very comfortable to say the economy is the answer,” he said. “But patrol is even more important.” 

Having police dispersed throughout the city is important to keeping crime down, said San Francisco police officer Michelle Jean. The city has about a dozen precincts, while Oakland has only one centralized headquarters. 

Of the killings in Oakland in 2000, 10 percent were gang-related and 14 percent were drug-related, two areas in which the police have been able to curb the number of homicides. Where the police are having trouble is in dispute-related killings, which made up 32 percent of the city’s homicides. Some of the disputes were minor, such as spilled beer and a fender-bender.

The identity of a 40-year-old male suicide victim discovered in a parking garage Saturday has not been released, pending notification of next of kin. 

The body was found at 2:30 p.m. when a parking attendant at the Center Street Garage on Center near Milvia Street saw the man in the cab of a U-Haul rental pickup truck and called police. 

Lt. Russell Lopes said the man had been dead for as long as two weeks.  

He said the truck was rented approximately two months before. Lopes said the man was an Oakland resident and had been reported missing a week before the body was discovered. “He left a note with the individual he was living with, which indicated he might be suicidal,” he said. 

According to Alameda County Coroner spokesperson Cheryl Gibb, the cause of death was loss of blood from an apparent self-inflicted wound to the wrist. 

Gibb said investigators are examining the man’s belongings in the hopes of locating family members.

SAN FRANCISCO — Representatives from Southern California Edison made it clear at Tuesday’s meeting of the state Public Utilities Commission that they expect customers, both residential and business, to carry the full weight of the utility’s huge debt. 

This followed Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s announcement earlier Tuesday that it expects to run out of cash by early February unless the PUC allows it to raise customers’ bills or it receives additional financing. 

PG&E filed a Form 8-K on Tuesday morning with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, said SEC spokesman John Heine. Publicly traded companies file the form between quarterly and annual reports if major changes to the business are expected. PG&E said it filed the form to update the PUC on testimony given at last week’s hearing. 

Escalating power costs have forced PG&E and SoCal Edison to accumulate more than $9 billion in debt. SoCal Edison filed a Form 8-K with the SEC on Dec. 27. 

A state-enforced price cap has kept the two investor-owned utilities from passing their debt on to consumers, which has hurt their credit rating – essential for borrowing money to buy power and avoid rolling blackouts that could cripple the state’s booming economy. 

“I think the customer has to pay the wholesale market price,” said Bruce Foster, SoCal Edison’s vice president. “We do think, under the law, that we have an entitlement to regain the cost we’re paying into the power exchange.” 

PG&E said last week that a third of the 60 companies it buys power from no longer will sell to the utility unless it has cash in hand. 

And while consumer rate hikes would alleviate the problem somewhat, almost everyone agrees the most viable long-term solution is to force power wholesalers – via the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – to lower the rates they charge utilities for power. 

SoCal Edison has filed a suit trying to force FERC to do just that, an opinion PG&E supports and expects to echo in the coming weeks. FERC recently placed a “soft cap” on wholesale prices, which the utilities have criticized, saying it only requires extra paperwork for wholesalers before they charge higher prices. 

Wholesalers counter that low supplies of natural gas have forced them to raise their prices. 

On Tuesday, FERC asked a federal court in Washington to throw out SoCal Edison’s suit and give the commission’s plan time to work, particularly its order that the utilities buy 95 percent of their power ahead of time. 

Gov. Gray Davis joined SoCal Edison’s suit Tuesday, filing a friend of the court brief. 

“As the only guardian against the price gouging by wholesale power producers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has failed in its responsibility to protect Californians from what the agency itself describes as a dysfunctional market for electricity,” Davis said in a prepared statement accompanying his announcement. 

SoCal Edison officials attended the PUC’s fourth day of emergency public hearings to argue for rate increases. Without them, the utilities warned, they face imminent bankruptcy and won’t be able to provide electricity to power 10 million California homes and businesses – affecting around 25 million people. 

PG&E has asked the PUC for a 26 percent rate hike, and SoCal Edison wants an immediate 30 percent increase. But both utilities say far steeper hikes are inevitable – as much as 76 percent over the next two years for SoCal Edison customers. 

But that would make only a tiny dent in the utilities’ growing debt, and Wall Street may not be satisfied unless consumers pay for the entire $9 billion. 

If not, PG&E’s credit rating will decline, putting it into default on bank loans and inevitably leading to bankruptcy, James Asseltine, a managing director at Lehman Bros. in New York said at Friday’s hearing. 

The PUC has said some rate hikes are necessary, but Davis reportedly drew the line at 10 percent in earlier, private negotiations with the utilities. 

Consumer groups, such as The Utility Reform Network, continue to argue that rate increases are a quick fix and only will hurt consumers. 

“My opinion is that they’re all a bunch of crooks,” said Sylvia Siegel, 82, who founded TURN in the 1960s. “They’re bleeding us. I certainly don’t think they deserve what they’re asking for.” 

State administrative law judges will advise the commissioners Wednesday whether to grant requests from PG&E and SoCal Edison to raise their electric rates. 

The PUC can then accept, amend or ignore the recommendation when it makes its official decision Thursday. 

At last week’s hearings, consumer advocates suggested myriad ways for the utilities to pony-up the cash they need to buy power – by selling stock, liquidating assets or getting loans from the utilities’ parent corporations, which have combined assets of $71.8 billion. 

The state’s ratepayer advocate suggested the utilities buy back the power plants they sold during the deregulation process. That would help them avoid price gouging by current plant owners, many of which are out of state, said Jason Zeller from the state Office of Ratepayer Advocates, and arm of the PUC. 

The utilities, which were required to sell the plants in the switch to a deregulated energy market, said they can’t afford to pay fair market value for them. 

All sides were hoping for federal intervention. So far, FERC has declined to do anything that could be seen as derailing deregulation. 

Davis faces growing criticism over the power crunch, and increasing speculation on what it might mean for his political future. He will call the Legislature into special session Wednesday to consider remedies. 

The session will run concurrently with the regular session that also begins Wednesday. A bill passed with a simple majority in a special session takes effect in 90 days, instead of Jan. 1 as it would in a regular session. 

Measures could include a Democratic proposal to use $2 billion of the state’s $10 billion budget surplus to help hold down electricity prices, possibly by building or buying power plants. 

Davis hasn’t ruled out state-owned power plants. However, he will likely propose spending $1 billion for measures such as encouraging more peak power generation and consumer purchases of energy-efficient appliances, said spokesman Steve Maviglio. 

——— 

On the Net 

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

OAKLAND — A fire that gutted a controversial needle exchange program in Fruitvale has been ruled an arson, and directors of the center vowed today to continue their services despite the setback.  

Casa Segura, located on the 3200 block of San Leandro Street in the Fruitvale District, was hit by the blaze at about 8 p.m. New Year's Eve.  

The three-alarm fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage. No one was injured.  

From the beginning, investigators were calling the fire suspicious, and have since determined that it began in the kitchen area with the help of an accelerant, said Capt. Vicky Evans-Robinson of the Oakland Fire Department.  

She would provide no further details, however, saying only that the Oakland Police Department and fire department were investigating.  

Even without an office, program officials are determined to carry on at the damaged site with the help of rented power generators and lamps.  

“We'll continue to do the needle exchange,” said Chris Catchpool, executive director of the program. 

In its nine-year history, the Casa Segura program has survived jury trials, police disapproval and “public opposition from some prominent citizens,”Catchpool said.  

Among the program’s most vocal critics is City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who represents the Fruitvale District. De La Fuente was not immediately available for comment. 

“There has been a sort of hysteria whipped up over what we do and why we do it,” Catchpool said, adding that while the “ideologues” opposed to Casa Segura use only words, violence is sometimes done by “the ones that they’re able to ignite.” 

Catchpool said the Casa Segura program still is ostensibly based in the damaged two-story building and will continue its basic services of needle exchange, community outreach, and HIV and Hepatitis C testing. The program receives half of its funding from state and county AIDS offices, and the other half from private donors, he said.

PASO ROBLES — A 13-year-old boy and a school employee were killed Tuesday when a school bus tumbled down the side of U.S. 101 in San Luis Obispo County. 

The small bus, bound for the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, flipped over when the 70-year-old driver failed to make a lefthand curve on the highway just north of Paso Robles about 8:05 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Lee. 

The bus was carrying four children, the driver, Wendell Hammar, and the school employee, Carla Perriera, 40. The vehicle hit a steel guardrail and rolled over several times down a steep embankment, landing on a highway onramp.  

Lee said he believed the bus landed on its nose before coming to rest on the driver’s side. 

The 13-year-old boy and the school employee were ejected from the van, Lee said. 

The vehicle was operated by a private contractor, West Valley Charter Service of Campbell, the CHP said. 

Lee said the cause of the accident remained under investigation. 

Three students and the driver were taken to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton. Their injuries ranged from broken bones, contusions and cuts to a spinal injury, Lee said. 

The driver and one student were to be treated and released, said hospital spokesman Dennis Pall. Two other students were transferred to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo in serious condition. 

The bus had picked up the students in the central coast region. 

Staff at the school in Fremont, 160 miles northwest of the accident site, were stunned by the news and had counselors on hand to talk to staff and students, C.M. Baldwin, dean of students, said through an interpreter. 

“We’re all very upset. The staff is crying,” Baldwin said. 

The school has about 500 students, about 300 of whom stay on the grounds during the week and go home on weekends. Tuesday was the first day of classes after the holiday break and the four students on the bus were scheduled to arrive at noon for afternoon classes, she said. 

Baldwin said Perriera was a counselor at the school who would wake students for class, supervise them at recess and orders supplies. She would often ride the bus as an escort, Baldwin said. 

Baldwin said three school officials, including one in charge of transportation, headed to the hospitals to offer support for the families.

SAN JOSE — Intel Corp. wants to bring music to your ears – and not just the five-chime logo that accompanies its television commercials. 

The world’s largest chipmaker is making its latest foray into the consumer product world with a portable MP3 player called the Pocket Concert. 

The slick-looking device is about the size of a deck of cards. It will be introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this weekend and available to buyers in February, company officials said. 

The Intel Pocket Concert Audio Player features a 128-megabyte flash memory that stores up to four hours of downloaded music – twice the amount now offered by most other MP3 players. 

The player joins a crowded portable MP3 market that International Data Corp. predicts will grow from the estimated 1.3 million units shipped in the U.S. in 2000 to 6.7 million in 2003. 

It also is just one of a growing line of products that Santa Clara, Calif-based Intel is banking on to grow beyond the computer microprocessor realm that the company dominates. 

Since 1999, Intel has introduced a PC camera, wireless keyboard, mouse and home networking products, and a handful of fancy digital toys.  

All the devices are personal computer add-ons. 

“We want to make it that much more fun for people to enjoy their PC experience.  

The better the experience gets, the more you’d like to get that advanced PC,” said John Middleton, marketing director of Intel’s connected products division. 

That strategy is especially important now that the PC industry is struggling with a saturated market and a slowing economy, said IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell. 

“Those who bought a PC in the last year or two, they’re not feeling the need to buy a new one, but they might want a new device to use with their existing PCs,” O’Donnell said. 

Other computer companies also are diversifying their offerings. 

Compaq Computer Corp. came out with an MP3 player last summer, while Gateway Inc. teamed up with America Online in the fall to sell an Internet appliance that just needs to be plugged in and connected to a phone line. 

“They’re trying to establish this interesting sphere of activities, but the PC is still the central part,” O’Donnell said. “You hear talk about the ’post-PC’, but we think it’s ’PC-plus.”’ 

Intel’s push in the consumer space hasn’t gone unnoticed. Chief executive officer Craig Barrett is expected to deliver the keynote speech for the first time at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. 

At the show, the company also plans to demonstrate two wireless products currently under development: a Web tablet that would give users full Internet access from any room in a typical house, and a portable e-mail and instant-messaging device called a chat pad. 

Despite the attractive 128-megabyte feature of the Pocket Concert, it’s too soon to tell how well the player will sell, said IDC analyst Bryan Ma. 

The player carries a retail price of $299, with an extra $59 for an accessory kit that includes a carrying case, rechargeable batteries and connections for a home or car stereo. Many other MP3 players now sold with 64 megabytes of memory cost under $150 a piece. 

Ma also predicts a shakeout in the MP3 player market. 

“A year ago, you could count the number of portable MP3 player vendors on your hand,” he said. “Now I’ve counted well over 60.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.intel.com 

SAN FRANCISCO – A state appeals court ruled late Friday that auto insurers can calculate premiums based on where a customer lives, setting the stage for a potential California Supreme Court showdown. 

The decision from the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco nullified key provisions of Proposition 103. That 1988 initiative required auto insurers to base prices on a driver’s safety record, years of experience and number of miles driven. The initiative did also allow insurers to consider ZIP code as an “optional,” subordinate factor. 

The three-judge court agreed with insurers who said they needed to give significant weight to a customer’s ZIP code because risk factors varied from area to area, affecting the price of a policy. 

“Territory is a more important determinant of the risk of loss than any other single factor,” Justice Daniel M. Hanlon wrote in overturning a lower court’s decision. 

Consumer groups have mounted a long-standing challenge to potentially discriminatory pricing practices by insurers. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which sponsored Proposition 103, said it would appeal to the California Supreme Court. 

“The court strayed from the law approved by voters and made its judgment based on endorsing an economic scheme that insurers have used for decades to discriminate against good drivers in bad ZIP codes,” said foundation President Harvey Rosenfield. 

In court papers, consumer groups pointed out the case of a woman with 27 years of driving experience living in the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima. She would pay a $772 annual premiums, they said, compared to $281 if she lived in San Luis Obispo. Her premium is 63 percent higher solely because of her ZIP code. 

The insurance industry said there’s a good reason for charging higher premiums based on where drivers live. Drivers in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, for example, pay more because it costs more to insure motorists in high-crime and high-accident areas. 

Without basing rates on ZIP codes, rates for good drivers in remote counties would go up to subsidize premiums for good drivers in metropolitan areas, the industry argued to the court in September. 

“What’s going to happen, in most counties in California, rates are going to go up,” Vanessa Wells, a State Farm Insurance Co. lawyer told the court. 

Premiums based on ZIP codes were allowed under 1996 regulations from then-Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush. Legislation to repeal the rule was defeated that year. 

Two years ago, an Alameda County judge ruled that premiums based largely on ZIP codes were illegal. Quackenbush appealed. 

Quackenbush resigned this year amid allegations he let insurers avoid billions in fines after the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake by allowing them to donate far less money to a nonprofit fund he is accused of misusing. He was replaced by Harry Low. 

The case is Spanish Speaking Citizens’ Foundation Inc. vs. Low, A084024. 

NEW YORK — Wall Street started 2001 on a sour note Tuesday, unnerved by the same problems that sent the market plunging last year. 

The Nasdaq composite index fell 7.2 percent as investors, anxious about the slowing economy and its effect on corporate profits, again unloaded technology issues. The losses extended a trend that made 2000 the worst year ever for the Nasdaq and the weakest in nearly two decades for the Dow Jones industrials. 

“Even though the market has come down a lot, the short-term news doesn’t look positive, so y ou’re not seeing new money coming in off the sidelines,” said Robert Harrington, head of listed equity trading at UBS Warburg. “Investors are reluctant to commit. They are genuinely concerned about the slowdown in the economy, and the bad news doesn’t give them a reason to act any differently.” 

Indeed, the market spent most of the day focused on earnings, with some of the most visible hemorrhaging in technology issues.  

Analysts said the declines reflect worries that have dogged the market since Labor Day. Investors are no longer confident that companies, particularly those in the high-tech sector, can deliver results worthy of even reduced stock valuations.  

— The Associated Press 

The Federal Reserve last month hinted that interest rate cuts are a possibility in the near future, but that prospect alone hasn’t been enough to cheer Wall Street. 

“The ray of sunshine here in the Nasdaq are some of the semiconductor names. Stocks like Intel and Applied Materials that have already beaten down seem to be holding their ground,” said Scott Bleier, chief market strategist at Prime Charter. 

Intel rose $1 to $31.06 and Applied Materials gained $1.31 to $39.50. 

A report Tuesday from the National Association of Purchasing Management showing manufacturing activity in December was at its lowest level in nearly a decade added to the sense that the economy is weakening. 

The session also marked the market debut of J.P. Morgan Chase, the investment firm formed when J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan merged, effective Dec. 30. Shares fell $1.44 to $44. 

Declining issues led advancers 3-to-2 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.36 billion shares, compared with 1.02 billion Friday. 

The Russell 2000 index tumbled 21.04 to 462.49, a 4.4 percent decline. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed down 1.2 percent. Germany’s DAX index fell 2.2 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 slipped 0.7 percent, and France’s CAC-40 lost 2.2 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

NEW YORK — Yahoo! Inc. will stop carrying online auctions of Nazi artifacts and other hate-related materials after some users complained that such items promote hate and violence. 

The new restrictions, which take effect a week from Wednesday, could also address a November court ruling from France requiring Yahoo to block such items from French users. 

Although Yahoo has insisted it cannot limit access to certain geographic regions, as the French court ordered, Yahoo may effectively comply by blocking the items from everyone. 

The new guidelines will also apply to the site’s classified listings and its e-commerce partners. Yahoo! search directories, chat rooms and other areas are not affected. 

The senior auction producer at Yahoo, Brian Fitzgerald, said the court order played no role in the new policy, other than to raise awareness internally and speed the decision. 

“We decided we don’t necessarily want to profit from items that promote hatred or glorify hatred and violence,” Fitzgerald said. 

But Mark Gambale, a consultant at Gomez Inc. in Waltham, Mass., questioned the timing. 

“In a way, it’s a pre-emptive strike in making sure this (the French ruling) doesn’t become a serious issue,” he said. “International law has a unique way of evolving. Yahoo! is trying to clean its own house here.” 

Fitzgerald said that while some users support the trade of such items on free speech grounds, the majority of comments received by Yahoo were in opposition. 

When the new policy takes effect, Yahoo will also begin screening items before they are listed. Computer software will reject any item that appears to violate the site’s policies. Users will be able to appeal rejections to a human being. 

Auction sites have typically rejected items only after they are posted. 

Beginning next Wednesday, Yahoo will also charge sellers 20 cents to $2.25 to list an item, although it will not collect a commission on sales. Other auction sites, including eBay and Amazon.com, already charge for both. 

The newly banned items at Yahoo include medals, weapons, uniforms, official documents and other items that carry swastikas or other symbols associated with hate groups. They join a banned list that now includes cigarettes, live animals and used underwear. 

The leading online auction site, eBay, bans hate materials only in Germany, France, Austria and Italy – countries where such items are illegal. Sellers may not ship such items there, and buyers from those countries may not bid on them. 

In April, two French groups sued Yahoo under its old policies, accusing the U.S. company of violating French law barring the display or sale of racist material. 

A French judge ruled in November that Yahoo must prevent French users from auctions of such items, or face $13,000 a day in fines. On Dec. 21, the company asked a U.S. court to block the order, saying France doesn’t have jurisdiction. 

On the Net: 

http://auctions.yahoo.com 

Details on French case: http://www.cdt.org 

E-greetings outpace  

e-commerce dduring holidays

SAN JOSE — Americans may not have been shopping online as much as e-tailers wanted during the holidays, but the Web was apparently still an important resource for many. 

More than twice the number of Internet users sent e-mails to coordinate holiday get-togethers than to buy stocking stuffers, according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project taken between Nov. 22 and Dec. 21. 

The survey of more than 2000 Internet users found that 53 percent of them sent holiday-related e-mails while only 24 percent made purchases online. Thirty-two percent sent e-greeting cards, and 24 percent surfed the Web for recipes and holiday celebration ideas. 

“During the holidays, online Americans were more inclined to use the Internet for social purposes than commercial purposes, said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project. 

Cable corporation considers  

sale of programming subsidiary

NEW YORK — New York cable television operator Cablevision Systems Corp. is considering a sale of Rainbow Media Group, its programming subsidiary that includes Bravo and American Movie Classics, industry sources say.Media mogul Barry Diller, freshly armed with $1.1 billion in cash from the sale of his TV station group last month, is widely considered to be the leading bidder.  

Diller’s USA Networks company already owns the Sci-Fi Channel as well as TV and movie studios. 

Government must pay millions to Marathon, Exxon companies

WASHINGTON — The Interior Department must return $156 million to two oil companies because environmental restrictions prevented them from exploring for natural gas off the North Carolina coast more than a decade ago. A federal appeals court ordered the payments to Marathon Oil Co., and Exxon Mobil Corp., saying the government had reneged on its contracts when it rescinded leases for drilling rights 45 miles east of Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks. 

Apple Computers cuts prices to help clear out its inventory

CUPERTINO — Apple Computer Inc. has slashed prices by as much as $1,100 on some Macintosh computers to clear an inventory glut caused by sluggish holiday sales and to make room for new systems expected to be announced next week. 

The price cuts that took effect New Year’s Day apply to the company’s higher-end machines. Last month, the company offered hefty rebates to spur sales during the holiday season. 

As of Dec. 1, the company had 11 weeks worth of inventory on dealers’ shelves, compared with about 3 weeks in June. 

— The Associated Press 

Father Bill O’Donnell was arrested again.  

This time, he was charged with trespassing at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. 

A parish priest at St. Joseph the Worker Church, O’Donnell says he went to Georgia to protest the work of the military training center where he believes Latin American military leaders are trained to murder their compatriots. There were 70,000 peasants in El Salvador killed by soldiers trained at the school, he says. “When the American people discover what our government is doing, they’ll force congress to stop funding it.” 

O’Donnell has been actively involved in social justice issues since 1963. He said he was “exiled to Berkeley” over twenty seven years ago. He had asked the bishop to assign him to the poorest of parishes. But his superior, not enamored with his radical opinions, put him in Berkeley, O’Donnell said.  

Best known as Father Bill, O’Donnell epitomizes Berkeley at its most progressive and compassionate. 

The priest will be 71 in January. He has had heart surgery, a stroke, and just last month, right before being arrested, he fractured his hip, and was put in the paddy wagon on crutches. But nothing stops him. His spirit is as vibrant as ever. His eyes are full of sparks, and though he could get by on sheer charm, he makes no attempts to. He is direct, and extremely forthcoming with his opinions and the choices he has made as a Catholic priest. 

Father O’Donnell’s interest in fighting for basic rights for the poor comes straight from the gospel. “It’s exactly what Jesus did,” O’Donnell says. “The Church exists to be with poor people.”  

His civil disobedience began in 1969 when he was arrested while working with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. A farm boy himself, from Altamont, Calif., he was impressed by the organizing successes of the Farm Workers. He was arrested when urging Safeway to support the grape boycott. 

Father O’Donnell explains his strategies, including risking arrest, using the phrase “speaking truth to power.” 

He says he’s angry when he sees how people are forced to live. “I’m drawn to violate the perpetrators, not with my fists anymore – I learned better than that – but with my tongue.”  

A 10-day course with Saul Alinsky, the radical organizer of grass roots movements throughout the United States, taught O’Donnell to organize for power. 

Taking advice from Alinsky, O’Donnell says, “It’s important to keep your anger cold. If you let it get hot, you blow it, you are discounted. But cold anger gives you the energy to propel forward in a directed, focused way. Then you look carefully for your enemy’s weakness.” 

Alinsky’s organizing ideas include the concept that all people act out of self interest; the trick is to make sure their interest is the moral interest. Father O’Donnell fiercely believes the School of the Americas is immoral and that it is against the American peoples’ self interest to support the school with tax money..  

“In my fight, my responsibility is to help a person (or institution) change. If I can educate someone about the immorality of an issue, I have the hope of that person changing. But, if I am unable to educate them, I shame them. Those who misuse power are actually already full of shame. I hold the mirror up for them to see themselves.” 

Father O’Donnell, like Father Ray Bourgeois before him who has served four years in prison because of his protests at the School of the Americas, could be sent to prison for trespassing on any military base. He is under a Ban and Bar Order since being booked. A judge in Georgia told O’Donnell, “You come to my court, I’ll give you a year.”  

“I’m afraid, sure, but I’m more afraid not to (act),” he says. “I hate the idea of being locked up in jail, but it would give me the opportunity to be alone with my God. I act on what I see as right. I’d love to get out of it because it’s frightening, it’s trouble. I don’t like to be in trouble. But if you’re given the ball – not a very good simile – you’ve got to run it through.” 

Quoting Ghandi he adds, “There’s no other thing I can do. This is the stand I take, God help me.” 

Father O’Donnell sums up his activism as an opportunity for him to become a better human. 

“When I do this work, I know I’m doing something real. There’s fear, and criticism, I piss off my enemies. And then there’s support. In cooperation with others, I find strength. During an action, there is a profound joy – it comes out of nowhere, just a surprise, for doing the right thing. You’re free to be truthful in a loving way, and if you’re a person of faith, you can say it’s godlike.” 

People can join Father O’Donnell at St. Elizabeth’s Church, 1500 34th Ave., in Oakland at 11 a.m. Jan. 27 in a demonstration for Amnesty for Undocumented Illegals, the ‘day workers’ who do manual labor throughout the Bay Area.

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 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the legal and judiciary system.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Commission on the Status of  

Women  

7:45 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

The Mayor’s special study group’s report on domestic violence and plans for international women’s day ceremonies for March, 2001 and other activities for Women’s History Month.  

Thursday, Jan. 4

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. - Noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

Call 869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. 

Call 848-3696  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Jan. 6

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more)  

Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Monday, Jan. 8

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 

Call 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

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 

Wednesday, Jan. 10

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free. 

Call 527-4140 

Friday, Jan. 12

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

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

“Global wireless communication” appears to be the wave of the future, and the world’s corporate giants are racing for first place. Many observers are betting on the Japanese. Global wireless communication may involve very complex technology, but it simply means you can be at the North Pole with your laptop computer and I at the South Pole with my laptop, and we can communicate with each other as clearly as if we had telephone lines or cables strung between us. 

The wireless revolution began with radio a century ago and television a half century ago. Now it’s the turn of the wireless multimedia. 

The prestigious French newspaper, Le Monde, has a passion for revolutions, whatever and wherever they may be. In a recent special on the Japanese economy (December 12), it wrote, “Japan once again is catching up with the West, this time through new technologies. Americans and Europeans should stop talking about how advanced they are.” 

Co-author of this article, Philippe Pons, who has long lived in Japan, writes, “Japan’s path towards an information society is going to come up with many surprises.” Global Chinese entrepreneurs, though more cautious, express a growing interest in Japan’s advances in communications. 

The Japanese company in the forefront of this revolution is NTT DoCoMo, the world’s number one mobile telephone company. It launched the “i-mode” that allows wireless connection with Internet – and gained a phenomenal 16 million Japanese subscribers in a year and a half. 

It appears confident that its technology works and is competitively priced, so it is now moving quickly into the global market – signing an accord with Hewlett-Packard to develop and sell broadband technology, entering into strategic alliances with AOL, Hutchinson Whampoa in Hong Kong and KNP in the Netherlands. On Dec. 8, it presented itself as the first global communications company able to transmit quality video images, music and information over the Internet. 

DoCoMo’s sudden foray into the world comes just as the giant of giant chip makers, Intel, suffered severe losses – more than $1 billion – from what it thought would be the “next generation” RDRAM technology. 

But as the Chinese language daily, The World Journal, reported, Taiwan firms are stepping up their “nibbling” at Intel’s dominance. Whereas three years ago the great bulk of chips in PC’s manufactured in East Asia (the world center for PC manufacturing) were from Intel, now over half the chips are non-Intel. 

The global wireless revolution must still overcome a lot of technological hurdles, such as transmission difficulties over uneven terrain. But it seems that Japan Inc. has finally decided to put its staggeringly huge financial resources behind this newest advance into the global markets. 

Japan’s “bubble economy” burst in 1992. The question arises: why didn’t the Japanese rev up their stagnating economy sooner, despite continual urging from the two Clinton administrations? Instead, it kept on selling more bonds and spending more for civil entitlements. Japan’s ratio of public debt to GDP is now 114:100 – the highest in the world. 

Maybe Japan Inc. didn’t move because it recalled looking at a similar situation in the United States in 1994. Clinton came into office in 1993 when the U.S. debt was at heights similar to Japan’s today. The new Clinton administration cut spending, and that helped bring down the debt. But what really reduced the debt was an astonishing surge in Silicon Valley production in 1994, spearheaded by Intel. America became the leader of the global communications revolution. 

Silicon Valley pulled along the entire American economy. It was like one railroad train locomotive pulling a hundred cars up a mountain side. Both the Nasdaq and the Dow market averages soared. 

Now the miraculous freight train is in trouble. 

If the Japanese are right that wireless will triumph over wires in the communications revolution, then it could turn out that Japan will succeed America as the leader.  

And given the astonishing economic strength of China, South Korea and Taiwan, it could be the giant East Asian locomotive that pulls the American economy out of its own slump. 

Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor of University of California at Berkeley, reads the Chinese, Japanese and French press and writes of their coverage for NCMonline.com.

Having crossed the threshold into the (real) new millennium, we can look back at 2000 with a little perspective. In all it wasn’t a year of big changes. While there will be a new faces at the White House, Berkeley citizens voted in, pretty much, the status quo, keeping the balance of power on the council 4-5 in favor of the progressive coalition.  

In 2000, a beautiful new Public Safety Building was completed, but there’s still no good and accessible public meeting space for the City Council and School Board. We’ve been honored with the announcement that more than 90 percent of Berkeley women get prenatal health care, yet we have large numbers of low birth-weight babies in African American families. We talk about streamlining council meetings, but it’s all talk – leaving much to be done in 2001. 

January 

The year 2000 kicked off without the feared Y2K glitches. January saw the fight to unionize the Radisson Hotel move into the courts, where management lost an attempt to restrain workers from union organizing work.  

January also saw the city abandon plans for a saltwater firefighting system – plans which had already cost taxpayers a cool $1.3 million. 

That month Berkeley High students got something rare – formal apologies from the Berkeley Police Department. The BPD had been rounding up students, putting into paddy wagons those who were tardy in their return to class after lunch. 

The first month of the year also saw millionaire landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy arraigned on charges of sexual misconduct and bringing aliens to the country illegally. 

February 

In February, the community was alerted that its superintendent of schools was looking for a new job. He had been in the race for the post in Oakland, but withdrew. Toward the end of the month, the Daily Planet learned that, once again, Superintendent Jack McLaughlin had withdrawn him name from a superintendent’s race – this time the district was Salem, Ore. 

On the bright side of the news, the southeast Berkeley community celebrated a row of Santa Rosa lights that dotted a crosswalk to alert cars to pedestrians crossing Claremont Avenue. 

March 

February and early March saw a number of youth-led marches through the streets of Berkeley, protesting Proposition 21, which would have young people tried as adults. The measure won in the state-wide election, while losing here.  

That month Berkeley teachers and the schools administration came to an impasse in negotiations for a new contract and called for a mediator to step in. 

April 

In the Daily Planet’s April 1 edition, we reported on developer Patrick Kennedy’s public relations blitz for a development on the parking lot at Oxford and Addison streets. At the time, the city had not yet called for proposals on the lot which it owns.  

Also in April, the community living near the new Public Safety Building woke up one morning to find itself staring at a 170-feet high communications tower. They’ve been trying to get rid of it every since. The city’s hired a consultant to help. 

During the first week of the month, a small arson fire was reported at Berkeley High School. The next week, a major fire severely damaged the school’s administration building. 

April also saw the UC Berkeley administration unveil plans for the Underhill Area, which would include a new 1,400-car parking structure, new university offices, a dining commons and new student dorms on the site of the old dining halls. 

May 

May was a good month for the management of Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center. A challenge by Attorney General Bill Lockyer to a lower court ruling on the merger was denied by a federal appeals court judge. The merger was finalized. 

The schools superintendent was job hunting again. On May 10, former Planet editor Rob Cunningham wrote: “Berkeley Schools Superintendent Jack McLaughlin has kept his word – in a manner of speaking. In late February, after withdrawing his name from the list of candidates for a superintendent post in Salem, Ore., McLaughlin said that he wouldn’t pursue jobs in any other district except San Francisco.” The next week, the Planet reported that McLaughlin was edged out of the running for the S.F. post. 

Also in May, KPFA activist Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi was found not guilty having been charged with obstructing or delaying a police officer. Charges stemmed from the previous summer’s demonstrations outside the listener-sponsored radio station.  

In the middle of the month, UC Berkeley law student Rick Young took a sledge hammer to an old car he had brought to the Underhill Parking lot, to protest the university’s plans to develop the lot. Young argued that because the lot was close to campus, it only made sense for the area to be reserved for student housing. Over the summer Young camped out in the lot to make his point, was arrested a number of times and finally had the charges dropped in the fall. 

Not to be outdone by a superintendent in search of greener pastures, City Manager Jim Keene was looking at a post in Tucson, which he accepted in June. 

June 

The school board settled with its teachers for an 11.5 percent wage hike over two years, averting a strike. 

Berkeley made the regional papers when Councilmember Betty Olds called for a ban on cell phones for cyclists. Critical mass cyclists responded with a ride where participants carried mock phones. Olds dropped her resolution. 

A tough academic year at Berkeley High was topped off by a scandal that involved students changing grades at the high school. The principal announced her departure from the school. 

The same month, active residents who live near Memorial Stadium vociferously protested Fox TV’s offer to give the university permanent lights for the stadium. After a number of meetings with the community, the university has not moved ahead with the plan. 

After more than a year’s work on the question, the city approved a “living wage” for most workers whose employers contract with the city. The wage was set at $9.75 per hour plus $1.62 for health benefits. 

July 

In July, students held “movie-ins” at Underhill to protest the University’s development plans. 

August 

In August neighbors of the Oaks Theater got together to protest cell-phone antennas slated to be affixed to the theater. 

In one of the greatest tragedies of the year, a rented house on Martin Luther King Way went up in flames, killing UC Berkeley student Azalea Jusay and her parents. 

Later in August Councilmember Margaret Breland revealed she had breast cancer, but that she would continue to be in the council race. 

September 

In September, the city decided to recycle plastics, ending a years long fight not to do so. 

Also that month, the UC Regents approved the construction of a three-story building on a university-owned lot at Oxford Street and Hearst Avenue. The city and nearby residents opposed the plan. 

October 

In October council approved landmarking the West Berkeley Shellmound over objections by some people who own property in the area. 

November 

In November the city mourned the loss of life-long resident, environmentalist David Brower and planned to name a street and a day to honor him. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board voted down a controversial housing project at 2700 San Pablo Ave. The developer, Patrick Kennedy, had said he would appeal to the council, but, instead, may be revising the plans instead. 

Toward the end of the month, work on the Harrison Street skate park project was halted when chromium 6 was found in ground water that had been drawn into the skate bowls. 

At the end of the month, hundreds of people protested the visit of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When they blocked the entrance to the Community Theater at Berkeley High, the speech was canceled. 

December 

The Radisson Hotel negotiated a contract with its workers. Management called it “win-win.” 

Four Landmarks Preservation Commission Boardmembers, also members of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Alliance, are barred by the city attorney from participating in a LPS vote on a Beth El Synagogue development on which BAHA had made a recommendation. 

The schools superintendent finally found a new job. He’ll be heading the state school system in Nevada. 

The Zoning Adjustment Board approved the environmental report for the Beth El project. 

City Hall still hasn’t opened. Its delays are costing tax payers some $2 million. 

What’s in store for 2001? Perhaps it’s up to all of us to write the plan...

A new state law that will allow mothers the opportunity to anonymously abandon newborns at hospital emergency rooms throughout the state without the threat of prosecution took effect Monday.  

The law, introduced by California Republican Senator Jim Brulte and signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis in September, will allow mothers to legally leave unwanted babies, under 72 hours old, at any private or public hospital emergency room with no questions asked. 

“This is the first of many steps to end baby abandonment,” Brute said in a press release. “Young mothers who are scared and desperate now have a new option to safeguard their babies and give them a place where will be cared for and appreciated.” 

Director of the Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center emergency room, Lani Williams, said the hospital is preparing procedures and protocol in the event a mother should want to leave a newborn in a safe environment. 

Mothers will be able to go to the Emergency Room and turn the child over to a nurse. The mother will then have a choice of providing medical information about the child such as problems during birth or family histories of diseases like asthma or cancer. The mother will then be free to go without the threat of prosecution.  

“Any information the mother chooses to leave will be kept highly confidential,” Williams said. 

Hospital staff will then examine the infant, and if he or she is healthy, staff will turn the baby over to Child Protective Services. 

“This law will allow mothers to relinquish their infants in a safe environment that can be completely anonymous,” Williams said. 

The law also affords the mother a two-week “cooling off” period during which the child would not formally enter the child welfare system. If the mother changes her mind, she will have the opportunity to retrieve the child. 

Texas enacted a similar law in September 1999. In the 15 months since, three mothers have legally abandoned babies according to Texas Child Protective Services spokesperson Marla Sheely.  

“The law gives the baby another chance to be placed with family members or even possibly the mother who may be under a great deal of stress when she decides to abandon,” she said. “In fact, one of the three babies left at a Parker County emergency room is now living with family members.” 

Arnold Perkins, Director of Alameda County Health Services, said the law will offer a humane option to young mothers who may be under a great deal of stress.  

“I think its wonderful that we now have a law that can help a young mother who may be in a panic situation,” he said. “There should also be a counseling component in this law so these mothers are not destroyed by guilt.”

The City of Berkeley is offering its environmentally-conscious citizens a way to get rid of those old holiday trees and trimmings with free composting and extra recycling services. 

Residents who wish to bid farewell to their Christmas trees may simply leave them on their curbside on their regularly-scheduled plant debris pickup days in January, according to the city manager’s office. All trees should be trimmed into five-foot lengths, have their stands and decorations removed and be set outside by 7 a.m. 

There will also be two tree drop-off bins. One will be located at the recycling center on Dwight and Martin Luther King Jr. ways that will be open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The second location is at the city transfer station on 1201 Second St. at Gilman Street; it will be open between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. 

The service is also available to apartment complexes and businesses. Those interested should call (510) 644-8856.

SACRAMENTO – Parents can abandon their newborns in hospitals without facing prosecution and shoppers will pocket a little extra money from a decreased sales tax under two of the hundreds of laws that go into effect on Monday. 

Thousands of Californians will feel the changes when they cash their first paychecks in 2001. Starting Monday, minimum wage earners will get a long-awaited 50 cent raise to $6.25 an hour. The last bump was approved in March 1998. 

Labor groups called the increase one of the most significant laws approved in 2000. The rate is expected to jump another 50 cents on Jan. 1, 2002. 

Consumers also will keep more money at the checkout through a one-quarter percent sales tax cut, which will send $1.2 billion less to state coffers. Governor Gray Davis said the tax cut was possible because of a healthy economy and multibillion dollar budget surplus. 

Californians will save half on vehicle license fees, too. They are the largest part of annual registration costs paid by vehicle owners. 

The new laws also cover topics surrounding racial issues that date back to the 19th century. 

Insurance companies will now have to report if they ever issued slave insurance to slave owners. The new law is aimed at helping academics study what many believe was a precursor to life insurance. Some descendants of slaves say it could pave the way toward financial reparations. 

The law has no punitive effect on insurance companies. It is the first such law in the nation, according to academics and civil rights activists. 

It is also now a misdemeanor to sell or manufacture cheaply made guns, or so-called Saturday night specials. 

Gun control advocates say the law, which passed in 1999, gives California the country’s toughest handgun safety standards. Opponents say it will push cheap gun sales into the black market. 

One of the top corruption scandals of the year also is reflected in a new law. Former Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush resigned this summer amid allegations he used settlement money from Northridge earthquake victims’ insurance companies to further his political career. 

As of Monday, quake victims will have one year to refile their claims. The bill was passed after state studies surfaced indicating claims-handling violations. 

It will become legal for parents of newborn babies to abandon their children at hospitals without fear of criminal prosecution. The law also allows for a 14-day cooling off period, during which time the parents can reclaim the child. 

Topping the list of health-related laws is a provision to allow patients to sue their managed-care plan. The patients must first tell an independent review panel why they think a treatment was denied, delayed or changed. 

A lawsuit may follow if the patient is unsatisfied with the panel’s decision and if the managed-care plan’s decision meant loss of life, loss of body functions, chronic pain, financial loss or disfigurement. 

Rape victims may find solace in a law that will extend the time prosecutors can wait to file charges against sex offenders identified through DNA. The former six-year statute of limitations will be extended to 10 years or within one year of new evidence, whichever is longer. 

Laws to protect consumers who bought faulty new vehicles also go on the books. Car makers will only get two tries to correct safety problems before the vehicle is labeled a lemon and must be bought back. The previous law used to allow up to four fix-it attempts. 

Several new laws also target privacy issues. A new state office will keep track of complaints of privacy violations and distribute information on how to resolve privacy disputes.  

And for those Californians who don’t like new laws, they can now have one of their own: The Local Agency Formation Commissions in each county will collect the names of groups and individuals who financially support secession movements. 

Hundreds of new laws go into effect Monday. Here are a few: 

— MINIMUM WAGE: Minimum wage earners will get a 50 cent raise to $6.25 an hour. The last bump was approved in March 1998. 

— GUNS: It will be a misdemeanor to sell or manufacture cheaply made guns, or so-called Saturday night specials. 

— EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS: Victims of the 1994 Northridge earthquake will have one year to refile their insurance claims. The bill was passed after state studies surfaced indicating claims-handling violations. 

— CHILD ABANDONMENT: Parents of newborn babies will be able to abandon their children at hospitals without fear of criminal prosecution. The law allows for a 14-day cooling off period, during which time the parents can reclaim the child. 

— HMO LAWSUITS: Patients will be able to sue their managed-care plan, after going through an independent review panel. That’s if they think their treatment was denied, delayed or changed and if the managed-care plan’s decision meant loss of life, loss of body functions, chronic pain, financial loss or disfigurement. 

— RAPE: The statute of limitations for rape cases will be extended from six to 10 years or within one year of new evidence, such as DNA matching, whichever is longer.

A local activist will be in Italy next week to protest the Roman Catholic Church’s anti-gay positions. 

Kara Speltz of Oakland will travel to Rome on Monday, where she will join 22 members of Soulforce for four days of nonviolent protests in the Vatican. They hope to be accepted by Pope John Paul II, but realize their chances are slim. 

Soulforce, a network of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics, is joining Dignity/USA, a similar organization, to plan the protests. Most of the participants will be Roman Catholic. 

“My life is my church,” said Speltz, an openly gay Roman Catholic who considers herself very religious. 

The group will visit the Vatican each day Jan. 3-6, bringing gifts. They will walk down the Via della Conciliazione – the Avenue of Reconciliation – and present gifts for orphan children the first day, gifts for people living with AIDS the second day, and gifts for occupants of a battered women’s shelter on the third day. They hope that a priest will bless the gifts before they are delivered to the people in need, a longtime tradition at the Vatican. 

Speltz said on the fourth day the protesters will present themselves as gifts, but are dubious that the Vatican will accept them. 

Earlier this month the Pope met with right-wing Austrian leader Joerg Haider – who many protesters labeled a Nazi – but has not welcomed gay protesters to the Vatican, Speltz said. “It is very hard to see somebody like that welcomed in the Vatican and then they say to us that we are not welcome.” 

The group has already met with police officials in Rome to obtain a permit for a nonviolent protest, but there is a possibility they will be arrested for their protests. 

“It’s not conceivable, but it’s also not something that we are planning on,” Speltz said. 

In November, Soulforce staged a protest of the Catholic Church’s exclusionary policies towards gays in Washington, D.C. More than 250 people gathered and 104 were arrested for blocking a driveway to the National Shrine. 

Speltz has been arrested three times protesting with Soulforce and several other times before that, protesting during the Vietnam War. 

She is comparing this fight to the Vietnam War era, when she protested, but did not “turn her back” on her country. Today she will not turn on the Catholic Church, even if she does not agree with its policies towards gays. 

“I love my church too much to do that,” she said.

A group of property owners is suing the city claiming the landmarking of the West Berkeley Shellmound was “arbitrary and capricious.” 

Attorneys for the property owners filed a petition with Alameda County Superior Court on Dec. 22 calling for the removal of landmark status of the site which is largely developed and paved over. The petition claims the map of the shellmound was improperly measured and that any artifacts once on the site were removed long ago. 

Each of the plaintiffs, the 620 Hearst Group, White West Properties and Richard and Charlene DeVecchi, own property on the landmarked shellmound site and face possible restrictions by the Landmarks Preservation Commission which would review any application to develop or expand existing structures on the site. 

The designated area is a three block site bounded by University and Hearst avenues, I-880 and Fourth Street and includes 620 Hearst Ave. 

Until 800 A.D. Native American shellmounds were common sights around the Bay. They were usually characterized by large mounds of shells that could be as high as 15 feet. The area immediately around shellmounds were the site of daily routines, such as hunting, fishing and cooking. They were also used as burial grounds. 

Among other allegations, the petition charges that “the vast majority of debris and artifacts making up the original shellmound were stripped away and removed between 1853 and 1910 and sold as useful products such as garden fertilizer, chicken feed, grading material and road amendments.” 

The petition also claims the site was further compromised by a 1950 UC archeological dig that excavated over 14,000 cubic yards, which was replaced by “engineered” soil for the purpose of development. 

The UC excavation project discovered 92 human burial sites. 

Stephanie Manning, neighbor of the shellmound and member of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, who wrote the 75-page application for landmarking the shellmound, said it may or may not be true that there are no longer any artifacts at the site. She said that question can only be answered by qualified archeological digs.  

“Besides, even if they find no artifacts or human remains on the site, it does not negate its historical significance,” she said. “This may be the oldest and certainly the largest shellmound in the Bay Area. It was inhabited by Native Americans for over 45 centuries. That’s pretty significant.” 

The DeVecchis and the 620 Hearst Group appealed the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s decision to landmark to the City Council on Mar. 24, claiming that the LPC could only landmark structures and not subsurface areas like the shellmound site. 

The City Council was unmoved by the appeal and voted unanimously to designate the site as a city landmark on Nov. 14. 

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 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the legal and judiciary system.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Commission on the Status of  

Women  

7:45 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

The Mayor’s special study group’s report on domestic violence and plans for international women’s day ceremonies for March, 2001 and other activities for Women’s History Month.  

Thursday, Jan. 4

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. - Noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

Call 869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing) 

Call 848-3696  

Compliled by Chason Wainwright

Kids should eat lunch on campus 

Editor: 

Why doesn’t Berkeley High have food vendors or a cafeteria on campus?  If it’s because downtown business needs the sales, let them sell their food on campus. Berkeley High saw fit to spend millions on a new sports track but nothing on the basic necessity for a lunch program or cafeteria. Why must the Berkeley High School students be turned loose at lunchtime onto the streets of downtown Berkeley to disrupt and intimidate other citizens?  

The Berkeley High students roam downtown in large groups and will not yield to other pedestrians. They behave in a very aggressive manner: shouting, swearing, and spitting. I have been shoved off the sidewalk many times and seen it happen to many other pedestrians, especially the elderly. I have seen a half a dozen fist fights among the students downtown in the last year.  

Where is the supervision? For that matter I see large numbers of Berkeley High kids downtown all day long. I know of no other city that allows such behavior to be subjected upon it’s shopping district on a daily basis.  

I will not go to downtown Berkeley anymore on weekdays, it’s too threatening to be confronted by swarms of uncontrolled groups of rude hostile teenagers.  

Jay Wagner  

Berkeley 

All season, the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team has been able to overcome its shortcomings: lack of height and little inside game. Among the Yellowjackets’ victories this season were an opponent with a 6-foot-11 center and a 6-foot-9 center. But Friday against powerful Oakland Tech, a bigger team finally solved the Berkeley defensive system. 

Using big guards to throw the ball over the top of the Berkeley full-court press, the Bulldogs (10-1) had little trouble getting the ball up the court. Once in a half-court set, they fed their twin big men, 6-foot-9 DeMarshay Johnson and 6-foot-7 Leon Rowe, for easy baskets in the paint, leading to a 74-58 Oakland Tech win. 

Rowe was instrumental in getting the Bulldogs an early lead, as he poured in 13 first-quarter points on his way to a 26-point game. 

“Leon Rowe is a tremendous force, and you have to defend him with your whole team,” Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani said after the game. “It’s not fair to have one guy guard him.” 

The ’Jackets (8-5), on the other hand, started ice-cold, missing their first six shots. But senior wingman Louis Riordan hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, and Berkeley trailed just 18-14 at the end of the first quarter, despite the offensive avalanche by Rowe, who is just a sophomore. 

Berkeley got within a point of the Bulldogs at 20-19 with five minutes left in the first half, but they couldn’t tie the score, and the visitors pulled away slowly behind three straight buckets by point guard Kenneth Moore, who finished with 11 points. The Oakland Tech lead was 11 by halftime, and the ’Jackets wouldn’t get closer than nine points for the rest of the game. 

Part of the reason for the defeat was a poor shooting day by nearly every Berkeley player. Point guard Ryan Davis was just 3-of-12 from the floor, forward Ramone Reed hit just two of his seven shots, and the team combined to shoot 26-71 on the night. 

“We had good transition opportunities, but for some reason we pulled away from them,” Gragnani said. “We just weren’t aggressive with the ball.” 

Gragnani’s players had ample reason to avoid going inside, as Rowe had five blocks, including three within two minutes of the second quarter. After that impressive burst, the Berkeley players mostly settled for jumpers from the outside, safely away from Rowe’s and Johnson’s reaches. 

The one exception was guard Byron St. Jules. Usually noted for his tenacious defense, St. Jules wasn’t afraid to take the ball among the tall trees, hitting several layups over and around the Bulldog big men on his way to scoring 20 points. 

“B.J. was the one bright spot,” Gragnani said. “He played great, and he wasn’t affected by the big guys.” 

Berkeley now heads into league play, and the coach said he scheduled a tough game on purpose. 

“I felt this would be a good test to see where we are,” he said. “Obviously we’ve got some things to work on, but we’ll bounce back from this.” 

“I tell my players that a basketball season is like war. I’m comfortable going to war with these guys.”

Hepatitis threatens to become the next major epidemic in the United States. This dire warning comes from a source quite close to home, the 1999 Berkeley Health Status Report, authored by the city’s Health Department. 

But thus far no funding has been dedicated to education about the disease, and hepatitis C coordinators in Berkeley and Alameda County are patching programs together, seemingly out of thin air. 

Susan Black, the hepatitis C program coordinator for Alameda County, runs what she joked is “the lack of a program.” There are 28,000 people diagnosed with hepatitis C in Alameda County. According to Black, the disease is chronic for 23,000 among them and between 1,200 and 1,400 of these people will develop cirrhosis of the liver.  

The 1999 health study showed 102 cases of hepatitis C for 1998 in Berkeley, making it the second most prevalent communicable disease after chlamydia.  

“I think that what’s really crucial in that whole set of numbers,” said Black, “is that the government estimates that 75 percent of people infected don’t know.”  

Not knowing, she said, makes the risk of infecting others higher, and also means that people wait until the disease has progressed before beginning to take steps to limit its effects.  

Hepatitis C is transmitted through exposure to blood; its primary modes of transmission are from needle-sharing and, before blood was tested, from blood transfusions. The C virus is rarely transmitted sexually, unlike the hepatitis B virus. Blea said that in Berkeley they haven’t seen any cases of hepatitis C that were sexually transmitted. 

Former Assemblymember Audie Bock introduced legislation to fund hepatitis C programs, but the funding bill failed. 

“Part of what we heard is that there is not a very positive reception among the legislators to the problems of hepatitis C,” said Black. “Which is not surprising because hepatitis C is affecting the underdog population, an easy group of people to ignore.” Most new contractions of hepatitis C are transmitted through needle-sharing. Black said this leads people to see it as a “junkie” disease.  

Another problem with seeking funds, is the lack of treatment options. Currently a combination of drugs can be used to help treat the disease, but the patient has to be extremely stable due to the depression-inducing side effects. Lack of treatment may make the government hesitate to provide funds for education, which will increase the demand for testing. New testing demands will force the government to provide funds to test for a disease that legislators may perceive the medical community can’t do anything about. 

But testing is extremely important, said Blea. People who are positive can make important lifestyle changes to impact their health. “Anything that stresses the liver out can be very significant,” he said. This includes both alcohol use and stress. 

Blea said that about half the people the Berkeley program tests at its needle exchange and HIV prevention site are infected with the virus. This is still less than the 90 percent who test positive in the county testing project for high risk people.  

“What we have found is people who have shared needles any time from the 60’s on are at very high risk even if they stopped 20 years ago,” she said. “It’s a very efficient virus.” 

Catherine Swanson co-coordinates a hepatitis C education project at the Berkeley Free Clinic. She added that “hepatitis C can be transmitted through snorting drugs and sharing snorting equipment. People don’t get it. People are pretty clear from the past ten years that sharing needles is dangerous but they don’t realize that sharing straws is dangerous.” 

And, she added, “a lot more people snort than shoot up.”  

Hepatitis C can take between 10 and 20 years, before beginning to cause symptoms including jaundice, fatigue, and liver failure. The long dormant period helps explain the fact that the vast majority of Berkeley residents with hepatitis C are over the age of 30, and over half of them are 45 years old or older, said LeRoy Blea, AIDS director for Berkeley.  

Prior to 1992 blood wasn’t tested. Anyone who received a transfusion before that time may be at risk, said Blea. 

One particular group at high risk for hepatitis C are Vietnam veterans, because of the amount of needle use during the war, and transfusions that took place prior to blood screening. “It was a very bloody war,” said Black. 

In Berkeley, the hepatitis program targets syringe exchange sites, and STD and HIV clinics.  

Although they have no special funds for hepatitis C, public health nurses and community health outreach workers got together to learn about the virus so they could include information in their regular work. The manufacturer of a hepatitis C screening test donated free tests, and Blea got permission to use the HIV counselors to counsel hepatitis C positive people as well. But limited resources means only people who have shared injection needles can get screened without cost. Educators agree, eventually money must come from somewhere. 

But Black hopes that the money won’t be diverted from other important health projects. 

“One of the problems is people talk about using HIV funding,” she said. “It shouldn’t be this disease against that disease, it’s not the same disease, it’s not the exact same population, and it needs its own funding.” 

She wants funding for education and for screening. Otherwise, she said, “In another five years we’re going to have a huge bill for hospice care and all the problems that go with debilitating illness. If we pay later the price is going to be much higher.” 

It wasn’t easy, but California overcame a halftime deficit to beat Yale 76-62 in the first round of the Golden Bear Classic Friday night in Haas Pavilion. 

Senior forward Sean Lampley scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the second half as the Golden Bears fought back after trailing by four points at halftime. They improved their season record to 7-3 with their sixth consecutive victory. 

“I think we came out a little lax,” Lampley said. “I think we expected just to win probably because of their record or what league they are from. I knew from the get go that any team needs to prepare for any game the same way.” 

California, a heavy favorite going into the game, was outshot and outrebounded by Yale in the first half. The Golden Bears led by as much as seven late in the first half before the Bulldogs nailed three-pointers on three of their last four possessions.  

The Bulldogs now have a three-game losing streak and their season record fell to 2-7 with the loss. 

Yale kept the score close throughout the first half with strong shooting, especially beyond the arc. The team made 45 percent of its shots and 62 percent of its three-point field goals in the first half. However, as they failed to make shots in the second, Cal pulled away. 

“We didn’t have the effort in the first half,” said junior forward Ryan Forehan-Kelly, who finished with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. “In the second half we came out harder and tried to get every loose ball and every rebound.” 

In the second half the Bears made 60 percent of their shots and forced nine Yale turnovers. They caught up early in the half and regained the lead, 43-42, with 16 minutes and 27 seconds left in the game. After senior center Neil Yanke scored on the Bulldogs’ next possession, Cal guard Brian Wethers converted on a layup to take a lead the Golden Bears would not give up for the remainder of the game. 

“In the second half we played better, but we still weren’t playing up to our capabilities,” Lampley said.  

Cal began to pull away late in the game when Forehan-Kelly made his fifth three pointer of the game with 4:17 left on the clock to go ahead 68-15. 

“We gave them a little trouble for a little while,” Yale coach James Jones said. “I thought what the difference was they kind of stepped it up on the offensive glass.” 

The Bears outrebounded the Bulldogs 17-10 in the second half. 

Junior center Solomon Hughes scored 11 points for the Bears and Wethers added 10. Chris Leanza led Yale with 20 points and six assists. 

The Golden Bears, looking to win their fourth Golden Bear Classic in the last five years, host 6-4 LaSalle Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the championship game. LaSalle beat Lafayette 81-78.

Esau Baxter got lucky this holiday period. His sister picked him up and took him to spend Christmas in Vallejo. For New Year’s luck has found him again – he’ll be spending Monday at the men’s shelter at the Veteran’s Memorial Building. 

Usually, Baxter sleeps outside, even though lately the weather has been so cold that he’s been waking up at about 3 a.m. He walks around, gets his blood circulating, and then can’t get back to sleep because of the chilly air. 

During the cold and rainy winter months the shelters serving Berkeley’s homeless can often be filled to capacity. This year the shelters have had regular rooms available, with up to five spots available for a new occupant each day. 

The opening of the Oakland Army Base with an extra 100 beds for the winter season has taken some of the pressure off the Berkeley shelters, and the weather has been another boon to those without a regular roof.  

The clear skies make it possible for people to stay outdoors, said Terry Kalahar, case manager for the Berkeley Emergency Food and Housing Project. And the outdoors can be preferable. 

“Most of our clients prefer sleeping outside,” said Leanell Austin, resource counselor for the Berkeley project. “Some of them are claustrophobic or have other issues,” she said, “so we try to give out sleeping bags.” 

Sleeping outside, said Kalahar, means “less tension, no rules. They want to do their own thing.”  

“Around this time we have a lot of them that feel the holidays are depressing,” said Austin. “This is sometimes a bad time for our clients.” 

This holiday season enough beds have been available so that people have been able to secure a space by calling one or two days in advance. Once someone has a bed, that person can keep it for 30 days. If someone spends more than two days outside, the person loses the bed to the next caller. But each client gets extra days to spend out of the shelter for the holi- days. People often take off for the weekends, said Kalahar, and the shelter may have five or six beds open on a Monday and then fill up by the end of the week. 

Baxter calls the Veteran Center shelter the “Cadillac of shelters,” because, he said, “It’s as comfortable as you can be in a shelter. You sleep in a bed, and they give you breakfast.” Also important, he said, was that the leave time is 7 am, unlike many shelters where sleepers must be woken up and out by 5 a.m. They then have to come back and get in line for breakfast at 9:30 a.m.  

Baxter, who has been homeless for two years, takes off his wire framed glasses when speaking about the difficulties of his situation. “It’s a struggle. You’re up a lot of hours and you’re on your feet.” Usually, he said, the shelter opens during the day so people can go in, take a shower, and drink a cup of coffee. When shelters don’t open during the daytime, he said, you have to spend the whole time outdoors, “where you can get into some mess.” 

Monday the shelter was closed during the day, so people who are sleeping outside won’t get the opportunity to get inside for a while. Which led Baxter to conclude that his best bet was to get a room that night. Eventually, he hopes to think beyond night by night dwelling, and find a permanent place, probably by using a roommate service to alleviate cost. 

“A lot of us don’t want to do that,” he said, “but hey, we’ve been living in shelters.”

Police officers and firefighters try to get to the bottom of a hit and run car accident at the notorious intersection of University Ave. and Shattuck Ave. The car pictured, a red 1988 Nissan DX, and the other car involved, described by police as an older model grey Ford Mustang, collided head-on in the intersection. The Mustang’s driver pulled over momentarily, then sped away from the scene.

Berkeley’s Meals on Wheels representatives are thanking Bay Area volunteers for their help over the holidays, and reminding them that the elderly are in need of help all year. 

The Portable Meals Program, which brings hot meals to people 60 years and over in the Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville area, is seeking weekday help between 9 and 11 a.m. for packaging meals and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for delivery. A typical delivery route takes between 45 and 75 minutes. 

Those seeking more information or to volunteer their services can call (510) 644-8590.

EL CENTRO – A veteran agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration has been sentenced to a year in jail for attempting to hire one of his informants to run over his wife with a car. 

As part of a plea agreement, Jonas Raymond Montalvo, 44, was also sentenced Thursday in Imperial County Superior Court to six months of electronic monitoring and five years probation. 

Montalvo pleaded guilty Dec. 18 to solicitation to commit assault with a deadly weapon, said Joe Beard, an assistant district attorney in Imperial County, a rural area along the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California. 

“Given the odd nature of the case, I think it was an appropriate sentence,” Beard said. 

Montalvo, who suspected his wife of infidelity, was taped by federal investigators hiring one of his informants from previous cases to run over his wife. In exchange, the agent agreed to buy the informant a $20,000 Ducati motorcycle, Beard said. 

But the prosecutor said it would have been difficult to establish for a jury that Montalvo wanted to kill his wife and hadn’t been influenced by the confidential informant, who cooperated with federal investigators and taped his conversations with the agent. 

Montalvo, who had been on administrative leave without pay from the DEA, will resign from the agency within a few days, said his lawyer, Chris Yturralde. The agent is expected to be released from jail in April with credit for time served since his arrest in September. 

“He’s going to try and rebuild his life,” Yturralde said. 

The agent worked for the DEA since 1988, investigating the activities of drug cartels based nearby in Baja California, Mexico. He held a supervisory position in the agency’s El Centro office.

SACRAMENTO – A 26-year-old Roseville woman accused of abandoning a newborn daughter in November also faces charges that she abandoned a newborn son nearly two years ago, officials said. 

Placer County District Attorney Bradford R. Fenocchio filed criminal charges Thursday against Stephanie Anne Winship for leaving “Baby Autumn” outside a Roseville hospital Nov. 24. 

She faces a felony count of child abandonment and misdemeanor child endangerment in Placer County in that case. 

Winship is also believed to be the mother of a baby boy found on the front steps of a Sacramento County home two years ago. She is under investigation by Sacramento County authorities for the unsolved January 1999 “Baby Jonathan” case. 

“We believe there is sufficient information for filing a criminal complaint against (Stephanie) Winship,” said Lt. John McGinness, Sacramento County sheriff’s spokesman. 

A person who answered the phone at the Winship home, as well as her lawyer, declined to comment on the charges. 

The mother’s identity remained a mystery until Roseville police received an anonymous tip two weeks ago, Detective Charles Veilleux said. 

Winship, who is married, concealed the latest pregnancy from her husband, family and friends, police said. 

Kevin Burdick, Winship’s court-appointed lawyer, declined to offer any details about her situation or potential defense. 

“I haven’t been able to talk to her in depth myself at this point,” Burdick said. “I don’t have the police report. I don’t even have the information that it’s been established that this baby is her baby. I want her side, eventually, to come out, and it will come out. But today is not the right time.” 

On Jan. 22, 1999, William E. Spoonemore, 80, who lived across the street from Winship, found a newborn boy wrapped in a blue towel. 

The infant was rushed to the hospital and released days later to an emergency foster home. Baby Jonathan was later adopted by a family that wishes to remain anonymous. 

“The good news is both children appear to be doing well physically and with the love and nurturing of good, supportive families, will continue to do so,” McGinness said. 

McGinness said the case will soon be referred to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. 

“Baby Autumn” was found about six weeks before a new state law takes effect that allows parents to leave their newborns inside hospitals without being prosecuted.  

The law also provides for a two-week cooling off period to give a parent an opportunity to retrieve a baby previously left at a hospital. 

But the law doesn’t go into effect until Monday.

SACRAMENTO – If it weren’t for Mrs. Rutherford and the sheep, Kerry Mazzoni probably wouldn’t be advising the governor of California about education. 

Mrs. Rutherford was Mazzoni’s sixth-grade teacher at Oxford Elementary School in Berkeley. She taught students a lesson about democracy that Mazzoni says kept her from cutting short a career in state education policy. 

Though Mazzoni hasn’t worked in the classroom, she says teachers such as Mrs. Rutherford have been so important in her life that “education was a natural.” 

Mazzoni is now Gov. Gray Davis’ new education secretary. She started the job this month after six years in the Assembly, four chairing the Education Committee. 

Davis has made education the top priority in his first two years, pushing through new high school testing and a system of rankings, rewards and sanctions for test results. 

Mazzoni now becomes the governor’s main education spokeswoman, a position separate from the elected state school superintendent, Delaine Eastin. She runs the Department of Education. 

Davis won’t announce his education proposals for 2001 until early January. Mazzoni says the biggest needs still facing public education are qualified teachers, modern buildings and sufficient help for poor and limited-English children. 

Mazzoni is still settling into her new office. During an interview, she apologized for the bare walls, saying she would soon put up some of her favorite children’s art. 

Her family is the source of her education interest. 

Her father was vice principal and principal of Novato High School, from which she, her former husband and their two children all graduated. Her mother had an elementary teaching credential, but stayed at home to raise the kids. Her maternal grandmother taught first and second grades. 

“Always, the topic of public education was foremost in my home,” she recalls. 

After graduating from the University of California, Davis, Mazzoni worked for a short time in child care and Head Start programs for the Vallejo Unified School District. She and her husband started their family and she soon became a PTA mom. 

In 1987, Mazzoni won a seat on the Novato Unified School District board, where she served seven years. She says she first ran because the district was not creating enough choices for parents. 

“My desire was to have a system in which principals and parents and teachers would look at a child and say, ’Well, I think this program is best for this particular child,”’ Mazzoni says. “That hasn’t happened in California as it relates to public school choice.” 

This was before California’s 1993 charter school law allowed communities to create schools free of most state regulations, a policy Mazzoni supports. 

Fellow Novato board member Jeff McAlpin says he and Mazzoni differ politically — he’s more conservative — but agree that the state’s education standards should be rigorous. 

“I look for her leadership in this position,” he says. “If she can push and drag some people along, the state will be better for it.” 

McAlpin said California’s 1993 voucher initiative prompted Mazzoni to consider state government. She chaired the Marin County committee opposing the voucher initiative, which was defeated. 

“The more she got into it, the more involved she got,” McAlpin says. “That really kindled her interest in the broader view of state issues.” 

In 1994, Mazzoni decided to challenge the Democrat holding the Assembly seat that includes Marin and southern Sonoma counties. 

Incumbent Vivien Bronshvag had compiled a dubious record of speeding tickets and little else — Mazzoni and other local Democrats feared a GOP challenger would win the seat. With the fund-raising advantage of incumbency, Bronshvag hugely outspent Mazzoni. 

“I was pressured to get out of the race,” she says. 

That’s where she turned to the lesson taught by the late Mrs. Rutherford. 

The teacher secretly asked a popular girl to circulate a petition that the girl said would help Mrs. Rutherford. The students eagerly signed without reading it. Mrs. Rutherford then wrote the word “SHEEP” on the blackboard, saying that’s what the students were. The petition would have made things more difficult for the teacher. 

Her point: a citizen’s signature and vote are all-important. 

“I always had Mrs. Rutherford’s voice in the back of my mind,” says Mazzoni. “I refused to get out of the race.” 

She won the primary by 900 votes and went on to defeat her Republican opponent. 

Assembly Minority Leader Bill Campbell, who was vice chairman of Mazzoni’s Education Committee, says he liked how she required legislation to include a report on whether a proposed program really worked. 

“I have a very high regard for Kerry Mazzoni,” says Campbell, R-Villa Park. “She was fair and knowledgeable.” 

School groups also applaud Mazzoni’s selection. 

Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, also cites her experience in local and state education policy. 

“She’s on the right side of the issues,” Johnson says. “So we’re really happy with the appointment.”

Utilities could exercise power of eminent domain, regulator says 

SAN FRANCISCO – Utilities should buy back the power plants they sold to out-of-state wholesalers to bring soaring power costs back to earth, a regulator said Friday at the emergency public hearings on California’s energy crisis. 

“I really think the utilities are going to have to exercise their powers of eminent domain and take back the plants,” said Jason Zeller from the state Office of Ratepayer Advocates. 

The utilities, which were required to sell the plants in the switch to a deregulated energy market, dismissed the notion as unfeasible. 

Aside from the political and legal hurdles, the utilities can’t afford to pay fair market value for the plants, said Christopher Warner, chief counsel for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. 

“PG&E can not raise money any other way” than through rate increases, Warner said repeatedly at Friday’s hearing before the state Public Utilities Commission, which will vote Jan. 4 on raising electric rates. 

Gov. Gray Davis, whose appointees will have a majority on the commission as of next week, hasn’t taken a position on the buy-back idea, his spokesman, Steve Maviglio, said Friday. 

Consumer advocates suggested getting the money by selling stock, liquidating assets, or getting loans from the utilities’ parent corporations, which have combined assets $71.8 billion. 

Warner said none of these alternatives are realistic, and wouldn’t help maintain the utilities credit-worthiness, which is essential for buying power on borrowed money. 

Consumer advocates and utility officials agreed on at least one thing Friday: Raising electric bills for 25 million Californians will only be a temporary fix for the state’s energy crisis. 

Sharply higher bills would give the state’s largest investor-owned utilities enough borrowing power to put off bankruptcy and possible blackouts for a few more months. But utilities will still hemhorrhage money buying energy from out-of-state producers demanding unprecedented prices. 

“I think the generating community just sees California as a bank,” said Zeller. “And until somebody says, ’That’s enough,’ they’ll continue to do so.” 

PG&E and Southern California Edison have lost $9 billion and counting buying energy this year from wholesalers who have taken advantage of flaws in California’s partially deregulated energy market. 

PG&E officials told the PUC Friday that the 26 percent rate hike they want would only give them 5 percent of they’ll need from January to March to settle its deficit. 

SoCal Edison, which wants an immediate 30 percent hike, says its finances are similarly dire — and that it will need to raise rates by as much as 76 percent over the next two years. 

“PG&E needs enough cash and enough certainty that procurement costs will be recoverable,” PG&E lawyer Chris Warner told the commissioners. 

The PUC has said some rate hikes are necessary, but Davis reportedly drew the line at 10 percent in private negotiations with the utilities. 

Anyone thinking rate hikes are the answer should consider the case of San Diego Gas and Electric Co., which was allowed to raise rates this summer after selling off its energy plants, completing its transition to deregulation. 

Even though bills doubled and in some cases tripled for its 1.2 million customers, SDG&E President Debra Reed told the PUC that soaring wholesale prices mean its projected $420 million debt will grow substantially, putting it in the same situation as PG&E and SoCal Edison. 

All sides are hoping for federal intervention, and are waiting to see what the Bush administration will do. So far, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has declined to do anything that could be seen as derailing deregulation, and by all accounts, Bush isn’t likely to push price controls or dramatically intervene in California’s power problems. 

FERC has until Jan. 2 to respond to a SoCal Edison federal lawsuit that would force FERC to impose regional price caps on energy wholesalers. PG&E is preparing a similar suit. 

Meanwhile, rate hikes will enable the utilities to continue borrowing to buy power. Fifteen to 20 wholesalers have said they will no longer sell gas to PG&E because of its poor financial situation, and are only doing so now under federal order. 

“It is the cumulative effect of these (rate increases) that will give us the ability to borrow money,” said Walter Campbell, PG&E’s director of business and financial planning. 

According to documents made public at the PUC hearings, SoCal Edison has asked for rate hikes of 5 percent each six months for the next two years. These increases would kick in if SoCal Edison loses another $1 billion in the next six months — should the company make money, it would have to cut rates by 5 percent. 

If SoCal Edison continues to lose money over the two-year span, electricity prices could increase a total of 76 percent. 

Consumer advocates questioned utility executives sharply during the PUC hearing about what PG&E and SoCal Edison might have done to avoid getting into this financial mess. In particular, they noted the $115 million in dividends PG&E issued to shareholders in June. 

Walter said the payments were made to avoid injuring investor confidence, and that at any rate, they were inconsequential to the energy crisis, since it would have bought only a week’s worth of electricity.

Utility companies shut down power for first time in years 

SAN DIEGO – Rockview Dairies Inc. had a sweet deal on electricity. But it started to spoil in the heat of summer as the first wave of power shortages began to hit California. 

Rockview, a milk bottler in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, was one of about 1,000 companies that agreed to cut or reduce power use when state supplies fell below a certain limit in exchange for discounted rates from Southern California Edison. 

For seven years, the bottler saved $50,000 annually as Edison rarely asked for cutbacks. Last year, however, the company lost thousands of dollars in productivity as the utility, struggling to meet demand, told them to shut down for four hours more than a dozen times. 

“It’s become a real burden to me,” said Amos DeGroot, president of the family owned business that includes the Trader Joe’s food store chain among its customers. 

Hundreds of other businesses around the state are feeling the same burden and are now watching closely as the Public Utilities Commission tries to reshape the so-called interruptible service program, which granted discounts up to 20 percent in exchange for potential service cuts. 

A wave of businesses petitioned the PUC to get out of their contracts last year after being hit time and again with requests to curtail power use. The commission, fearing more stress on the statewide power grid if it couldn’t ask them for cutbacks, suspended the ability of customers to leave the program until March 31. 

In February, the PUC is expected to release new guidelines for the program, possibly providing new incentives for participants. Given California’s ongoing power-supply crunch, there’s no guarantee regulators will allow those large commercial users to return immediately to normal service, commission spokeswoman Kyle DeVine said. 

“We need these customers to remain in that interruptible program so we can keep the lights on for other people,” DeVine said. 

That could set up a conflict between businesses and the PUC because no amount of new incentives will satisfy some customers in the program, said Jim Conlan, vice president of governmental affairs for the California Small Business Association. 

“If you’re a manufacturer running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you can’t afford even a blip in your power,” Conlan said. 

Meanwhile, companies are struggling with the shutdowns. An Oxnard bakery with 130 employees reported it loses $5,000 in wages and lost production for the first hour without power and another $3,000 for each additional one. 

A business that can’t cut its power use faces a steep fee. Edison increases the rate to $7 to $9 per kilowatt hour, up from 5 cents to 8 cents per kilowatt hour for businesses in the program. 

“Clearly, this level of interruption is very difficult for customers,” said Linda Ziegler, director of business and regulator planning for Southern California Edison, which supports allowing customers to exit the program or alter their agreements. 

In addition to the roughly 1,000 businesses in the Edison program, San Diego Gas and Electric offers it to about 120 customers, and Pacific Gas and Electric has 168. Until the PUC’s decision last fall, participants could opt out each November. 

Despite the problems, companies have reaped major benefits from the program. The PUC estimates the discounts have totaled at least $2 billion statewide since 1986. 

Given that history, some companies are likely to remain as interruptible customers. Rockview Dairies, which paid $170,000 to buy an emergency generator last month, probably will stay now that it has an independent source of power, DeGroot said. 

Even with the money for the generator and lost productivity, the company’s owner still feels he’s probably coming out ahead. 

“I’m not complaining because this did save me a lot of money,” he said. “It was my risk, and I took it.”

SAN FRANCISCO – California’s ban barring certain inmates from conjugal visits will stick, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. 

Based on security concerns, a 1995 law excluded conjugal visits from prisoners convicted of sex crimes, crimes carrying life sentences or violent crimes against family members or minors. 

A group of inmates and their loved ones challenged that rule, which does not affect other prisoners. They claimed it was an added penalty, which violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on imposing new punishment for crimes already committed. 

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed with the appeal.  

In 1998, a different three-judge panel of the same circuit ruled that changes in conjugal visitation eligibility did not violate the 8th Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. 

For three decades, inmates with good prison records have been granted almost unsupervised overnight visits with loved ones in prison cottages. Prisoner rights groups say conjugal visits foster good prison behavior.

DUI cases thrown out, but prosecutors are still concerned 

HONOLULU – There are no waiters or waitresses at Hale Noa, a quiet cafe just off the main drag of Waikiki where the South Pacific elixir kava is the only brew served. 

Owner Keoni Verity makes his patrons belly up to the bar for bowls of the muddy-tasting drink. That way, he can see if they’re still walking straight after their third, fourth or fifth refill. 

“If they sit at a table and order many drinks without ever getting up, they sometimes don’t realize how the ‘awa is affecting them,” Verity said. 

The herbal root known as “awa” to Hawaiians, and kava throughout much of the South Pacific, is billed as a natural treatment for anxiety and insomnia. 

But prosecutors on the mainland and in Hawaii are concerned kava may be too relaxing for those drive after drinking it. 

Northern California has seen two such cases this year. 

This month, a San Mateo County judge tossed out a DUI case involving a man accused of drinking 23 cups of kava tea before climbing behind the wheel. Sione Olive was pulled over after weaving onto a highway shoulder. A similar case against a kava tea drinker from San Bruno ended in a mistrial earlier this year after jurors found not enough was known about the tea’s effects. 

The cases are believed to be the only of their kind in California, and among the first nationwide. 

Tea made from powdered kava root has long been used in cultural and religious ceremonies by immigrants from Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and other South Pacific Islands, as well as by Hawaiians. 

Now, with its reputation as a natural alternative to muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety medicine, kava capsules, tablets and liquid are among the top-selling herbal remedies in the United States. 

Kava is not an illegal narcotic under Hawaii law and there is no identifiable movement to ban the substance, according to Keith Kamita, administrator of the state Narcotics Enforcement Division. 

But with kava bars proliferating here and on the mainland, Kamita said law enforcement officials are increasingly concerned about kava-influenced drivers. 

“Kava does have a sedating effect, especially when taken in the raw form from the root, and may cause a person to fall asleep while on the road or act as if they are intoxicated similar to as if they are on liquor,” Kamita said. 

Verity, 31, who opened Honolulu’s first kava bar last year, said the effects are generally the same for his patrons. They include college students, tourists and blue and white collar workers, many of them former South Pacific residents. 

”‘Awa in general relaxes and soothes and creates a mild sense of euphoria and expansion, and you can kind of see that in the way people slow down a little bit both in their movement and their speech,” he said. “People just generally get more mellow.” 

The flavor is “rather earthy,” he said. “Some describe it as being somewhat bitter.” 

Prices start at $3.50 a bowl. Sweeter varieties, made from wet rather than dried grounds, cost more. 

Hawaii law doesn’t explicitly ban driving while under the influence of kava, Honolulu Deputy Prosecutor David Sandler said. And Hawaii is not one of roughly 40 states that ban any substance impairing a person’s ability to drive, he said. 

Bills that would add Hawaii to that list of states have died in the Legislature in the past two years, Sandler said. 

“If you abuse kava, it’s the same thing as abusing alcohol,” he said. “The difference is in Hawaii we can’t prosecute it.” 

Sandler said he didn’t know of any specific cases of drivers getting into trouble after drinking kava. But he said it’s hard for police to gauge the extent of the problem because kava is not among the substances authorities test for when a driver is pulled over. 

“There have been times where we’ve had negative test results and we’ve wondered what the person was on,” Sandler said. 

Verity said the problem can be solved with public education and sound policies kava serving establishments. He said he does not serve anyone under age 20 and asks customers if they plan to drive. 

“One of the first things we do is caution against driving,” he said.

Environmentalists worry as Norton proposes increased business access 

DENVER – Gale Norton remembers growing up in Colorado, hiking with her dog, watching elk in a grove of aspen trees and contemplating eternity gazing at jagged mountain peaks. 

When she looks at those resources now, President-elect Bush’s Interior Secretary nominee says she also sees an opportunity to make better use of the two-thirds of the nation’s lands in federal hands, and that includes business access. 

Environmentalists concede she knows her stuff and they worry about her priorities. While serving as Colorado’s first female attorney general, Norton made it clear in 1998 she favored a change in federal law that would allow polluters to avoid legal trouble if they turned themselves in and cleaned up the mess. 

“Companies are more likely to find out if they have environmental problems if there’s some hope regulators will work with them,” she said. 

She also went up against the federal government, opposing the U.S. Forest Service in its attempt to take over private and state water rights for bypass flows. 

During her eight years as attorney general, she gained a reputation for being tough as nails on crime, promoting changes to shorten death penalty appeals. 

Born in Wichita, Kan., the 46-year-old lawyer cut her teeth on environmental issues, going to work for James Watt at a Denver legal foundation before Watt went on to become President Reagan’s Interior secretary. 

In 1984, she went to Washington, where she worked as assistant to the deputy secretary in the Agriculture Department, and in 1985, she became assistant solicitor for conservation and wildlife at the Interior Department, where she worked to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. That became a key promise from Bush while running for president, and he refused to back away from it. 

In 1990, Norton beat Colorado Attorney General Duane Woodard and won re-election in 1994. 

A failed bid for the U.S. Senate in 1996 taught her a lesson about politics. She kept her day job while campaigning and went on to finish her term as attorney general. 

During the campaign, Norton’s pro-abortion views became an issue between her and Wayne Allard, who won the election. 

She also claimed that she could “bring the Reagan Democrats and independent voters home for a Republican victory,” but fell short. She said the “Reagan Revolution” was hobbled after the GOP lost the Senate in the 1986 elections. 

Norton said the loss of a sister to leukemia “taught me that we can never count on a second chance. There may never be another time to do what is important.” 

While serving as an adviser on growth issues to former Gov. Roy Romer, Norton urged the state to be careful about trying to direct growth, one of the major debates raging now over land-use policies. 

“I don’t think that the state or any government guesses particularly well in the long run. I am very reluctant to see state government get involved in directing where and how growth will take place,” Norton said in 1995. 

Environmentalists say Norton was not very aggressive on environmental issues and too willing to rely on local control and voluntary compliance. With disputes over air quality, oil drilling and other issues on the horizon, many of them are worried. 

“This is going to be a challenge for her, especially since she favors free market and local control solutions,” said Susan LeFever, spokeswoman for the Colorado chapter of the Sierra Club.

SAN FRANCISCO – Arizona’s ban on fetal tissue research was ruled unconstitutional Friday by a federal appeals court, wiping out the nation’s last surviving ban on such practices. 

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 1984 Arizona statute was too vague for doctors to know what type of medical experimentation or scientific investigation on aborted fetuses was illegal. The judges followed decisions overturning similar laws in Utah, Louisiana and Illinois. 

“Individuals must be given a reasonable opportunity to discern whether their conduct is proscribed so they can choose whether or not to comply with the law,” Judge Mary M. Schroeder wrote for the court. 

Research on aborted fetuses has been growing in controversy since 1993, when a ban was lifted on federal money used to study them. 

The University of Nebraska, Columbia University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Rochester University and others have studied aborted fetuses. 

Anti-abortion groups claim such research is unethical and provides justification for abortions. Researchers, however, hope to find ways of preventing brain injuries through studying fetal tissue, which may help regenerate tissue damaged by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

Arizona’s law was challenged by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Law and Policy in 1996 on behalf of four Parkinson’s disease patients. Because of the law, they were unable to receive transplants of fetal brain tissue. Two Arizona affiliates of Planned Parenthood later joined the lawsuit. 

Studies suggest some fetal tissue transplants can produce dopamine, a substance in the brain that controls voluntary movement, and effectively treat Parkinson’s. It is a progressive neurological disorder stemming from a patient’s inability to produce the substance. 

“There are not any more laws that ban medical experimentation or investigation of fetal tissue,” said Bebe J. Anderson, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy. 

Arizona’s law barred the use of aborted fetal tissue or embryo for medical experimentation or scientific or medical investigation unless to perform a “routine pathological examination” or to diagnose a maternal or fetal condition that prompted the abortion. 

Arizona Right to Life President John Jakubczyk said the law was not vague and should stand. 

“We’ve got judges here making opinions about the statute, which is not vague in my opinion,” Jakubczyk said. 

The state also maintained the statute was clear. It argued that a doctor could avoid violating the law, which carries an 18-month sentence, by not performing any tests or procedures on aborted fetuses. 

“This argument ignores the exceptions built into the statute that creates the confusion,” Schroeder wrote. 

Schroeder, in upholding Arizona’s U.S. District Court Judge William Browning’s similar decision in September, said the law was unclear whether a doctor would violate the statute by performing a DNA examination on an aborted fetus to test for paternity, or to diagnose a medical condition unrelated to the patient’s decision to have an abortion. 

Lawyers in Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano’s office were reviewing the decision, spokeswoman Pati Urias said. She said the state was considering asking the court to review its decision. 

She added Arizona may consider new legislation to circumvent the panel’s ruling. 

In a concurring opinion, Judge Joseph T. Sneed was the only judge to address the issue of fetal tissue research, which he said could lead to new medical innovations.  

While he agreed the law should be nullified because of its vagueness, he called Arizona’s ban unjustified and said “a pregnant woman has a right to be free from state interference with her choice to have an abortion.” 

The case is Forbes vs. Napolitano, 99-17372.

SAN FRANCISCO – Coming home for the holidays can mean high stress for college students, who often discover that their families won’t accept the new identities they’ve forged at school. 

New majors, different career choices, body piercings, boyfriends; the list of particulars some parents object to can seem endless. 

But perhaps the most difficult family conflicts involve faith. And with religious activity growing in university communities, more college students than ever are finding trouble at home. 

“It’s a little daunting, explaining things to your parents that you’re not like them anymore,” said Frank Primus, a 23-year-old biology researcher at Stanford University who was raised Baptist but converted to Islam just before entering college. 

Faced with Christmas on Monday and Tuesday evening’s end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Primus decided to compromise this year, giving his family Christmas presents and asking for Eid al-Fitr gifts in return. 

“I’m at a new stage. I don’t think there’s a problem with respecting other people’s religions, especially my family’s.” 

Still, there’s no getting around the separate services for the two religions. Attending the Christmas morning services remains a tradition for his parents, and Primus goes alone to the Eid sermon and feast. 

Maintaining that kind of a separation from her family’s beliefs is a tough task for Rachel Suzuki, a University of California, Davis student. 

“I know that I’m going to be making decisions that are totally not going to make them happy, and in a way dishonor them. That’s the hardest thing, is not having the blessing,” she said. “I feel like I’m choosing between God and my family.” 

Now in her senior year, Suzuki says she found God the summer before starting college, and she’s thinking of working as a missionary after graduation. Her decision has bewildered her nonreligious family, and her father is trying to discourage her career plans. 

“It’s like, why on earth would you go and be an evangelical weirdo?” she said. 

But Suzuki and Primus are part of growing religious movements, and many of these students, who either strengthen their faith or change religions altogether, feel alienated in their childhood homes. 

“Students are accessing some kind of deep personal dimension of meaning in their life,” said Scotty McLennan, university chaplain at Tufts University. “We’ve just about doubled our traditional religious movement over the last 15 years at Tufts. The Catholic mass packs the chapel on Sunday nights.” 

Students seem to be turning toward a more lasting commitment to religion, said Conrad Cherry, a professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. “They’re often looking for a kind of spirituality that appeals to them and their generation.” 

InterVarsity, a nationwide evangelical campus organization, has 32,000 student members, according to figures for the 1999-2000 academic year. More than 1,500 were new converts to Christianity. 

Many are so dedicated to their faith that they want to devote their lives to missionary work. About 20,000 young adults considering missionary careers are expected at a conference this week at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said InterVarsity spokesman Phil Evans. 

Janice McWilliams, a staff member at UC Davis Intervarsity, said dealing with parents who are upset with their children’s fervent interest in religion is a huge part of her job. The prospect of a son or daughter choosing missionary work as a career can be disappointing to parents who have different ambitions for their children. 

The initial stages of conversion are a trying time for all involved, and accepting the differences must go both ways, said Makin McDaid Abdulkhaliq, a Stanford graduate student who converted to Islam and took on Muslim names. 

“I think when people first convert, they take things very rigidly, and then as they get older, they learn to take all aspects of their life into what they’re doing,” he said. “I think some people don’t do it very diplomatically. I’ve kind of learned from my mistakes.” 

Xav Serrato, 19, was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Judaism over the summer. At college at the University of California, Berkeley, many of his friends are Jewish and volunteer as counselors at a Jewish camp. He decided to go with them. 

It’s important for him to make sure his family understands that he no longer follows their religion. 

“It’s their holiday, but I respect my family,” Serrato said, “as long as they know it’s not my holiday that I’m celebrating with them.”

LOS ANGELES – Hot Topic’s counterculture approach is evident at the industrial complex just east of Los Angeles where three stone gargoyles guard the entrance to the teen retailer’s headquarters. 

The gothic guardians sit above arched double dungeon doors that lead inside, where a black-clad receptionist named Serena — with streaked blond hair and a nose ring — cheerily greets visitors. 

Beyond Serena lies a 30,000-square-foot sea of desks and computers. In one niche, candles flicker in front of portraits of Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia and Kurt Cobain at a shrine to dead rockers. MTV streams from dozens of monitors throughout the building. 

This un-corporate-like headquarters belies a serious business. At a time of mixed performance for retailers catering to teens, investors have snapped up shares of Hot Topic with the ardor of music fans lining up for tickets to the latest Limp Bizkit concert. Wall Street is impressed with how Hot Topic’s tight inventory control, smart marketing and savvy research — including the use of employees as a sort of teen intelligence patrol — add up to some of the best growth in the retailing industry. 

Hot Topic Inc. shares have risen 77 percent this year as teens flock to its 274 stores to purchase its mix of extreme apparel, cutting-edge music CDs and odd sundries such as leopard-skin license-plate holders. 

Virtually all the inspiration for the product mix at Hot Topic stores comes from what’s happening in the alternative music and modern rock scene. The theory is that one of the main drivers of teen fashion is what popular musicians wear. Hot Topic has grabbed this slice of the market outside the mainstream. Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera wannabes best shop elsewhere. 

Orval Madden, 51, a former senior vice president of children’s clothes at Federated Department Stores, opened the first Hot Topic 11 years ago to sell the types of clothes and fashions kids saw on music videos. 

His concept worked and attracted outside funding for expansion into what is now 45 states. The company first sold stock to the public in 1996 and has a market value approaching $400 million. 

Lack of debt, strong cash flow and soaring earnings have powered the Hot Topic stock through one of the worst Nasdaq stock markets in almost two decades. That’s in contrast to many of the retailers catering to the teen and early-20s market. 

“It was a tough spring and summer for teen retailers,” said Elizabeth Pierce of Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles. “Nothing was driving store traffic. There was a lack of newness, a feeling of sameness.” 

Not at Hot Topic. Indeed, it is the company’s contrarian approach, its willingness to cater to underground teen cultures such as punk, goth and rave that has set the chain apart. 

“There’s not another store in the Laguna Hills Mall where you can get belts with spikes, shirts that say ’So many boys, such little minds,’ and T-shirts for like Nine Inch Nails and Blink-182,” said Ariana Sandoval, an 18-year-old shopper from nearby Mission Viejo. 

“Music too loud? Just buy a gift certificate,” reads the sign outside the Hot Topic store in Laguna Hills, as the heavy-metal sound of the Deftones blasted into the mall from the store’s interior, a brick-and-concrete design Hot Topic describes as “club/industrial.” 

Shannon Tucknies, a bright-smiled assistant manager with fuchsia hair, works the cash register — the hair dye is one aisle over and is good for 20 washes, she informs a visitor. 

The shoppers’ sense of kinship with the clerks results from one of the savviest uses of grass-roots market research in the retailing industry, according to analysts. 

Tucknies not only sells a customer a $40 sweat shirt emblazoned with the Deftones’ “White Pony” CD logo, along with a $17 Slipknot T-shirt with portraits of the band’s eight members on the back — she also keeps tabs on what young people are wearing, how they act and what they listen to at local concerts. 

Hot Topic buys concert tickets for employees if they write a fashion report detailing what they observe at the concert. 

“We ask them what the band was wearing, what the fans wore, which of our products did they see? Did they see any products that we should carry?” said Elizabeth McLaughlin, 39, the chain’s president and chief executive. 

“Being in touch with the consumer is the key to our success. And we have found that if you ask teen-agers what they think, and you are willing to listen, you will get more information than you can comprehend,” said McLaughlin, a former Millers Outpost executive who joined Hot Topic in 1993 when it had only 15 stores. 

“We are selling to the kids who want to be first with a fashion,” said McLaughlin. “When it starts to show up in other specialty stores we move out of it.” 

Hot Topic plays a constant game of chicken with its inventory, holding off orders until the last minute and distributing goods to its stores based upon sales trends just days old. 

Analysts say Hot Topic’s grass-roots approach to fashion places it closer to its youthful customers than more traditional retailers, 

Such a system leaves the chain vulnerable to not having enough merchandise to ride a hot trend to its peak, but also reduces its risk of having stacks of leftovers it can move only through markdowns. 

McLaughlin said she’s willing to give up some sales for an element of control in what is a notoriously fickle market. “What teens like today is history three months from now,” she said. 

With sales at Hot Topic stores averaging $632 per square foot, one of the highest ratios in the industry, she’s not about to change a winning formula. 

CLEVELAND – Troubled steel producer LTV Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection Friday but reached a stopgap financing deal that averted an outright shutdown. 

Blaming unfairly priced imports for driving steel prices to 20-year lows, the company said it got an infusion of cash from Chase Manhattan Corp. to avoid laying off all of its 18,000 employees. 

“We have been able to reach an agreement with Chase whereby we will not be closing any facilities. We will be continuing operations until we work out a more formal financial arrangement,” LTV chairman William Bricker said. 

Bricker spoke after an hour-long meeting with Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White and U.S. Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones. 

At the same time, LTV lawyers were wheeling six boxes of documents into federal court in Youngstown to file for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. 

The New York Stock Exchange halted trading of LTV stock on Thursday at 34.4 cents a share after the company warned that it was considering filing for protection from creditors. 

The filing would give LTV a second chance to reorganize its finances. LTV emerged in 1993 from seven years of U.S. Bankruptcy Court protection. 

The Cleveland-based LTV has 18,000 employees and hasn’t turned a profit since 1997. 

Like many other steelmakers nationwide, LTV has struggled recently, posting a loss of $80 million in its third quarter. The company previously announced it would eliminate 26 percent of its jobs, or 3,400 positions, over three years. 

Bricker had said Thursday in a letter to city officials that LTV had expected to secure $225 million in loans from Chase in order to prevent shutdowns, but that the bank had backed out. On Friday, Bricker did not say why the bank decided to go ahead with a deal after all. Chase officials also declined to comment. 

Market conditions for Ohio’s steel producers have weakened considerably since midyear because of falling prices, record imports and weakening demand, according to the Ohio Steel Council, a trade group. 

Kucinich, a Democrat whose district includes LTV’s Cleveland mills, planned to appear with other company supporters in federal court. 

“I think it’s important that everyone in the political and civic and financial community is aware of LTV’s situation, and I’m certainly contacting everyone I know to try to try to be of help to LTV,” he said. 

On Thursday, the U.S. International Trade Commission decided Thursday there was evidence that the nation’s steel industry has been “materially injured” by subsidized and underpriced imports. The commission is considering whether to impose additional duties on imports from Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakstan, the Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Ukraine.

SAN DIEGO — A civil rights group is contesting San Diego County’s policy of stopping a nonprofit group from distributing informational pamphlets inside and near welfare offices, arguing that the policy is a violation of the First Amendment right. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial counties filed a claim Wednesday that also accuses county employees of harassment during a demonstration last summer and targeting a nonprofit group called SPIN while allowing other groups to leave pamphlets inside welfare offices. 

“County welfare offices may not select certain groups to express their ideas on government property while silencing another just because they may not like what that group has to say,” said Guylyn Cummins, a lawyer for the ACLU. 

“The Constitution protects everyone’s right to communicate with others in a lawful and non-disruptive manner,” Cummins said. 

County officials have not had a chance to review the claim and were unable to comment, Cathy Spearnak, spokeswoman for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, said Thursday. 

The issue stems from several incidents last July when representatives of Supportive Parents Information Network tried to give fliers to people seeking welfare.  

The fliers explained their rights and offered help in filling out applications. 

According to the claim, SPIN members were ushered out of the welfare offices and were not required to remove their fliers from display racks inside the offices. 

In another incident, the executive director of SPIN, Joni Halpern, attempted to go with a woman seeking welfare-to-work assistance but was forced to leave the office after she began talking with other people in the lobby about SPIN’s application services.

SAN FRANCISCO — The state’s third-largest health insurer violated patient confidentiality by accidentally e-mailing the names of 12,000 patients to the wrong doctors, company officials acknowledged. 

Los Angeles-based Health Net blamed the December mistake on a computer glitch that matched patients being treated for depression and anxiety with the wrong doctors. 

After nearly 5,000 doctors received the e-mail, Health Net sent another letter asking all physicians to destroy the patient list and return a form acknowledging they had done so. 

The majority of doctors have responded, and future mailings will be reviewed more closely to ensure they go to the correct doctors, company spokesman Brad Kieffer said Friday. Health Net insures nearly 2.2 million Californians. 

Although it’s common for insurance providers to send information to physicians, documenting patients who may benefit from specific treatment, drugs or preventative care programs, some say it’s a dangerous practice. 

“Although this private information was disclosed to doctors, it’s not your doctors who got the information,” said Stan Dorn, project director of Health Consumer Alliance, an Oakland legal service group. “It could be a doctor who goes to your church or synagogue. It could be a family friend. Consumers should be able to trust that private information will stay private.” 

Health insurers routinely categorize patients and send lists to make physicians’ workloads a little lighter. But when that information goes to the wrong place, its purpose is defeated. 

“Most physicians are going to be respectful, but the reality is that this shouldn’t have happened,” said Mary De May, a Mill Valley psychiatrist who received the correction letter. “As a physician, if I got a list of patients that supposedly were mine but weren’t, I would know something that I shouldn’t know.”

Henry James Vaux, Sr., a professor emeritus of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, and former chairman of California's Board of Forestry, died on Dec. 22 in Berkeley after a brief illness. He was 88.  

Vaux was best known for his contributions to the field of forest economics and forest policy. His research in forestry formed the basis for the development of modern forest practices and his leadership was pivotal to the evolution of forest policy in California.  

“Henry James Vaux was one of the most innovative people in the forest policy arena,” said Richard B. Standiford, associate dean for forestry in UC Berkeley's College of Natural 

Resources. “He was one of the giants in forestry in California.”  

Vaux's views were frequently sought by legislators and policy makers and he played a significant role in the development of California’s forestry laws during the 1960s and 1970s. 

These laws included a forest practices act, which created for the state a public trust responsibility to protect environmental attributes such as soil and water on forested lands. He also played a key role in a forest tax reform act which eliminated tax incentives to harvest timber prematurely, and a forest improvement act which created a fiscal partnership between the state and private forest landowners aimed at improving forest management on private land.  

In 1976, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Vaux chairman of the state Board of Forestry, which carried both policy and regulatory responsibilities. Vaux’s service as chairman was noteworthy for reinvigorating the board’s policy-making role.  

Throughout his career Vaux received many professional honors. Among them were the Gifford Pinchot Medal awarded by the Society of American Foresters and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Forestry Association. He was also a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. UC Berkeley awarded him the Berkeley Citation upon his retirement, and the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources established the Henry Vaux Forestry Education Center at Blodgett Forest near Auburn. The Center was dedicated in his honor in 1999.  

In the last 25 years of his life, Vaux spent much of his time establishing a family home in the Alexander Valley, a wine-growing region in Sonoma County. He was known to many of his friends and colleagues as Hank.  

Vaux is survived by his daughter, Alice Vaux Hall of Portland, Oregon; his son, Henry Vaux, Jr. of El Cerrito; his daughter-in-law Prindle A. Vaux of El Cerrito, Calif.; and three grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Men's Faculty Club at UC Berkeley. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Henry Vaux Distinguished Professorship in Forest Policy, c/o the College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley, CA 94720-3100.

Critics say money will just flow through different channels with same effect 

SACRAMENTO – Tony Miller is a longtime supporter of campaign contribution limits, but he won’t be popping any champagne corks to welcome California’s latest plan to cap donations. 

Miller, a former chief elections officer for the state, was one of the leading opponents of the new limits, which were approved by voters on Nov. 7 as Proposition 34. 

“Time will tell if it’s effective at all,” he says. “My concern is the same amount of money, if not more, will flow through different channels into the same bank accounts.” 

The new limits were put on the ballot by the Legislature and Gov. Gray Davis. They take effect Jan. 1 for legislative candidates, but won’t impact candidates for governor and other state offices until after the 2002 elections. 

The limits will allow most donors to give up to $3,000 per election to someone running for the Legislature. So-called small contributor committees — groups of at least 100 people who chip in no more than $200 each — can give up to $6,000. 

Candidates for governor will be able to take up to $20,000 per election from most contributors. For other statewide candidates, the per-election limit will $5,000 from most donors, although small contributor committees could give twice that amount. 

But there will be no limits on how much political parties can give to candidates and how much the parties can raise for a variety of political purposes, and that’s where Miller and groups like Common Cause and the League of Women Voters see big problems with the proposition. 

The measure allows a donor to give up to $25,000 a year to a party to contribute to its candidates, but there’s no restrictions on how much parties can accept for voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote efforts — even independent campaigns for candidates. 

“I can give $1 million to the party, which can make mailings for candidates A and B and candidates A and B can provide the copy,” he says. “It’s a huge loophole.” 

But Lance Olson, general counsel for the state Democratic Party, predicts the parties will prefer to give money directly to candidates instead of making independent expenditures and that the $25,000 limit is generous enough to let them do that. 

The proposition also includes voluntary spending limits and some additional disclosure requirements for candidates and ballot measures. 

The state had no limits on donations when voters adopted Proposition 34, except in races to fill midterm vacancies in the Legislature. Five- and six-figure contributions had become common, increasing concerns that wealthy special interests had too much clout at the Capitol. 

Nearly 60 percent of the campaign money collected by Davis in the first half of 2000 came in donations of more than $20,000, but the governor says he doesn’t let big contributors influence his decisions. 

Previous efforts to impose limits were either rejected by lawmakers or voters, vetoed by the governor or struck down by the courts. 

Limits were in effect temporarily after voters approved Proposition 73 in 1988 and Proposition 208 in 1996, but most of the provisions of those measures were blocked by court rulings. 

A federal judge concluded that 208’s limits were too low and that 73’s favored incumbents. 

Miller and other critics contend that the real reason lawmakers put Proposition 34 on the ballot was to avoid the possibility that courts would revive 208’s tougher limits. 

The critics are already talking about trying to put an initiative on the ballot in 2002 or 2004 to strengthen 34’s requirements. 

Davis, who raised a whopping $21.6 million in contributions during his first 18 months in office, said the new limits would “strike the right balance between reducing the amount any one person can give to you and still passing constitutional muster.” 

“Even though some other (measures) were supported by the people..., they have not fared well in the courts,” he said. I am convinced that this bill will pass constitutional muster and will finally put campaign reform in place.” 

The lead author of Proposition 34, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, bristles when critics suggest that the measure didn’t get enough public scrutiny before it was approved by California lawmakers. 

The bill that became Proposition 34 was put together by a two-house conference committee and had only one hearing before it was adopted. 

“We did not have a plethora of public hearings, but it was a lot more public a process than with 208 or any of the other citizens’ initiatives that have ever been put on the ballot,” he said. 

Olson, who helped draft the proposition, said Burton believed that if the bill followed the usual route of going through several committees “it would get buried in amendments and it would die.” 

Burton said 208’s limits were so low they would make it impossible for most challengers to raise enough money to defeat an incumbent and would encourage special interests to put on their own campaigns to elect or defeat officials. 

Proposition 34 “is not perfect but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing,” he said. 

CONTRIBUTION LIMITS 

Legislative candidates: $3,000 per election from most sources, $6,000 per election from small contributor committees that have been in existence at least six months, give to at least five candidates and have at least 100 members who chip in no more than $200 each. No limit on donations from political parties. No donations from lobbyists. 

Gubernatorial candidates: $20,000 per election from most sources. No limit on donations from political parties. No donations from lobbyists. 

Other statewide candidates: $5,000 per election from most donors and $10,000 from small contributor committees. No limit on donations from political parties and no donations from lobbyists. 

Political parties: $25,000 a year for donations to candidates. No limit on donations for other purposes. VOLUNTARY SPENDING LIMITS 

State Assembly candidates: $400,000 for the primary, $700,000 for the general election. 

State Senate candidates: $600,000 for the primary, $900,000 for the general election. 

Gubernatorial candidates: $6 million for the primary, $10 million for the general election. 

Other statewide candidates: $4 million for the primary, $6 million for the general election.  

DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS 

Paid endorsements: Requires state and local ballot measure ads to disclose if a person appearing in the ad is being paid $5,000 or more. 

Donations: Requires candidates and ballot measure committees to report with 24 hours any donations of $1,000 or more received with 90 days of an election. 

Advertising payments: Requires persons to disclose when they spend $50,000 or more to buy campaign ads that identify a candidate for state office but do not clearly support the candidate’s election or defeat.

DENVER – A 25-year-old California man has died of head injuries sustained while snowboarding this week at Breckenridge Ski Resort. 

Witnesses said Seth Bender of Berkeley lost control and struck a tree along the intermediate Peerless run on Peak 9 on Wednesday, resort spokesman Jim Felton said. The man was not wearing a helmet. 

He was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon at Swedish Medical Center in Denver, where he was airlifted after the crash, hospital spokeswoman Ramonna Tooley said. 

It was the third death at a ski resort in Colorado this season.