Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency Executive Director boona cheema shows her excitement as she talks about plans to build a “village” where homeless families can rely on a safe, secure and supportive environment while gaining the skills to overcome the trauma of living on the streets. 

Sitting at a large meeting table at BOSS’s Berkeley office, cheema is surrounded by diagrams, budget sheets and other documents that have been compiled to help navigate the proposed Ursula Sherman Village, named after BOSS’s founder. 

BOSS is a nonprofit organization that has provided homeless services in the East Bay since 1971 and currently operates 29 facilities that provide a variety of services. 

If the proposed village would provide “a smorgasbord of resources for housing, health, social, cultural, educational and economic security” for up to 132 children, youth and parents with “extreme barriers to self sufficiency,” according to a BOSS information sheet. 

Construction of the project is proposed in two phases. Phase 1, Picante House, which will house up to 10 families, has already been promised $1.1 million in funding from various sources, but has yet to be approved by the city’s Zoning Adjustments Board. BOSS is still seeking funding for Phase 2, the Village Center that will include shared living quarters, a health and healing facility and adult and children’s education centers. 

The proposed Village programs will be incorporated with the existing Harrison House, an emergency shelter operating at 711 Harrison St. since 1975. 

“This will be a place where people can live with dignity,” cheema said, “a place where they can learn and where they can grow before moving back into the larger community with the skills they need to stay there.” 

Cheema said she expects the innovative, self-contained village to become a national model for combating homelessness. 

But before the two phases are approved, BOSS will have to overcome concerns about the proposed site, which is located in a traditionally industrial area in west Berkeley next to Interstate 80, the city’s waste transfer station and the railway tracks that cross the western part of the city. 

Harrison Soccer Field and the skate park project, adjacent to the site, have had environmental problems including preliminary test results from an ongoing air study that indicate elevated levels of particulate matter in the air and the presence of the carcinogen Chromium 6 in groundwater. The contaminated groundwater appeared during excavation of nine-foot-deep skate bowls last year. The water has since been removed and treated. The bases of the skate bowls were also “capped” to prevent future exposure. 

“The site has some challenges,” an undaunted cheema said. “It’s not unusual that when you find a solution to a problem that makes perfect sense, you still encounter challenges at every step. But I am prepared to address the problems and work with people to achieve this project.” 

Cheema said the village will provide residents with a three-tiered program to help them reenter society.  

“As the residents move from one tier to the next, they take on increasing responsibilities for themselves and the management of the village,” she said. 

The first tier is the emergency shelter where people initially come in from the street. There they can deal with their most critical needs, including food and shelter. They will also be able to access help for untreated mental and physical illnesses as well as substance abuse counseling.  

Once physically and mentally stable, residents will move to the second tier, the Picante House, where they can participate in more intensive counseling. During the second tier of the program, cheema said there is a much higher expectation of staying clean and sober as well as increased responsibilities in preparing meals and other domestic work. Some residents will begin to work at outside jobs and all of the residents will be expected to start saving money. 

The third tier is the Village Center, where up to 32 parents and children will live in shared housing. “This is the phase where residents are back on their feet, but still have little money,” cheema said. “They can continue to save money as well as take advantage of easy access to education, culture and support, all of which will be available on site.” 

Housing Director Stephen Barton said the concept shows promise. “What she is trying to accomplish is providing comprehensive transitional housing, social services and educational support in one community setting,” Barton said. “It’s a great concept, but there’s always the problem of funding.” 

Cheema admitted the per-unit cost for the village will be higher than traditional affordable housing projects because of the amenities such as education, medical and cultural facilities. But she said the investment will have a payoff. 

“This program will take financial pressure off other social services,” cheema said. “If you just continue to put people in the same dilapidated shelters, their behavior doesn’t change. But If you give people a place they can take pride in, their behavior really starts to change and healthy, functional people cost less.”

The Cal men’s basketball team’s season so far has come down to the equivalent of a real estate maxim: location, location, location. The Bears are a perfect 10-0 at home, with their latest triumph a shocking 68-54 win over archrival Stanford. But Cal has yet to get a win outside of Haas Pavilion, falling to both the Cardinal and South Florida by 20 points. 

Head coach Ben Braun doesn’t think the Bears’ fortunes are necessarily tied to their home court. He chalks the wide swing in performance up to his team’s effort. 

“I hope our players realize that no matter how good you are, that it’s something you can’t just turn on and off, that it has to be consistent,” Braun said. “Everybody gets excited at home. The challenge is greater.” 

The first challenge this weekend will be to shut down the explosive Oregon (10-4, 3-1 Pac 10) offense on Thursday night. The Ducks are averaging 88.1 points per game and have scored at least 85 in each of their last seven games. Ernie Kent’s squad has broken the 100-point barrier twice, including a victory over highly-ranked Arizona, 105-75. 

The Ducks are also undefeated at home (8-0) and will be focused after a road loss to Arizona State on Saturday. The upset kept Oregon from a rare Arizona road sweep, having defeated the Wildcats on Thursday night. 

“Arizona State brought the fight to us and it was a battle,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “We were upset but anxious to get back home. We’ve played extremely well at home. We play with a lot of confidence at Mac Court.” 

The best chance for the Bears will be to come with their best defensive effort, but the probable absence of senior center Solomon Hughes, who missed the Stanford games with a leg injury, could make that tough to accomplish. The Bears have the best defense in the Pac-10, giving up 61.4 points per game, and lead the conference in blocked shots with 60, but with Hughes on the bench they could have trouble against the extremely quick Ducks. Guards Luke Ridnour and Frederick Jones and forward Luke Jackson all average about 15 points per game buzzing around the perimeter, while gigantic center Chris Christoffersen (7-foot-2, 300 pounds) anchors the middle.  

Braun will be forced to counter Christoffersen with freshmen Jamal Sampson and Amit Tamir if Hughes is unable to go, and neither of them can match up with the Oregon center’s size. But Sampson should give Christoffersen trouble with his superior athleticism and quickness, while Tamir has shown a nice mid-range shooting touch. If they can draw Christoffersen out from beneath the basket, the matchup will favor the Bears. 

If Braun’s team can’t get a win on Thursday, they would seem to have a much better chance on Saturday against Oregon State (8-6, 1-3). The Beavers haven’t managed a quality win yet this season, with their only win coming over Arizona State at home. Their main threat is Phillip Ricci, a junior-college transfer who sat out last season with an injury. Ricci has recorded four double-doubles so far this year and leads the team in scoring at 17.5 ppg. Despite playing some low-level competition, the Beavers have been out-rebounded and committed more turnovers than their opponents, not a good sign for a team without an explosive offense. 

Thursday, Jan. 10

Kick the Debt  

7 p.m. 

Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

In honor of the global campaign to cancel the oppressive debts for the poorest countries. This follow-up meeting will cover the history and current status of the campaign. 528-0105, cagilb@pacbell.net. 

Skiing and Snowshoeing in  

Tahoe National Forest 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Catherine Stifter will present a slide show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. 527-4140 

Grandparent Support Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Malcolm X School of Arts and Academics 

1731 Prince St. 

Grandparents and relatives raising their grandchildren can express their concerns and needs, plus receive support, information and referrals for Kinship Care. 644-6517. 

Community Health  

Commission 

6:45 - 9:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Prioritize list of health needs of the City of Berkeley to present to Alta Bates Sutter for consideration during needs assessment process for Community Benefit Plan. 

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Presentation of FY 2002-2003 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing proposals.  

Defending the Rights of  

Children 

12 p.m. 

Albany Public Library, Edith Stone Room 

1247 Marin Ave. 

Arnold Chavez, the Executive Director for the Alameda County Court Appointed Special Advocates program will discuss how his program works to defend the rights of children who have committed no crimes but, due to circumstances beyond their control are in the juvenile justice system. 

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Informational Meeting on Applicant Financed Underground Utility District for the Spruce/Halkins/ Alamo/Cragmont School proposed district 

Berkeley Reads 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The adult literacy program of the BPL. Program orientation for new volunteer tutors. 981-6299, prevedel@hotmail.com. 

Winter Holistic Health Groups  

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For ages 55 and older. This week’s topic: Creative Aging. 526-0148. 

Berkeley Women in Black 

12 - 1 p.m. 

Corner of Haste and Telegraph 

A vigil to end the occupation of Palestine and to reject military solutions to the world’s problems. 548-6310, wibberkeley@ yahoo.com 

Friday, Jan. 11

San Francisco Chamber  

Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 

2640 College Ave. 

A program of classical party music from Mozart to Stravinsky. $15. 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org 

Berkeley Reads 

10 a.m. - noon 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The adult literacy program of the BPL. Program orientation for new volunteer tutors. 981-6299, prevedel@hotmail.com. 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Bittersweet legacy art, poetry and stories compiled by Cynthia M. Brody. 232-1351. 

City Commons Club Luncheon 

11:15 a.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

James A. Donohue lectures on “Morality in Politics”. Social hour begins at 11:15. Lunch is served 11:45 - 12:15. Speaker begins at 12:30. $11 - 12.25 with lunch, $1 otherwise. 848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 12

Mental Health and Public 

Policy 

8 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Wheeler Auditorium 

UC Berkeley 

A symposium designed to promote a greater understanding of mental illness, and link medical advances to public policy solutions in mental health care. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu:8880 

Vocal Jazz Workshop and Jazz Jam 

9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

Albany Adult School 

601 San Gabriel St. 

Workshops for singers and instrumentalists led by Richard Kalman to explore Jazz in a small jazz combo format. $5-$12 per class. 524-6796, richkalman@aol.com. 

National Writers Union Benefit 

7:30 p.m. 

Oakland YWCA 

1515 Webster St. 

The National Writers Union, Local 3 presents “A Dream Still Beckons: Multicultural Offerings for Peace and Justice in honor of Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” The even features poetry readings and a dance party. Donations requested. 839-1248. 

Editor: 

Thank you very much for the kind and accurate remarks printed about me in the Jan. 7 issue of your paper. (“Board lone ranger ends fight for small schools, talks compromise.”) 

I would just like to disagree on one point - your headline to the story about me was very misleading. No one, including myself, is ending the fight for small schools.  

We still feel it is the best possible way to improve Berkeley High School for ALL students. 

We must now pursue other ways to accomplish our goals; working out compromises in the short run, organizing more of the educational community for support, suggesting to the other board members policies that address their concerns about small schools, following the leadership of the vast majority of BHS staff who want small schools and finding school board candidates committed to deep reform of Berkeley High School.  

The fight continues, just in different ways. 

Terry Doran 

Berkeley School Board 

924 Gilman Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; Jan. 18: Christian Reigh, Dystrophy, Stalker Potential, Lower 48, Thought Crime, No Direction; Jan. 19: Capitalist Casualities, Phobia, Pig Destroyer, Index, Strong Intention; Jan. 25: Ludicra, Brain Oil, Creuvo, Scurvy Dogs, Arftificum Sanguis; Jan. 26: Mile Marker, Yaphet Kotto, Pirx the Pilot, Himsa, Confidante; Jan. 27: Bane, Over My Dead Body, Striking Distance, Breath In; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

Anna’s Bistro Jan.11:Anna sings jazz standards/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 12: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/ 10 pm Ducksn Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 13: “Choro Time” Brazilian sounds; Jan.14: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes: Jan.15: Mark Murphy’s jazz vocal workshop; Jan. 16: Bob Schoen Jazz Sextet; Jan. 17: Christy Dana Jazz Duo; Jan. 18: Karen Guthrie & Her Trio/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 19: Vicki Burns & Felice York/ 10 p.m. Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 20: Aleph Null; Music starts at 8p.m., every night, second band at 10p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-ANNA 

Blake’s Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; Jan. 17: Electronica with Ascension, $5; Jan. 18: Ten Ton Chicken, Black Dog Band with Peanut Daniels, $5; Jan. 19: Solemite, Monky, $5; Jan. 20: First Circle, The Locals, $6; Jan. 21: All Star Jam Featuring the Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 22: WildSang; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C.; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Club Jjang-Ga Jan. 12: Sol Americano, The People, Solemite, American Rebus, Katie Knipp; Jan. 19: Dick, Multiply, Mental Case, Nine Pound Grind, The Elegy; Jan. 26: Krenshaw, Bearing, Lucid Inc., Zodiacal Circle; 400 29th Ave., Oakland, 261-1108, savageproductions1@yahoo.com. 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 11: Alex De Grassi, Franco Morone; Jan. 12: 10 a.m. - noon, Lily Tomlin, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Rebecca Walker discusses her memoir "Black, White and Jewish."; 8 p.m., Viviana Guzman & Performers of the World; Jan. 13: Rob Ickes & Slide City; All shows begin 8 p.m. unless noted, 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Jazzschool Jan. 20: 4:30 p.m., Madeline Eastman, $6-$12. Jan. 27: 4:30 p.m., Michael Zilber, Sons of Bitches Brew; $6-$12. 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Jan. 11: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Jan. 12: Barefoot Bride; Jan. 16: Realistic; Jan. 17: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 18: Bigfoot In Paris Trio; Jan. 19: Netwerk: Electric; Jan. 23: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Jan. 24: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 25: The Sardonics; Jan. 26: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Fourtet; Jan. 30: Joel Harrison Quartet; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

La Peña Cultural Center Jan. 20: 7 p.m., A Hip/Trip Hop Benefit for the Prison Activist Resource Center: Black Dot Artists Collective, COINTELPRO, DJ So Much Soul, EK Trip, Prophets of Rage and Renaissance. $10-$15. 3105 Shattack Ave, 893-4648.  

Live Oaks Concerts: Berkeley Art Center Jan. 20: 7:30 p.m., Marvin Sanders, flute, Kana Mimaki, piano, will perform Prokofiev’s Sonata #2 for flute and piano, and Ceasar Franck’s Sonata in A Major; Jan. 27: 7:30 p.m., Elaine Kreston, cello, Laura Carmichael, clarinet, perform otherworldly and intense duos by Xenakis and Kaaija Saariaho. $10, BACA Members $8, Students and Seniors $9. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

Rose Street House Jan. 17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks; Jan. 25: 8 p.m. DivaBands Showcase: Bern, Elin Jr., Roberta Donnay, Christy Claxton and Tiger Zane. $8-$20. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series Jan. 11 and 12: both at 8 p.m. The Transparent Tape Music Festival featuring classic and new recorded works by Edgard Varese, Pauline Oliveros and others. $7 for one night, $12 for both. Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave., 649-8744, acme@sfsound.org. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Fellowship Coffee House Jan. 18: 7:30 p.m., Carol Denney, open mike. $3 -$5. Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. 

Off Da Hook! Party. Jan. 19: 9 p.m., DJ’s SAKE1, Ab, special guests and live performances; $8-$15. 2670 Union St, West Oakland, 464-1011. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel; 2320 Dana St., 549-3864. 

First Congregational Church Jan. 19: 8p.m., eight women’s voices and continuo, also baritone Hugh Davis will sing priest’s acclamations. $12- $25; First Congregational Church, Dana & Durant, Berkeley, (415) 979-4500. 

Mama Bears Jan. 19: 7:30 p.m., WildSang; 6536 Telegraph Ave. 595-4642. 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, Music Director Kent Nagano, continues its 31st season with two performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre Jan. 26: 6:30 - 10 p.m., The City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre pay tribute to and welcome the return of “The Dru Band,” teenage recording artist from the Bay Area. $5. 3201 Adeline St., 625-2120. 

Organ Music Jan. 27: 5 p.m., Ron McKean performs Ferscobaldi, Froberger and Bach. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685. 

Dance 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6; “Julia’s Feast of Dance,” An evening of conemporary dance performed by local dance groups to benefit dance in the East Bay. $15 suggested donation. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

Theater 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.org.  

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

“Rhinoceros” Jan. 23 through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragi-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.org. 

“Sisters” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Feb. 16. The story of the Prozorov sisters looking in a very human way at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan. 11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7 p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan. 13: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., Oscar’s Magic Adventure, 5:30 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan. 16: 7:30 p.m., So, To Speak: Videoworks of Jacqueline Goss; Jan. 17: 7 p.m., The Marquise of O...; Jan. 18: 7:30 p.m., Claire’s Knee, 9:30 p.m., Chloe in the Afternoon; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Landmark’s Shattuck Cinema Jan. 18: 5 p.m., 7 p.m., Life And Debt, filmmaker Stephanie Black will speak. 2230 Shattuck Ave., 843-3456, www.landmarktheatres.com. 

Parkway Theatre Jan. 29: 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Boom! The Sound Of Eviction, a Just Cause Oakland benefit screening. $6-$20. 1843 Park Blvd., Oakland, 464-1011. 

Exhibits  

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com. 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com. 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt Through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu. 

“Prints and Paintings by Liao Shiou-Ping” on view through Jan. 31; Tues. to Fri.10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat.10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388-9th St., Suite 290, Oakland, 238-4491. 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Jan. 10 - Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214. 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Jan.24 - Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Her serious of work range from large abstract paintings to intimate boxes with collections of found objects, Jan.13 through Apr. 4th Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany,524-9283 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

Readings 

AK Press Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Joel Schalit dissects the New World Order and the rise of religious fundamentalism in his new book “Jerusalem Calling”. 674-A 23rd St., Oakland, 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Coffee With a Beat Jan. 12: Word Beat presents Tom Quantamatteo, Larry Beresford and Rose Mark; Jan. 19: Tim Donnelly and Anna May Stanley; Jan. 26: Paradise and 2nd feature TBA; Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd and Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell and Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” 1414 Walnut St. 

Mama’s Bears Women’s Bookstore Jan. 12: 7:30, Loolwa Khazzoom will be reading from her new book “CONSEQUENCE: Beyond Resisting Rape.” $8-10. 6536 Telegraph at 66th Oakland, 595-4642 

Poetry 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Jan. 12: The Great Night of Soul Poetry, $12-$15; 655-1425. 

Jack London’s Birthday Poetry Reading Jan. 12: 2 - 5 p.m., For all poets, bring poetry to share. 523-5980. 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Jan. 9: Karen Kevorkian and Gail Wronsky; Jan. 13: Phylis Koestenbaum and Carol Snow; Jan. 16: Tea Party magazine reading with Ariel, Rita Boagert, Daniel Y. Harris, Denise Mewbourne, Judith Offer, Andrena Zawinski; Jan. 23: Paul Hoover and Elizabeth Robinson; Jan. 27: Wanda Coleman, Austin Straus and Kate Gale; Jan. 30 Ralph Angel and George Higgins; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Tours 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, scaled to size. Trains run Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387. 

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org. 

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m., Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, children under 5 free. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m.; 1000 Oak St., Oakland, 238-2200, www.museumca.org. 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

924 Gilman Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; Jan. 18: Christian Reigh, Dystrophy, Stalker Potential, Lower 48, Thought Crime, No Direction; Jan. 19: Capitalist Casualities, Phobia, Pig Destroyer, Index, Strong Intention; Jan. 25: Ludicra, Brain Oil, Creuvo, Scurvy Dogs, Arftificum Sanguis; Jan. 26: Mile Marker, Yaphet Kotto, Pirx the Pilot, Himsa, Confidante; Jan. 27: Bane, Over My Dead Body, Striking Distance, Breath In; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

Anna’s Bistro Jan.11:Anna sings jazz standards/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 12: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/ 10 pm Ducksn Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 13: “Choro Time” Brazilian sounds; Jan.14: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes: Jan.15: Mark Murphy’s jazz vocal workshop; Jan. 16: Bob Schoen Jazz Sextet; Jan. 17: Christy Dana Jazz Duo; Jan. 18: Karen Guthrie & Her Trio/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 19: Vicki Burns & Felice York/ 10 p.m. Ducksan Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 20: Aleph Null; Music starts at 8p.m., every night, second band at 10p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-ANNA 

Blake’s Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; Jan. 17: Electronica with Ascension, $5; Jan. 18: Ten Ton Chicken, Black Dog Band with Peanut Daniels, $5; Jan. 19: Solemite, Monky, $5; Jan. 20: First Circle, The Locals, $6; Jan. 21: All Star Jam Featuring the Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 22: WildSang; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C.; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Club Jjang-Ga Jan. 12: Sol Americano, The People, Solemite, American Rebus, Katie Knipp; Jan. 19: Dick, Multiply, Mental Case, Nine Pound Grind, The Elegy; Jan. 26: Krenshaw, Bearing, Lucid Inc., Zodiacal Circle; 400 29th Ave., Oakland, 261-1108, savageproductions1@yahoo.com. 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 11: Alex De Grassi, Franco Morone; Jan. 12: 10 a.m. - noon, Lily Tomlin, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Rebecca Walker discusses her memoir "Black, White and Jewish."; 8 p.m., Viviana Guzman & Performers of the World; Jan. 13: Rob Ickes & Slide City; All shows begin 8 p.m. unless noted, 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Jazzschool Jan. 20: 4:30 p.m., Madeline Eastman, $6-$12. Jan. 27: 4:30 p.m., Michael Zilber, Sons of Bitches Brew; $6-$12. 2087 Addison St., 845-5373, www.jazzschool.com. 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Jan. 11: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Jan. 12: Barefoot Bride; Jan. 16: Realistic; Jan. 17: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 18: Bigfoot In Paris Trio; Jan. 19: Netwerk: Electric; Jan. 23: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Jan. 24: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 25: The Sardonics; Jan. 26: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Fourtet; Jan. 30: Joel Harrison Quartet; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

La Peña Cultural Center Jan. 20: 7 p.m., A Hip/Trip Hop Benefit for the Prison Activist Resource Center: Black Dot Artists Collective, COINTELPRO, DJ So Much Soul, EK Trip, Prophets of Rage and Renaissance. $10-$15. 3105 Shattack Ave, 893-4648.  

Live Oaks Concerts: Berkeley Art Center Jan. 20: 7:30 p.m., Marvin Sanders, flute, Kana Mimaki, piano, will perform Prokofiev’s Sonata #2 for flute and piano, and Ceasar Franck’s Sonata in A Major; Jan. 27: 7:30 p.m., Elaine Kreston, cello, Laura Carmichael, clarinet, perform otherworldly and intense duos by Xenakis and Kaaija Saariaho. $10, BACA Members $8, Students and Seniors $9. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893. 

Rose Street House Jan. 17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks; Jan. 25: 8 p.m. DivaBands Showcase: Bern, Elin Jr., Roberta Donnay, Christy Claxton and Tiger Zane. $8-$20. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series Jan. 11 and 12: both at 8 p.m. The Transparent Tape Music Festival featuring classic and new recorded works by Edgard Varese, Pauline Oliveros and others. $7 for one night, $12 for both. Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave., 649-8744, acme@sfsound.org. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Fellowship Coffee House Jan. 18: 7:30 p.m., Carol Denney, open mike. $3 -$5. Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. 

Off Da Hook! Party. Jan. 19: 9 p.m., DJ’s SAKE1, Ab, special guests and live performances; $8-$15. 2670 Union St, West Oakland, 464-1011. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel; 2320 Dana St., 549-3864. 

First Congregational Church Jan. 19: 8p.m., eight women’s voices and continuo, also baritone Hugh Davis will sing priest’s acclamations. $12- $25; First Congregational Church, Dana & Durant, Berkeley, (415) 979-4500. 

Mama Bears Jan. 19: 7:30 p.m., WildSang; 6536 Telegraph Ave. 595-4642. 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, Music Director Kent Nagano, continues its 31st season with two performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre Jan. 26: 6:30 - 10 p.m., The City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre pay tribute to and welcome the return of “The Dru Band,” teenage recording artist from the Bay Area. $5. 3201 Adeline St., 625-2120. 

Organ Music Jan. 27: 5 p.m., Ron McKean performs Ferscobaldi, Froberger and Bach. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685. 

Dance 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6; “Julia’s Feast of Dance,” An evening of conemporary dance performed by local dance groups to benefit dance in the East Bay. $15 suggested donation. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

Theater 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.org.  

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

“Rhinoceros” Jan. 23 through Mar. 10: Check theater for specific dates and times. An absurdist tragi-comedy about a small provincial town whose citizens slowly but surely transform into large cumbersome rhinoceroses. Directed by Barbara Damashek. $38 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2976 www.berkeleyrep.org. 

“Sisters” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Feb. 16. The story of the Prozorov sisters looking in a very human way at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com. 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan. 11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7 p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan. 13: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., Oscar’s Magic Adventure, 5:30 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan. 16: 7:30 p.m., So, To Speak: Videoworks of Jacqueline Goss; Jan. 17: 7 p.m., The Marquise of O...; Jan. 18: 7:30 p.m., Claire’s Knee, 9:30 p.m., Chloe in the Afternoon; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Landmark’s Shattuck Cinema Jan. 18: 5 p.m., 7 p.m., Life And Debt, filmmaker Stephanie Black will speak. 2230 Shattuck Ave., 843-3456, www.landmarktheatres.com. 

Parkway Theatre Jan. 29: 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Boom! The Sound Of Eviction, a Just Cause Oakland benefit screening. $6-$20. 1843 Park Blvd., Oakland, 464-1011. 

Exhibits  

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com. 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com. 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt Through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu. 

“Prints and Paintings by Liao Shiou-Ping” on view through Jan. 31; Tues. to Fri.10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat.10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388-9th St., Suite 290, Oakland, 238-4491. 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Jan. 10 - Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214. 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Jan.24 - Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon including procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“Domestic Bliss” Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Her serious of work range from large abstract paintings to intimate boxes with collections of found objects, Jan.13 through Apr. 4th Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany,524-9283 

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

Readings 

AK Press Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Joel Schalit dissects the New World Order and the rise of religious fundamentalism in his new book “Jerusalem Calling”. 674-A 23rd St., Oakland, 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Coffee With a Beat Jan. 12: Word Beat presents Tom Quantamatteo, Larry Beresford and Rose Mark; Jan. 19: Tim Donnelly and Anna May Stanley; Jan. 26: Paradise and 2nd feature TBA; Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd and Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell and Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” 1414 Walnut St. 

Mama’s Bears Women’s Bookstore Jan. 12: 7:30, Loolwa Khazzoom will be reading from her new book “CONSEQUENCE: Beyond Resisting Rape.” $8-10. 6536 Telegraph at 66th Oakland, 595-4642 

Poetry 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Jan. 12: The Great Night of Soul Poetry, $12-$15; 655-1425. 

Jack London’s Birthday Poetry Reading Jan. 12: 2 - 5 p.m., For all poets, bring poetry to share. 523-5980. 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Jan. 9: Karen Kevorkian and Gail Wronsky; Jan. 13: Phylis Koestenbaum and Carol Snow; Jan. 16: Tea Party magazine reading with Ariel, Rita Boagert, Daniel Y. Harris, Denise Mewbourne, Judith Offer, Andrena Zawinski; Jan. 23: Paul Hoover and Elizabeth Robinson; Jan. 27: Wanda Coleman, Austin Straus and Kate Gale; Jan. 30 Ralph Angel and George Higgins; All events begin at 7:30 p.m., $2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Tours 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, scaled to size. Trains run Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387. 

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org. 

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m., Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, children under 5 free. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m.; 1000 Oak St., Oakland, 238-2200, www.museumca.org. 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

Berkeley High School’s four co-principals, hoping to maintain accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, presented a series of draft reform proposals Tuesday night during a meeting of the high school’s Parent Teacher Student Association. 

WASC, a regional accrediting group, identified 11 problem areas at the high school in 1999, and has threatened to withdraw its seal of approval if BHS does not make progress in those areas. 

WASC’s accreditation runs through June. The organization will visit BHS in mid-May and will then decide whether to extend or cease the school’s accreditation. 

The co-principals’ proposals included an expansion of the “senior bridge” program, which pairs fourth-year tutors with struggling freshmen, a monthly departmental meeting focused on aligning curriculum from class to class and a requirement that teachers call parents after a student’s fourth unexcused absence. After the first unexcused absence, parents already receive notice from a computerized dialing system at the high school. 

But, with the district’s budget in disarray, and state funding cuts possible next year, administrators warned that some of their more expensive proposals might not come to fruition. 

“We’re going to have to do this within the system we have,” said co-principal Laura Leventer. “We’re in a budget crisis.” 

Some of the parents in attendance were skeptical of the proposed reform given budgetary realities.  

“I don’t think you have the resources to do what you put up on the screen,” said Bill Savidge, parent of a sophomore. 

The proposals come in the wake of a March 5 report, issued by WASC, which criticized the high school’s efforts to make improvements in those 11 problem areas. 

“Progress is, at best, spotty and fragmented,” the report read. “It’s sad to see the lack of progress made by a staff and community so rich in talent and resources.”  

Several parents at the Tuesday night meeting said the current leadership team, which took the reins in the fall after principal Frank Lynch resigned, appears to be making more progress than previous administrators at the high school.  

“I think, more than any other administrators, they are taking WASC seriously and making strides,” said Cindy Cohen, president of the PTSA. “I think they really want to make change at Berkeley High School.”  

The four co-principals, Leventer, MaryAnn Valles, Lawrence Lee, and Mike Hassett, presented recommendations in four areas: attendance, discipline, staff development, and the ninth grade program. 

Four focus groups, composed of high school administrators, BHS staff, district personnel, parents, and a few interested students, developed the recommendations early in the school year. 

Administrators convened the four groups after Superintendent Michele Lawrence held discussions with WASC and school administrators earlier this year, and decided to hone in on five of the concerns – the four considered by the focus groups, and a fifth involving the lack of “well-structured planning and decision-making process.” 

School administrators said they began to address the decision-making process earlier this year with the establishment of a new shared governance structure at the high school including administrators, department heads and a representative from the School Site Council. Co-principal Valles said this new structure has helped to centralize and clarify the process. 

Some activists have raised concerns about the apparent focus on only five of the issues, worrying that other problems identified by WASC, including the “achievement gap” separating white and minority students, are not being properly addressed. 

“I’m not suggesting they’re intentionally trying to hide it,” said Kathryn Burroughs, parent of a senior at BHS, discussing the achievement gap. “But, it seems to me that it’s out of sight, out of mind...We need to be talking about the root causes of disparity in achievement.” 

School and district administrators say that the high school has embedded concerns about the achievement gap in each of the focus group studies, arguing that improvements in attendance, discipline, staff development and the ninth-grade program will all help address the disparity. 

“I think everything we’re doing addresses the gap,” said Chris Lim, associate superintendent for instruction. 

Lim added that a series of programs put in place in the last couple of years also address the problem directly. The “Critical Pathways” and “Smart” programs, for instance, provide at-risk freshmen with a summer orientation and intensive support in English and math. 

(Sidebar) 

The Proposed Reforms 

Berkeley High School’s four co-principals have proposed a series of reforms in four areas: attendance, discipline, staff development, and the ninth-grade program.  

“I know these don’t sound like state-of-the-art things,” said MaryAnn Valles one of the co-principals, “but we have basic systems to fix.” 

The following is a list of the highlights: 

Attendance 

• Teachers will call parents after a fourth unexcused absence. 

• As truancy problems escalate, the school will convene parent conferences, send home letters to parents, and develop intervention plans. 

Discipline 

• BHS will have two new deans focused on attendance and discipline beginning next semester. 

• The school will refine its security camera system to cover more “dead spots” on campus. 

• A new information system will allow for a broader dissemination of information among guidance counselors, staff at the BHS Health Center and special education instructors. 

• Administrators will have meetings with suspended students after they return to school, and will better monitor their progress. 

Professional development 

• The departments will convene monthly curriculum meetings to align curriculum from class to class and discuss teaching methods. 

• Teachers in a voluntary program, will visit other classrooms to learn what works and what does not. Over 80 percent of teachers, in an internal survey, said they would take part in the program. 

• BHS will provide monthly learning opportunities for its teachers, covering everything from curriculum to technology. 

Ninth grade program 

• The school will expand the Summer Bridge program, a summer orientation session for at-risk students. 

• BHS will expand its “senior bridge” program to include math. Currently, the program focuses on English, pairing fourth-year tutors with struggling freshmen.

The St. Mary’s High boys’ soccer team dug its way into a deep hole on Wednesday against Albany, giving up two second-half goals to the underdog Cougars. But through constant pressure and a bit of luck, the Panthers managed to avoid the upset by scoring three goals in the last 20 minutes of the match to win, 3-2, in their BSAL opener. 

Seniors Pat Barry, Stephon McGrew and Bryan Warren each scored a goal to lead the Panthers (5-9, 1-0 BSAL) to victory. McGrew and Warren’s goals, the tying and winning scores, both went through the hands of Albany goalkeeper Juan Carlos. 

“We got lucky, but we’re the much better team,” Barry said. “We had some other shots that could have gone in, but they didn’t.” 

The seniors’ heroics was necessary because of a short defensive lapse by the Panthers that handed Albany (1-5, 0-3) two easy goals early in the second half. St. Mary’s head coach Teale Matteson decided to move sweeper Brenden Slevin out to the wing to get more offense, but Slevin’s absence left a big hole in the Panther defense. Albany’s Spencer Dill took advantage, starting with a great through ball to teammate Sean Carey. St. Mary’s goalkeeper Danny Penza hesitated to come out, and Carey slid the ball past him for the game’s first goal in the 55th minute. 

Dill nearly had another assist a minute later with another through ball, this time to Christian Garcia, but Garcia put his shot over the crossbar. But Albany didn’t wait long for another goal, this time with Dill taking a through pass from Jake Mayers. Dill slammed the ball past Penza, and the St. Mary’s sideline looked shell-shocked. A loss to bottom-feeding Albany would have been a crushing blow to the Panthers’ title hopes, especially to start league play. 

“My intent was to create offense for us, but it backfired a little bit,” Matteson said. “I was getting ready to make the correction when (Albany) scored their second goal, so it was a coaching error on my part.” 

But the Panthers started to attack the Albany goal, getting several opportunities to score before Barry got them on the scoreboard by putting home a rebound from a Slevin shot in the 70th minute. 

St. Mary’s got a lift when Matteson inserted Warren for the final 15 minutes of the game. Warren is one of the team’s best players, but was sitting out due to violation of team rules. Matteson realized that since the team needed a win, Warren gave them the best chance to getting one. 

“I figured we needed a jolt, and Bryan can give that to us,” Matteson said. “But I was surprised he played as well as he did.” 

With Warren and McGrew dominating the midfield, the Panthers continued their assault on the Albany goal. Several chances came and went without a score, but when a McGrew pass came right back to him at the top of the box, he decided to take a shot with his left foot. The ball snaked through a group of players, then took a funny hop in front of Carlos. The ball came up, hit the goalie on the shoulder, hit the inside of the post and went in for a tie game. 

Warren showed his temperamental side soon after, getting into a tussle with several Albany players after missing a close shot. But he proved his value to the team with just a minute left to play. McGrew went down in the box but didn’t get a call, and the ball bounced out to Warren. Shooting from the same spot as McGrew’s goal, Warren sent a low liner at Carlos. The goalkeeper went to his knees for the save, but the ball squirted through his hands for the game-winner. 

“We dodged a bullet today,” Matteson said. “It was exciting though, wasn’t it?” 

Editor: 

Is it my aging memory, or is it at this point just a fading urban legend that recounts the story whereby the city of Berkeley passed a bond issue in the ’60s to accomplish the complete undergrounding of utilities throughout the city? The sad tale goes that soon after passage the bond money lay dormant while antagonistic neighborhood groups squabbled over whom should be the first to benefit.  

Resulting delays amounted to years; resulting escalation in project costs made the bond money inadequate for the task, and so the question became even more contentious: who would get undergrounding and who would not? Could the few residential streets that we see with underground utilities be the result of a wonderful vision undermined? 

If anyone has doubts about the benefits of undergrounding (beyond the obvious opportunity to control the electromagnetic fields surrounding power lines, which some epidemiologists suggest are linked to increased incidences of childhood leukemia) take this tour: to settle the aesthetic question simply drive west on Alcatraz Avenue from Telegraph on down, and imagine the absence of the wires.  

The view to (gasp!) Alcatraz Island would be tremendous. Streets without such grand views would benefit hugely as well.  

For another example of the safety issue, take a look at the wooden telephone pole at the southwest corner of Rose and Josephine Streets; I shudder to think what would happen if a car were to clip the single 4 x 4 wooden post that is holding this entire mess up. 

Urban Legend? 

Gary Parsons 

Berkeley 

Running for re-election with a $12-billion-plus budget hole is not an enviable position for an incumbent gearing up for a tough campaign. 

Gov. Gray Davis tried to shed the best light possible on his first term in office during his State of the State address Tuesday evening, promising to balance the budget with no new taxes. 

Is it possible? 

The Daily Planet asked the three local State Assembly hopefuls what they thought about the speech.  

The candidates: David Brown, former chief of staff to Supervisor Alice Lai Bitker, Loni Hancock, former Berkeley mayor and Charles Ramsey, trustee on the West Contra Costa School Board – will vie March 5 for Dion Aroner’s 14th Assembly District seat. Aroner is term-limited out of office. 

Revenue 

One way to plug the hole would be to raise taxes, not a popular stance for any candidate. 

“The budget I will submit to you in two days will be fair, will preserve the major gains of the last three years, will protect local government and will not increase taxes,” Davis told a less-than-enthusiastic legislature. 

While none of the three Assembly candidates proposed increasing personal income taxes, two had some thoughts about raising other taxes. 

Ramsey said he would look at an increase in sales taxes in order to stimulate the economy. The increased revenue should be used especially to stimulate the business sector which, in turn, will increase spending and tax revenues. Public works projects should also be encouraged. Building new schools, retrofitting bridges and expanding BART creates new jobs, which then increases spending and sales tax revenue, Ramsey said. 

Hancock said that one area in which she would like to see increased levies is taxing oil as it comes out of the ground. “There’s no oil severance tax (in California),” Hancock said, noting that in other oil-producing states, there is a small tax per barrel of oil extracted from the ground. 

Brown said he would be “hesitant to increase taxes,” but noted that he would have to see if Davis could plug the deficit hole in other ways. 

Program cuts 

Davis promised program cuts to help close the gap. Where would the candidates make those cuts? It took some prodding to get the candidates to respond to the unpopular question. 

When they did answer, both Hancock and Brown pointed to the prison system. Brown called for a cap on spending in the correctional system. “With Proposition 36 (which supports treatment for drug offenders rather than jail time) there’s a slow down of inmates,” Brown said. 

While Brown said no cuts should be made in school spending, he argued that the money can be spent more efficiently. Currently the state requires expenditures on certain “categorical” programs. Brown suggests that more flexible decision making in school spending might be permitted at a local level, as long as there is accountability. “Ultimately, it’s got to be kids and classrooms first,” he said. 

Hancock said she would “not prioritize prison construction.” Rather, she said, “I’d like to see school construction.” 

While Ramsey did not name specific areas in which he would make cuts, he acknowledged that they must be done. Citing his experience on the West County School Board, he said that when he first came to the district, it was in distress and deep cuts were necessary, which included school nurses and librarians. “Teachers took a 10 percent salary cut,” he said, underscoring that the cuts were followed by a stabilized school district. 

Post Sept. 11 

In his prepared remarks, Davis pointed to accomplishments in the post Sept. 11 era, having set up both the State Committee on Terrorism and the state Threat Assessment Committee as well as establishing the Anti-Terrorism Information Center in the attorney general’s office. Davis then proposed that the state have a greater ability to monitor suspected terrorists and “allow ‘roving’ wiretaps on suspects.” 

All three candidates questioned the conservative Democratic governor on that issue. 

“I’m a civil libertarian,” Hancock said. “I’m concerned about the direction of the country,” including the idea of using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists. Hancock said the federal government already has all the power needed for wire taps. “(The federal and state agencies) should coordinate,” she said. 

Similarly Ramsey urged care in this area. “We have to be cautious about doing something like this,” he said, calling for the protection of an individual’s rights. “We can’t be intrusive.”  

And Brown said the proposal is a concern to him, though he’d have to look at the specifics. “While the state has to be concerned about public safety, the protection goes both ways.” 

Making schools accountable 

In his speech, Davis put education at the top of his agenda and touted his administration for its educational success, as measured by test scores which have risen three years in a row. 

All three candidates also place education as their No. 1 priority, but they say that testing may not be the best way to judge school improvement. 

One also needs to take children’s engagement and excitement about learning into consideration, Ramsey said, adding that one can judge pupils by looking at “how they behave, whether they are attending school and if they are hungry.” 

Brown, who has been a teacher in West Contra Costa County, said that “standardized tests do not mirror what is taught in schools” and so tell only part of the story. Still, he said, schools need to be accountable. 

Hancock, who worked in the Education Department under Clinton, said that while she was glad Davis had prioritized education, she noted that a month ago he froze $800 million in education funds targeted to urban schools. “To me that’s unacceptable,” she said. 

Test scores are only one measure of school success, she added. Rising test scores may be an indication of improved attendance, decreased school violence and other factors and lower test scores may be an indication of low expectations, she said.  

Davis will reveal the specifics of his budget in a speech on Thursday.

This season is clearly a time of rebuilding for the Cal women’s basketball team. They have lost eight of their last nine games and are 0-4 in Pac-10 play. But eventually, the young players (seven freshmen, four sophomores) need to grow up and contribute to some wins. 

Senior forward Ami Forney has been the Bears’ only consistent weapon this season, averaging 14.6 points per game, but teams have started to collapse on her and double-team her in the low post. While Forney has stepped up her game in conference play, scoring nearly 20 ppg in the four losses, she has had little help. While the collapsing defenses should open up the outside for Cal’s collection of shooters, the result has been disappointing. 

“We can talk about some of the other post players, but the bottom line is that you have to have people that can score on the perimeter,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said. “We need some people to shoot it, and ultimately that’s going to take the pressure off of Ami.” 

As the Bears host two of the Pac-10’s top teams this weekend in Oregon and Oregon State, now would be a perfect time for some of those shooters to get hot. The prime suspect is freshman guard Jackie Lord, who has recovered from an injury and should be ready to contribute. But Lord is shooting just 37 percent from the floor and has looked tentative in her six appearances. 

“We know Jackie Lord can shoot. We’ve known that for a long time,” Horstmeyer said. “For her, some of it is confidence. She hasn’t had a lot of practice. I do think she has a scoring mentality, and I know she can score. It’s just a matter of time.” 

Horstmeyer’s squad should also get a scoring boost from the return of freshman Leigh Gregory, who has missed all of the team’s conference games due to injury. The team’s only other double-figure scorer (10 ppg), Gregory has the ability to help Forney out inside and shoulder some of the scoring load. 

The Bears have been solid on defense, giving up a Pac-10 best 57.7 points per game, they have been unable to stop teams late in close games, contributing to their loss total. Horstmeyer said her players have gotten away from their solid start to the season. 

“I don’t think our defense is where it was a month ago or a month and a half ago,” she said. “If that’s our bread and butter, we need to get back to where it was.” 

The Bears will face two teams this weekend that are positive examples of successful teams with one main scorer. Oregon features 1999-2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year Shaquala Williams, while Oregon State leans on last year’s Player of the Year, Felicia Ragland. Both teams have started conference play well with matching 4-2 records while leaning heavily on their leaders. 

Williams, who missed last season with a knee injury, has shown that she is all the way back, averaging 18.5 ppg in Pac-10 play. The senior could have a field day against the Cal guards, who have limited quickness. 

Ragland is an even more dominant force, scoring more than 20 points per game while no other Beaver averages more than 8. 

Horstmeyer’s strategy for beating the Oregon schools this weekend sounds remarkably similar to the formula Cal’s opponents have come up with. 

“Felicia Ragland and Shaquala Williams are going to get their points, but you have to make them work for their points and not give them easy baskets,” Horstmeyer said. “The other part of that is that you don’t let anyone else go off.”

The Daily Planet received a copy of this poem, written by a student to Berkeley High School teacher Joseph Blaine French on the death of his wife Tatia Malika Oden French. 

To mourn death would be too painful 

To enjoy it would be wrong 

To except it would be the way of humanity 

But to unite would be a great conquest 

There is no man who holds against the pain of  

A lost one 

There is no man who can be strong with just pride 

Because it is not pride that builds his strength, 

It is love a man can give to leave for others 

Strength will keep you alive, 

Strength will be there to provide and 

Strength will never be an eternal lie. 

Louis Joseph Lawyer 

Student in J.B. French’s Video Production class

Cynthia D. reached the end of the line 10 and a half years ago. She can tell you the exact day: July 5, 1991. 

She had just come off a month-long binge on crack cocaine, her drug of choice. At the end of it, she looked in the mirror, and at her 5-year-old son, and realized that something had to change. 

“I’m a child of the ’70s,” Cynthia says. “I came up in an era when it was all about drugs, sex and rock and roll. My parents didn’t raise me that way, but it seemed to me that people who were getting high were having so much fun.” 

“In the beginning, it was all right. Then I met crack.” 

Cynthia says that her life had degenerated into an incessant, single-minded quest for the drug. She committed every crime in the book, except for rape and murder, to get her fix. 

“I wasn’t a mother, I wasn’t a daughter, I wasn’t an employee,” she says. “I wasn’t even a friend.” 

The contrast between the Cynthia of today and the stories she tells about her past are startling. Cynthia D. is a charming, confident, well-dressed woman who’s not shy about deploying a teasing gleam of the eye to underline a point.  

But even more incredible than the apparent transformation is the fact that Cynthia turned her life around without going into a treatment program and without being thrown in jail. 

She turned her life around, she says, through her own force of will, with a little help from Narcotics Anonymous. 

Cynthia – who, in accordance with NA procedures, did not give her last name – says that NA provided her with a new life after she decided to discard the old one. 

She met friends that she says she would “trust with her life” – even with that of her son, who is now a sophomore at Berkeley High. She says that sometimes, when she and her son get into an argument, he will call some of her NA friends and ask if he can stay at their house for the weekend.  

“It’s like Hillary Clinton said – it takes a village to raise a child,” she says. “Well, this is my village.” 

Cynthia points to a particular passage in the NA big book that she says explains the philosophy of the program. 

“An addict who does not want to stop using will not stop using. They can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten or locked up, but they will not stop until they want to stop.” 

NA, like other 12-step programs, emphasizes a person’s innate willpower. That, along with the fact that NA provides a ready-made community of leaders and peers that have been addicts, may account for the program’s success. 

In May of last year, the Stanford University School of Medicine released the results of a year-long survey of drug addicts in Veterans’ Administration rehabilitation programs.  

The survey found that 12-step programs like NA are over 25 percent more effective than more traditional, “scientific” approaches to addiction. 

In addition, 12-step programs are free of charge. 

But Robert Long, coordinator of the Berkeley Multi-agency Service Center, says that despite success stories like Cynthia’s, 12-step programs should never be considered a complete solution to addiction. 

Once in a while, says Long, one of the homeless people who use the service center will tell staff that they want to clean up – to get off alcohol or drugs. 

The staff of the service center will often refer these people to a 12-step program, says Long, as it is the only option available for people with no money. 

However, Long says, a homeless addict trying to kick the habit is soon reunited with the street, cold nights and old friends. 

“Alcoholics Anonymous is wonderful and NA is wonderful,” he said. “But in this situation, there are other forces that need to be addressed, and that’s housing.” 

Cynthia says that her five brothers and sisters, are still, in one way or another, involved in the drug lifestyle. 

“They call me Miss NA,” she says. “I just tell them, ‘that’s right.’” 

But the rewards of being clean far outweigh jibes like this, she says. 

“Friends and family who used to cross the street to avoid me now welcome me into their homes,” she says. “Now they say, ‘Come over to my house and stay for the weekend.’ I’m still amazed by that.” 

For information on Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the East Bay, call (510)444-4673.

Editor: 

In a recent article, this reader noted that the mural in the City Council Chambers may be escorted out of town on a national tour.  

Hopefully, genuine patrons of the arts might engage in a fundraising campaign to ensure that this work stay on tour for the entire millennium.  

Then, if we are victorious in keeping the mural’s graffiti like quality in distant time zones, we might strategize how to rid ourselves of the sexist and Wal-Martish portion of it that the city embraces as its logo. 

Bruce McMurray 

Berkeley 

Board president violated by-laws 

Members of the Coalition for Excellence and Equity, a community group calling for the division of Berkeley High School into a series of small, themed learning communities, are upset with Shirley Issel, president of the Board of Education, for violating the board’s by-laws at its Dec. 19 meeting. 

At the meeting, board member Terry Doran, a coalition ally, made a motion calling for the discussion of a draft policy written by the group, which lays out basic structures, standards and admission procedures for the proposed small schools model. 

None of the regular members of the board, who oppose the coalition’s policy, seconded the motion. But, after a period of silence, student representative Sarena Chandler attempted to second the motion, to the wild applause of small schools supporters. 

Issel, after turning to the superintendent and members of the board for guidance, said that Chandler, as a student representative, or “student director,” could not second the motion. As a result, the policy discussion did not take place. 

In a recent interview with the Planet, Issel said she learned of her error after the meeting. “That was an incorrect call. Our by-laws do allow student directors to second a motion,” she said. “It was a mistake, but it was ignorance, not design.” 

Perata to hold Cal Grant seminar 

Berkeley’s representative to the State Senate, Don Perata, D-Oakland, will host a Cal Grant event for area high school seniors and their families on Feb. 16, tentatively scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. at Oakland Technical High School, 4351 Broadway St., Oakland. 

At the event, representatives from the California Student Aid Commission, a state body, and people trained by the organization, will assist families and students in applying for Cal Grants for college. 

There are several types of Cal Grants. Some are open to high school seniors with a 2.0 grade point average, and some to those with a 3.0 GPA. Grants are available for low-income students only, and must be used at colleges in California. 

Bryan Dickason, associate financial aid analyst for the California Student Aid Commission, said Cal Grants are underused because not enough people know about them. He said grant money can help convince a low-income student to go to college. 

“You put a little money in their hands and they say, ‘hey, maybe I’ll give it a try,’” Dickason said. 

Dickason said the state expects to provide $500 million in grants to some 200,000 students next year. The deadline to apply for a Cal Grant is March 2. 

Perata’s Oakland office will host a training on Monday at 6 p.m. for local volunteers who would like to assist families during the Feb. 16 event. Bilingual volunteers, in particular, are needed. 

Call 286-1333 to volunteer, or to find out more about applying for the grants. 

E-mail David Scharfenberg at scharfenberg@ berkeleydailyplanet.net with school news for “Class Notes,”appearing every Thursday.

Editor: 

Regarding Letter by Jason Scorse (1/04/02) “The Real Issues Behind the Afghan War.” 

The point was well made that our government was supporting with grants the Taliban government months before 9/11. 

Our foreign policy is driven by the self interest of a small group of people in the United States government, including Bush and Cheney, whose interests in global oil fields and profits from war contracts have put us in a position of having killed more people than were destroyed by the catastrophe of 9/11. 

Imagine, if you can, that we would have spent the $1 billion a month since 9/11 to feed and house people in the poor country instead of bombing them. That certainly would help end hopelessness and hunger that may lead to acts of desperation. 

We have a well funded intelligence system that should be able to track criminals and bring them to justice. 

Sylvia E. Levy 

Oakland 

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — A man who allegedly threatened to kill former co-workers after he was fired from a nuclear power plant was in custody Wednesday after authorities found a weapons cache that included a rocket launcher, tear gas and hand grenades. 

Authorities believe David Reza, 43, wanted revenge for losing his job as a mechanic at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and was not part of a terrorist plot. 

“I believe he acted as an individual, as a disgruntled employee,” said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. 

Reza was arrested late Tuesday and booked for investigation of terrorist threats. He was being held in Orange County Men’s Central Jail in Santa Ana. 

In a telephone interview from the jail, Reza told the Orange County Register he did not threaten anyone. He said he was being picked on because he is a Native American and because of an ongoing disability dispute with Southern California Edison, which runs the nuclear power plant 65 miles south of Los Angeles. 

“I was just upset and told this guy...’do I have to come over there and put my foot in your (expletive deleted) to get them moving?”’ he said. 

Reza said the guns found by deputies are antiques that he has been collecting since he was a kid. 

“The police took a bunch of antiques,” Reza’s live-in girlfriend, Kristi Mattauch, told The Associated Press. “Did they tell you most of it was from the 18th century? Did they tell you most of it was BB guns?” 

“I’ve called the NRA. This is just ridiculous. He didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. 

Sheriff’s officials did not immediately return a call for comment about the weapons. 

Deputies served search warrants at the man’s Laguna Niguel home and a storage unit in nearby San Juan Capistrano, finding 54 weapons at the house and more than 200 in the storage locker. 

The locker also contained 4,000 to 5,000 rounds of ammunition and four inert hand grenades lying next to a container of explosive powder. 

Some of the weapons were illegal to possess, authorities said. 

“We take every threat serious, especially those from former employees of a nuclear power plant,” Amormino said. “Is the person capable of carrying out the threat? Considering we found a cache of weapons and ammunition, we think the answer is yes.” 

The man was fired from his job at the San Onofre plant last month and called the plant several times allegedly threatening employees and supervisors, Amormino said. 

Ray Golden, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, said the man had worked at the facility since 1984 and did not have access to the nuclear reactor. 

The man’s access permit to that area was revoked in 1995 but Golden would not say why. He also declined to say why the man had been fired. 

The man “made statements outside the workplace” about employees that caused plant officials to alert the FBI and Orange County Sheriff’s Department, but he did not threaten the plant, Golden said. 

“The FBI determined it was not a federal issue and referred it to the Sheriff’s Department,” Golden said. 

Edison has increased security at the generator since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Amormino said the man had threatened to “come back and shoot” employees. 

“He did threaten supervisors ... and anyone who had anything to do with his termination,” he said. 

No other arrests have been made. 

At the storage unit, two deputies were overcome by a yellowish vapor that officials believe was military-grade tear gas stored in an ammunition canister. 

Both deputies were taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo where they were treated and released. A hazardous materials team and the Orange County bomb squad responded to the storage unit. 

Shirley Wickham, manager of the Capistrano Properties Self-Storage facility, said the man had rented the space for more than four years. She described him as “an easygoing, single man who enjoyed life.” 

She was unaware that he worked at the nuclear plant and said he represented himself as a construction worker. 

“I thought he was self-employed,” Wickham said. 

At Reza’s house in an upscale development of two-story homes, an American flag hung from a pole near the front door. The shades were drawn and a black truck was parked in the driveway. 

Neighbor Sharon Walde said he had moved into the house with Mattauch, a real estate agent, nearly two years ago. 

“They were just your average quiet family,” Walde said, adding they rarely attended neighborhood block parties or other gatherings. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Shares of ImClone Systems Inc. fell sharply Wednesday after remarks by its chief executive failed to ease concerns about the biotechnology company’s disclosure of troubles with an experimental cancer drug. 

ImClone CEO Samuel Waksal admitted there were serious problems with the company’s application to gain Food and Drug Administration approval of cancer drug Erbitux, which was rejected Dec. 28. 

Waksal said the FDA’s chief concern is the company’s failure to document some patients in a key clinical trial. 

“It’s not an insignificant problem. The data does not exist,” Waksal told an overflowing crowd attending the 20th Annual J.P. Morgan H&Q Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. 

Waksal said the company is exploring several options, including looking at other studies it conducted in Europe to determine if data from those trials will satisfy the FDA. He conceded ImClone may have to conduct a new human trial if the other options don’t satisfy the FDA. 

ImClone shares fell $5, or 13.5 percent, to close at $31.85 Wednesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The company’s stock has lost more than 42 percent of its value since closing at $55.25 a share Dec. 28. 

At least a dozen federal class action suits — including seven on Wednesday — have been filed against the company since Monday, after an industry newsletter suggested the New York-based company’s problems with the FDA over attempts to gain approval of the Erbitux for treatment of colorectal cancer were more extensive than executives had acknowledged. 

On Wednesday, Waksal insisted he disclosed all the FDA’s major concerns soon after receiving the bad news. 

When the FDA rejected the Erbitux application Dec. 28, analysts at the time said Waksal told them the company’s application wasn’t completed properly. 

The Cancer Letter said the FDA was concerned with additional matters, such as the company’s failure to provide details on cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials who died during the tests. 

“We have answers for them,” Waksal said, adding that ImClone has the detailed narratives of the patients who died and will be submitting them to the FDA. 

“These issues, while important and we are going to address them with the agency, aren’t the reasons for the refusal-to-file letter,” Waksal said 

Waksal said ImClone will work closely with drug titan Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. to quickly refile an improved application. 

“We believe very strongly in this drug,” Waksal said. “We are committed to getting this very important drug on the market.” 

Bristol-Myers Squibb in October invested $1 billion for a 20 percent stake of ImClone and agreed to pay another $1 billion to share in Erbitux revenues. The drug company’s investment was seen as a big boost for fledgling ImClone, which had never submitted an FDA drug application. 

While Waksal defended his company at the conference, law firms across the country continued to file suits on behalf of shareholders. 

The New York law firm of Stull, Stull & Brody filed one of the first suits against the company Monday in federal court in Manhattan alleging ImClone executives “knew, or recklessly disregarded, that its FDA application was preliminary, incomplete and premature, and had little chance of approval, yet represented otherwise to the investing public.” 

The other suits make similar allegations. The company said it does not comment on pending litigation. 

Analysts have downgraded shares of the fledgling drug company, which was hoping to make a big impression at the biotechnology investor conference in San Francisco instead of the damage control executives have been doing since Monday. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.imclone.com 

http://www.fda.gov 

BILLINGS, Mont. — Ranchers hungry for meatier returns on their cattle are weighing their production options — and more of them are holding the antibiotics. 

“Demand has been more than we ever anticipated,” said Ray Killian, president of Meyer Natural Angus. 

The Montana company, with producers in about a dozen states, plans this year to slaughter about 35,000 cattle — nearly double the number last year — that are raised according to its strict protocol, which includes using no antibiotics and no growth hormones and focusing on animal health. 

From natural food stores to supermarkets to mainstream restaurants, beef raised without antibiotics has found a receptive audience, including health-conscious consumers and meat eaters who want to a better idea of where their cuts originated. 

Keying in on the market and like-minded consumers, some beef producers have taken the additional step of not using growth hormones. Such hormones are sometimes used to fatten animals before slaughter. 

Killian said raising cattle without the use of antibiotics is more than just an effort to capitalize on a niche market; it’s motivation to raise cattle differently. 

“What it does is force us to have a ’well-animal program’ to keep the animals healthy so they don’t have to be treated, and I think that’s a positive contributor to the taste and the quality of the product,” Killian said. 

At the Missoula-based Meyer Natural Angus and at Montana Range Meat Co., a Billings-based operation with a network of producers, cattle requiring antibiotics for health reasons are culled from the herd, treated and later sold at traditional markets. 

Potential health benefits from beef raised without antibiotics are still being debated. 

Dr. David Wallinga, with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, is among those who argue that overusing antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance that could be passed on to humans. 

John Paterson, an extension beef specialist at Montana State University, said many consumers perceive beef raised without antibiotics to be healthier. So far, however, he said there is no solid evidence to back that up. 

“But, as meat producers, if the consumer wants the product, we’re going to produce that product for them,” he said, noting projections for the beef market that show continued interest in such products. 

Producers who market their beef as being raised without antibiotics must provide the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service with written documentation about their handling procedures of the animals, a spokeswoman said. The agency approves labeling of products making special claims, such as “raised without antibiotics,” before they can be used. 

T.G.I. Friday’s now serves Meyer Natural Angus burgers in its restaurants, a decision bolstered by the meat’s taste and performance in consumer surveys, said Tom Koenigsberg, vice president of domestic marketing for T.G.I Friday’s. 

Steve Pilcher, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said there’s room for diversification in the industry, and he applauds efforts to tap new markets. But he said he did not want to send a message that one method of raising beef was superior to another, or that treating livestock with antibiotics to keep them healthy is bad. 

Lee Leachman, chief executive officer of Montana Range Meat Co., which specializes in Piedmontese cattle raised without antibiotics or growth hormones, said producers the past two years received premiums averaging 13 cents per pound of carcass weight. 

“The premiums we’re offering can make it so, in the bad years, (a cattle rancher) breaks even and in the rest of the years, he makes double what he would have. That’s pretty significant,” said Leachman, whose family also owns Leachman Cattle Co., a breeding stock business. 

Killian said the market represents an opportunity for ranchers. 

“We, as cattlemen, are going to have to target our cattle to some specific market. We can’t just go out and raise cattle and then hope that somebody buys them,” he said. “This is just an option for some ranchers who want to target the natural beef marketplace.” 

Two high-ranking officials from Japanese political organizations conferred with Councilmember Dona Spring Monday to discuss possible strategies for their country’s fledgling anti-war movement. 

“In Japan it is very difficult to receive accurate information about American anti-war responses,” said Kiyoshi Matsuya, who heads Japan’s Rainbow and Green organization. “That is why we came here, so we can learn about the American anti-war (movement) and spread this information so Japanese cities and towns can become just like Berkeley.” 

Also attending Monday’s meeting, conducted through an interpreter, was Community Environmental Advisory Commissioner Leuren Moret, Japan’s Secretary General of the All United Workers Union Ippei Torii and Ichiro Kobayashi, a freelance journalist who has organized several “peace walks” in Tokyo, one in which 5,000 people participated 

Matsuya said there are many people in Japan who are interested in the anti-war movement, but since the movement is new in Japan, there is no existing organization. He said the small contingent had come to Berkeley seeking possible models. 

He added that until recently there had not been a need for an anti-war organization because the Japanese constitution had been largely successful in preventing military action. 

According to the Global Green Conference 2001 Web site, Japan’s Rainbow and Green organization, which is similar to the Green Party of the United States, was formed in 1999 and has approximately 200 representatives elected to local and state offices, although none have been elected to Japan’s national parliament. 

Matsuya wanted to meet with Spring, because she authored the controversial resolution that called for an end to the bombing of Afghanistan as quickly as possible. The resolution, which the City Council approved by a 5-4 vote, generated thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from around the country that both condemned and supported it. 

“Berkeley is a very unique place,” Spring said. “This community has a different world view than many other parts of the country and a majority of the city’s residents agree with the statement the resolution made.” 

During the meeting, Matsuya invited Spring, and Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek and councilmembers Linda Maio, Kriss Worthington, Margaret Breland, who supported Spring’s resolution, to attend an international peace conference in Japan in the coming months. He said he also intended to invite Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who was the only member of congress to vote against giving President Bush war powers to respond to the terrorist attacks. 

“We would like to help creating a great anti-war network,” Matsuya said. He also announced that about 20 representatives from various Japanese peace organizations are scheduled to come to Berkeley sometime in February. 

According to Matsuya, there is a growing concern in Japan over an apparent backslide from his country’s constitutional renunciation of war. After World War II, the Japanese were so adamant about not participating in future military activity that Article 9, which completely renounces war and the maintenance of land, air and sea military forces, was added to their constitution. 

But during the U.S. military response to the terrorist attacks, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ordered naval vessels to provide rear support to the American military campaign against Afghanistan.  

The Japanese naval vessels, according to Steven Vogel, associate professor of Political Studies at UC Berkeley, were available to participate in almost every facet of the campaign including transportation of supplies, medical support and intelligence gathering. In a phone interview Monday, Vogel said the only activity the Japanese could not participate in was battle. 

“The anti-war voice has gotten weaker in Japan,” Vogel said. “While their contribution to the Afghanistan campaign was not overwhelming, it represents a major upgrading in the scope of Japanese military activity.” 

In addition to participating in the military action, Koizumi, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, led a successful campaign to change national laws that had previously limited the geographical scope in which the Japanese could participate in military activity. 

“We believe the Japanese Prime Minister used the occasion of the terrorist attacks to pass these laws,” Matsuya said. “The attacks were a big shock to the Japanese people and since the attacks, the mass media has given the prime minister a great deal of support.” 

Spring agreed and said President Bush was able to manipulate some American laws because of a climate of fear and anger over the terrorist attacks, such as activation of military tribunals for suspected war criminals and the withholding of selected presidential documents. 

“The threat of war and war itself are very powerful for politicians because it allows them to play on people’s fear,” Spring said. “Unfortunately it’s very difficult to convince people that violence will only make the world a more unsafe place.”

Wednesday, Jan. 9

Baby Bounce and Toddler  

Tales 

7 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

A participatory program for families with children up to age 3. Stories, songs and fingerplays as entertainment and as a way for parents to learn some new material to share with their young ones. 981-6270. 

Berkeley Public Library 

Board of Library Trustees 

Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

South Branch 

1901 Russell St. 

Among the reports for action/discussion are an update on the building project.. 644-6095. 

Waterfront Commission 

Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Marina Office Conference Room 

201 University Ave., Berkeley Marina 

Action Calendar: Insurance Requirement for Berthers. Info/Staff Reports: East Shore State Park Update. 

Police Review Commission 

Regular Meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Discussion or Action: BPD involvement in intelligence gathering and anti-terrorism efforts. 644-6716, www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/prc/. 

Peace Walk and Vigil 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART Station 

A peace walk and vigil to demonstrate opposition to U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. Ends at MLK Civic Center Park. www.indymedia.org. 

Near-death Experience  

Support Group 

7-9pm 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers supportive environment for the exploration of near-death experiences. 428-2442. 

Thursday, Jan. 10<.h3> 

 

Kick the Debt  

7 p.m. 

Friends Church 

1600 Sacramento St. 

In honor of the global campaign to cancel the oppressive debts for the poorest countries. This follow-up meeting will cover the history and current status of the campaign. 528-0105, cagilb@pacbell.net. 

 

Skiing and Snowshoeing in  

Tahoe National Forest 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Catherine Stifter will present a slide show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. 527-4140 

 

Grandparent Support Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Malcolm X School of Arts and Academics 

1731 Prince St. 

Grandparents and relatives raising their grandchildren can express their concerns and needs, plus receive support, information and referrals for Kinship Care. 644-6517. 

 

Community Health Commission 

6:45 - 9:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Prioritize list of health needs of the City of Berkeley to present to Alta Bates Sutter for consideration during needs assessment process for Community Benefit Plan. 

 

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Presentation of FY 2002-2003 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing proposals.  

 

Defending the Rights of  

Children 

12 p.m. 

Albany Public Library, Edith Stone Room 

1247 Marin Ave. 

Arnold Chavez, the executive director for the Alameda County Court Appointed Special Advocates program will discuss how his program works to defend the rights of children who have committed no crimes but, due to circumstances beyond their control are in the juvenile justice system. 

 

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Informational Meeting on Applicant Financed Underground Utility District for the Spruce/Halkins/ Alamo/Cragmont School proposed district 

 

Berkeley Reads 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The adult literacy program of the BPL. Program orientation for new volunteer tutors. 981-6299, prevedel@hotmail.com. 

 

Winter Holistic Health Groups  

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For ages 55 and older. This weeks topic: Creative Aging. 526-0148. 

 

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Friday, Jan. 11

San Francisco Chamber  

Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 

2640 College Ave. 

A program of classical party music from Mozart to Stravinsky. $15. 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org 

Berkeley Reads 

10 a.m. - noon 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The adult literacy program of the BPL. Program orientation for new volunteer tutors. 981-6299, prevedel@hotmail.com. 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Bittersweet legacy art, poetry and stories compiled by Cynthia M. Brody. 232-1351. 

Saturday, Jan. 12<.h3> 

 

Mental Health and Public 

Policy 

8 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Wheeler Auditorium 

UC Berkeley 

A symposium designed to promote a greater understanding of mental illness, and link medical advances to public policy solutions in mental health care. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu:8880 

 

National Writers Union Benefit 

7:30 p.m. 

Oakland YWCA 

1515 Webster St. 

The National Writers Union, Local 3 presents “A Dream Still Beckons: Multicultural Offerings for Peace and Justice in honor of Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” The even features poetry readings and a dance party. Donations requested. 839-1248. 

 

East Bay Lesbian/Gay  

Democratic Club 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. 

EBL/GDC endorsement meeting for East Bay primary elections. All interested persons are invited to attend; only members are allowed to vote for endorsements. 548-9235. 

 

Natural Learning Rhythms Seminar 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Public Library, Claremont Branch 

2940 Benvenue Ave. 

NLR is a system of holistic child development of their inherent capacities. Free. Registration is required, 800-200-1107. 

 

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Sunday, Jan. 13

Banjo Concert 

5 p.m. 

MusicSources 

1000 The Alameda 

Bill Evans explores over 200 years of banjo music on a variety of vintage instruments. Reception follows concert. $15 - $18. 528-1685 

Monday, Jan. 14

Berkeley Community Chorus: Singers Wanted 

7 - 10 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

Dana Street, between Durant Avenue and Channing Way 

BCCO commences rehearsals for its Spring production of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. No auditions. Wheelchair accessible. 964-0665 or download registration form: www.bcco.org. 

Interfaith Women For Peace 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Durant House 

2330 Durant 

A group of progressive women of diverse faith traditions who are 

committed to peace and justice. 527-6162. 

Tuesday, Jan. 15

Fibromyalgia Support Group 

12 - 2 p.m. 

Alta Bates Medical Center, Maffly Auditorium 

2001 Dwight Way 

Monthly meeting features Sandi Alstrand, Certified Accupressure Therapist. 601-0550 

SAN FRANCISCO – After the names and the utterances of prime ministers and secretaries of war are forgotten, after the madmen in the desert have been hunted and killed, after the capable youth of today’s soldiers has been undermined by the blessing of a long life, history will, I think, remember this time – our lifetime – as a religious moment, both dangerous and capable of great grace. 

This is or should be a deeply embarrassing time for anyone in America who claims to be “religious.” On videotape, Osama bin Laden celebrates death and destruction with joyful invocations to God. What we see in the face of our adversary – this Muslim terrorist – is the mad glint of the otherworldly, as ancient as religious belief. 

As a Christian, I have been forced by the angry, bearded face of Islam in recent months to wonder about my own religious face. I believe, through history, organized religion has done more good than harm in the world. That is not a dashed-off piety – I really believe it. 

My own Roman Catholicism has encouraged me to do good in the world; to prize love above all other emotions. But Muslims speak of the “Crusades” as a fresh offense, and I cannot forget now that religion – mine certainly – has caused havoc in the world, brought destruction to “infidel” and “heretic” in the name of God. 

Not without reason did the founders of America establish a secular society. The secular state’s protection of all religious and non-religious belief has been interpreted by some Americans, in recent decades, as an excuse to remove religion from our public life altogether or denigrate it (as post-modern Hollywood regularly does in its comic portrayals of Christianity). But at its best, the American secular state has protected religious rights in America, and protects, not coincidentally, Muslims today. 

It serves Osama bin Laden to ignore the point of our secularism. He is, or portrays himself as, too medieval a man to understand us. He describes America as a “Jewish-Christian” alliance, attempting thereby to separate Muslims from our national company. 

President Bush’s great patriotism at this time has been his insistence that American military action is not a war against Islam. He has been photographed with American Muslim clerics, dined with them in the White House, and prayed with them. 

Less impressive has been the gaudy parade of American clerics and ministers who seem unable to address the dark implications for religious belief of Sept. 11. Catholic bishops merely assure us now that ours is a “just war.” The Rev. Jerry Falwell deciphers the events of Sept. 11 as God’s wrath against gays and abortionists. And from Billy Graham’s son, Frank, we hear a hymn of Christian triumphalism against Islam. 

Confrontation with the darker aspect of religion – thus of ourselves – is difficult for America. Despite 19th century persecution of Mormons on our soil, for example, or the trampling of American Indian spirituality by pioneers, the country has generally been free of religious conflict. 

Beyond our borders, we have not cast ourselves as religious warriors. We went to war, for example, against the Empire of Japan, not against an emperor who was said to be a god in the Shinto religion. And after World War II, Americans grew accustomed to a Cold War enemy that was simply “godless.” 

Now, however, we face a self-proclaimed religious adversary, a circumstance unprecedented in our history. Most embarrassing for me is that this adversary’s religious belief causes me to question my own. For the God that he professes is also mine, in a foreign translation. 

After Sept. 11, it is oddly pertinent to notice how the three desert religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the three religions that are claimed by most Americans – can become not a way of life, but a cult of death. 

Jewish settlers in the West Bank make an eschatological claim on the land; Muslims, dreaming of a paradise that resembles the Playboy Mansion, chant the name of Allah as they slam jetliners into office towers. And some Christians – though not the sort who get polled by Gallup – speak of waiting for the Rapture, the Endtime. 

It is, I know, not completely fair to equate these three religions in this way. As a minority faith, a faith of the “chosen,” Judaism was not a universalist religion, has never sought to be. It is therefore less inclined than Christianity or Islam to persecute other faiths in the quest for converts. 

But from Judaism came a monotheistic theology, crucial for the development of Christianity and Islam, an idea about God both wonderful and dangerous. The idea basic to Judaism is that God acts in history. If God acts in history, then we are not alone, our lives are not meaningless, our sensibilities are not mockery and our history not mere confusion. This is the overwhelming consolation of Jewish belief that watered all religions of the desert. 

But the dangerous aspect of this theological insight is that the God who acts in history becomes decipherable to us, indeed becomes a partner to our wishes (rather than the reverse), even chooses to be on our side. Yahweh, God or Allah ends up a prisoner of his followers who assume his will. 

Bush is not the first among presidents for ending his speeches with “God bless America” – it has become a sort of platitude of political oratory. Now that invocation sounds differently – and seriously – an echo of Islamic militancy. Now, we should not be unaware of the implications of such a prayer within a political speech, how easily religion can be drafted. 

I think of Pope John Paul II, instead, whose papacy may end up most remembered for the litany of apologies he has made for the church’s misdeeds. In early December, the Pope encouraged Catholics worldwide to fast on the last day of Ramadan, and thus to share the spirituality of the Islamic world. The Pope’s suggestion, though little broadcast in the United States, seems to me a particularly valuable one for the future – and nowhere in the world more so than in the United States, where Methodist lives next door to Jew who lives next door to Muslim who lives next door to atheist. 

Precisely because I live in secular America, I find myself able to admire people whose religious faith is not my own. And I feel my own faith burnished by their good example. I do not forget, however, that secular Europe and North America have inadvertently given birth to dark sons – from John Walker in California to Richard Reid in London – sons who end up warring against the freedom and the religious and irreligious diversity of their neighborhoods. 

But the secular state of America might also give birth to a new sort of believer, a new sort of Catholic, a new sort of Baptist, a new sort of atheist. A new sort of Muslim, as well – someone who professes Islam within the cosmopolitan and diverse city. This American Muslim could end up the bright grace for us all in this dark religious moment. 

924 Gilman Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; Jan. 18: Christian Reigh, Dystrophy, Stalker Potential, Lower 48, Thought Crime, No Direction; Jan. 19: Capitalist Casualities, Phobia, Pig Destroyer, Index, Strong Intention; Jan. 25: Ludicra, Brain Oil, Creuvo, Scurvy Dogs, Arftificum Sanguis; Jan. 26: Mile Marker, Yaphet Kotto, Pirx the Pilot, Himsa, Confidante; Jan. 27: Bane, Over My Dead Body, Striking Distance, Breath In; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Anna’s Bistro Jan.9: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Jan.10: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Jan.11:Anna sings jazz standards/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 12: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/ 10 pm Ducksn Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 13: “Choro Time” Brazilian sounds; Jan.14: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes: Jan.15: Mark Murphy’s jazz vocal workshop; Music starts at 8p.m., every night, second band at 10p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-ANNA 

Blake’s Jan. 9: Kid Glove Entertainment Presents, Hebro; Jan. 10: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C.; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 9: Ken Waldman; Jan.10: Silk Road Music; Jan. 11: Alex De Grassi, Franco Morone; Jan. 12: Viviana Guzman & Performers of the World; Jan. 13: Rob Ickes & Slide City; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Jan.9: Ezra Gale Quartet; Jan. 10: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 11: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Jan. 12: Barefoot Bride; Jan. 16: Realistic; Jan. 17: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 18: Bigfoot In Paris Trio; Jan. 19: Netwerk: Electric; Jan. 23: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Jan. 24: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 25: The Sardonics; Jan. 26: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Fourtet; Jan. 30: Joel Harrison Quartet; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

La Pena Cultural Center Jan. 20: 7 p.m., A Hip/Trip Hop Benefit for the Prison Activist Resource Center. Featuring: Black Dot Artists Collective, COINTELPRO, DJ So Much Soul, EK Trip, Prophets of Rage and Renaissance. $10-$15. 3105 Shattack Ave, 893-4648.  

Rose Street House Jan. 17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks; Jan. 25: 8 p.m. DivaBands Showcase featuring: Bern, Elin Jr., Roberta Donnay, Christy Claxton and Tiger Zane. $8-$20. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687rosestreetmusic@ yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series Jan. 11 and 12: both at 8 p.m. The Transparent Tape Music Festival featuring classic and new recorded works by Edgard Varese, Pauline Oliveros and others. $7 for one night, $12 for both. Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave., 649-8744, acme@sfsound.org. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Off Da Hook! Party. Jan. 19: 9 p.m., 317 Lester presents and evening of soul, salsa, dancehall, hip hop, etc. from reknowed DJ’s SAKE1, Ab, special guests and live performances. Raffle every hour. $8-$15. 2670 Union St, West Oakland, 464-1011. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel. 2320 Dana St., 549-3864. 

Live Oaks Concerts: Berkeley Art Center Jan. 20: 7:30 p.m., Marvin Sanders, flute, Kana Mimaki, piano, will perform Prokofiev’s Sonata #2 for flute and piano, and Ceasar Franck’s Sonata in A Major; Jan. 27: 7:30 p.m., Elaine Kreston, cello, Laura Carmichael, clarinet, perform otherworldly and intense duos by Xenakis and Kaaija Saariaho. $10, BACA Members $8, Students and Seniors $9. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 644-6893 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, Music Director Kent Nagano, continues its 31st season with two performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre Jan. 26: 6:30 - 10 p.m., The City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre pay tribute to and welcome the return of “The Dru Band,” teenage recording artist from the Bay Area. $5. 3201 Adeline St., 625-2120. 

Organ Music Jan. 27: 5 p.m., Ron McKean performs Ferscobaldi, Froberger and Bach. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685. 

First Congregational Church Jan. 19: 8p.m., eight womens voices and continuo, also baritone Hugh Davis will sing priest’s acclamations. $25 general, $18 senior, $12 students., First Congregational Church, Dana & Durant, Berkeley, (415) 979-4500 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6; “Julia’s Feast of Dance,” An evening of conemporary dance performed by local dance groups to benefit dance in the East Bay. $15 suggested donation. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.org.  

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

“Sisters” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Feb. 16. The story of the Prozorov sisters looking in a very human way at the gap between hope and fulfillment in their lives. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattack, www.actorsensemleofbkerkeley.com 

Pacific Film Archive Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Oscar’s Magic Adventure, 5:30 p.m., ABC Africa; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com. 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com. 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt Through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu. 

“Prints and Painting by Liao Shiou-Ping” on view through Jan. 31; Tues. to Fri.10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat.10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free Admission. Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388-9th St., Suite 290, Oakland, 238-4491 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“All Grown Up” Jan. 10 - Feb. 2: New paintings and drawings by Amy Chan. Thurs. 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri -Sun 1 p.m. -6 p.m., 21 Grand Ave., Oakland, 444-7263 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214. 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Transformations: Through the Eye of a Needle” Jan.24 - Feb. 23: Two-person exhibition by Rebecca Bui and Linda Lemon. Included in the exhibition are procelain and fabric dolls and mixed media works on handmade paper. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland, 836-0831, www.artolio.com 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

“Domestic Bliss” Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Her serious of work range from large abstract paintings to intimate boxes with collections of found objects, Jan.13 through Apr. 4th Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany,524-9283 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Poetry Flash @ Cody’s Jan. 9: Karen Kevorkian and Gail Wronsky read their poetry; Jan. 13: Phylis Koestenbaum and Carol Snow read their poetry; Jan. 16: Tea Party magazine reading with Ariel, Rita Boagert, Daniel Y. Harris, Denise Mewbourne, Judith Offer, Andrena Zawinski; Jan. 23: Paul Hoover and Elizabeth Robinson reading their poetry; Jan. 27: Wanda Coleman, Austin Straus and Kate Gale, reading their poetry; Jan. 30 Ralph Angel and George Higgins reading their poetry; All events begin at 7:30 p.m. and require a $2 donation unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Mama’s Bears Women’s Bookstore Jan. 12: 7:30, Loolwa Khazzoom will be reading from her new book “CONSEQUENCE: Beyond Resisting Rape,” which takes a fresh, street-savvy look at street harassment. $8-10. 6536 Telegraph at 66th Oakland, 595-4642 

Coffee With a Beat Jan. 12: Word Beat presents Tom Quantamatteo, Larry Beresford and Rose Mark; Jan. 19: Tim Donnelly and Anna May Stanley; Jan. 26: Paradise and 2nd feature TBA; Feb. 2: Julia Vinograd and Shauna Rogan; Feb. 9: Sydney Bell and Debrale Pagan; All readings 7-9 p.m., free and followed by open mike. 458 Perkins at Grand, Oakland, 526-5985.  

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” 1414 Walnut St. 

AK Press Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Joel Schalit dissects the New World Order and the rise of religious fundamentalism in his new book “Jerusalem Calling”. 674-A 23rd St., Oakland, 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Tours 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, scaled to size. Trains run Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387. 

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org. 

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m., Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, children under 5 free. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m.; 1000 Oak St., Oakland, 238-2200, www.museumca.org. 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

An alleged attack on a sophomore at Berkeley High School last month has renewed concerns about safety and security on campus. 

David Calvert, a partner at Berkeley law firm Miller Clark Calvert & Obenour, said a group of students made an unprovoked attack on his son in Building C on Dec. 13. 

According to Calvert, the students knocked down his son from behind and kicked him in the head repeatedly, leaving him with a bruised ear, cuts on the lip and nose and a dental bill totaling $1,500. Calvert said his son may lose one or two teeth. 

Marian Magid, public information consultant for the school district, said Superintendent Michele Lawrence is working on the matter directly. 

“She is very disappointed about the incident,” said Magid, speaking for Lawrence. “She has been in contact with the family, has been reviewing code and policy with staff, and is evaluating what can be done to stop such incidents.” 

“(Security) quickly became the highest priority for the high school,” said Shirley Issel, president of the Board of Education, describing the reaction to the alleged attack among district leaders. “We have a way to go before I would feel that safety is up to the standards that would be acceptable to the community.” 

Parent activists said the attack, which followed a series of assaults by students in ski masks this fall, is emblematic of a larger problem at the high school that is not being properly addressed. 

“There’s a lot of denial,” said Laura Menard, a parent who served on the school’s safety committee last year. “People don’t want to look at it, because it’s scary.” 

According to the district’s statistics, 72 crimes were reported on the high school campus last year, including more than 20 assaults. 

Natashya Brooks said her son, now a sophomore, was attacked last year by a group of students who put a box over his head and beat him. Brooks said her son is now fearful the moment he arrives at school. 

“When he gets out of the car, he does this check thing, where he looks left, right and behind,” said Brooks. 

Both Menard, who is white, and Brooks who is Asian and Native American, say they believe some of the attacks have been racially motivated, with minorities lashing out at students, like Brooks’ son, who appear white. 

But Katrina Scott-George, an African-American parent activist who taught at BHS last year, says that white students are not the only victims. 

“Nobody talks about the assaults on black kids,” said Scott-George. “It happens a lot.” 

Scott-George added that the school must do much more to win the interest of minority students and get them invested in school. 

“We need to engage the kids so it’s a place of learning, not a place where some kids are being educated and other kids are simply being contained,” said Scott-George, who as a member of a community group called the Coalition for Excellence and Equity, has called for the division of BHS into a series of small, themed schools, to create greater community. 

Brooks agreed that the schools need to nurture students of all backgrounds, and said small schools could help improve matters. But, she said the district must draw the line somewhere.  

“We’re all frustrated and angry, but we don’t have a right to go around attacking people,” she said, noting that her own children come from difficult circumstances, but have managed to avoid violence. 

Students on campus made conflicting statements Tuesday afternoon about the degree of violence on campus. One pupil, who asked not to be identified, said that there are an average of two fights per week at BHS. 

But Ainye Long, a senior, said the reports of violence are overblown. “I think safety and security is fine,” she said. “You have 3,500 teenagers all in a school together. Kids are going to be kids.” 

No matter what the degree of violence, most agreed that campus security is ineffective. “The kids just avoid the security guards,” said Leon Carr, a senior at BHS, arguing that the on-campus safety officers do not move around enough to keep students off balance. 

But vice principal Lee said campus security works well. “Any incident that is reported here, we pursue, and in most cases, it gets resolved,” he said. 

Still, Lee said, BHS is working to upgrade its security operation. For instance, he said BHS is moving toward a new system of distributing information that will inform special education teachers, guidance counselors and staff at the BHS Health Center of violent incidents, allowing them to better coordinate appropriate services for the students involved.  

Until now, Lee said, violent incidents have been handled largely in isolation, in his own office. 

Lee added that BHS will have two new deans, assigned to handle attendance and discipline issues, starting next month. He also said the school is working to fine-tune its surveillance system to cover more of the campus. 

Editor: 

Chris Kavanagh’s recent letter about housing (“Spring, a champion for affordable housing” 1/3) represents a confusion that is common in Berkeley. Councilmember Dona Spring was attacked for not supporting more housing, and Kavanagh defended her by listing the publicly-funded affordable housing projects she has supported. 

But we will never build enough subsidized housing to solve the crisis of affordability caused by the Bay Area’s housing shortage. There was plenty of affordable housing in Berkeley in the 1950s and 1960s, much of it in elegant old homes. But during the 1970s, the NIMBY movement became very influential, and there were down-zonings in Berkeley and throughout the Bay Area. Because of the housing shortage they caused, affordable units were gentrified away. 

When I came to Berkeley in 1970, I rented a room in a nice old 1920s house for $40 a month. But during the 1970s, that house shifted from rental to owner-occupancy. Recently, it sold for $500,000. If progressives back affordable housing but not market rate housing, the people who would have bought that market-rate housing do not disappear. They bid up the price of the existing housing stock. 

When there is a housing shortage, the rich are not the ones who end up on the street. Poor people are displaced from their homes as prices go up. On the other hand, if progressives all over the Bay Area were strong supporters of smart growth – of new market rate housing as well as affordable housing concentrated around transit nodes and corridors – we could ease the housing shortage before it becomes bad enough to gentrify away the remaining affordable units in the East Bay. 

Unfortunately, Berkeley’s progressive councilmembers have supported affordable housing, but they have been lukewarm (at best) about supporting housing in general. No city in the Bay Area makes life harder for developers who want to build housing. 

Charles Siegel 

Berkeley 

A dream for Berkeley is getting rid of all the telephone poles in town. But the city needs just a little help from homeowners. 

The Department of Public Works is gearing up to launch a informational campaign to achieve what a city Underground Utilities Task Force once called a “Berkeley Without Wires.” 

The only problem: owners of homes in a would-be pole-free zone must themselves pay the high costs of moving power, cable and telephone lines underground. 

Several neighborhood associations have expressed an interest in forming “applicant-financed underground utility districts” to privately finance the removal of unsightly and potentially dangerous utility poles, according to Lorin Jensen, a civil engineer in the Department of Public Works. 

None of them have gotten off the ground yet, though, and some residents are starting to express concern that the scheme may be doomed to failure. 

“I don’t think it’s ever going to happen,” said Councilmember Betty Olds. “It would cost about $20,000 to $25,000 per household, and I think that’s a pretty insurmountable amount.” 

Mel Webber, a resident of the El Dorado/Del Norte neighborhood, said early estimates of the cost had proved daunting, but his group was continuing to study the issue. 

“The estimates are too high, but we’re hoping we can get them down,” he said. “The cheaper the better.” 

Since the late 1960s, undergrounding has been supported by the utility ratepayers. 

By order of the California Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas and Electric places a 3 1/3 percent surcharge on every electric bill in the state. The money collected by the surcharge is place in an “undergrounding” fund that cities can use to move utilities underground in key neighborhoods. 

Many such projects have already been completed in Berkeley over the years. Wires along Martin Luther King Way and University Avenue, as well as in many neighborhoods, have been placed underground. 

Currently, work is proceeding on the undergrounding project for lines along Arlington Avenue in northeast Berkeley. Ratepayer funds will be next used to do work on Park Hills Road. 

However, the utility money has always been slow in coming, and there are continual fears that PG&E may discontinue the program altogether. 

Supporters of the private utility districts say that they could speed up the process considerably. 

“It’s one of the options that the CPUC has always had in place – if applicants want this, they can organize to get it without waiting for the PG&E money,” said Carlene St. John, a member of the Public Works Commission. 

However, apart from the high costs of undergrounding, residents interested in pursuing private financing face an uphill battle in getting their neighbors to sign on. Seventy percent of homeowners in a proposed district must commit funds to the undergrounding for the project to proceed. 

However, if a neighborhood is able to demonstrate this level of support, the city has offered staff support and guidance to support the project.  

“Hats off to Berkeley for this,” said Jason Alderman, a PG&E spokesperson. Alderman said that Berkeley is one of the few communities in the state that is promoting the private alternative. 

There will be a public meeting to discuss private underground utility districts on Thursday, Jan. 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Members of various city departments will be on hand to take questions.

Editor: 

Your article about the new Berkeley School Board President, Shirley Issel, (“Bathroom mom takes reins” 1/5-6) quotes her as saying “that a school which cannot even take attendance properly is at least six to eight years away from administering major reform.” Why do we have such low expectations for our schools and school leadership? Businesses execute turnarounds in quarters, not years. Any business with expectations this low would fold before they made the necessary changes.  

We need school reform now. It’s time to stop moving the deck chairs on the Titanic. I believe that small schools are our best opportunity to improve the experience of all the students at Berkeley High. Kids need better connections to their teachers and their peers to thrive. Small schools support these connections and in the process support higher achievement, and safer and more satisfying school experiences for kids, teachers and parents. Decades of research support small schools. Most teachers at Berkeley High support the creation of small schools. 

This is a moment of opportunity. But the high school and district leadership isn’t listening. Following the Columbine massacre the federal government put forth a program encouraging high schools of over 1000 to investigate and implement small schools. (This is a very important connection to make. Alienated unhappy kids are a danger to themselves and others both academically and physically.) Berkeley High got a federal planning grant. We are now poised to walk away from implementation grant money. I think we need small schools grant or no grant. I’d kinda like the extra money for our school myself. 

Parents are outraged that kids of all backgrounds are lost in our huge impersonal high school. Numerous African American boys that attend Berkeley High fail to graduate. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. I personally know many kids who thrive at Berkeley High, but I also know many others who, even with all the advantages, don’t make it. I worry about my own son going to a school where it’s so easy to get lost. We can create a school where most kids do wonderful work. We must try. Better attendance taking is nice, but I think we should expect and even demand much more. 

Joan Blades  

Berkeley

A shudder went through the redwood-loving world Tuesday with news that the towering trees may be susceptible to the disease that has been laying waste to California oaks. 

The warning was preliminary; scientists are still waiting for the results of lab tests to see whether redwoods are acting as hosts or could become infected. 

Still, even the suggestion of redwoods in danger struck an ominous note. Huge and majestic, the trees are key to timber and tourism and as essential as sun, sea and fog to the California mystique. 

“Obviously, it is of great concern to us,” said Ruskin Hartley, conservation planner for the 84-year-old Save-the-Redwoods League. “We’ve watched in concern as the oaks in California have fallen.” 

The disease, sudden oak death, has killed tens of thousands of black oak, coast live oak and tan oak trees from Monterey County near San Francisco to southern Oregon, about 500 miles north. Campsites have been closed and trees chopped down to try to contain the infection. 

The disease-causing organism, Phytophthora (fy-TOFF-thora) ramorum, sometimes referred to as a fungus but more like brown algae, is related to the same type of organism believed to have caused the Irish potato famine in the mid-19th century. No cure has been found, although some chemicals have been shown to reduce infectious lesions. 

The disturbing new discovery is that DNA from Phytophthora ramorum spores has been extracted from coastal redwood sprouts. Sprouts are how redwood trees reproduce; when a redwood dies a new tree grows from one of its sprouts. 

University of California, Berkeley, forest pathologist Matteo Garbelotto says tests are now being conducted to see whether the spores are simply on the surface of the tree or whether they have burrowed into the tissue, meaning the redwoods can be a host. Plant experts also have injected healthy redwood sprouts with the disease to see whether they become infected. 

Results are expected in a few weeks. However, even if they show redwood sprouts can be infected, it would be several months before researchers will know whether big trees also would succumb, Garbelotto said. 

Meanwhile, a Marin County arborist, Ken Bovero, says lab tests showed Phytophthora in a dying redwood he was called out to treat. The lab didn’t confirm the pathogen was Phytophthora ramorum (there are a number of different types), but Bovero suspects it is to blame. 

In September, forest pathologists attending a conference in Carmel noticed dead sprouts coming out of redwood trunks in a state park. Lab tests detected the spores in those sprouts and later on trees at the UC Berkeley campus, leading to the current investigation. 

Results so far indicate “it is very likely that redwoods are going to be a host,” Garbelotto said. 

“The worst-case scenario is that, yes, large trees will be susceptible and that in some areas there’s going to be a lot of mortality of redwoods,” he said. “More than that, I can’t say. It’s rare to see a microorganism completely wipe out a tree.” 

Even if lab tests show the redwood only acts as a host, it could prove ruinous to the state’s timber industry and dwindling old-growth forests. 

A statewide quarantine currently limits the movement of wood products containing the pathogen. Such a finding in redwoods could make it hard for companies to get their lumber to mills. 

Meanwhile, the flocks of tourists who visit protected old-growth groves might face restrictions because of concern they would spread the spores. 

Stacy Carlsen, agriculture commissioner of Marin County and a member of the California Oak Mortality task force, said more research is needed to gauge the severity of the threat. 

“Detecting DNA in leaf samples is a far step removed from having redwoods dying,” Carlsen said. 

If more research does show the redwoods are at risk of getting the disease, it will add a new facet to a fight that up until now has pitted logging and development interests against conservationists. 

The lure of the redwoods, says Hartley, is apparent in the cathedral-like hush of an old-growth grove. 

“There’s a sense of quiet. There’s a sense of calm and there’s something intangible that seems to stretch into the past and reach into the future,” he said. 

“One of the advantages the redwoods have is they’re a very diverse species. They have survived for many millions of years, and let’s hope that they survive for many million more.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Oak Mortality Task Force: http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/ 

Save-the-Redwoods League: http://www.savetheredwoods.org/default.htm 

Garbelotto lab: http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/garbelotto/ 

A man was held up by a gun-wielding robber as he was going to work Monday morning, according to Lt. Cynthia Harris of the Berkeley Police Department. 

The victim told police that he was walking down Tremont Street to the Ashby BART Station at around 7:45 a.m. when a man suddenly approached him and stuck a gun in his face. 

The victim said he pushed the gun away. The suspect again allegedly pointed the gun at the victim’s face. He then demanded the victim’s money. 

The victim told the suspect that the money was in his jacket, then reached into his jacket, grabbed the cash and handed it to his assailant. The suspect fled on foot. 

The suspect is described as a dark-complected African-American male in his 20s, 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing about 180 pounds. He wore a blue, hooded sweatshirt and blue or gray baggy pants. 

The victim also described the suspect as “clean-shaven, polite and soft-spoken.” 

Another gunpoint robbery occurred Monday evening in roughly the same neighborhood, according to Harris. 

The victim told police he was walking down Russell Street east of Fulton Street when a man walked up and pointed a gun at him. The suspect demanded the victim’s money. 

The victim told the suspect that he was not carrying any money. The suspect told the victim to give whatever he had. The victim found $7 and gave it to the suspect. The suspect fled on foot. 

The suspect in this case is described as a light-complected African-American male in his early 20s, about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 175 pounds. He wore a dark jacket with a gray pullover underneath, and carried a gray semiautomatic handgun. 

A domestic dispute could have ended in the death of an allegedly wayward husband Monday, according to Lt. Harris. 

The husband said he received a phone call from his wife, from whom he had been separated, early Monday morning. Words were exchanged, and the husband thought it best to leave the house. On the street, near the corner of Bancroft Way and San Pablo Avenue, he ran into his wife, who had apparently called from nearby. 

An argument over the husband’s alleged involvement with another woman ensued. The victim told police that his wife pulled out a gun and fired at him three times. 

Harris said the reports of gunfire had not yet been confirmed by independent witnesses, though there were calls to 911 about the incident. Police are investigating the case. 

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis said Tuesday his budget proposal won’t include a tax increase to close a $12.4 billion budget shortfall, but will combine cutbacks, borrowing and deferring spending until brighter economic times. 

“Even with the cutbacks I will propose, California will be much stronger than it was just three years ago,” Davis said in prepared remarks for his fourth State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature. 

The half-hour address focused on accomplishments and gains, but the speech capped a tumultuous third year in office for Davis. 

He reviewed a year that brought rolling blackouts, a high-tech collapse and sagging job approval. And he previewed his plans to deal with an expected $12.4 billion budget shortfall and the threat of terrorism in the nation’s most populous state. 

The crash of the high-tech industry, a general economic slump and the fallout of the Sept. 11 attacks have left the state facing its steepest revenues declines since World War II. Davis pledged to protect education, public safety and children’s health care, but said he planned to use spending cuts to absorb the shortfall, rather than tax increases. 

Davis said he “will not advocate raising taxes” but will instead cut spending. He offered no specifics in the address. His budget proposal is will be released Thursday. 

He did, however, propose new spending on some fronts, including measures to attract more nurses in the state and expanding affordable childcare and lead poisoning prevention programs. 

Also, Davis said he will guard spending for security, public health and other programs that he called crucial in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Though the state was not directly hit, each of the four hijacked airplanes used in the Sept. 11 attacks were bound for California. More than 100 Californians died. And the state’s already faltering economy took another blow from job cuts, decreased tourism and security costs. 

He highlighted anti-terrorism measures including working with the federal government to create a tiered public warning system and to boost the number of sky marshals on flights. Davis also said he will propose expanding state wiretap laws to allow easier monitoring of suspected terrorists. 

Davis acknowledged several relatives of California’s terrorist attack victims’ relatives. The relatives, along with several law enforcement leaders, attended the evening address in the state Capitol’s ornate Assembly chambers. 

Davis also saluted the mother and stepfather of Brian Cody Prosser, the 28-year-old U.S. Army staff sergeant of Bakersfield killed in Afghanistan Dec. 5 by a U.S. bomb that missed its target. 

The terrorism attacks overshadowed the statewide power crisis that dominated the first half of the year. Davis declared energy success in his address, highlighting conservation and the licensing of 17 new major power plants. 

“California defied the odds, and the prognosticators,” Davis said. 

This year’s State of the State is politically pivotal for Davis, who is facing re-election in November. In the past year, he saw his popularity fall to its lowest point, after six days of rolling blackouts and the financial collapse of the state’s largest utility. 

And three Republicans — backed by a state and national GOP hungry to regain ground after a series of losses in California — launched campaigns to challenge Davis.

SANTA ANA— The judge overseeing the battle for the estate of ex-Playmate Anna Nicole Smith’s oil tycoon husband urged both sides Tuesday to settle the case out of court, indicating neither will approve of his ruling. 

“It’s going to be an awfully blunt decision,” U.S. District Judge David O. Carter said after lawyers for both sides concluded closing arguments. “I’m concerned over what it may hold for one or both of you.” 

He gave them a day to consider reaching a settlement before he starts writing his opinion, which he doesn’t expect to issue before the end of the month. He also said he may call additional witnesses to clarify testimony during the four-week hearing. 

Smith has fought a lengthy battle in several courtrooms for half of the estate left behind by her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II. Opposing her is one of the oil tycoon’s sons, Pierce Marshall, who says she should get nothing. 

The former Playboy Playmate, whose real name is Vickie Lynn Marshall, met her husband in 1991 when she was working as a stripper. The couple married three years later when she was 26 and he was 89. He died the following year. 

In closing arguments, attorneys for each side hurled allegations of perjury and slander. Both cited missing or altered evidence and accused one another of outright lies in the courtroom. 

Smith’s attorney, Philip Boesch, accused attorneys for Marshall’s son of refusing to turn over evidence, such as legal documents, and altering documents. 

“The biggest lie in this court is that J. Howard Marshall wanted all of his wealth to go to ... Pierce Marshall and not the person he loved most — his wife,” Boesch said. 

Attorney Rusty Hardin fired back, telling Carter that Boesch had painted nothing more than a conspiracy theory. 

“He has accused, according to my count, 10 people of perjury,” he said. “In all due respect, judge, he has slandered a bunch of people.” 

After they were finished, Carter told them case could be “easily resolved” outside of court. 

“I would like to see a settlement in this matter if it can be reached in good faith,” he said. 

That seemed unlikely, given that both sides have twice rejected suggestions that they reach a settlement. Neither side would comment Tuesday after Carter advised them against discussing the case until it has been resolved. 

Whatever ruling he issues, Carter told both sides, he fully expects one or the other, and perhaps even both, will take the matter to another court. 

Pierce Marshall is appealing a previous California court decision awarding Smith more than $400 million of his father’s money. After that ruling was followed with one from a Texas jury that concluded Smith had no right to any money, Carter decided to resolve the matter himself. 

Marshall and Smith sat on opposite sides of the court during Tuesday’s closing arguments. 

At one point, Marshall shook his head in disagreement during Boesch’s characterization of his wealth, which was put at well over $1 billion. 

Smith left the courtroom during Hardin’s closing argument, but returned for the rebuttal portion, limping into court, sitting down and using an inhaler. She didn’t say what was ailing her. 

Boesch told the judge the evidence proved there was a reasonable expectation on Smith’s behalf she would receive a portion of her late husband’s estate. She had testified earlier that he promised her half. 

“Does this court really believe that a man purported to be the richest man in Texas” would have left no provisions for his wife, he said. 

Hardin argued that was exactly what the elder Marshall meant to do. He said an audio tape made by Smith in 1995 was further proof. 

“No where on that tape does it say I want her to have half of everything I own,” he said. 

SACRAMENTO — The insurance industry’s attempts to limit its liability for future acts of terror were rejected Tuesday by California’s insurance regulator, though they have been approved by 41 other states since Sept. 11. 

Insurance Commissioner Harry Low labeled various of the proposed new limits and exclusions “arbitrary and-or unfair,” “overly broad and unreasonable,” and “anticompetitive.” 

Even proposed definitions of terrorism is too broad, Low said, “used to define everything ranging from vandalism to hate crimes.” He wants a narrower definition that would leave intact coverage of other incidents such as arson. 

The limitations were proposed by Insurance Services Office Inc., which drafts proposed regulations for the insurance industry. They were approved by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which represents state regulators, over the objections of regulators from California, New York and Connecticut. 

Jim Masek, regional director of government relations at the Insurance Services Office’s San Francisco office, said the ISO is evaluating the rejection but may ask Low’s office to reconsider. The ISO can modify its application, accept the disapproval, or request a hearing. 

Low’s ruling covers both commercial and homeowners’ policies. Other states have allowed insurers to exempt commercial property from terrorist acts, and two states have allowed exemptions in homeowners’ coverage, said Scott Edelen of the California Department of Insurance. 

The proposed exclusions would kick in if a terrorist act or acts caused more than $25 million in damage nationwide within a 72-hour period, or if more than 50 people were killed or injured. Biological or chemical incidents would be totally excluded. 

Insurers told California lawmakers last month that they can absorb the $30 billion to $70 billion cost of the Sept. 11 East Coast terrorist attacks, but might be bankrupted by another act of mass destruction such as a nuclear attack. 

Insurance companies and state regulators alike have been lobbying Congress to adopt national standards that would make state actions unnecessary. Federal lawmakers are expected to resume their debate later this month. 

They also want Congress to establish an insurance fund to help pay for future terrorist acts. If not, California may need to create a state terrorism insurance pool similar to one it created to handle claims from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Peter Gorman, vice president of the Alliance of American Insurers, told legislators. 

Insurance executives and industry analysts said they expect insurance prices will spike through this year before leveling off.

LOS ANGELES — Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s inaugural television advertisement in his campaign for the GOP gubernatorial nomination paints his background in glowing terms. 

But it does so by selectively representing his record. 

The ad, the first to appear as the March 5 primary approaches, began running Tuesday in areas of the state outside of Los Angeles. Its main claims about Riordan’s eight years as mayor: 

—The city added a quarter-million new jobs and unemployment was cut in half. 

—The budget was balanced with no tax increases. 

—The police force grew by 2,100 as crime fell by 50 percent. 

The claims about jobs, budgets and the crime rate generally stand up to scrutiny, though crime fell only by 42 percent, according to Los Angeles Police Department figures. 

The claim about the police force is misleading. 

The 2,100 figure comes from the peak of department staffing levels in November 1999. By the time Riordan left office in June of last year, the force had increased by only 1,408 officers from when he took office in 1993. 

Moreover, the ad does not mention that Riordan pledged to add 3,000 officers to the force. 

Unsurprisingly, Riordan does not mention what critics consider the failures of his administration, like the Rampart police scandal or poor relations with the City Council. 

And whether he can take credit for the successes he lists is open to debate, because Riordan presided during a period of record national prosperity, said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. 

“I’d have to say Riordan must be one of the luckiest politicians around having left office in June, before Sept. 11, before the economy turned around, because I think almost any chief executive could have made the same claims as he did,” Stern said. “If Gray could’ve stopped his term office as of June 30, 2001, he could be saying exactly the same thing.” 

Democratic Gov. Gray Davis is the target of portions of the ad, though he is not mentioned by name. Polls show Riordan ahead of his more conservative Republican opponents — Secretary of State Bill Jones and Los Angeles businessman Bill Simon — and the ad ignores them. 

Without mentioning specifics, the ad cites “gross mismanagement” on the budget and “hostile policies” toward business that it alleges are driving jobs from the state. 

Davis press secretary Roger Salazar rejected those characterizations Tuesday. 

“I don’t think anything could be further from the truth,” Salazar said. He said Davis has focused the state’s reserve spending on one-time costs and has offered businesses incentives. He said the budget deficit is attributable to a downturn in the technology sector and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. 

“It’s sad to see him start off with a negative attack during the campaign season,” Salazar said. 

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis formally called a special session of the Legislature Tuesday to deal with an expected $12.4 billion budget shortfall this year and next. 

Davis said in November that he would call an emergency legislative session to deal with $2.2 billion in proposed cuts to the current budget. Making it official Tuesday, he ordered the special proceedings to run concurrent with the regular session that began Monday. 

In his order, he said the Legislature should take up his proposed cuts, as well as economic stimulus plans and a proposal to make a newly enacted unemployment benefits increase retroactive to Sept. 11. 

Davis will release his 2002-03 budget Thursday. He is expected to propose deeper cuts to state programs to deal with the shortfall. Davis also has imposed a statewide hiring freeze. 

Analysts blame the budget shortfall on an already slumping economy, the high-tech industry collapse, the effects of the Sept. 11 attacks and billions in state spending to stem a statewide power crisis.

LOS ANGELES — A well-equipped Cadillac these days means adding armor to the accessories. 

At the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show this week, General Motors Corp. is showing off an armored Cadillac that protects passengers in a steel and glass cocoon, deflecting .44-caliber bullets and grenades. 

It was originally conceived for overseas markets and U.S. diplomats, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks increased security concerns domestically. 

Bedford Park, Ill.-based Scaletta Moloney Armoring Corp. is building the armored cars in partnership with Cadillac. 

Scaletta Moloney president Joseph Scaletta said inquiries have soared 40 percent. 

“It’s a concept car to see if the retail market is interested,” Cadillac’s Jay Fanfalone said, adding there appears to be enough interest to sell several hundred armored Cadillacs annually for personal and corporate owners. 

“Ninety percent of the luxury vehicles we armor are Cadillac DeVille’s. It was born to be armored,” Scaletta said. The company builds so-called flag-holder and motorcade vehicles for the U.S. government, but Scaletta was reluctant to give details. 

The personal, anti-ballistic Cadillac Sedan DeVille, which weighs another 1,100 pounds for a total rolling weight of 3 tons, would compete with armored versions of BMW’s 7-Series and DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans. 

The black Cadillac on display in Los Angeles is stretched eight inches and has run-flat tires, inch-thick bullet-deflecting windows and steel plating to protect the passenger compartment, including undercarriage steel plates to protect against grenades. 

It’s positioned on the showroom floor alongside an identical black Sedan DeVille and it is difficult to tell them apart. 

“The whole purpose of having an armored car is having it blend in,” said David Ransom, Cadillac manager of professional vehicles. “If people know it’s armored it takes away from the security purpose of the car.” 

Ransom wouldn’t disclose the price tag for the armored versions, but he said it would be competitive with the Mercedes and BMW models costing $100,000 to $154,000. 

Scaletta Moloney is in the midst of delivering a new line of armored diplomatic DeVilles for the U.S. government’s fleet. Secretary of State Colin Powell is already using one of the DeVilles. 

“We’ve had the most demanding customer on earth as our biggest customer for years, so we think that the credibility we’ll bring to the private sector will be unchallenged,” Scaletta said. “There is a need for these cars and the market has forced us to address a changing world.” 

For Cadillac, that demand means offering armored cars. 

“If you are going to go global you need to address armoring,” Ransom said.

SACRAMENTO — Singers and performers in California’s $41 billion recording industry could break their long-term contracts under a bill introduced by state Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City. 

The bill would also block record contracts beyond seven years, ending a longtime industry practice. The bill, which must pass this year and be signed by the governor to become law, bans record companies from collecting damages against artists who walk out after seven years. 

Murray, a former music agent, manager and attorney for singers, introduced the bill, SB1246, after a hearing on record contracts held last September. Recording artists such as sometime Hole front woman Courtney Love and Eagles drummer Don Henley slammed long-term contracts as unfair to artists. 

They told senators the standard seven-album contract often forces artists to spend 14 to 15 years with the same record label. 

Love has sued her label, Vivendi Universal, attempting to break her contract. Recording artists The Dixie Chicks are in a similar dispute with their label. 

State law prevents personal service contracts beyond seven years. But a 1987 exception exempts the record business from state labor laws, which Murray’s bill repeals. 

Record executives argue that their system is necessary in an industry that takes big risks on acts that often fail.  

During the hearing, executives called the complaining artists arrogant superstars who forgot that the industry once took a chance on them. 

Singers, forming a group called the Recording Artists Coalition, have scheduled five benefit concerts in Los Angeles on Feb. 26 to raise money for the legislative fight.

LOS ANGELES — City Council President Alex Padilla has agreed to repay more than $76,000 to the city for exceeding spending and contribution limits in the 1999 election, officials said. 

Padilla also will pay $2,500 in fines for accepting two campaign contributions in excess of a $500 limit. The money owed by Padilla comes after an Ethics Commission investigation, the third of its kind into the council member’s 1999 campaign. In 1999, the commission fined the political arm of the Los Angeles County of Federation of Labor $2,000 for not disclosing $31,000 it spent on a campaign backing Padilla. A year later, the commission fined cable company MediaOne for excessive campaign contributions to candidates, including Padilla. 

The agreement signed by Padilla and LeeAnn Pelham, executive director of the ethics panel, still needs approval by the commission Thursday. If approved, the agreement would be the largest payment made in a settlement since the commission was created. 

Padilla apologized to his colleagues and constituents Monday. 

“It was not my intent or the intent of my campaign to exceed the spending cap,” he said. “Exceeding the spending cap . . . was a mistake on my part and on the part of my 1999 campaign committee.” 

His campaign committee received matching funds from the city in exchange for agreeing not to spend more than $275,000 in the 1999 election. A commission audit found he exceeded that limit by $54,738. Now, he must repay the city $76,821. 

Padilla said invoices for services that were submitted after the election pushed his campaign over the spending limits. 

Padilla won the 1999 runoff election with 67 percent of the vote against health agency administrator Corinne Sanchez, who spent $126,574 in the race. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Former Netscape Communications CEO James Barksdale and his three venture capital partners are going their separate ways after investing most of a $180 million fund created in 1999 during the dot-com boom. 

The Barksdale Group’s decision to disband, announced Tuesday, illuminates the uphill battle facing small venture capital firms in a high technology downturn that has imperiled hundreds of tech start-ups launched in the past two years. 

When they started their firm, the Barksdale partners joined a crowd of wealthy technology executives looking to build upon their riches by investing in promising Internet start-ups. Using $90 million of their own money, the Barksdale partners bet their pedigree would help separate them from the rest of the pack. 

The group included three former Netscape executives — Barksdale, Peter Currie and Quincy Smith — who worked at the company while its Web browser paved the way for the dot-com frenzy. 

Another partner, Danny Rimer, made a name — and fortune — for himself by handling some of Silicon Valley’s hottest initial public offerings of the 1990s, including the stock market debuts of Netscape, At Home Corp., CNet, Verisign and Inktomi. 

But a tech meltdown that began in 2000 forced venture capitalists to spend more time nursing their existing portfolios, while making it difficult to raise more money for future investments from skittish institutional investors. 

Veteran venture capital firms with resources are in a better position to cope with the shakeout than a boutique firm such as the Menlo Park-based Barksdale Group, Currie and Rimer said in separate interviews Tuesday. 

“In an environment like this, operating from a bigger platform is a sounder way to invest,” said Currie, a Barksdale general partner who is leaving to join the Palo Alto office of General Atlantic Partners 

Greenwich, Conn.-based General Atlantic has 18 partners and more than 130 employees in offices in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. 

More venture capitalists probably will seek refuge at bigger firms during the next few years, Rimer predicted. A native of Switzerland, Rimer is leaving the Silicon Valley for London, where he will scout new investment opportunities for the Geneva-based Index Fund. 

“You are going to see a lot of consolidation, similar to what we have seen in the investment banking industry,” said Rimer, 31. 

Barksdale is joining Currie as a special adviser at General Atlantic. He intends to split his time among board meetings, investments and working on the Barksdale Reading Institute, a Mississippi literacy program that he seeded with a $100 million donation last year, spokeswoman Leslie Bottoms said. 

Smith hasn’t announced what he will do next. 

The Barksdale partners will continue to hold regular telephone meetings as they decide what to do with the roughly $54 million left in their fund. The money, representing 30 percent of the original fund, is being held in reserve primarily to provide additional financing to 14 Barksdale-backed companies still in business — a list that includes Tell Me Networks, myCFO.com, Neoteris, Kontiki and Moxi Digital. 

“The jury is still out on our fund, but we fully expect to have positive returns,” Rimer said. 

The Barksdale Group’s investments included a $5 million stake in one of the Internet’s most spectacular failures, online supermarket HomeGrocer.com, which merged with rival Webvan in 2000 and landed in bankruptcy court last year. 

Two other Barksdale-backed start-ups were sold last year — online photography site Ofoto to Eastman Kodak for $58 million in cash and software maker CrossGain Corp. to BEA Systems for $25.1 million in cash and stock. The proceeds were divvied among many other investors besides the Barksdale Group.

SAN FRANCISCO — Angry shareholders have filed at least four lawsuits this week against ImClone Systems Inc., which allegedly had more trouble with its experimental cancer drug than it previously acknowledged. 

Also, analysts have downgraded their views of the stock of the fledgling drug company, which was hoping to make a big impression Wednesday at a major biotechnology investor conference. 

Instead, ImClone has been doing more damage control, particularly since The Cancer Letter on Friday published passages from a confidential Food and Drug Administration document explaining why the agency declined to review ImClone’s application to market its much-anticipated colon cancer drug Erbitux. 

The industry newsletter said the Dec. 28 FDA letter suggests the agency’s concerns were more extensive than ImClone executives disclosed during a Dec. 31 conference call with analysts. 

Chief executive Samuel Waksal plans to address the issue Wednesday at the 20th Annual J.P. Morgan H&Q Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, where ImClone’s FDA trouble has been a hot topic among the 5,000 analysts, investors and competitors. 

“We believe the company was forthcoming,” said Chief Operating Officer Harlan Waksal, Samuel’s brother. “We made very clear this was a refusal-to-file letter. It’s the most dramatic letter you can get from the agency.” 

The company’s stock plummeted from $55.25 a share on Dec. 28 to close at $36.85 on Tuesday. Shareholders lost $650 million on the first trading day after ImClone revealed the FDA rejection. 

“As analysts we are trained to be skeptical,” said Jason Zhang of Stephens Inc., which downgraded ImClone’s stock on Jan. 2 and again on Tuesday. “But I think in this case we are little bit surprised.” 

J.P. Morgan, among others, also downgraded its stock outlook. 

“We believe the details disclosed in The Cancer Letter article suggest additional deficiencies in ImClone’s biological license application (BLA) beyond those already disclosed by the company in its conference call on Dec. 31,” J.P. Morgan said in a research note. 

The analysts said they came away from ImClone’s Dec. 31 conference call thinking the New York-based company simply had problems with documentation. The Erbitux application was its first with the FDA. 

That problem was supposed to be remedied in part by the experience of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., which four months ago invested $1 billion for a 20 percent stake in ImClone. The giant drug manufacturer also agreed to pay ImClone another $1 billion in three installments upon the achievement of certain milestones of the Erbitux development and approval process. In exchange, Bristol-Myers gets to share Eribitux revenues with ImClone. 

A Bristol-Myers Squibb spokeswoman did not return a telephone call Tuesday requesting comment. 

Harlan Waksal said ImClone still expects the FDA to approve the cancer drug once the company addresses all the agency’s issues. According to the newsletter, the FDA said ImClone’s key clinical trial was not “adequate and well controlled.” The FDA also said it needed more data. 

“This is a bump in the road and we plan to overcome this,” Harlan Waksal said Tuesday. 

Harlan Waksal declined to say when he expects FDA approval. Before receiving the FDA letter last month, the company had hoped for approval by the middle of this year. 

In the meantime, ImClone will have to defend itself in court. 

The New York law firm of Stull, Stull & Brody sued Monday in federal court in Manhattan alleging ImClone executives “knew, or recklessly disregarded, that its FDA application was preliminary, incomplete and premature, and had little chance of approval, yet represented otherwise to the investing public.” 

At least three other law firms filed class-action shareholder suits Tuesday. 

Harlan Waksal declined to comment on the suits.

RENO, Nev. — A wildlife group wants a small population of sage grouse found along the Nevada-California line in the eastern Sierra to be listed as an endangered species. 

The Institute for Wildlife Protection in Eugene, Ore., filed a petition for an emergency listing with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Jan. 2. 

The petition argues that the birds found in Mono County and Lyon County, Nev., should be considered a “distinct population segment” separate from the Western grouse found in declining numbers around the West. 

The population requires federal protection, the petition said, because of the bird’s threatened extinction from such factors as dwindling habitat, its isolation and a planned airport expansion in the winter resort town of Mammoth, Calif. 

Biologists have determined the birds are “genetically unique,” but have not concluded they are otherwise distinct. They are thought to be a subgroup of a larger population also found in surrounding counties, said San Stiver, a leading sage grouse biologist with the Nevada Division of Wildlife. 

Once abundant throughout the sagebrush terrain of western states, sage grouse numbers have declined by as much as 80 percent over the past 20 years. Many states, Nevada included, have been working on conservation plans to protect the bird and stave off an Endangered Species Act listing, which would force strict land use and other regulatory restrictions. 

“We realize there’s some habitat problems out there. ... and we’re already on the ground planning and getting people involved,” said state wildlife spokesman Chris Healy. 

Randi Thompson, spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Reno, said the federal agency will work with wildlife biologists in Nevada and California to review the status of the Mono Basin grouse.

HELENA, Mont. — The U.S. Forest Service has made no decision yet whether it will appeal a judge’s ruling that halted a plan to log thousands of acres of burned timber in a national forest in Montana, the agency said Tuesday. 

Environmentalists, meanwhile, urged the agency to forgo any further court appeals and reopen the Forest Service plan to additional public comment. 

“I hope what will happen now is that the agency will really take the words of the judge to heart and do the right thing,” said Jennifer Ferenstein of Missoula, Mont., national president of the Sierra Club. “First and foremost, the Forest Service should go back and look at its project and take the time to listen to the public.” 

Heidi Valetkevitch, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C., said the agency planned to meet with its attorneys to review Monday’s decision by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula, and would decide later whether to pursue an appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. 

A coalition of environmental groups filed suit in federal court last month after the director of the Forest Service and a U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary approved the contentious plan for the Bitterroot National Forest, a 1.6 million-acre stretch of public land along the Montana-Idaho border. 

The Forest Service maintains its proposal on about 45,000 acres of the Bitterroot would improve the health of the forest, 307,000 acres of which was scorched by wildfires in 2000. In addition to salvaging dead and dying trees that were burned in 2000, the plan calls for closing logging roads and planting new trees. 

Environmental groups, however, argued the project’s approval was illegal, because the Forest Service had violated its own internal appeals process. 

In a decision released late Monday night, Molloy agreed, saying the plan could not move forward until the Forest Service complied with its own appeals process. 

Spike Thompson, deputy forest supervisor at the Bitterroot National Forest, declined to comment Tuesday on Molloy’s ruling, referring questions to Montana U.S. Attorney Bill Mercer, who represented the Forest Service in the dispute. 

Mercer said he was disappointed with Molloy’s ruling, but would not know the government’s next move until he had a chance to review the decision with the Forest Service and USDA, which oversees for Forest Service. 

The logging plan would salvage about 181 million board feet of timber. Opponents fear logging will cause other environmental problems, including additional sediment in streams that could harm native fish. 

Molloy addressed those concerns only briefly in his ruling, focusing instead on the Forest Service’s decision to bypass its appeals process. 

Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth had said earlier that he wanted to avoid the internal appeal because he believed it would be a waste of time, considering the existing threats of litigation from opponents over environmental concerns. 

He and other federal forestry officials said it was a wiser use of time to avoid the appeal and go right to court. 

Lawsuits based on environmental concerns of the plan are still likely. The Sierra Club’s Ferenstein said if the Forest Service completes its internal review and still approves the logging plan, her group and others would likely file a separate lawsuit. 

LOS ANGELES — An asteroid large enough to wipe out France hurtled past the Earth at a distance of about a half-million miles just days after scientists spotted it. 

The asteroid, dubbed 2001 YB5, came within 520,000 miles of Earth — approximately twice the distance of the moon. 

The asteroid, estimated to be 1,000 feet across, was traveling about 68,000 mph relative to the Earth when it zipped past on Monday. 

“It’s a fairly substantial rock. If it had hit us at that sort of speed, you would be taking out a medium size country, France, I suppose, or Texas, or something of that order,” said Jay Tate, director of the Spaceguard Centre in Wales. 

Astronomers with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program discovered 2001 YB5 on Dec. 26. As the asteroid travels around the sun, it crosses the orbits of Mars, Venus and Mercury, as well as that of the Earth. 

Soon after its discovery, astronomers calculated the asteroid’s orbit and determined that there was no danger it would strike Earth. 

Had it been on a collision course, it would have created “one of the worst disasters in human history,” said Steven Pravdo, the NEAT project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. 

“What could we have done about it? The answer is not much,” Pravdo said. 

Dozens of asteroids pass close by the Earth each year. On Friday, for instance, an asteroid known as 2001 UU92 will pass within 11 million miles of Earth. However, just 19 others have come closer than 2001 YB5 since 1991, Pravdo said. 

As astronomers discover more and more near-Earth asteroids, they seek a standardized way of alerting the public to what potential hazard they pose. 

Among programs already in place is the Spaceguard Centre’s Comet and Asteroid Information Network, which began work Jan. 1. 

——— 

On the Web: http://www.spaceguarduk.com/ 

NEAT Project: http://NEAT.jpl.nasa.gov/ 

Berkeley seventh-graders scored significantly lower than their counterparts in other school districts on a statewide fitness test conducted in spring 2001 and released by the California Department of Education last month. 

The California Physical Fitness Test, which assesses fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders, also revealed a physical “achievement gap” separating white and Asian students from African-American and Latino students in the fifth and seventh grades. 

The test measures students in six areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength, upper body strength and flexibility. 

The state launched the test in 1999 and administered it again in 2001. Berkeley, like many districts around the state, did not use the prevailing state model in 1999, making a comparison to previous figures impossible. 

Only 34 percent of Berkeley seventh-graders met five of the six fitness standards set out in the 2001 test, compared with 50 percent in the county and 51 percent at the state level. 

Fifth-graders scored slightly higher than the statewide averages, and ninth-graders came in just below the average mark.  

But even those figures disappointed many throughout the district with only 22 percent of fifth-graders and 19 percent of ninth-graders meeting all six standards. 

Still, with budget, maintenance and business systems in disarray, physical education does not appear to be a top priority. 

“Someone needs to pay attention to (physical education) districtwide,” said John Selawsky, a member of the Board of Education. “Having said that, I’m not sure who’s going to do that at this point, and what priority it is.” 

Christine Lim, associate superintendent for instruction, said she was particularly concerned about the poor showing at the seventh-grade level. “It provokes me to inquire with the principals and staff as to why that is,” Lim said. 

Parents, administrators and physical education teachers at the city’s middle schools could not explain the disparity between seventh-graders and other students. But they did suggest a number of reasons for the poor performance of Berkeley students overall. 

“I see a lot of kids being brought, literally, to the front door by their parents,” said Jack Ball, head of the physical education department at King Middle School. “They don’t ride a bike, or walk to school.” 

“As a nation, we hear many times that students are working less outside and are doing more inside,” added Nancy D. Waters, principal of the John Muir Elementary School, making reference to heavy television viewing and video game play. “And, with fast food and parents being so busy – it’s easier to drive through somewhere than to peel a cucumber.” 

Debbie Vigil, a consultant with the California Department of Education, concurred. “Society has a role in this as well,” she said. “With the computer age, kids are finding entertainment other than physical (activity).” 

But, some suggested that funding and policy problems in the district also play a role. “I don’t think that the public schools offer enough physical education,” said Anita Martinez, parent of a seventh-grader at Longfellow Arts & Technology Magnet Middle School, and member of the PTA. “I would like to see more programs and better support.” 

Ball, of the King School, says that, when it comes to budget cuts, physical education has actually fared better than arts and music programs over the last 40 years. But, he suggests that increased funding for smaller class sizes could help. 

At the elementary school level, where regular classroom teachers often take the lead on physical education, it’s a question of scheduling and priorities, with academic subjects such as math and reading often taking top billing. 

“I’m really proud of the quality of our program, but not with the quantity,” said Marlo Warburton, a fourth and fifth grade teacher at John Muir who helps run the physical education program at the school. “We have such time constraints with our instructional minutes that we can only do exercise twice a week.”  

At Berkeley High School, athletic director Robert Traum says a school board policy allowing athletes to skip physical education classes has been destructive. 

“It’s a horrible idea, because it substitutes specialization in one area for the broad background an adolescent needs,” said Traum, arguing that an athlete focused only on swimming or baseball, for instance, fails to develop a whole host of skills explored in physical education classes. 

Athletes, Traum argues, also miss out on important social benefits. For instance, he said, gym classes are more racially-integrated than academic courses that often divide by race when it comes time for advanced placement study. 

Selawsky said the school board has been considering a shift in the policy for six months, but that many parents have lobbied to maintain the policy because it gives athletes more time to take other courses. 

“We’re balancing two things here,” he said, “the students who need to take electives, or even requirements, and what I think is the importance of having a broader physical education program.” 

The Berkeley figures revealed a significant racial disparity in test scores that mirrors the academic “achievement gap.” For instance, among fifth graders, 63 percent of white students and 54 percent of Asian students met five of six standards on the test, compared with 47 percent of Latinos and 39 percent of African-Americans. 

Berkeley educators were surprised by the figures and could not offer solid explanations for the disparities, although they suggested that the same economic and cultural factors that drive the academic achievement gap could play a role in the physical education chasm. 

Dianne Wilson-Graham, consultant for the California Department of Education, said there has been no comprehensive study of the gap at the state level. 

But she said that, in her initial research, schools that have improved the academic gap have also improved the physical gap, suggesting that there may be a link between the two. 

Tuesday, Jan. 8

Friends of Strawberry Creek 

6:30 - 8 p.m. 

Corporation Yard Green Room 

1326 Allston Way  

Will meet to review our first year and plan for 2002. 848-4008, info@strawberrycreek.org. 

New Testament Workshop 

7:30 p.m. 

Norton Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Al Moser, Associate Pastor at Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish, will lead the workshop.  

Our School Information Night for Prospective Parents 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Community Center, Rm. 203 

2727 College Ave. 

Information event providing an opportunity for parents to learn about Our School’s approach to education. Call to register - 704-0701. www.ourschoolsite.ws. 

Blood Pressure Screening 

10:30 a.m. 

2727 College Ave. 

St. John’s Senior Center is open to adults 55 and older and offers a variety of crafts, classes, exercise, creative writing and an inexpensive lunch. 

Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Our small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony. 655-8863, ann@integratedarts.org. 

Wednesday, Jan. 9

Baby Bounce and Toddler  

Tales 

7 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

A participatory program for families with children up to age 3. Stories, songs and fingerplays as entertainment and as a way for parents to learn some new material to share with their young ones. 981-6270. 

Berkeley Public Library 

Board of Library Trustees 

Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

South Branch 

1901 Russell St. 

Among the reports for action/discussion: Building Projects Update/Move. 644-6095. 

Waterfront Commission 

Regular Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Marina Office Conference Room 

201 University Ave., Berkeley Marina 

Action Calendar: Insurance Requirement for Berthers. Info/Staff Reports: East Shore State Park Update. 

Police Review Commission 

Regular Meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Discussion or Action: BPD involvement in intelligence gathering and anti-terrorism efforts. 644-6716, www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/prc/. 

Peace Walk and Vigil 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART Station 

A peace walk and vigil to demonstrate opposition to U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. Ends at MLK Civic Center Park. www.indymedia.org. 

Near-death Experience  

Support Group 

7-9pm 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers supportive environment for the exploration of  

near-death experiences. 428-2442. 

Thursday, Jan. 10

Sking and Snowshoing in  

Tahoe National Forest 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Catherine Stifter will present a slide show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. 527-4140 

Grandparent Support Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Malcolm X School of Arts and Academics 

1731 Prince St. 

Grandparents and relatives raising their grandchildren can express their concerns and needs, plus receive support, information and referrals for Kinship Care. 644-6517. 

Community Health Commission 

6:45 - 9:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Prioritize list of health needs of the City of Berkeley to present to Alta Bates Sutter for consideration during needs assessment process for Community Benefit Plan. 

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

Presentation of FY 2002-2003 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing proposals.  

Defending the Rights of  

Children 

12 p.m. 

Albany Public Library, Edith Stone Room 

1247 Marin Ave. 

Arnold Chavez, the Executive Director for the Alameda County Court Appointed Special Advocates program will discuss how his program works to defend the rights of children who have committed no crimes but, due to circumstances beyond their control are in the juvenile justice system. 

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Informational Meeting on Applicant Financed Underground Utility District for the Spruce/Halkins/Alamo/Cragmont School proposed District 

Berkeley Reads 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The adult literacy program of the BPL. Program orientation for new volunteer tutors. 981-6299, prevedel@hotmail.com. 

Winter Holistic Health Groups  

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For ages 55 and older. This weeks topic: Creative Aging. 526-0148. 

Friday, Jan. 11

San Francisco Chamber  

Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 

2640 College Ave. 

A program of classical party music from Mozart to Stravinsky. $15. 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org 

Berkeley Reads 

10 a.m. - noon 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The adult literacy program of the BPL. Program orientation for new volunteer tutors. 981-6299, prevedel@hotmail.com. 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Bittersweet legacy art, poetry and stories compiled by Cynthia M. Brody. 232-1351. 

Saturday, Jan. 12

Mental Health and Public 

Policy 

8 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Wheeler Auditorium 

UC Berkeley 

A symposium designed to promote a greater understanding of mental illness, and link medical advances to public policy solutions in mental health care. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu:8880 

National Writers Union  

Benefit 

7:30 p.m. 

Oakland YWCA 

1515 Webster St. 

The National Writers Union, Local 3 presents “A Dream Still Beckons: Multicultural Offerings for Peace and Justice in honor of Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” The even features poetry readings and a dance party. Donations are requested. 839-1248 

Natural Learning Rhythms Seminar 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Public Library, Claremont Branch 

2940 Benvenue Ave. 

NLR is a system of holistic child development of their inherent capacities. Free. Registration is required, 800-200-1107. 

Sunday, Jan. 13

Banjo Concert 

5 p.m. 

MusicSources 

1000 The Alameda 

Bill Evans explores more than 200 years of banjo music on a variety of vintage instruments. Reception follows concert. $15 - $18. 528-1685 

The Daily Planet received a copy of this letter addressed to the mayor and City Council: 

As a West Berkeley resident and past Ocean View “meddler” in city affairs, I want to thank the city of Berkeley for its investment of considerable effort and expense in providing a pedestrian overcrossing of the freeway just south of University Ave. My thanks include Mayor Dean, the City Council, the Planning Department, various commissioners, and interested citizenry who pushed for a quality bridge, and last but not least, the tax payers.  

This bridge, now nearing completion, is a substantial mitigation for the injury done to the Ocean View neighborhood when the railroad and freeway conspired to rob us of our access to the beach and the Bay.  

But it is not just a bridge – it is a grand and ample bridge. I applaud the designers who, with that arched shape, mimic the curve of the old Bay shore in Aquatic Park. Rather than an imposition, it is pleasing to the eye.  

To those who think the city spent too much money on this project, I say it is always better to do something well, for it will continue to repay us for years.  

There is still much to do – land acquisitions, the restoration of the beach, and lots of effort to keep zealots from over-developing the land – but this piece of infrastructure sets a new high standard for what is to follow – that is, the Shoreline Park. 

Curtis Manning  

Berkeley 

924 Gilman Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Blake’s Jan. 8: Operation Interstellar, $ 3; Jan. 9: Kid Glove Entertainment Presents, Hebro; Jan. 10: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Anna’s Bistro Jan. 8: Singers’ Open Mik w/ Trio!!!; Jan.9: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Jan.10: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Jan.11:Anna sings jazz standards/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 12: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/ 10 pm Ducksn Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 13: “Choro Time” Brazilian sounds; Jan.14: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes: Jan.15: Mark Murphy’s jazz vocal workshop; Music starts at 8p.m., every night, second band at 10p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-ANNA 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C.; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, Music Director Kent Nagano, continues its 31st season with two performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 9: Ken Waldman; Jan.10: Silk Road Music; Jan. 11: Alex De Grassi, Franco Morone; Jan. 12: Viviana Guzman & Performers of the World; Jan. 13: Rob Ickes & Slide City; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Jan.9: Ezra Gale Quartet; Jan. 10: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 11: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Jan. 12: Barefoot Bride; Jan. 16: Realistic; Jan. 17: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 18: Bigfoot In Paris Trio; Jan. 19: Netwerk: Electric; Jan. 23: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Jan. 24: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 25: The Sardonics; Jan. 26: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Fourtet; Jan. 30: Joel Harrison Quartet; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Rose Street House Jan. 17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687, rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel. 2320 Dana St., 549-3864. 

Organ Music Jan. 27: 5 p.m., Ron McKean performs Ferscobaldi, Froberger and Bach. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685. 

First Congregational Church Jan. 19: 8p.m., eight womens voices and continuo, also baritone Hugh Davis will sing priest’s acclamations. $25 general, $18 senior, $12 students., First Congregational Church, Dana & Durant, Berkeley, (415) 979-4500 

Dance 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6; “Julia’s Feast of Dance,” An evening of conemporary dance performed by local dance groups to benefit dance in the East Bay. $15 suggested donation. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

Theater 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.org.  

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Oscar’s Magic Adventure, 5:30 p.m., ABC Africa; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Exhibits  

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com. 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com. 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt Through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu. 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214. 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

“Domestic Bliss” Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Her serious of work range from large abstract paintings to intimate boxes with collections of found objects, Jan.13 through Apr. 4th Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany,524-9283 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 9: Karen Kevorkian & Gail Wronsky read their poetry $2; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”;Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”;Jan. 13: Phyllis Koestenbaum & Carol Snow read their poetry $2; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” 1414 Walnut St. 

AK Press Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Joel Schalit dissects the New World Order and the rise of religious fundamentalism in his new book “Jerusalem Calling”. 674-A 23rd St., Oakland, 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Tours 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, scaled to size. Trains run Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387. 

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org. 

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m., Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, children under 5 free. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m.; 1000 Oak St., Oakland, 238-2200, www.museumca.org. 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

Last week the city clerk made census packages available for citizens who want to roll up their sleeves, dust off their calculators and sharpen their pencils to take another shot at redrawing the city’s eight council districts. 

This is the second attempt at redrawing the district lines. The City Charter requires an adjustment following the census every 10 years so each district contains just about the same number of people. 

The first redistricting plan was scrapped by the City Council on Nov. 28 after the grassroots organization Citizens for Fair Representation, upset with what it called a lack of public input into the plan, collected enough signatures during a petition drive to put the controversial plan on the ballot.  

But instead of putting the plan to the voters, the council voted to drop the plan and start the process from scratch. 

One of the problems that contributed to the plan’s downfall was a Federal Census Bureau undercount of approximately 4,500 residents, mostly students, in districts 7 and 8. 

According to a notice in the packets, the Federal Census Bureau indicated that revised census numbers would be available by mid-January. These numbers, however, won’t reflect the city’s actual population, said Federal Census Bureau spokesperson Edison Gore. 

The 2000 census counted 102,500 people. 

“In no case will the new numbers include an actual recount,” he said. “Federal law requires us to conclude number tabulations by a certain date prior to the release of the census figures.” 

So instead of a new count, the census bureau will re-shift the population count in the city’s census tracts to “spread out the undercount,” Gore said.  

According to a spokesperson in the Office of the City Clerk, the old numbers were being released with the new packets as a safety precaution. She said the redistricting process has to get underway if the city is going to meet a tight April 1 deadline to submit an approved plan to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, in order for the new districts to valid for the Nov. 5 elections, during which the mayor and four council seats will be decided. When they are available, those working on new redistricting plans will switch to the new numbers. 

The deadline for submitting a redistricting plan is Feb. 1. The City Council will hold public hearings on the plans on Feb. 19 and Feb. 26. The council is expected to decide on a new plan on Feb. 26. 

During the last redistricting process, the city received four redistricting plans, in addition to two city staff plans.  

The plan, originally approved and later rescinded, was submitted by David Blake and Michael O’Malley. It was approved by a 5-4 council vote, with the progressive majority voting in support. 

The plan drew fire from Citizens for Fair Representation because large numbers of residents were shifted across district lines, with the majority of the 4,500 people ending up in District 8, represented by Councilmember Polly Armstrong. CFR supporters pointed out that with more people in District 8 than in others, each person’s vote would count less. No CFR representative was available for comment on Monday. 

Blake defended the plan on Monday saying he and O’Malley attempted to distribute the undercount throughout the city’s eight districts. Blake said he would not be submitting another redistricting plan this time around.  

Another controversial plan was submitted by the Associated Students of the University of California. They sought to create a student-majority district, in the hopes of electing a student to the City Council, by drastically altering the shapes of districts 7 and 8. The city attorney determined the plan was illegal because the City Charter requires new districts to be similar to the original districts, which were drawn in 1986. 

“We’re not sure yet if we will be submitting another plan this time,” said ASUC’s External Affairs Redistricting Coordinator Michael Wagaman. “But we intend to ensure that students are given their fair voice in city government.” 

Another plan that didn’t get much recognition during the redistricting process was the Elliot Cohen Plan, which, according to Cohen, was the only plan that came close to fairly evening out the population count among the city’s eight districts. “My plan was the one that came closest to one person, one vote,” he said. “The plan I submit this time will do that again as well as reflect the constructive comments I received during the last round.” 

For more information about obtaining a redistricting package call the City Clerk’s Office or visit the city’s Web site at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us.

Editor: 

Last September, the National Institutes for Health defunded the controversial Tritium Facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for lack of worthwhile activity there. Community leaders and activists rejoiced that a 10-year campaign to close this radioactive nightmare had succeeded. For over 30 years this building had been continuously dumping clouds of rad-waste out a stack 25 feet from the fence of the Lawrence Hall of Science children’s museum. The site is super-fund eligible. 

Well, it’s time to put the corks back in the bottles as LBNL’s nuclear wizards are not done using Berkeley for a radioactive trash can. Defunded, the tritium work for the large corporations they have been doing may actually cease, but LBNL has restarted its incinerator for mixed waste - dioxins, heavy metals and other cancer-killers that have become radioactive. The lab is calling the device an oxidation chamber which is as honest as calling the process a “treatability study,” a sham which allows them to operate the incinerator without the normal permits that even they would have trouble obtaining.  

The so-called oxidation chamber, cleaner than a crude incinerator, involves the igniting of oxidizers, volatiles and rad-waste in a contained chamber which introduces the real possibility of an explosion. Previously, they operated their mixed waste treatability study in secret for three years on a slightly different kiln-type incinerator until a horrible accident on July 24, 1998 dumped at least 50 curies of tritium and who knows what else onto the museum. LBNL waited 10 days before admitting the accident which did nothing for the kids, parents and workers at the museum that day. Do we really need to be doing this kind of dangerous experimental work next to the area’s largest children’s facility? Why doesn’t LBNL ship their rad-waste (and their oxidizing incinerator) to Idaho like all the other Dept. of Energy operations? 

Unfortunately, LBNL won’t be dismantling the highly contaminated exhaust stack, building or other equipment until they study-incinerate all the remaining waste from the tritium fiasco. As to whether LBNL will just continue processing mixed waste from their other operations or even other DOE facilities, they are staying tight-lipped though one of their lawyers let it slip that the schedule for the treatability study is “open - ended.” Every day I hear of a new cancer, leukemia or other genetic malady which has been directly linked to exposure to these poisons. LBNL cannot be trusted with the well-being of our children or our community and we should send Dr. Strangelove, his rad-waste and his oxidizing incinerator packing.  

Incidentally, the new chair of Berkeley’s Environmental commission, Elmer Grossman, has been leading a one-man campaign to re-fund the Tritium Facility, including an investigation of NIH and why they pulled the money plug. Only in Berkeley.  

Mark McDonald 

(acting co-chair) Committee to MinimizeToxic Waste 

Berkeley 

The Office of Physical and Environmental Planning at UC Berkeley has released the Final Environmental Impact Report regarding a proposed amendment to the 1990 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP).  

The LRDP must be amended because the Northeast Quadrant Science Safety (NEQSS) Projects entails a net increase in square footage beyond what the LRDP originally allowed. 

The NEQSS Projects include the replacement of Stanley and Old Davis Hall, seismic upgrades of Cory Hall, the Naval Architecture Building and New Davis Hall, and the construction of a new building north of Soda Hall as well as additional parking at the Lower Hearst parking structure. 

The final EIR responds to comments received from the city and the community. It is available at the Physical and Environmental Planning Office, Room 300, 1936 University Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94720-1382. Questions on the FEIR may be addressed to Jennifer Lawrence at 642-7720. 

Editor: 

This letter is in response to one written by Robert Clear, Jan. 4-5 “too much emotion too little reason.” Clear suggests that recent letters printed in the Daily Planet were too full of emotion and had too little reason. I would suggest Clear seems to believe in ‘magic’ and practice selective ignorance. 

First the ignorance; strange Clear is jumping into the fray about high-rises after 55 public meetings over three years on the General Plan that he didn’t bother to attend. This is not brain surgery, one either supports more high-rises downtown or not. The use of a few visual images to make a point is hardly irrational. 

Set-backs: the opponents of massive high rises in Berkeley have always demanded set-backs. Set-backs with trees/bushes make for a more pleasant walking city. Set-backs are currently required only for residential properties because of the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance. The developers are strongly opposed to them. 

Evaluate the last 20 apartment houses or commercial properties developed in Berkeley. They are all built up to the property line, some like the Berkeleyan even hang over a square of the pedestrian sidewalk. I requested set-backs for commercial properties in the new General Plan three years ago and continued the refrain for another year. No dice. It is not in the final draft. 

Difference in scale: the proponents of high-rises are always suggesting Berkeley be more like Paris, Portland, Seattle, New York City or Washington, D.C. I did not compare Berkeley to San Francisco, only to the street experience of downtown Montgomery, Sansome, and Battery streets, if we dot our downtown with vertical walls of concrete. There is a lot more to San Francisco than the downtown financial district. 

This is the city of my birth and youth. I would not refer to it as ‘Gotham City.’ The horrible experience at 101 Montgomery Street, of wind and darkness is not experienced at 444 Market St. because of the 40-foot set back with trees and benches. 

Sprawl and auto use: who ignores the obvious correlation between suburban sprawl and auto use? Here’s where Clear’s belief in magic surfaces. No matter how many new units are built in San Francisco or Berkeley the demand for cheaper housing on the outskirts does not abate. The folks who buy a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house on an acre with pool for $500,000 are not interested in living in an inner city, be it Berkeley or San Francisco. This is why Tracy, Fairfield, Vallejo, Napa, Sonoma, Antioch, Brentwood, Santa Rosa, Windsor, Bencia, Modesto, Merced, Madera, Gilroy, et al keep over-flowing into the surrounding farm lands. 

There is not a finite number of émigrés to our fair state. Eight million come every decade. Once in awhile there is a slowdown like during the current recession but it will pick up again all too soon. Trashing Berkeley is not the solution to urban sprawl, we’ll just end up with a concrete-covered city and the outer ranch land also covered in concrete. The only way to save open space is to give generously to the Nature Conservancy, California Land Trust and all the other organization that buy up ranch land until it can be sold to the Feds or the State for parks.  

Norine M. Smith 

Berkeley 

The Berkeley Unified School District’s revised annual expenditure plan for Facilities Maintenance is available for public viewing in the Superintendent’s office at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way any time after Dec. 26, 2001. The plan is mandated by Measure BB, the Berkeley Schools Facilities Safety and Maintenance Act, passed by voters in 2000. 

The Board of Education will vote on the expenditure plan at its regular meeting on Jan. 9. 

SACRAMENTO — California must re-evaluate a decades-old forest fire prevention program in which the state paid for controlled burns on private land, a judge ruled Monday. 

The state isn’t adequately gauging the environmental affects caused by participating private landowners who are likely to use herbicides to control re-growth once an area is burned, ruled San Francisco Superior Court Judge David Garcia. 

Louis Blumberg, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, couldn’t immediately say if the department would comply or appeal the decision. 

He called the vegetation management program “a critical part of our fire prevention efforts” that has burned an average of 37,000 acres a year for 20 years. The state has conducted the burns for more than 50 years, he said, and last year burned 65 plots totaling 23,700 acres at a cost of $125 to $150 per acre. 

“For every dollar we spend on prevention, we save $8 to $12 down that line that we would be spending on fire suppression,” Blumberg said. 

But Patty Clary of Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATS), one of the groups that brought the suit, called the program “a timber company welfare program.” 

The state pays 80 percent of landowners’ costs, but can’t control what landowners do with the private property once the program is complete, Blumberg said. 

CATS, based in Arcata, and the Environmental Protection Information Center in Garberville alleged the state’s failure to take into account the private landowners’ subsequent actions violates environmental restrictions, and the judge agreed. 

“Californians want protection from wildfires but don’t want the environmental degradation” that could be result, EPIC spokeswoman Cynthia Elkins said in a statement. 

The state must take into account the possible effects of erosion, harm to sensitive species, and the potential spread of noxious weeks from the burning programs, in addition to the potential harm from herbicides, the environmental groups said. 

The judge’s ruling comes as the state and federal governments focus increasing attention on fire prevention efforts across the West. 

It is the second similar court victory for CATS. Last year, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Forest Service to reevaluate the potential environmental harm from using herbicides to control re-growth in 320,000 acres of planned fire breaks in three Northern California national forests.

Study projects local economy rebound  

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Bay area economy will be on the mend in coming years, springing back from its worst slump in decades, according to a joint study released Monday by three public policy groups. 

The region’s economy will grow at a rate of 4.3 percent to 5.1 percent during the next three to five years, based on projections from the Bay Area Council, the Bay Area Economic Forum and the Association of Bay Area Governments. 

The key to how fast the Bay Area bounces back will depend, in part, on how long it takes the national economy to recover. 

The report found the Bay Area remains the most productive regional economy in the nation, and produces goods and services more efficiently than other areas. 

The report, authored by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co, found that $65,090 worth of goods was produced for every person in the region in 2000. That figure was 84 percent higher than the national average and far outdistanced Boston, which ranked second in producing $42,294 per person. 

The Bay Area’s high cost of living tempered its economic success, the report noted. 

“When you factor in the cost of living, the 84 percent lead in output per capita gets shaved down to 36 percent,” said Sean Randolph, president of the Bay Area Economic Forum. 

Experts say mass transit systems are terrorist targets 

SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area rail and bus systems carry 1.3 million weekday passengers, making them vital economic arteries — and an inviting target for terrorists craving mass casualties, societal disruption and media attention. 

“Terrorists clearly have identified public transportation — whether it’s the subways in Moscow, Paris and London, or Israeli buses — as a killing field, ” said Brian Michael Jenkins, a security expert who co-wrote a new international study to glean the best counterterrorism tactics from Bay Area, London and Tokyo transit systems. 

Issued by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University, the study praised BART’s readiness for nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. 

But researchers criticized the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s light-rail and bus lines for being “less concerned with the thought of a terrorist threat than such issues as fare avoidance and graffiti.” 

Officials at the South Bay transit agency countered that the two-year study overlooked the agency’s disaster-response drills and its plans to install security cameras, vehicle-locator and communication technology on all trains and buses. 

Convict claims to be a Temptation  

SAN FRANCISCO — Alan Young sings, dances and puts on quite a show when he poses as the former musical director of the Temptations. Trouble is, police say, his unknowing victims get stuck with the tab. 

Young, a 50-year-old parolee from Oakland who has a criminal record dating to 1978, has variously claimed to be Cornelius Grant, the soul group’s one-time musical director, and Ali Ollie Woodson, a former Temptations lead singer, investigators say. 

Young was jailed Dec. 28 and has since pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of fraud and identity theft involving Woodson and Grant and four alleged victims — an art dealer, an attorney, an accountant and a Hayward church choir singer. 

Authorities believe Young took the four for thousands of dollars. 

The real Grant, who is 58 and lives in West Hollywood, is flabbergasted by it all. 

“I think it is amazing that a guy using my name can get onto a private jet, and I’m the real guy and I can’t get a dime,” he said. 

Grant was the Temptations’ musical director for 20 years and co-wrote some of the soul group’s hits, including “I Know I’m Losing You” and “You’re My Everything.” 

Marin foundation may spend out of county 

SAN RAFAEL — San Francisco supervisors want the Marin Community Foundation to spend Buck Trust money outside Marin County, and the board has asked the state attorney general to look at how the foundation awards grants. 

However, a resolution approved by the board in August never was sent to the foundation, which distributes the Buck Trust, or to the attorney general. 

It wasn’t until Dec. 19 that foundation chief executive Thomas Peters learned that San Francisco’s elected body had its eye on the foundation’s assets. 

“I was flabbergasted, number one at the content and explicitness of their run at the Buck Trust, but also sort of procedurally amazed that they never saw fit to send the resolution,” Peters said. 

The Buck Trust was left in 1975 by Ross philanthropist Beryl Buck for “charitable, religious or educational purposes in providing care for the needy in Marin and for other nonprofit charitable, religious or educational purposes.” 

In 1986, the San Francisco Foundation, first distributor of her trust, lost a lengthy legal battle to distribute the money throughout the Bay Area. 

But last August, San Francisco Supervisor Geraldo Sandoval drafted the San Francisco supervisors’ resolution at the request of the Greenlining Institute, a San Francisco public policy and advocacy organization. 

The institute says the foundation is not adequately serving Marin’s poor and needy, and in December asked Attorney General Bill Lockyer to investigate.SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco supervisors want the Marin Community Foundation to spend Buck Trust money outside Marin County, and the board has asked the state attorney general to look at how the foundation awards grants. 

However, a resolution approved by the board in August never was sent to the foundation, which distributes the Buck Trust, or to the attorney general. 

It wasn’t until Dec. 19 that foundation chief executive Thomas Peters learned that San Francisco’s elected body had its eye on the foundation’s assets. 

“I was flabbergasted, number one at the content and explicitness of their run at the Buck Trust, but also sort of procedurally amazed that they never saw fit to send the resolution,” Peters said. 

The Buck Trust was left in 1975 by Ross philanthropist Beryl Buck for “charitable, religious or educational purposes in providing care for the needy in Marin and for other nonprofit charitable, religious or educational purposes.” 

In 1986, the San Francisco Foundation, first distributor of her trust, lost a lengthy legal battle to distribute the money throughout the Bay Area. 

But last August, San Francisco Supervisor Geraldo Sandoval drafted the San Francisco supervisors’ resolution at the request of the Greenlining Institute, a San Francisco public policy and advocacy organization. 

The institute says the foundation is not adequately serving Marin’s poor and needy, and in December asked Attorney General Bill Lockyer to investigate.SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco supervisors want the Marin Community Foundation to spend Buck Trust money outside Marin County, and the board has asked the state attorney general to look at how the foundation awards grants. 

However, a resolution approved by the board in August never was sent to the foundation, which distributes the Buck Trust, or to the attorney general. 

It wasn’t until Dec. 19 that foundation chief executive Thomas Peters learned that San Francisco’s elected body had its eye on the foundation’s assets. 

“I was flabbergasted, number one at the content and explicitness of their run at the Buck Trust, but also sort of procedurally amazed that they never saw fit to send the resolution,” Peters said. 

The Buck Trust was left in 1975 by Ross philanthropist Beryl Buck for “charitable, religious or educational purposes in providing care for the needy in Marin and for other nonprofit charitable, religious or educational purposes.” 

In 1986, the San Francisco Foundation, first distributor of her trust, lost a lengthy legal battle to distribute the money throughout the Bay Area. 

But last August, San Francisco Supervisor Geraldo Sandoval drafted the San Francisco supervisors’ resolution at the request of the Greenlining Institute, a San Francisco public policy and advocacy organization. 

The institute says the foundation is not adequately serving Marin’s poor and needy, and in December asked Attorney General Bill Lockyer to investigate.

SAN FRANCISCO — Three years after rewriting the books on computer design and simplicity with the iMac, Apple Computer Inc. on Monday unveiled updated models with a flat-screen display, faster processor and a new look. 

The revamped iMac looks nothing like its egg-shaped predecessor, or any other PC for that matter. A 15-inch liquid crystal display attaches by a chrome swivel bar to a white base that holds the guts of the computer. 

“This is the best thing I think we’ve ever done,” Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and chief executive, said during a two-hour speech at the Macworld Expo trade show. 

Mac fans had been wondering for weeks what might be introduced during the show, which for years has been used by Apple to announce new products and strategies. 

Most believed a new iMac would be revealed. There were other rumors, such as the possible debut of a new handheld computer or an update to the Mac OS X. 

It remains to be seen whether the new iMac will take off as did its predecessor, which sold 6 million units in three years. Computer makers have been suffering through the current economic recession. 

Apple now has less than 5 percent of the total PC market, according to Gartner Dataquest and other analysts. Some consumers have balked at higher prices and the limited software that runs on the Apple platform. 

“Our share in the computer market is larger than either Mercedes or BMW in the car market, just to put that in perspective,” Jobs said in an interview. “When people see what a Mac can do, they get real excited.” 

The basic configuration, which will cost $1,299 and be available in March, runs on a 700-megahertz G4 processor. It has 128 megabytes of memory, a 40-gigabyte hard drive and a rewritable compact disk drive. 

The middle model, available in February, has twice as much memory and a combination rewritable CD drive and DVD player. It is priced at $1,499. 

The flagship model, which will start selling this month, has an 800 MHz G4 processor, 256 megabytes of memory, a 60-gigabyte hard drive and a combination “SuperDrive” that can write and record CDs and DVDs. It will cost $1,799. 

Apple spent about two years developing the new machine and chose early on to make revolutionary changes in its design rather than create a smaller version of the original iMac, Jobs said. 

All wires — including the power cord, universal serial bus cables and others — run from the back of the machine’s white base. DVDs and CDs are inserted at the front, just below a large silver Apple logo. 

Yet the most noticeable difference is the sharp, non-flickering liquid crystal display. The viewable area on the 15-inch monitor is the same as most 17-inch, old-style cathode ray tube monitors. 

The monitor tilts in all directions and swivels. The base is heavy enough to prevent the unit from tipping over — or being used as a replacement for a laptop computer. 

“This is in my mind the most aggressive model they have ever introduced,” said Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. “They blew out my expectations with this machine.” 

Jobs said the new iMacs will form a digital hub to which cameras, music players and other devices can be connected. 

Since announcing the digital hub strategy last year, Apple has unveiled several Mac-only programs and gadgets, including the popular iPod music player and iTunes music software. 

On Monday, Jobs unveiled another component: A program called iPhoto that imports, stores and helps share pictures taken by a digital camera. It also links to Internet services for printing pictures and even publishing a book. 

The company also enhanced its iBook line of laptops, adding a souped-up model with a 14-inch screen rather than a 12-inch screen. 

Jobs also touted the increasing number of applications that now run on Mac OS X, the Unix-based operating system that was launched in March. By the end of this month, all new Macs will first boot up using OS X, though the classic Mac OS 9.1 will remain an option, he said. 

In trading Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, Apple shares were down 3.3 percent, or 79 cents, at $22.90. Shares regained 10 cents in after-hours trading. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Apple Computer: http://www.apple.com 

SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo & Co. is poised to introduce a discount service for wiring money to Mexico, representing the latest move in the banking giant’s courtship of the steadily growing Hispanic population in the United States. 

The new service will charge a $10 flat fee for wiring as much as $1,000 to Mexico. 

The price undercuts the rates charged by the dominant financial wire services, Western Union and Moneygram. The market leaders collect a $15 fee on a comparable wire transfer of up to $300 and charge as much as $50 for sending $1,000 to Mexico. In some cases, Moneygram charges a flat fee of $15 for any amount. 

Mexicans living in the United States wire an estimated $8 billion annually to friends and relatives back home. 

Wells, the nation’s fifth-largest bank, intends to test its new wire service in a Phoenix, Ariz., branch and seven Texas branches under a pilot program that will begin before April. 

The San Francisco-based bank eventually plans to offer the wire transfer service — operated as a joint venture with Grupo Financiero Bancomer SA, Mexico’s second-largest bank — in all 3,000 of its branches located in 23 states. 

The service represents Wells’ latest offering aimed at Hispanic consumers, particularly Mexican-born immigrants without bank accounts. 

“It’s an extremely attractive market,” said Bob Byrne, Wells’ director of divergent services. “We want to stay close to it by tailoring products that fit the market’s needs.” 

To tap into the “unbanked” market of Hispanics, Wells in November began to recognize Mexican documents called “matriculas” as an acceptable form of identification. Mexican consulates issue matriculas to migrants lacking the conventional papers to establish residency in the United States. 

Wells signed up 1,000 new customers using matriculas during the first few weeks of the program. Meanwhile, Wells has drawn fire from anti-immigrant activists who believe the bank’s loosened identification requirements will encourage more Mexicans to illegally cross the border. 

Wells also has been heavily promoting another long-running program, called Intercuenta, that lets customers send money to Mexico through account transfers completed on the Internet or automated teller machines. 

The new Mexican wire service will be offered to non-accountholders, as well as current Wells customers. 

Wells’ sharper focus on Hispanics reflects the market’s widening appeal. 

The Hispanic population in the United States increased 58 percent during the 1990s, according to census data. The disposable income of Hispanics jumped 118 percent during the 1990s to $452 billion in 2001, according to a study by the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. 

Disposable income among non Hispanics rose by 68 percent during the same period, the study said. 

By drawing more Hispanic non-customers into its branches, Wells is betting it will be able to persuade them to open an account and then sell them a variety of other financial services products, said industry analyst Joseph Morford of RBC Dain Rauscher. 

Wells’ success at cross-selling products to its existing customers is a major reason its revenues have been growing at a faster clip than most other big banks during the last few years, Morford said. 

With its expansion into the wire service business, Wells will be competing against two well-established services with substantially more outlets scattered in stores around the country. Western Union, owned by Minneapolis-based First Data Corp., has been wiring money to Mexico for more than 100 years. 

Western Union is closely watching Wells’ new wire service but has no immediate plans to change its prices, said spokesman Pete Ziverts. 

“Our service has stood the test of time,” he said. “We believe we can compete on the overall convenience and customer service that we offer.” 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.wellsfargo.com 

http://www.westernunion.com 

http://www.moneygram.com 

By Brian Bergstein 

The Associated Press 

SAN JOSE — The infighting at Hewlett-Packard Co. resumed Monday with the board accusing dissident director Walter Hewlett of misrepresenting his reasons for voting for — and then publicly opposing — the acquisition of Compaq Computer Corp. 

In a letter filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Chairwoman Carly Fiorina and seven other HP directors told Hewlett they were “particularly disturbed” by his recent contention he originally voted for the $24.7 billion deal only to help HP secure the best possible price. 

Hewlett said in a Dec. 27 SEC filing that he voiced concerns about the deal at several board meetings, but that an HP lawyer told him the stock-exchange ratio in the deal would have to be reworked if it did not have the unanimous support of the board. 

Hewlett said he was told he could approve the deal as a board member and vote against it as a shareholder, and made his intentions known even before the deal was announced Sept. 3. 

The new letter from the other directors said that “to suggest that you were pressured into approving the merger is inaccurate and inappropriate.” 

“You were never advised that HP would be forced to pay a higher price for Compaq if you voted against the merger,” the letter said. 

The letter also said the board and management had no idea Hewlett would vote his personal shares against the deal until a half-hour before he announced that publicly on Nov. 6. 

However, at the time, HP management said it was not surprised by Hewlett’s announcement. An HP spokesman did not return a call seeking comment. 

Hewlett opposes the HP-Compaq deal because he believes it is too risky, would lessen the contribution of HP’s profitable printing division and increase the company’s reliance on personal computers without effectively improving its services business. 

HP and Compaq are awaiting regulatory approval before setting a date for a shareholder vote, but Hewlett already is lobbying other investors to oppose the deal. His opposition camp includes Hewlett and Packard family interests with 18 percent of HP shares. 

The companies believe merging will make them a dominant player in key technology markets, improve their business-computing products and services and save them $2.5 billion a year. 

“We collectively concluded that the merger represented by far the single best strategic alternative for the company,” Monday’s letter said. “Quite frankly Walter, you have never offered an alternative strategy that we all haven’t debated and rejected.” 

The letter also criticized Hewlett for missing board meetings in which the merger was discussed. A Hewlett spokesman was unavailable for comment. 

Shares of Palo Alto-based HP fell 14 cents, less than 1 percent, to $23.02 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Compaq gained 29 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $11.68, after the Houston-based company said fourth-quarter results will be better than previously expected. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.hp.com 

http://www.compaq.com 

SACRAMENTO — California legislators returned to their antique wooden desks in the Capitol on Monday, kicking off a new year of budget shortfalls and promising to keep the state solvent. 

Coming back after three months in their small towns, farms and big cities, 80 Assembly members and 40 senators reveled in the rituals of opening day beneath the Capitol dome. They shook hands, hugged and gossiped on the floors of their palatial-style chambers. 

Outside, the Capitol Christmas tree still stood and wet paint signs adorned a building accessible only by showing identification to security forces. 

During a 13-minute session, the Senate played host to an emotional speech by Sen. Bruce McPherson, R-Santa Cruz, asking that it adjourn in memory of his late son, Hunter. The 27-year-old McPherson was shot and killed during a Nov. 17 robbery in San Francisco. 

“He was the best son a father ever had,” said an emotion-choked McPherson as tears flowed in the Senate chamber. 

Afterward, senators hugged and offered condolences to McPherson and his wife, Mary. 

The Assembly adjourned its 40-minute session in memory of Brian Cody Prosser of Bakersfield, the 28-year-old U.S. Army staff sergeant killed in Afghanistan Dec. 5 by a U.S. bomb that missed its target. 

The Democratic-dominated Legislature faces another turbulent year, following a troubled and dramatic 2001 session that focused mainly on keeping California’s lights on. A $12 billion budget deficit leads the priorities, alongside PG&E’s bankruptcy status, a weakened economy and an array of anti-terrorism proposals. 

“The way things are happening, every year there’s something exciting,” said Assemblyman Herb Wesson, D-Culver City. “This year it’s the budget crisis. It is what it is. We will survive this.” 

Wesson expects to be elected the Assembly’s 65th Speaker on Thursday. 

He will take office Feb. 6. 

Current Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, said the Legislature hopes for quick upturn in the state’s economy. 

“Economists are telling us this is a short-term issue,” Hertzberg said. 

But many analysts believe budget cuts may be painful, especially after years of record surpluses from the mid-1990s to 2000. Most of the Legislature is also inexperienced at budget cutting. Efforts last year to craft a $103 billion budget led to weeks of impasse between ruling Democrats and Republican holdouts. 

Gov. Gray Davis will propose a 2002-2003 budget for the fiscal year beginning this July 1 on Thursday. Davis also makes the governor’s annual state of the state address at 5 p.m. Tuesday. 

Further overshadowing the session that began Monday are March 5 primary elections and a Nov. 5 general election in which, in which the entire Assembly and half the Senate seats are up for grabs.

LOS ANGELES — Settlement talks were under way Monday on the eve of trial for 15 Greenpeace activists and two free-lance journalists charged in connection with trying to stop a missile-defense test at Vandenberg Air Force Base, both sides said. 

The 17 are accused of conspiracy, trespassing and violating a safety zone for allegedly riding inflatable rafts into a Pacific Ocean “exclusion zone” on July 14 as the Air Force prepared to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile for use as a target. 

The protest caused about a two-minute delay in launching the unarmed Minuteman II. The ICBM’s mock warhead was then destroyed 144 miles above the Earth by an interceptor rocket launched from a Pacific isle. 

The activists, some from overseas, were scheduled to go on trial Tuesday but Greenpeace officials and the U.S. attorney’s office said Monday that the case could settle first. 

“There are ongoing settlement discussions between the government and the individuals who are facing trial tomorrow,” said U.S. attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek. “As of right now there has been no resolution to the case although there may be before the start of trial tomorrow.” 

Mrozek declined to disclose details of the negotiations, as did Greenpeace spokeswoman Carol Gregory. 

“At this time, at this second, we’re still prepared to go to trial tomorrow morning,” Gregory said. 

If convicted the activists and journalists could face up to six months in prison, Mrozek said. 

Gregory identified the Greenpeace activists indicted in the case as: Jon Aguilar of Carpinteria, Calif.; Nic Clyde of Sydney, Australia; Patrick Eriksson of Oja, Sweden; Katie Flynn-Jambeck of Minneapolis; Henk Haazen of New Zealand; Brent Hanssen of Columbia, Mo.; Tom Knappe of Germany; Stuart Lennox of Australia; Guy Levecher of Greenfield Park, Quebec; Kelly Osborne of Littleton, Colo.; Bill Nandris of London; Samir Nazareth of Nagpur, India; Mathias Pendzialek of Hamburg, Germany; Dan Rudie of Minnesota; and John Wills of Great Britain. 

The free-lance journalists are Jorge C. Torres of Los Angeles and Steve Morgan of Cottingham, England, Gregory said.

STOCKTON — The bodies of three young children left alone in a Stockton home were discovered after the the single-story house went up in flames. 

The bodies of Javier Sanchez, 7, Annette Sanchez, 5, and Francis Sanchez, 3, were found after the flames were extinguished early Sunday. Preliminary reports indicated the children succumbed to smoke inhalation, officials said. 

Neighbors said the children’s mother, Maria Aguilar, 24, left the house with her boyfriend Saturday afternoon. 

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether criminal charges will be filed against Aguilar, authorities said. 

It was the second such tragedy in a week for the area. 

In Bakersfield, two children ages 6 and 3 died in an apartment fire on New Year’s Eve after their mother allegedly left them home alone while she went out with friends. 

The children’s mother, Jodi Ranae Saldana, 26, pleaded innocent to two counts of felony child endangerment and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. 

She was jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail and faces a maximum sentence of seven years, four months in prison if convicted. 

LOS ANGELES — An investment adviser must repay nearly $19 million he took from 400 investors and spent on himself, including paying for his honeymoon and his wife’s cosmetic surgery. 

The Securities and Exchange Commission Monday said it won a final judgment in federal court last month against Jerry Womack, a Nevada resident who did business in Los Angeles. 

According to the terms of the judgment, which was entered Dec. 17, Womack must repay $18.9 million, plus interest, and pay a civil penalty of $110,000. Womack was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in federal court in May because of the same actions cited in the civil case. He is in custody awaiting sentencing. 

The SEC’s judgment was issued in default, because Womack and his attorney never responded to questions or other summonses in the case, according to Nick Morgan, senior trial counsel in the SEC’s Pacific regional office. 

A call to Womack’s attorney was not immediately returned. 

The SEC accused Womack of offering to invest money in the stock market using an investment strategy called the “Womack Dow Principle.” He sold the securities to investors across the country from August 1997 through June 1999. 

While he told investors he was making them money, Womack bought homes, art work, jewelry and cars. The SEC says Womack used the money on a number of personal things, including his honeymoon and cosmetic surgery for his wife. 

Womack used only about a quarter of the money actually trading securities at a loss. He spent some of the money paying investors their purported profits and principal. 

PASADENA — PBS said Monday it is launching a weekly news program with veteran journalist Bill Moyers that will round out its Friday night public affairs lineup. 

“NOW with Bill Moyers” will begin Friday, Jan. 18. It will air after “Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser.” 

The program, proposed by PBS to Moyers less than two months ago, is being rushed to air in part because of increased attention to news following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, PBS said. 

Moyers, a longtime public television contributor whose previous weekly PBS shows included “This Week with Bill Moyers,” said “NOW” aims to avoid what he called the “contest of pitbulls” on other public affairs programs. 

“NOW” also will differ from network news magazines that emphasize human interest stories, with its focus on important issues facing democracy, Moyers said. 

He was busy with other projects and initially balked at accepting the job. It was PBS executives’ commitment to making public TV relevant and a forum for “diverse voices” that changed his mind, he said. 

He “didn’t want to let PBS down,” Moyers said. 

“NOW” will include interviews, analysis, documentary pieces and significant contributions from National Public Radio, said PBS President Pat Mitchell. 

“We will look at what’s on our minds and in our hearts now,” Mitchell told a meeting of the Television Critics Association. The series will be anchored from Thirteen/WNET’s New York studio. 

Other PBS Friday night programs are “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” and “Washington Week in Review.” NOW will air at 9 p.m. PST (check local listings). 

“NOW” is taking over the slot briefly held by “Life 360,” a theme-based magazine which had a shaky start this fall. It will be revamped and return in summer, Mitchell said. A time period was not announced. 

Mitchell said that PBS honored its commitment to children’s programming by sticking with its regular shows on Sept. 11, deciding not to break away for coverage of the news. 

But PBS’ ability to go behind the headlines was demonstrated by shows pertinent to the crisis it quickly aired, including reruns of the series “Islam: Empire of Faith” and a “Frontline” profile of Osama bin Laden, she said. 

The White House, Congress and “even the Queen of England” requested copies of the shows, Mitchell said. 

Mitchell noted a 14 percent December increase in viewer-members, the largest source of money for public TV stations. Through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and grants, PBS receives about 15 percent of its budget from the federal government. 

SALT LAKE CITY — Workers for some major Salt Lake City employers will be at the office as early as 4 a.m. next month in hopes of avoiding downtown traffic snarls during the Winter Olympics. 

In fact, so many workers are altering schedules, taking vacation time or telecommuting that the downtown streets could be nearly empty of everyday commuters and the congestion they cause. 

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee has asked for a 20 percent reduction in background traffic during the 17-day Winter Games, which begin Feb. 8. If companies, government agencies and nonprofits don’t comply, officials warn, the city could face gridlock. 

Most are obeying. 

Many of the 180 employees in the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s Salt Lake office plan to begin work at 4 a.m. 

“I guess they’re old farm boys or something,” said Barry Wirth, a bureau spokesman. 

Wells Fargo employees at two offices a few blocks from the hub of downtown Olympic activity will clear out in time to watch events from the comfort of their couches. About 500 of them will start at 7:30 a.m. and end by 2 p.m., said Bob Hatch, Wells Fargo’s president and chief executive for Utah. 

Transportation planners want to emulate Atlanta and Los Angeles’ success in reducing traffic during Summer Games in 1996 and 1984. In those cities, traffic flowed more smoothly during the Olympics than during normal times. 

Laid out on a grid, downtown Salt Lake struggles on a normal day with commuters entering and leaving downtown. One of the most popular Olympic sports — figure skating — will be held at the downtown Salt Lake Ice Center. Both events start in the early evening — the typical commute time. 

Within walking distance of the ice center is the enormous medals plaza, the daily site of an awards ceremony and concerts for up to 20,000 people. Nearly four large downtown blocks will be closed to traffic, and many parking spots and lots have been blocked off or taken over by SLOC. 

Administrators at LDS Hospital, which sits several blocks away from downtown, are most concerned with its 11 p.m. shift change, near the time events at the medals plaza will end. The hospital won’t change hours for its 5,000 employees, but they’ve warned staff that if some workers are stuck in traffic, others should expect to stay overtime. 

For its part, between 6,000 and 10,000 of the state’s 16,000 employees are expected to alter work schedules. Lane Beattie, the state’s Olympic officer, said all critical services — such as family welfare, Medicaid, Department of Health — would continue on a normal schedule. 

Many of the Mormon church’s 2,500 employees who work downtown will come in between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., leaving by 3 p.m., said Steve Ostler, director of employee relations for the church. 

Some businesses, however, say they don’t plan to budge on schedules. Telephone company Qwest won’t alter its 1,100 employees’ schedules. It occupies a 15-story building in the heart of downtown. 

“For us the Olympics means work, and we expect our employees to be here,” said Caroline Roemer, communications director for Qwest. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.saltlake2002.com 

SALT LAKE CITY — Workers for some major Salt Lake City employers will be at the office as early as 4 a.m. next month in hopes of avoiding downtown traffic snarls during the Winter Olympics. 

In fact, so many workers are altering schedules, taking vacation time or telecommuting that the downtown streets could be nearly empty of everyday commuters and the congestion they cause. 

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee has asked for a 20 percent reduction in background traffic during the 17-day Winter Games, which begin Feb. 8. If companies, government agencies and nonprofits don’t comply, officials warn, the city could face gridlock. 

Most are obeying. 

Many of the 180 employees in the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s Salt Lake office plan to begin work at 4 a.m. 

“I guess they’re old farm boys or something,” said Barry Wirth, a bureau spokesman. 

Wells Fargo employees at two offices a few blocks from the hub of downtown Olympic activity will clear out in time to watch events from the comfort of their couches. About 500 of them will start at 7:30 a.m. and end by 2 p.m., said Bob Hatch, Wells Fargo’s president and chief executive for Utah. 

Transportation planners want to emulate Atlanta and Los Angeles’ success in reducing traffic during Summer Games in 1996 and 1984. In those cities, traffic flowed more smoothly during the Olympics than during normal times. 

Laid out on a grid, downtown Salt Lake struggles on a normal day with commuters entering and leaving downtown. One of the most popular Olympic sports — figure skating — will be held at the downtown Salt Lake Ice Center. Both events start in the early evening — the typical commute time. 

Within walking distance of the ice center is the enormous medals plaza, the daily site of an awards ceremony and concerts for up to 20,000 people. Nearly four large downtown blocks will be closed to traffic, and many parking spots and lots have been blocked off or taken over by SLOC. 

Administrators at LDS Hospital, which sits several blocks away from downtown, are most concerned with its 11 p.m. shift change, near the time events at the medals plaza will end. The hospital won’t change hours for its 5,000 employees, but they’ve warned staff that if some workers are stuck in traffic, others should expect to stay overtime. 

For its part, between 6,000 and 10,000 of the state’s 16,000 employees are expected to alter work schedules. Lane Beattie, the state’s Olympic officer, said all critical services — such as family welfare, Medicaid, Department of Health — would continue on a normal schedule. 

Many of the Mormon church’s 2,500 employees who work downtown will come in between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., leaving by 3 p.m., said Steve Ostler, director of employee relations for the church. 

Some businesses, however, say they don’t plan to budge on schedules. Telephone company Qwest won’t alter its 1,100 employees’ schedules. It occupies a 15-story building in the heart of downtown. 

“For us the Olympics means work, and we expect our employees to be here,” said Caroline Roemer, communications director for Qwest. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.saltlake2002.com 

SALT LAKE CITY — Yas Tokita, owner of Mountain West Travel, “bet the bank” on turning a profit by snapping up tickets and hotel reservations for the Winter Olympics. 

Now, barely a month before the games, the resale market for Olympic tickets remains sluggish. And the slumping economy and Sept. 11 travel scare have given brokers little hope for a rebound. 

Desperate to move Olympic travel packages, Tokita says he’s willing to offer hotel rooms at or below cost. 

As if his small travel agency wasn’t hurting enough, other ticket brokers are “begging us to find customers,” says his son, Steve Tokita. “They’re trying to minimize their losses instead of making the big Olympic buck.” 

As far as the Salt Lake Organizing Committee is concerned, ticket sales have been brisk. SLOC said months ago it sold more than 85 percent of $180 million worth of tickets. That’s money in the bank for the organizers, but brokers could be left holding the bag. 

Organizers say they sold $2.25 million worth of tickets to brokers. Industry experts say the figure probably is much higher, partly because SLOC doesn’t always know with whom it’s dealing. 

Some brokers grumble that Olympic officials have done little to promote the games or counter perceptions that decent tickets and hotel rooms have become scarce. 

“They scared people off,” says Kathy Derham of Wasatch Tickets, a broker trying to move $200,000 in tickets to many popular Olympic events, including figure skating and hockey. “We’re getting killed on these games.” 

That means spectators are likely to find plenty of tickets right up to the games. It’s happened at other Olympics. Desperate sellers might even let some tickets go for face value — or less. 

“They’re just trying to break even,” Derham said. “Everything is open to negotiation.” 

Brokers will open storefronts in Salt Lake City, and scalping is legal in Utah. SLOC will fence off areas where individuals can get their tickets validated for resale or trade. 

There’s still hotel rooms in broker inventories, and organizers and corporate sponsors have been quietly relinquishing some of their hotel rights. 

In Evanston, Wyo., 600 rooms once blocked out for Olympic workers and sponsors are back on sale. Evanston is 45 minutes of open highway east of Park City, possibly making for less driving time than it will take from Salt Lake City during the games. 

Many privately owned condominiums at Utah ski areas also remain available, and there’s no lack of Salt Lake homes on the market for Olympic rentals. Prices, which started out sky-high, are dropping fast. 

Travel brokers “took a gamble, expecting people to come,” Steve Tokita said. “We have a large surplus of rooms at The Canyons resort and Park City’s Silver Queen hotel.” 

His travel agency also can arrange Olympic bookings at 15 Deer Valley condos and 43 hotel rooms at Snowbird ski resort. Tokita said he can let some rooms go for as little as $330 a night. 

Brokers can only hope for a rush of last-minute Olympic fans this month. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Salt Lake Organizing Committee: http://www.saltlake2002.com 

Mountain West Travel: http://www.mountainwesttravel.com 

Golden Tickets: http:://www.goldentickets.com 

Atlas Ticket Sales: http://www.atlastickets.com 

Ticket Lady: http://www.ticketlady.com 

BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho company landed a $3 million contract for what might be the most sought after seats at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City — the portable potties. 

“Jobs of this scope are very rare,” said Larry Moore, chairman of A-Company Inc. 

The job is so big that A-Company has had to partner with four other firms to supply the 2,600 portable toilets Olympic organizers have ordered for the Winter Games. 

Because of the size of the project, the company realized it would be difficult to handle it all, so they recruited four other companies to help, Moore said. The other companies are Andy Gump Inc. and A Throne Co., both of California, and Northwest Cascade of Tacoma, Wash., and Super Bowl Portable Restrooms Inc. of Denver. 

Moore said the Olympic potty contract is 10 times bigger than any other in the company’s 29-year history. The firm has had the portable toilet contract for the Boise River Festival for the past few years, but that job only involved a few hundred potties. 

Still, Moore is confident he can handle the job. 

“There’s a lot of work involved, but we feel good about it,” he said. “We’re right on schedule.” 

The firm’s road to the Olympics began in earnest two years ago when the Moore brothers started putting together a bid for the project. 

Jeff Moore said they ended up spending more than $40,000 just preparing the bid. 

A-Company was awarded the contract in March 2001, and since then has been busily preparing for the job. All 2,600 restrooms are new and are being assembled onsite in Utah. The company has until Feb. 3 to have everything completed and ready to go. 

The Moores admit they have heard their share of potty jokes and horror stories. But all smirking aside, they said they want everyone who attends this year’s Olympics to have nothing but good things to say about their portable toilet experiences. 

“If our job isn’t taken seriously it will hurt the whole industry,” Larry Moore said. “Our whole goal is to make sure that portable restrooms and sanitation comes off as a high point in the Olympics.” 

A Letter to the Readers: 

One day a couple of months ago, I looked up from the pile of newspapers I scan daily before heading to the office and saw the leaves on the plant hanging above me in my living room had turned brittle and brown. Nearby, I remarked that paint had started to peel away from the door frame between my kitchen and living room. 

Why hadn’t I noticed? 

But, then, outside my duties at the Daily Planet, I haven’t noticed much for quite a while.  

My tax preparer will attest, as he regularly reminds me, that I haven’t filed for 2000 yet. And, as my youngest granddaughter does not fail to point out, I haven’t set foot in her classroom in more than two years.  

While I’ve been chasing story ideas, checking facts, worrying about apostrophes and commas, whether freelancers’ paperwork is processed, what to do when a story falls through and how to help new reporters learn their beats, life outside our offices at 2076 University Ave. seems to have zipped ahead without me. 

Not that editing the Daily Planet isn’t riveting much of the time. Working with our reporters and UC Berkeley Journalism School students on our top-notch local coverage of the response to Sept. 11 was a tremendous experience. By covering the Boy Scout flap, the Afghanistan resolution and the flags-on-firetrucks controversies objectively, rather than from the angle of outside spin masters whose goal is to trivialize actions in our community, I believe the Daily Planet made an important contribution to the community debate. 

The “Berkeley Lite” column has given me the opportunity to exercise my own voice – chiding the school board for ignoring the state’s open meeting laws, the mayor for buying her undies in Walnut Creek, the cops for making public information difficult to access. (Our finest, by the way, have taken real steps forward in this domain.) 

I’ve been proud that we’ve been able to get to you, our readers, much of the not-so- “sexy” news that consumes the days and nights of our hardworking mayor, councilmembers and commissioners grappling with questions of how to make our city – our buildings and our streets – safer; how to make our small community more livable for all those who live and work here, saving creeks and open space, while building housing, supporting the arts, providing for those who cannot provide for themselves; how to support the academic greatness that comes from our renown university, while not being swallowed by it. There’s so much more… 

And most of that “more” is All of You – voices that come through on your page – Forum - strong voices debating the multiple angles of so many of the questions from near and far that touch our community. 

So, you see - yes, I am getting to the point – I’ve been weighing this incredible opportunity to direct a growing and increasingly professional newspaper against the long hours it takes to do so, the management stuff that drives me nuts and the fact that I scarcely have a minute these days between phone calls to write any more – and factoring in an idea for a book that has been gnawing at me for months - about Berkeley, of course. 

In the end, with the encouragement of friends and family, I’ve decided to leave my post here as editor. 

The good news is that I’m leaving you in the first-rate hands of Devona Walker, talented and experienced editor who helped start the San Mateo Daily Journal about 17 months ago. 

Walker, 32, originally from Oklahoma, graduated from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism and went on to work in various capacities – reporter, copy editor, associate editor – at the Seattle Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Times and the Las Vegas Sun.  

“I’m looking forward to working in a city where people feel passionately about the city,” Walker said, adding that she sees the Daily Planet as a vehicle to help people get involved in their community. 

Before I head off to my new adventures in about two weeks – I want to thank you all for the warm – and yes, ever critical – welcome you’ve given to the Planet, which I joined one month after its founding, almost three years ago. It’s you, out there, who have kept me focused on what’s important, given me great tips about what’s really happening behind all those locked doors and closed mouths and kept my spirits up when I thought I couldn’t stand changing one more “your” to “you’re.” 

There’s others to thank before I go. Our three hard-working reporters, our ever-persistent freelancers, the journalism-school students and staff whose contributions have added depth to our coverage. And those whose names you don’t see listed – our “ambassadors” who take the papers to your places of work; our distribution team that rises in the wee hours of the morning to get the papers into the boxes; our sales guys that keep the ads flowing into the paper and production team that fits them neatly on the page. Our copy editor-paginator, whose creativity has added beauty and clarity to our pages; our calendar assistant and his team of volunteers that gets out the news of your events. And lastly I have to thank publisher Arnold Lee and the other of the papers’ founders for choosing Berkeley to launch their first free daily and for their commitment to journalistic integrity, maintaining that brick wall between editorial and advertising functions. 

And so, we’ll see each other around town as I work on my book, freelance some stories, maybe teach a few classes, and take a long moment to drink a latte slowly in the sun – bound to return in a week or so – as I read all about your doings in the Daily Planet. 

In what may be viewed as sad irony Charlotte Ortega, the special education teacher found dead in the bay, had hoped to build a homeless shelter in Lagos, Nigeria to be called the Lazarous House. On Wednesday, the Alameda County District Attorney charged Lazarus Ortega with the murder of Charlotte Ortega, his adoptive mother. 

Members of the Agape Community Church in San Pablo pledged to complete their fellow parishoner’s vision for Lazarus House at an emotional memorial service on Saturday. 

Ortega, a Berkeley resident and a teacher in the Oakland Unified School District, was a devout and incredibly giving woman, according to her friends.  

Pastor John Ojewole, leader of the mixed Nigerian and American Agape congregation, said that her leadership was essential in organizing the church’s mission to Nigeria in early 1999.  

On that trip, the church was able to establish a low-cost medical clinic, supported by the congregation, that assists Nigerians who can not afford health care. 

"We thank God for the way he has used this woman for good during her path to glory," Ojewole said. 

Because of her disabilities, Ortega could not go travel to Nigeria, but she did send her daughter. 

Jean Matulis, one of Ortega’s closest friends for more than 20 years, told of Ortega’s belief in forgiveness and salvation and exhorted everyone present to follow her example. 

"Charlotte and I had our differences, but we always made up," she said. "There is no doubt in my mind that Charlotte loves and forgives anyone who has hurt her in her entire life." 

Richard Owen, Ortega’s father, told of a letter he recently received from his daughter, in which she thanked him for all the ways in which he raised her. 

"It seems unfair that you did all these things for me and I don’t know how to pay you back," Ortega wrote. 

Owen, who lives in Chicago, said that he called his daughter shortly after he got the letter. 

"I said to her, ‘Charlotte, you’re not supposed to pay me back. You pay that back to others -- to your children, to your friends and especially to strangers. That’s the way of civilization." 

"But I realized it was a waste of time to tell Charlotte to be kind to people. She was way ahead of me on that one." 

Deborah Kropp, who met Ortega when they both came to Berkeley in the early 70s, imagined her friend in a Heaven that closely resembled the home she chose in life. 

"I know that Charlotte is up there in Heaven, sitting in a coffeeshop with her friends and drinking her cappuccinos," she said. 

Kropp said that in the 70s, Ortega worked with several progressive Berkeley Christian organizations -- the Christian World Liberation Front, the Berkeley Christian Coalition and Right On magazine. 

Pastor Ojewole said that he had talked to Ortega just a few days before her death on Dec. 30. He said that she was joking with him on the phone -- "you know the jokes she would tell… hoo boy!" -- and he was amazed, in retrospect, at how lively a woman she was. 

Ojewole said that he looked forward to meeting Ortega again in Heaven. 

"On that day when I see her again, I will give her a big hug!" he said "Up there where there is no pain! No strife! And I will sing!" 

"When we all get to Heaven 

What a day of rejoicing that will be! 

When we all see Jesus 

We’ll sing and shout the victory." 

Lazarus Ortega will enter his plea at Alameda County Superior Court on Jan. 16. 

On Friday night, the Cal Bears stopped Stanford’s two main scorers, Casey Jacobsen and Curtis Borchardt, but still lost by 20 points. Sunday night, the Bears stopped just about everyone the Cardinal threw at them, breaking a 10-game losing streak to their rivals with a 68-54 win at Haas Pavilion. 

Forward Ryan Forehan-Kelly hit two key 3-pointers down the stretch as Cal (10-2 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) led for the last 17 minutes of the game. Forehan-Kelly led the Bears with 19 points, while freshman forward Amit Tamir scored 10. 

Jacobsen did manage to score a game-high 20 points, but was just 4-of-13 from the floor in his second straight lackluster performance after scoring a season-low 7 points on Friday. Jacobsen was the only Stanford player to score in double figures on Sunday. 

Although they led for all but one possession of the second half, the Bears didn’t pull away until the final five minutes. Forehan-Kelly hit his team’s first 3-pointer of the game to make the score 54-47, and point guard Shantay Legans hit another with the shot clock running down on the following possession for a 10-point lead.  

“Once you taste blood, you have to work even harder,” Forehan-Kelly said. 

The Cardinal (8-3, 1-1) would never get closer than six points the rest of the way, and Cal’s fans rushed the court as time ran down in a long-awaited victory. 

The Bears started hitting from the outside just in time. Including another Forehan-Kelly bomb late in the game, they hit their final three 3-pointers after starting the game 0-for-14 from behind the stripe. 

Sunday was the first time the first time the Bears have emerged victorious over Stanford since Jan. 29, 1997. 

The game turned just before halftime. With the score tied 26-26 with a minute left in the half, backup point guard A.J. Diggs went in among the tall trees to pull down an offensive board and get the putback. Stanford freshman Josh Childress got free but clanged a dunk off the back iron, and Tamir made a layup. Legans then swiped the ball from Tony Giovacchini and found Forehan-Kelly for a reverse layup at the buzzer to give Cal a 32-26 lead at the break. 

“That six-point swing just before halftime was critical,” Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery said. “I felt we should have been ahead at that point, but instead we went in behind.” 

The Cardinal tied the score at 34-34 after halftime, but Cal went back up 43-36 on baskets by Dennis Gates, Brian Wethers and Tamir. And just when Stanford started to get hot, cutting the deficit to one point on back-to-back 3-pointers from Jacobsen and Chris Hernandez, the Bears got a lift from two walk-ons. Forward Conor Famulener, making a rare appearance in a meaningful spot due to an injury to Solomon Hughes, scored on a backdoor cut, then got a steal at the other end. 

When Stanford got within a point once again, it was Diggs who came through. He pressured Giovacchini into a 10-second backcourt violation, then picked Julius Barnes’ pocket and converted a 3-point play on the other end. He didn’t stop there, forcing Giovacchini into a bad pass that Wethers intercepted. While Diggs was credited with just two steals in the game, he forced at least four turnovers in his 13 minutes of action. 

“A.J. is a catalyst for us. He’s aggressive on the ball, and his energy level is phenomenal,” Braun said. “He helped turn this game around for us.” 

Sunday’s win was the first over Stanford for every player on the Cal squad. Throw in Stanford’s seven-game winning streak on the football field, and it’s been a while since Cal had anything to hang its hat on against its most bitter rival. 

“It feels good,” Wethers said. “We’ve wanted this for a long time.”

Monday, Jan. 7

New Testament Workshop 

7:30 p.m. 

Norton Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Al Moser, Associate Pastor at Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish, will lead the workshop.  

Tuesday, Jan. 8

New Testament Workshop 

7:30 p.m. 

Norton Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Al Moser, Associate Pastor at Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish, will lead the workshop.  

Wednesday, Jan. 9

Near-death Experience  

Support Group 

7-9 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers supportive environment for the exploration of near-death experiences. 428-2442. 

Baby Bounce and Toddler  

Tales 

7 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

A participatory program for families with children up to age 3. Stories, songs and fingerplays as entertainment and as a way for parents to learn new material to share with their young ones. 981-6270. 

Peace Walk and Vigil 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART Station 

A peace walk and vigil to demonstrate opposition to U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. www.globalexchange.org. 

Thursday, Jan. 10

Sking and Snowshoing in  

Tahoe National Forest 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Catherine Stifter will present a slide show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. 527-4140 

Grandparent Support Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Malcolm X School of Arts and Academics 

1731 Prince St. 

Grandparents and relatives raising their grandchildren can express their concerns and needs, plus receive support, information and referrals for Kinship Care. 644-6517. 

Community Health Commission 

6:45 - 9:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. (at Ashby Ave.) 

Prioritize list of health needs of the City of Berkeley to present to Alta Bates Sutter for consideration during needs assessment process for Community Benefit Plan. 

Defending the Rights of  

Children 

12 p.m. 

Albany Public Library, Edith Stone Room 

1247 Marin Ave. 

Arnold Chavez, the Executive Director for the Alameda County Court Appointed Special Advocates program will discuss how his program works to defend the rights of children who have committed no crimes but, due to circumstances beyond their control are in the juvenile justice system. 

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Informational Meeting on Applicant Financed Underground Utility District for the Spruce/Halkins/Alamo/Cragmont School proposed District 

Winter Holistic Health Groups  

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For ages 55 and over. This weeks topic: Creative Aging. 526-0148. 

Friday, Jan. 11

San Francisco Chamber  

Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 

2640 College Ave. 

A program of classical party music from Mozart to Stravinsky. $15. 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org 

Saturday, Jan. 12

Mental Health and Public 

Policy 

8 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Wheeler Auditorium 

UC Berkeley 

A symposium designed to promote a greater understanding of mental illness, and link medical advances to public policy solutions in mental health care. 642-4608, www.igs.berkeley.edu:8880 

National Writers Union  

Benefit 

7:30 p.m. 

Oakland YWCA 

1515 Webster St. 

The National Writers Union, Local 3 presents “A Dream Still Beckons: Multicultural Offerings for Peace and Justice in honor of Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” The even features poetry readings and a dance party. Donations are requested. 839-1248 

Sunday, Jan. 13

Banjo Concert 

5 p.m. 

MusicSources 

1000 The Alameda 

Bill Evans explores over 200 years of banjo music on a variety of vintage instruments. Reception follows concert. $15 - $18. 528-1685 

Just a week ago an editorial by Iris Starr (Dec. 22, 23) stated that there are “educational inequities between whites and people of color.” She claims that many adults “deny the students - needs, life experiences and cultural and racial identities are ignored;” and that “the Board of Education and the Superintendent have only acknowledged an achievement gap with no action taken, year after miserable year.” 

This seems an exaggeration of the situation. I have lived in Berkeley for 31 years, and have been very involved in Berkeley schools (the Maintenance Advisory Committee, the BHS Grounds Committee, the Steering Committee for the Edible Schoolyard, the BHS Development Group as well as helping start many school gardens and being Recycling Coordinator for five years). Most people in Berkeley, white or people of color, try very hard not be racist, sexist or ageist. We, the parents, teachers and administrators believe in giving all students the utmost in care and quality time and the long hours teachers spend with students illustrates that they are achieving that goal. 

In my daughter’s experience (BHS class of 1999) all of her classes were diverse, from her science class at King to her math class at BHS. Her BHS Freshman and Sophomore years were the first to have Core English and History, with only 20 students to a class, meaning all the students got more individual care. 

I don’t think the problems of the underachieving students can be solved only by the schools. More attention needs to be focused on the family situation. If you ask teachers, they would say students often come unprepared, which means they are not getting the support from home they need. By helping single parents, we will see students who can concentrate more on whatever is important to them.  

We all talk about the disintegration of “The Family,” but we need to strengthen the weak connection between the family support and the work assigned at schools. 

Specifically, the Small Schools movement is a good one. Do the BUSD parents know that there are already eight small schools ? 

These Small Schools already give students the kind of atmosphere they need to do well.  

By hiring more teachers, more counselors and establishing Mentor programs we can assure all students that they will get the attention they need. 

I’m tired of hearing people say that our Berkeley community doesn’t honor and respect part of it’s population; that is just not so. I see people of color and whites work side by side in our government and our schools, daily. 

They all make the extra effort not to stereotype someone who may not think or talk the way they do. I am proud to say I live in Berkeley and work for the schools, and I think many citizens feel the way I do. 

Beebo Turman 

Berkeley

924 Gilman Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Blake’s Jan. 8: Operation Interstellar, $ 3; Jan. 9: Kid Glove Entertainment Presents, Hebro; Jan. 10: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Anna’s Bistro Jan. 7: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes; Jan. 8: Singers’ Open Mik w/ Trio!!!; Jan.9: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Jan.10: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Jan.11:Anna sings jazz standards/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 12: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/ 10 pm Ducksn Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 13: “Choro Time” Brazilian sounds; Jan.14: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes: Jan.15: Mark Murphy’s jazz vocal workshop; Music starts at 8p.m., every night, second band at 10p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-ANNA 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C.; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, Music Director Kent Nagano, continues its 31st season with two performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 9: Ken Waldman; Jan.10: Silk Road Music; Jan. 11: Alex De Grassi, Franco Morone; Jan. 12: Viviana Guzman & Performers of the World; Jan. 13: Rob Ickes & Slide City; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Jan.9: Ezra Gale Quartet; Jan. 10: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 11: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Jan. 12: Barefoot Bride; Jan. 16: Realistic; Jan. 17: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 18: Bigfoot In Paris Trio; Jan. 19: Netwerk: Electric; Jan. 23: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Jan. 24: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 25: The Sardonics; Jan. 26: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Fourtet; Jan. 30: Joel Harrison Quartet; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Rose Street House Jan. 17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687, rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel. 2320 Dana St., 549-3864. 

Organ Music Jan. 27: 5 p.m., Ron McKean performs Ferscobaldi, Froberger and Bach. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685. 

First Congregational Church Jan. 19: 8p.m., eight womens voices and continuo, also baritone Hugh Davis will sing priest’s acclamations. $25 general, $18 senior, $12 students., First Congregational Church, Dana & Durant, Berkeley, (415) 979-4500 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6; “Julia’s Feast of Dance,” An evening of conemporary dance performed by local dance groups to benefit dance in the East Bay. $15 suggested donation. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.org.  

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Pacific Film Archive Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Oscar’s Magic Adventure, 5:30 p.m., ABC Africa; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com. 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com. 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt Through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu. 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214. 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

“Domestic Bliss” Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Her serious of work range from large abstract paintings to intimate boxes with collections of found objects, Jan.13 through Apr. 4th Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany,524-9283 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 9: Karen Kevorkian & Gail Wronsky read their poetry $2; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”;Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”;Jan. 13: Phyllis Koestenbaum & Carol Snow read their poetry $2; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” 1414 Walnut St. 

AK Press Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Joel Schalit dissects the New World Order and the rise of religious fundamentalism in his new book “Jerusalem Calling”. 674-A 23rd St., Oakland, 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, scaled to size. Trains run Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623.

As of January 1, anyone buying a firearm also has to buy a trigger lock thanks to a first-of-its-kind state gun control law, which advocates say will prevent accidental gun deaths, especially among children. 

The law, co-authored by assemblymembers Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley and Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, requires gun dealers to sell trigger locks to their customers when they purchase firearms or require the customer to sign an affidavit stating that they have a secured area to store the firearm, such as a safe.  

Director of state Affairs for Americans for Gun Safety Mark Chekal-Bain said the law will also require law enforcement agencies to send accidental shooting reports to the state Department of Health and Human Services so that the information can be analyzed and possibly used to fashion other preventative legislation.  

“When this law was written in 1998, there were 100 unintentional deaths in California and untold numbers of injuries due to accidental gunshot wounds,” said Chekal-Bain who assisted in developing the law while he worked for Scott as an legislative aide.  

“This new law will go a long way in reducing those deaths,” he added. 

There are no licensed gun shops in Berkeley but Bob Weaver, owner of the Old West Gun Room in El Cerrito, said the new law is difficult for gun dealers to understand and will accomplish little besides making criminals of otherwise law abiding customers. He says many will simply sign the affidavit instead of bothering to purchase the lock. 

“Anytime you make anything too difficult to obey, you turn people into criminals,” he said. “People are going to have a choice of buying a lock or signing a form, which one do you think they’re going to do?” 

The law was signed by Governor Gray Davis in August 1999 but did not go into effect until this year so 41 different trigger-lock devices could be thoroughly tested to determine which locks best matched the various types of firearms. 

“This law develops, for the first time anywhere in the world, standards for trigger locks, cable locks and trigger guards.” Chekal-Bain said. “All the locks have been tested and matched to specific firearms so the locks will be as effective as possible.” 

Chekal-Bain went on to say the state of Massachusetts is currently using California’s trigger-lock law as a model for similar legislation.  

Aroner’s Legislative Director Hans Hemann, said previous bills were not easy to pass under former Gov. Pete Wilson’s administration but as soon as Davis came into office, it was clear the environment towards gun control laws had changed. 

“We put similar bills on Gov. Wilson’s desk four and five times and they were all vetoed,” Hemann said. 

Hemann added that Davis gave indications early on that he was interested in the law and that Attorney General Bill Lockyer was also enthusiastic about the legislation.  

Weaver says he does not anticipate that the change in law will have a detrimental effect on gun sales, but he did suggest it will have an effect on legal gun sales. Weaver also says he doubts it will do much to prevent accidental shootings.  

“Those who were too dull to protect their children before this went into effect aren’t going to do so now,” he said.  

But Chekal-Bain disagrees.  

“Most gun owners are law abiding, and I think they will obey this law and if they don’t I would be shocked,” he said. 

Berkeley resident Lynn Dix, who became a strong advocate for the law after losing her 15-year-old son in an accidental shooting in 1994, said she did not want to comment on the new law until she had time to review its wording.  

But Dix, who testified on behalf of the law to the state legislature, described the pain of losing her son on the Pacific Center for Violence Prevention’s Web site. 

“From the moment I was told that my 15-year-old son was shot and killed, I felt like my world had utterly collapsed. His sudden absence weighed heavily on my mind and heart. It was permanent, final; it was forever. I would never see him again the rest of my life. I could hardly bear to contemplate it,” she wrote. 

NASSAU, Bahamas - The California women’s basketball team did not have an answer for junior guard Molly Creamer - last year’s Patriot League Player of the Year - as it lost to Bucknell, 59-56, in the championship game of the Nassau Knockout Saturday night at the National Gymnasium.  

“Down the stretch, we allowed one person who we knew was going to take over the game, to take over the game,” said Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer. “[Creamer] ended up with 27 tonight. We didn’t do a good enough job defending her. Our defense let us down at the end of the game. They stepped up. They made some plays. They went to their go-to person. We tried to go to our go-to person, and they executed better than we did.”  

Creamer, the MVP of the tournament, paced the Bison (7-6) with 27 points, including 20 in the second half. The Bison only played seven players, and offensively were a two-person show. Post Vicki Quimby, an all-tournament pick, added 19 points.  

Senior center Ami Forney rebounded from a four-point performance against Lipscomb yesterday to post 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears. Freshman point guard Kristin Iwanaga was Cal’s next-leading scorer with eight. Forney and Iwanaga were each named to the all-tournament team.  

The Golden Bears fall to 5-8 (0-4 Pac-10) with their fifth loss of the season by six or fewer points.  

The game was close from wire to wire, and Cal held the biggest lead of the game of 10 in the first half.  

Following a three-point play by Forney with 4:20 left in the game, Cal held its biggest second-half lead at 51-45. The experience of Bucknell, which returned all five starters from last year’s 20-8 team, took over down the stretch.  

Quimby scored six points and Creamer added four as Bucknell went on a 12-2 run to go up by four (57-53) with 38 ticks on the clock.  

Cal called its final timeout with eight seconds left in the game down by three. Out of the timeout, freshman guard Jackie Lord then fired a long three-pointer which was on target but fell short.  

Turnovers weren’t one of the Bears main nemesis down the stretch as they have been in the past. Cal committed a season-low 16 turnovers in the game. Cal just couldn’t hit its shot when it needed to, and didn’t come up with enough offensive rebounds. For the game, Cal shot 33.9 percent from the floor after converting on 63 percent of its attempts yesterday. Bucknell hit for 46.7 percent. Bucknell also held a 41-33 rebounding advantage.  

“Last night, we shot really well,” said Horstmeyer. “Tonight we didn’t. I would credit that they wanted the game more than we wanted it. We’re going to keep working, and we’re going to keep learning. We’ve got a lot of young kids. Our future is bright.”  

With the game tied at 10-10 with 8:20 until halftime, Cal went on a 10-1 run over the next four minutes, 13 seconds to got up 21-11. The Bears were sparked by the only made three-pointer for either team in the first half from the hands of Lord. The Bison responded with a 7-2 run to make it 23-18 at the half.  

Despite the loss to Bucknell, Horstmeyer had many positive things to say about Cal’s Bahaman experience.  

“It was great,” said Horstmeyer. “We had a great time. This was a great tournament for us. The hospitality of the Bahamians was outstanding. What I liked most about them is that they’re always smiling.”  

Cal returns to Pac-10 action against Oregon Thursday, Jan. 10 at Haas Pavilion. Game time is 7 p.m.

While traveling through Europe recently, my wife and I stopped for two days in Montpellier, in the south of France. Hardly for the first time, I was awed by the way Europeans make things work—things like transportation systems and cities, for example. The implications for Berkeley are profound. 

Montpellier is a dynamic, growing university town of about 200,000. Its center, dating back to the middle ages, is perched on a hilltop about seven miles from the Mediterranean. Outward from the center flows the new Montpellier. 

What’s remarkable about Montpellier is the way the city has refused to let the private automobile dominate everyday life. Almost the entire center is a car-free zone. On many streets all but service vehicles are prohibited. The other streets are constrained by rows of thick concrete stanchions that prohibit parking and force traffic into narrow lanes where speeding is impossible. 

Yet Montpellier’s city center is a magnet for strollers and shoppers. Plazas, restaurants, stores, and cafes abound. If you have to drive, you can park your car in one of many large garages on the periphery. But people do a lot of walking and bicycling in Montpellier. 

The city has an excellent transportation system. Particularly impressive is the tram loop of the center. The gleaming blue trams occupy their own dedicated streets. On either side of the tramways are pedestrian walkways. No other motorized vehicles are permitted. When the tram reaches the huge main square, the tracks go underground, leaving the square to the sounds of itinerant musicians, pedestrians, and pigeons. 

At the lower end of the main square begins “new” Montpellier in the form of a huge indoor shopping mall. The mall follows the terrain of the city downhill. You can enter at the top level and descend through three levels of shops to the ground floor. There you step out onto a neoclassical plaza that leads to a wide walkway through an enormous new complex of offices, shops, apartments, and restaurants. Also closed to cars, the promenade, about a city block wide, passes through variegated gardens, terraces, and plazas for about three-quarters of a mile until it reaches Montpellier’s attractive riverfront. 

It’s possible to walk from the large wooded garden at the top of the hill to the riverfront about two miles away and scarcely see a car. This amazing pedestrian zone is traversed only a few times by major traffic-bearing streets. Cars have been banished, and the city is thriving. 

Montpellier is known throughout France for its progressive urban design. I asked a friend there how all this came about. “It’s been going on for 20 years,” he said. “It’s because of our mayor. He’s a real visionary.” 

“Didn’t people need to vote on all these changes?” I asked. 

“That’s not how we do things in France,” he replied. “The mayor is a benevolent totalitarian. But one time he didn’t get his way. He wanted to tear up the city's oldest square to build an underground car park. He promised the square would be rebuilt, but it would have meant removing some of the city’s oldest trees. People campaigned against it vigorously. Finally he backed down.” 

How is all this relevant to Berkeley? One thing I’ve noticed in the discussions of the General Plan, particularly the debate about parking downtown, is a cynical and defeatist attitude along the lines of “You’ll never get people out of their cars, and nothing will ever make public transit appealing.” It’s that cynicism and pessimism that underlies the outcry for more parking downtown and Mayor Dean’s far-fetched proposal to tear up Civic Center Park for an underground parking garage. 

Cynicism and pessimism can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The opposite is vision and leadership. Given Californians’ over-dependence on cars, I don’t think major changes will be easy. But I’ve seen Montpellier. There is an alternative. All we need is the vision and will to achieve it. 

Hank Resnik 

Berkeley 

Hank Resnik served on Berkeley’s Transportation Committee for nine years

These days, Terry Doran is the lone ranger on Berkeley’s Board of Education. He stepped down as board president last month to make way for Shirley Issel, but has been the sole voice on the committee in support of the hotly-debated small schools policy put forth by the Coalition for Excellence and Equity.  

The coalition, a community group that counts Doran as a member, has asked that Berkeley High School be divided in the fall of 2003 into a series of small learning communities. Coalition leaders say the reform will help to address safety and accountability issues at the high school, and work to shrink the “achievement gap” separating white and minority students. 

Doran says his greatest regret during his time on the board, which began with his 1998 election, has been his inability to convince his colleagues of the merits of a rapid move to small schools. 

“It’s very frustrating,” Doran said. “I have always felt that I had the ability to work with a lot of different people, and I really feel disappointed that I wasn’t able to convince more members.” 

But the other four boardmembers contend the high school has too many fundamental problems to engage in a radical restructuring at this point. They have, instead, called for a reform of basic safety, maintenance and attendance systems at BHS in the near term, and they have advocated for a more gradual and partial shift to small schools. 

aaBut, if Doran has been unable to win a consensus on small learning communities, he has enjoyed many other successes on the board – rallying his colleagues around the selection of two new superintendents, initiating a child nutrition program with a national reputation, and pushing for the passage of multi-million dollar school maintenance and construction bond measures in 2000. 

Some community members say that Doran has also built a reputation for caring about kids and schools and listening.  

“I have such regard for him,” said Stephanie Allan, a community activist who has been focused on school maintenance issues in recent years.  

“It is not about Terry’s ego, it’s only about the schools and the kids,” she added. 

Teachers and activists say he developed a genuine rapport with students while he was a teacher at the high school. 

“He was really a stellar teacher and really connected with students,” said Rick Ayers, an English and journalism instructor at BHS, “especially students who are often left out of the system.”  

“We have a very unequal society and the schools can 

play a key role in changing that,” Doran said. “I was 

lucky to do that for a number of kids.”  

But Doran does have his detractors, particularly among small schools opponents, who charge that he is embracing an unrealistic vision for the high school, and in some cases, failing to address concerns about the coalition’s proposal. They are concerned about shifting towards small schools and say Doran has been less than willing to listen to those concerns.  

Jenny Harrison, a math professor at UC Berkeley with a son at BHS, says she is worried that the change would be very expensive, and would limit students’ ability to choose from the wide range of classes currently available under the large school model. 

She also says that she has raised these concerns with Doran and that he has been less than responsive.  

“It’s hard to have a dialogue with him,” she said. “Some of us have tried and haven’t had too much luck.” 

When told of Harrison’s complaints, Doran said “I’m sorry that hasn’t happened. I did try to respond to as many people as I could who sent messages.” 

Doran says he is committed to community dialogue on a range of issues, and his claim resonates with many in Berkeley.  

Still Doran argues the high school’s large, unmanageable structure has allowed too many students to fall through the cracks. Small schools, he says, are a way to remedy that problem.  

But he concedes that the chance for small schools dialogue on the board may have passed. He says he will encourage allies to run for the school board this fall when Doran, along with Issel and school board member Ted Schultz, are up for re-election. 

“One of my obligations as a board member is to get people I can work with,” said Doran.  

In the end, he argues, the board’s responsibility is 

to serve Berkeley’s students, and implementing small 

schools, he says, is a vital part of that mission.  

The path to Berkeley 

Doran was born in 1943, and raised in south-central Los Angeles, the son of a nurse and union activist. In 1960, Doran left behind a “non-descript childhood” in a white, working-class neighborhood, headed off to UC Berkeley and “never looked back.”  

In 1964, he married Lenore Merzon, whom he’d met at summer camp at age 16. The couple would later have two sons who were educated in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

In 1966, Doran began a lengthy teaching career in the Berkeley schools when he took a job at the now defunct McKinley School.  

In 1969, he moved to BHS, where he would remain until 1998, teaching everything from photography, to history, to sex education, and winning a battle with cancer in 1993 and 1994 that left him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. 

The small schools debate – next steps 

With the board unwilling to engage in a rapid restructuring of BHS, Doran says he is thinking about making a deal.  

“Maybe a compromise is that we do it in stages and see what happens,” he said.  

Doran acknowledges that some members of the Coalition for Excellence and Equity may be unhappy with a slower movement to small schools, but he suggests that debate and compromise may be the best route available. “Right now, we have nothing,” he added. 

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco supervisors have scheduled a last-minute committee meeting for Monday to consider what the board should do officially.  

Supervisor Matt Gonzales asked last month that a committee hearing be held on the question.. Several of his colleagues pointed out that one of the measures voters backed on Nov. 6, Measure E, created a new Elections Commission and tighter rules to oversee the troubled department. The implementation of that measure was set to begin on Jan. 1 but has been put off because the supervisors declined to declare the results official. 

On Tuesday, incoming City Attorney-elect Dennis Herrera is scheduled to be sworn in but that could also be held up unless the supervisors act on Monday. Herrera, a former police commissioner, came in first in a runoff election held last month and defeated Jim Lazarus, the man who had been the front-runner on Nov. 6. 

Gonzales has also called for a recount of votes from both November 2000 and November 2001 - matters the Rules Committee is also set to take up on Monday. This fall, a number of questions were raised about the handling of ballots, including thousands moved away from City Hall on Nov. 6 for security reasons, 240 that were counted late and several hundred blank ones that disappeared for weeks when a disgruntled poll worker apparently took them home. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A stolen vehicle believed to have been driven by a man suspected of killing his wife and three children in Oregon was found this morning at San Francisco International Airport. 

According to San Francisco Police Sergeant Larry Ratti, the green Dodge Durango believed to have been driven by Christian Longo was found at 8:15 a.m. in the short-term parking lot following a police sweep of the various lots surrounding the airport. 

Ratti said that all flight logs are being studied to determine if Longo took a flight or left the vehicle in the lot. 

“Considering recent security measures it would be very difficult to travel with phony identification even if the ID's were very close in description,” Ratti said. 

Ratti said that despite doubts that Longo took a flight, San Francisco Police in collaboration with the FBI are investigating every available angle. 

The officers that discovered the stolen car came across information inside the vehicle that indicate Longo was using the vehicle, Ratti said. 

Longo may be using the aliases Jason Joseph Fortner or John Thomas Christopher with birth dates of Jan. 23, 1974, April 17, 1973, or May 23, 1974. 

Longo, 27, is charged in a Lincoln County, Ore. arrest warrant with aggravated murder and in a federal warrant on charges of unlawful flight.

SAN FRANCISCO – Not all doctors who are ordered to pay damages to patients end up paying the price on their records, according to a newspaper investigation that found only some cases ever make it into the Medical Board of California’s records. 

One-third of 66 reviewed cases were entered into the agency’s computer database, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. However, all of the cases’ verdicts and arbitration awards were widely reported by the media over the past three years. 

The Medical Board licenses, monitors and disciplines physicians. The agency also is where thousands of patients turn when evaluating and selecting their doctors. 

In some cases, the agency said it was unaware of the decisions partly because it was not informed by court clerks and insurance agencies. 

“Not everything that is reportable is being reported,” said Medical Board spokeswoman Candis Cohen. 

But she said the agency consciously decided not to disclose the verdicts of about half of the cases to the public. It does not disclose medical malpractice settlements, misdemeanor criminal convictions or complaints filed against physicians. A legislative hearing to review that policy is set for Jan. 23. 

“That is unconscionable,” said Julianne D’Angelo Fellmeth, administrative director for the University of San Diego’s Center for Public Interest Law. “That is information about physicians whose incompetence and negligence can kill people.” 

Last year, 130,000 people called the agency’s hot line and its online database was searched 3 million times. Consumers who want more detailed information must request it from the board in writing, which can be a lengthy process. 

Last month, Medical Board Executive Director Ron Joseph told legislators the state’s computer system is too antiquated to add more detailed information to its database. 

The agency also told the Chronicle some of the cases in the newspaper’s investigation were left out of the database because they were later settled. Agency attorney Nancy Vedera said the Medical Board is only required to report final judgments, not verdicts or settlements. 

The law does not prohibit the agency from reporting such outcomes, but Vedera said the board does not want to prompt a lawsuit from the California Medical Association, which represents physicians. 

“The Medical Board has to be prudent in what we report,” Vedera said. “We don’t have a lot of money” to fight lawsuits. 

State law, however, does require court clerks to contact the Medical Board within 10 days of a judgment or settlement of more than $30,000. Insurers also are supposed to notify the agency, but no penalty exists for failure to do so. 

“I don’t feel too good about that,” said Sen. Maurice Johannessen, R-Redding, a member of the Legislative Sunset Review Committee, which is reviewing the Medical Board. “If there are judgments, they should be on the public record.”

SANTA ANA – Nearly 350 injury reports were filed last year under a new law regulating California theme parks, and they offer a rare glimpse into the secretive ride industry. 

The reports, analyzed by The Orange County Register for Sunday’s paper, show that many injuries at state parks were caused by restraining devices that are supposed to keep riders safe. One third of the injuries were to children, and 73 occurred at California water parks. 

Among the other details: 

• Seventeen patrons suffered bone fractures, including two with broken necks at Raging Waters in San Dimas. 

• Eight riders dislocated their shoulders or knees, including one man whose arms came out of their sockets while he rode the Stealth roller coaster at Paramount’s Great America in Santa Clara. That accident remains under investigation. 

• Fourteen people needed stitches, mostly after hitting their faces on lap bars or crashing into each other at water parks. 

• There were three deaths, two as a result of brain aneurysms that state investigators concluded should not be blamed on the parks. In the third fatal accident, which remains under investigation, a mother of five died after falling from the Perilous Plunge at Knott’s Berry Farm. 

Overall, half of the injury reports and complaints led to full investigations by the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Permanent Amusement Ride Section, the Register said. 

Half of those investigations ended with requirements to make repairs, retrain employees or review procedures. 

The new ride-inspection program was approved by legislators in 1999 following the deaths of a tourist on Christmas Eve 1998 at Disneyland and a boy who fell from a tower at Paramount’s Great Adventure. 

Last year was the first full year that the ride section’s offices in Sacramento and Anaheim were up and running. 

The new law requires amusement parks to report serious injuries and allows the state to inspect rides after an accident occurs. Technical rules were still being hammered out and were expected to be adopted by late February. 

The requirements aren’t as tough as some lawmakers wanted, but the bill’s author said he is pleased with the results so far. 

“This industry resisted regulation for decades,” said state Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch. “I am confident amusement parks today are safer because of this (legislation), and the trends are in a positive direction.” 

Ride-safety advocates welcome the new regulation efforts. 

“It’s like night and day now,” said ride-safety advocate Kathy Fackler. “The parks are reporting injuries now. And when big stuff happens, (the state) is going out to do investigations.”

SACRAMENTO – A $1.2 million state program launched this week has the California Highway Patrol working overtime to ticket speeding truckers. 

Authorities hope to reduce big-rig accidents by 5 percent. In the past 5 1/2 years, 698 people have been killed on state highways in such crashes. 

Between 1996 and June 2001, big-rigs were to blame in 98,377 accidents, according to the CHP. Those collisions resulted in injuries to 33,604 people. 

The 18-month program will target commercial truck drivers who speed, follow too closely, make unsafe lane changes or drive under the influence.

LAS VEGAS – Amid the latest in high-tech – from wearable gadgetry to automobile accoutrements – the loudest buzz at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show will likely center on entertainment devices for the living room. 

At the show that opens Tuesday, hardware makers plan to unveil DVD players that double as digital music or photo storage centers. New entries are also expected among a small but fast-growing crop of networked devices that are designed to play MP3s and Internet radio as well as host personal music collections. 

Analysts think one product in particular will stand out because it appears to deliver the best yet in digital convergence – the ability to integrate digital audio, video, television and computer data in a single device. 

The Moxi Media Center is a souped-up digital media server with an 80-gigabyte hard drive. It can deliver to as many as four televisions video recorded from a TV signal and video or audio stored on the hard drive or from a built-in DVD/CD player. 

It supports interactive TV, instant messaging and e-mail. 

Not only does this set-top box hook up to multiple televisions via extension boxes connected via wireless or Ethernet networks, it can also feed computers. 

In secret development for two years, the product comes from a company founded by WebTV entrepreneur Steve Perlman. 

“It takes all the digital media and brings it not only to your PC but also your TV and audio system,” said Perlman. His Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is also announcing a name change, to Moxi Digital Inc. from Rearden Steel Technologies. 

The media center’s built-in software is designed to work with cable or satellite TV, and later versions will also support digital photo and video management, the company said. 

A user in one room could watch a television program – live or recorded – while someone in another room could watch the same program but also be able to pause it or otherwise control the video recorder. At the same time, yet another person in the house could use the media center to listen to music files. 

Josh Bernoff, an analyst with Forrester Research, thinks the Moxi threatens not just major consumer electronic companies but also software providers and makers of current digital video recorders. 

“This is a real disruptive technology,” he said. 

Moxi’s business strategy differs from those of rivals that are struggling to become profitable. The company has no plans to manufacture the hardware, which some providers of interactive TV or digital video recorders have found to be a rough, often money-losing venture. Instead, it plans to license the technology to cable and satellite TV operators, which in turn can choose their own hardware and software partners. 

Moxi uses the open-source Linux operating system, meaning other companies can easily change software layers or build new applications on top of the platform. The company says its technology allows cable operators to reduce their average manufacturing cost of digital set-top boxes from $570 per TV to $425 for a single-TV household and $250 to equip a second TV. 

The company has a powerful, wide range of investors, including cable media giant AOL Time Warner, satellite TV provider Echostar Communications, and networking equipment giant Cisco Systems. 

Echostar, which is poised to merge with its larger rival DirecTV, was to announce at CES its plans to use Moxi’s technology. 

“The innovation coming out of this Moxi company is really a generation beyond what other companies are doing,” Bernoff said. “If it works, they’ll own the world.” 

Analysts say Moxi’s technology, open-ended platform and licensing model could help lead the way to the next generation of personalized television – a world of movies on demand in which programs and advertisements could be tailored to household tastes. 

But Moxi is not alone. 

The race to successfully converge the television with the personal computer, VCR or DVD player and stereo is crowded with companies vying for a piece of a very lucrative pie – 100 million television-viewing households in the United States alone. 

Companies like TiVo Inc. have pioneered personal video recorder technology, which allows viewers to pause live TV and record shows onto a hard disk, giving viewers more control of what they watch and when. 

Cable and satellite TV companies and their set-top manufacturers are already offering advanced boxes that incorporate home networking, personal video recording and interactive TV features. 

“It’ll be a squeeze in an already very confusing and squeezed marketplace,” Richard Doherty, president of The Envisioneering Group, said of Moxi. “But there’s nothing else on the drawing board that even comes close.” 

Although Moxi appears to have a head start over others, Perlman knows from his WebTV days that success is not guaranteed. 

WebTV, now part of Microsoft’s TV division, only has about 1 million subscribers after more than four years on the market. 

The greatest unknown is how consumers, still warming to the potential of digital entertainment, will receive the technology. 

“The world isn’t really ready for this,” said Bernoff. “But in 2002, we’ll see the world getting itself ready for this kind of product.”

SAN JOSE – Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Monday are launching the fastest models yet of their flagship processors, the electronic brains of personal computers. 

Intel’s new top Pentium 4 chips run at 2.2 gigahertz and 2 GHz, or 2.2 and 2 billion of cycles per second. AMD’s latest, the Athlon XP 2000+, clocks in at 1.67 GHz. 

Despite the speed difference, AMD has claimed its Athlons have more efficient architectures and perform better than faster Intel chips running the most popular applications. 

But Intel’s new chips are the first to be built using a new process that allows smaller transistors and other features, doubled on-board memory and a 30 percent reduction in overall processor size. 

The result is a roughly 10 percent performance boost beyond the gain from bumping up the processor speed, said Louis Burns, general manager of Intel’s Desktop Platform Group. 

“It’s the beginning of an architecture, not the extension of an old architecture, which some people are doing in the marketplace,” he said. 

Analysts also expect the new process technology to help Intel meet demand for the Pentium 4 as well as improve profit margins by increasing the number of chips from each silicon wafer. 

“The cost structure is better. And they’ll get more performance out of them,” said Hans Mosesmann, an analyst at Prudential Securities. “It’s a very good deal for Intel.” 

Intel’s previous top chip was the 2 GHz Pentium 4, which was introduced in August. It was built using the older process technology. 

The 2.2 GHz Pentium 4 will cost $562 when purchased in volumes of 1,000. The new 2 GHz chip is priced at $364. The Athlon XP 2000+ costs $339.

It’s the other race. And it’s a doozy. 

In recent months, the city has focused much of its political energy on the three-way contest to replace State Assemblymember Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley, leaving office because of term limits.  

But on March 5, Berkeleyans will join voters from Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont and portions of Oakland to elect a member to the Alameda County Board of Education, representing Trustee Area 1. The election will end a contentious race between incumbent Jerome Wiggins, vice president of the board, and challenger Jacki Fox Ruby. 

Seats in Trustee Area 4, in the Hayward-Union City region, and Trustee Area 7, in the Dublin-Pleasanton section of Alameda County, are also on the ballot. 

Among other tasks, the sevenmember board approves the county school budget, serves as an appeals board for students expelled by individual districts in the county, and oversees county-run education programs at the juvenile hall in San Leandro, and in four community day schools that serve youth expelled by local districts, or who are referred by the courts.  

Much of the campaign has focused on the factionalism plaguing the current board, and the tense relationship between Wiggins and County Superintendent Sheila Jordan, who will run for re-election unopposed in March. 

These divisions exploded into public view last summer when the board majority, including Wiggins, clashed with Jordan and the board minority over the county’s annual $30 million education budget. 

Jordan sought to increase staff salaries, arguing that a raise was necessary to attract and retain talent. She also suggested expanding support services for the individual school districts, such as Berkeley Unified, under the county office’s jurisdiction.  

Wiggins and the board majority argued that Jordan’s initiatives would come at the expense of direct services for the at-risk students in the community day schools and other county-run programs.  

Eventually, with mediation from the California County Superintendents Association and the California Association of School Boards, the two sides reached a compromise. But the wounds remain, and the budget fight has bled into the current Board of Education campaign. 

Wiggins, who also works as transportation program specialist in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s regional office in San Francisco, said the superintendent, who has endorsed Ruby, is making a play to dominate the board in the wake of the budget fight.  

“Sheila Jordan believes that the County Board of Education is her board to control,” Wiggins said. “Mrs. Ruby will simply be a pawn for Sheila Jordan.” 

Jordan said she does not want to control the board. “What I’m looking for is honest discourse and dialogue,” the superintendent said, “and that has not happened with Jerome.” 

“Anyone who knows Jacki Fox Ruby,” she continued, “knows she’s not a rubber stamp for anybody.” 

Ruby, who worked as a teacher in the Berkeley public schools from 1968 to 1996, served as president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers from 1991 to 1998, and is now an official with the statewide union, said she will be an independent voice on the board. 

But, Ruby said she will also work to develop cooperative relationships with board members and the superintendent. “I went to a number of board meetings in June and July and what I saw there appalled me,” she said. “I didn’t see a process where people were discussing issues. I saw vilification and ego-tripping.” 

“Collaborative relationships are what works,” Ruby added. 

The candidates have also rehashed the debate over whether to prioritize the county or district schools. Ruby and Wiggins take pains to suggest that it is not an either-or proposition, but they offer decidedly different perspectives on the matter. 

“The issue is maintaining services to the kids who are most at-risk,” said Wiggins, referring to the young people in county-run programs, many of whom have been expelled by local school districts. “They are students who are no longer being served by their districts.” 

Ruby, on the other hand, said that community day schools receive higher per pupil spending from the state than district schools, and suggested that it may be time for an evaluation of how community day schools spend their resources. 

She also voiced support for expanding support to the district schools, in the form of teacher training, fiscal oversight and violence prevention programs. 

All five members of Berkeley’s Board of Education have endorsed Ruby. Shirley Issel, the board’s president, said the challenger’s experience as both a teacher in the classroom, and a union leader who has lobbied state officials in Sacramento, makes her a strong candidate.  

Issel also suggested that Ruby would work well with Superintendent Jordan and provide support for district schools. 

“It’s very important to get competent school board members who can work with (Jordan) and share her vision,” Issel said. 

A majority of the City Council, including Mayor Shirley Dean and councilmembers Linda Maio, Dona Spring, Polly Armstrong, and Miriam Hawley, has officially endorsed Ruby. But Councilmember Kriss Worthington is backing Wiggins, citing his support for county schools. 

“He seems to fight hard for funding for low-achieving kids,” said Worthington. “We have to pay attention to every single child.” 

But Ruby suggests that Wiggins has not been as active in helping low-achieving students as he would suggest, noting that Alameda County did not put special education services in place at its schools until the 2000-2001 school year, when the U.S. Office for Civil Rights demanded action. 

“Where was the board before that?,” she asked. 

Wiggins said the county office moved quickly when the issue arose, but suggested that Superintendent Jordan was to blame for not providing special education services before then. 

Wiggins, in turn, has argued that Ruby, who worked as a union leader in Berkeley for years, must share responsibility, with other local leaders, for the “achievement gap” separating white and black students in Berkeley. 

Ruby said she has worked on the “achievement gap” issue for years, recalling a series of workshops that she helped set up in the 1980s that focused on the matter. She also argued that Wiggins has done little as a member of the county board to address the problem. 

Wiggins countered that district leaders should have handled the issue themselves, and touted a proposal he made this week to convene local leaders, under the auspices of the county board, to discuss the “achievement gap.”  

Cal opens its Pac-10 basketball season with a tough test. The 9-1 Golden Bears take on rival and No. 12-ranked Stanford twice in three days in an unusual bit of scheduling this weekend. 

“It’s a new experience for us,” said Cal coach Ben Braun. “There’s no advantage or disadvantage, I think, in anybody’s favor. Would Stanford and us like to play and divide it up? Probably. But that’s not going to happen this year and you make the most of it and consider it a big challenge.” 

Cal center Solomon Hughes was a bit more succinct. 

“That’s the best way to start.” 

The first game, at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion at 4 p.m., pits Cal against a post-Collins twins Cardinal that is still considered the cream of the crop in the conference. Stanford boasts a 7-2 record, with losses to Texas and BYU. The rematch comes on Sunday at Haas Pavilion at 7 p.m. 

As recently as last year, two straight games with Stanford would have meant two straight losses probably of the blowout variety.  

Not so in 2002. An improved Cal team could easily come out of the next two games with a split. 

The Bears have gotten better with the addition of freshmen Jamal Sampson and Amit Tamir and the improved play of starters Solomon Hughes, Joe Shipp and Dennis Gates.  

Shipp, the 6-5 junior forward, leads the Bears in scoring with a career high 14.9 points per game, while Sampson leads the Bears in rebounding with 8.2 per game. Sampson also chips in with 7.6 points per game. 

Gates, who will have plenty of help, will have his hands full with Stanford star Casey Jacobsen. The junior guard, who is almost as lethal with his distribution as he is from the outside, leads his team with 20.6 ppg. The 6-6 Jacobsen also leads Stanford in assists with 3.7 per game and is Stanford’s second-leading rebounder with 5.1 per game. 

Stanford is still strong in the paint, thanks to 7-0, 240-pound center Curtis Borchardt (16.2 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and 6-8 forward Justin Davis (7.6 ppg, 4.2 ppg).  

Borchardt, a junior who gets the bulk of the minutes down low since the Collins twins left for the NBA, has clogged up the middle with 26 blocks on the season. 

“Last year they had the two Collins twins that you had to go in and score on,” Braun said. “I wouldn’t say it’s any easier necessarily now to go in. When you go in now, both Justin Davis and Curtis Borchardt are two very good defensive players. Borchard’s always a threat on the defensive end because of his shot-blocking ability. He’s a long player. It’s tough.” 

However, the presence of the 6-11 Hughes, the 6-11 Sampson and even the 6-10 Tamir, the 22-year-old Israeli army man who just started playing last weekend, gives Cal the size advantage that Stanford used to have over the Bears. 

Cal’s defense has improved on the perimeter and inside, where Sampson has blocked 20 shots and Hughes has blocked 15 shots this season. Overall, the Bears already have 55 blocks, compared to just 66 blocks all last season. 

“We definitely match up better this year,” said Solomon Hughes, who enters the week as Cal’s second-leading scorer at 11.4 ppg. 

“We actually have three solid post defenders,” Braun said. “That helps us, if one guy gets into foul trouble or one guy gets fatigued, there’s never been any question. We’ve been able to rest a guy, been able to give a guy a break.” 

Cal’s outside shooting will also help against a tough Stanford defense. Shipp has hit 23 shots from three-point land and shoots 41 percent from behind the arc. Point guard Shantay Legans has hit 12 times from downtown. 

Indeed, the fact that scoring comes from more sources than it used to when Sean Lampley played at Haas gives Cal an edge over the teams that struggled against Stanford the last several seasons. Lampley scored 19.5 ppg as a senior last season and was often Cal’s first, second and third scoring option. 

“Their emphasis was pretty much prepared for a given that the ball would be in Sean’s hands a lot,” Braun said. “One thing you see from our team this year is we’ve been able to score in a variety of ways. We’re trying to get baskets in transition. We’re trying to get different touches, different looks. 

“Solomon has been real consistent scoring for us. At the same time we’ve given Joe Shipp and Brian Wethers a chance to post up. We’ve given our guys a chance to penetrate. We have other opportunities now. I think we’re a little harder to prepare for than we were probably a year ago.”

Friday, Jan. 4

Even Stronger Women 

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

This week’s discussion: Helen Keller and film. 232-1351. 

Food Bank Discussion 

9:30 a.m. 

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 

1501 Washington St., Albany 

The Berkeley/Albany chapter of Church Women United will host a representative from the Alameda County Community Food Bank. 526-4303 

Saturday, Jan. 5

Marionette Puppets 

10:30 a.m. 

Public Library, Central Branch 

2121 Allston Way 

JoJo La Plume appears with a performance to ethnic music and sounds of nature. Free. Recommended for children ages 3 and up. 649-3913, www.infopeople.org/ bpl/. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition  

3 - 5 p.m. 

Public Library, South Branch 

1901 Russell St.  

Open reading. 527-9905, poetalk@aol.com. 

Spanish Storytime 

2 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave.  

Spanish language storytime, books and songs for families with children ages 3 - 8. 981-6270. 

Peace-by-Peace Walk Benefit 

5 p.m. - midnight 

Black Box 

1928 Telegraph Ave.  

Fund-raiser and send-off party for the cross-country peace walk. $25 donation. 644-9260. 

Peace & Freedom Holiday Potluck 

4 p.m. - 11 p.m. 

Barn in the Back Yard 

2217 1/2 McGee Ave. 

Alameda County Peace & Freedom Party’s Annual Holiday Potluck, Supper and Party will be asking for a donation of $5 with food to share, or $20 without. 

Sunday, Jan. 6

Buddy Club Show 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Berkeley Jewish Community Center Theater 

1414 Walnut St. 

Ace Miles performs magic, juggling, ventriloquism and escape routines. For parents and children ages 2 - 12. $7. 236-7469, www.thebuddyclub.com. 

Free Sailboat Rides

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a nonprofit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, gives free rides on a first come, first served basis. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least 5 years old and accompanied by an adult. 208-5460, www.cal-sailing.org. 

Monday, Jan. 7

New Testament Workshop 

7:30 p.m. 

Norton Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Al Moser, Associate Pastor at Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish, will lead the workshop.  

Tuesday, Jan. 8

New Testament Workshop 

7:30 p.m. 

Norton Hall 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Al Moser, Associate Pastor at Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish, will lead the workshop.  

Wednesday, Jan. 9

Near-death Experience Support Group 

7-9pm 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Church 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

International Association for Near-Death Studies offers supportive environment for the exploration of near-death experiences. 428-2442. 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

A participatory program for families with children up to age 3. Stories, songs and fingerplays as entertainment and as a way for parents to learn some new material to share with their young ones. 981-6270. 

Peace Walk and Vigil 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART Station 

A peace walk and vigil to demonstrate opposition to U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. www.globalexchange.org. 

Thursday, Jan. 10

Sking and Snowshoing in Tahoe National Forest 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Catherine Stifter will present a slide show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. 527-4140 

Grandparent Support Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

Malcolm X School of Arts and Academics 

1731 Prince St. 

Grandparents and relatives raising their grandchildren can express their concerns and needs, plus receive support, information and referrals for Kinship Care. 644-6517. 

Community Health Commission 

6:45 - 9:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. (at Ashby Ave.) 

Prioritize list of health needs of the City of Berkeley to present to Alta Bates Sutter for consideration during needs assessment process for Community Benefit Plan. 

They attack the human spirit 

with polls and patriotism, 

pols and perfidy, 

anchormen’s war fever 

presidents’ wives 

attorney general princes 

media hypocrisy 

rightists 

who “know” that  

the corporate media 

are leftist spies 

in disguise 

They attack the human spirit 

with bombs and tribunals 

court-martials and torture 

torment of 

wars against terrorism 

by usurper presidents and  

hoodless white hoods 

government lies 

media editorials for rights  

while selling stock shlock, 

and censorship as news.. 

They manipulate our sadness, 

our anger, our angst, 

with words and deeds 

then bomb us... 

our pain screams out 

from everywhere  

“Dave’s not here” 

to everywhere,  

those seeking holy Palestine 

driven into caves 

of fear and despair 

They attack the human spirit 

“to preserve our freedoms” 

with computers  

and the smartest 

technology 

and the most money 

the world has ever known 

and the money even loses 

track of what it’s about,  

this attack on the human spirit 

But through it all 

we know 

what it’s about, 

and the spirit floats on the wind  

and is invincible 

And in the end 

will defeat the torment, 

rise from ashes 

and bury the culture of death. 

Marc Sapir 

Berkeley 

North Berkeley. 1975. A bunch of poetic, jazz-lovin’, co-op-minded, espresso-drinking beatniks want to start a place to get delicious food in a comfortable setting.  

They name their corporation Ananke, the Greek concept for divine necessity, also the name of one of Jupiter’s moons. Throw in Jack London’s story of the Sea Wolf, and an ex-English professor’s identification with in the old English saga of Beowolf… with Beowolf’s nemesis, the monster Grendel, somehow representing corporate America.  

Fast forward through years of debt and struggle. Years of seeking out the best seasonal foods in the East Bay and transforming them into melismatic (which means a melody runs through it) and sensual creations that earn the BayWolf Restaurant, now located in Oakland, altitudinous marks in the ZagatSurvey. 

Now – thanks to founder-owner Michael Wild, executive chef Lauren Lyle, pastry chef G. Earl Darny, writer Adele Novelli Crady, and photographer Laurie Smith – we get The BayWolf Restaurant Cookbook, a collection of BayWolf Restaurant recipes divided by month, so that the home chef may best use East Bay seasonal and traditional foods in the most exciting of ways. 

The January section of the cookbook is titled “The Wolf at the Door” and includes recipes such as Chioggia Beet and Tangerine Salad with Celery, Walnuts, and Citrus Vinaigrette, and Babas au Rhum with Lime Cream and Caramelized Pineapple. 

As Michael Wild explains: “In January we prepare the sort of heartwarming, nurturing, robust dishes that would get anyone through a gloomy winter.” 

The remaining months’ offerings are rich in duck dishes and include a decidedly citrus-minded influence. Since the BayWolf Restaurant is famous for its duck dishes, I decided to try out several of the January recipes, and I also made March’s Duck á l’ Orange with Turnips and their Greens.  

As an example of technical writing, the directions given in The BayWolf Restaurant Cookbook aren’t ideal, especially if you are – as I am – used to the detailed, easy, comfortably explanatory, and numbered steps found in, say, The Good Housekeeping Cookbook.  

If you’re the type of person who isn’t sure how to reduce a stock or render duck fat; or if you want estimates on how long every recipe is going to take, or totals on your materials – you might want to simply call BayWolf directly and make a reservation.  

But if you’re courageous, know your way around a paring knife, and want to end up with a lusty, luscious, sumptuous, and evocative meal, the BayWolf Restaurant Cookbook profoundly delivers.  

With recipes such as January’s Mushroom Barley Soup with its variegated mushroom tastes and textures and kicky sherry aftertaste, you’re given the means to lavish a memorable meal upon yourself and any super-lucky companions. 

I found myself groaning while licking the completely lascivious Duck á l’ Orange with Turnips and their Greens glaze off my fingers, and if my boyfriend wasn’t watching I would absolutely have licked the plate. The Chioggia Beet and Tangerine Salad with Celery, Walnuts, and Citrus Vinaigrette with its robust flavorful reds, crunchy pomegranate seed subtext, and paper-thin celery shaving and meaty walnut crunch was the very definition of superb.  

In February the recipes turn to the romance of Venice, the April offerings were inspired by Paris, and…. moving right along… in September one reaches famous BayWolf "Double Duck" recipes such as Braised Duck Legs with Pinot Noir and Summer Succotash. 

Yum.

924 Gilman Jan. 4: Champion, Carry On, Stay Gold, The First Step, The Damage Done; Jan. 5: Iron Lung, B.G., Crucial Attack, Blown To Bits; Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Blake’s Jan. 4: Funk Monsters, $5; Jan. 5: King Harvest, Jomo, $5; Jan. 6: Lunar Heights, $3; Jan. 8: Operation Interstellar, $ 3; Jan. 9: Kid Glove Entertainment Presents, Hebro; Jan. 10: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Anna’s Bistro Jan.4: Anna & Ellen Hoffman on piano/10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 5: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/10 p.m. Duckcan Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 6: Gypsy-inspired “Danubius”; Jan. 7: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes; Jan. 8: Singers’ Open Mik w/ Trio!!!; Jan.9: Jimmy Ryan Jazz Quartet; Jan.10: Graham Richards Jazz Quartet; Jan.11:Anna sings jazz standards/ 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Jan. 12: Robin Gregory & Sy Perkoff/ 10 pm Ducksn Distones Jazz Sextet; Jan. 13: “Choro Time” Brazilian sounds; Jan.14: “Renagade Sidemen” w/ Calvin Keyes 

Jan.15: Mark Murphy’s jazz vocal workshop; Music starts at 8p.m., every night, second band at 10p.m., 1801 University Ave., 849-ANNA 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C.; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, Music Director Kent Nagano, continues its 31st season with two performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Eli’s Mile High Club Every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 4: Peter Apfelbaum Septet; Jan. 5: The Bluegrass Intentions CD Release Party; Jan. 6: Allette Brooks; Jan. 9: Ken Waldman; Jan.10: Silk Road Music; Jan. 11: Alex De Grassi, Franco Morone; Jan. 12: Viviana Guzman & Performers of the World; Jan. 13: Rob Ickes & Slide City; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Dec. 31: 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, Program of classical favorites of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Jan. 2: Skye Dee Miles w/Universal Sound; Jan. 3: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 4: Diggsville; Jan. 5 Blue & Tan; Jan.9: Ezra Gale Quartet; Jan. 10: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 11: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Jan. 12: Barefoot Bride; Jan. 16: Realistic; Jan. 17: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 18: Bigfoot In Paris Trio; Jan. 19: Netwerk: Electric; Jan. 23: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Jan. 24: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 25: The Sardonics; Jan. 26: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Fourtet; Jan. 30: Joel Harrison Quartet; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Rose Street House Jan. 17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687, rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Through Dec. 31: New Year’s Fiesta, The Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters; Jan. 2 - 6: Charles Lloyd; Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley Jan. 6: 3 p.m., Stephen Genz in his West Coast debut; 2345 Channing Way, 527-8175, www.geocities.com/mostlybrahms. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel. 2320 Dana St., 549-3864. 

Organ Music Jan. 27: 5 p.m., Ron McKean performs Ferscobaldi, Froberger and Bach. $15 - $18. MusicSources, 1000 The Alameda, 528-1685. 

First Congregational Church Jan. 19: 8p.m., eight womens voices and continuo, also baritone Hugh Davis will sing priest’s acclamations. $25 general, $18 senior, $12 students., First Congregational Church, Dana & Durant, Berkeley, (415) 979-4500 

Dance 

“Una Noche de Tango ...a media luz” Jan. 1: 8 - 11 p.m., Allegro Ballroom, $15. 5855 Christie Ave., Emeryville. 415-777-3910, info@tangoamedialuz.com. 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6; “Julia’s Feast of Dance,” An evening of conemporary dance performed by local dance groups to benefit dance in the East Bay. $15 suggested donation. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

Theater 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.org.  

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

Film 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 3: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Unfinished Song; Jan. 4: 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., Going By; Jan. 5: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Under the Moonlight; Jan. 6: 1p.m., 3 p.m., Paper Airplanes, 5:30 Shrapnels in Peace; Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Oscar’s Magic Adventure, 5:30 p.m., ABC Africa; 2527 Bancroft Way, 642-1412. 

Exhibits  

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“From With These Walls” Jan. 5: Educational studio opening celebration gallery show of student works in steel, bronze, aluminum, cast iron, glass, neon, ceramic, stone and paper; jewelry. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby St. (Entrance is one block south on Murray St.) 843-5511, fran@thecrucible.org. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com. 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com. 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt, Dec. 20 through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu. 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Jan. 5 through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214. 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222. 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Jan. 2 through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9, 2028 Ninth St., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

“Domestic Bliss” Collection of abstract paintings and mixed medium by Amy St. George. Her serious of work range from large abstract paintings to intimate boxes with collections of found objects, Jan.13 through Apr. 4th Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany,524-9283 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a 

Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 9: Karen Kevorkian & Gail Wronsky read their poetry $2; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”;Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”;Jan. 13: Phyllis Koestenbaum & Carol Snow read their poetry $2; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Sierra Club books Jan. 5: 3 - 5 p.m., Author/ Photographer Keith S. Walklet will be signing his book, “Yosemite - An Enduring Treasure.” 6014 college Ave., 658-7470, info@sierraclubbookstore.com. 

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” 1414 Walnut St. 

AK Press Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Joel Schalit dissects the New World Order and the rise of religious fundamentalism in his new book “Jerusalem Calling”. 674-A 23rd St., Oakland, 208-1700, molly@akpress.org 

Tours 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, scaled to size. Trains run Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sun., noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387. 

Museums 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins; $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p``````` .m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org. 

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m., Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, children under 5 free. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m.; 1000 Oak St., Oakland, 238-2200, www.museumca.org. 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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. Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002.  

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

Lawrence Hall of Science Dec. 31: 1 p.m., New Year’s Eve Party, special daytime holiday party for kids; Dec. 26 through 31: Free Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb; Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

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, www.lhs.berkeley.edu. 

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.

A 21-year-old Berkeley man was charged on Tuesday with the murder of his mother, Charlotte Ortega, also of Berkeley. 

The Berkeley Police Department arrested Lazarus Ortega at 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 30 – eight hours after his mother’s body was found floating in the Bay near the Berkeley Pier. The coroner determined that Charlotte Ortega had been strangled.  

A belt was found around Ortega’s throat when her body was recovered, and her body was bruised, police reports said. 

“Right now, we have just concluded our investigation and he has been charged,” Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Jason Sjoberg said Tuesday. 

Sjoberg said he could not comment on the case until Ortega enters his plea at the Alameda County Superior Court on Jan. 16. 

Charlotte Ortega, who lost an arm and a leg in a car accident in 1971 and was an advocate for the disabled, taught severely mentally and physically challenged children at Hawthorne Elementary School in Oakland. 

Sources close to the family, who asked not to be named, say that Charlotte Ortega adopted Lazarus from a Brazilian orphanage when he was 5 years old. The source said she previously adopted a Brazilian girl from another orphanage. 

At the time of the alleged murder, according to Lazarus Ortega’s statement to police, he was living with his mother in her northeast Berkeley house near Solano Avenue. 

Police reports in the case paint a grim picture of Lazarus as an embittered man with a history of poor relations with his mother.  

According to the reports, Charlotte Ortega’s daughter told police that her mother had once asked her: “Do you think Lazarus is going to kill me?” 

Several people interviewed in the case said that Lazarus would often take his mother’s van without her permission. Charlotte Ortega used the van, along with her wheelchair and prosthetic limbs, to get to work and move around town. 

They say Charlotte Ortega had an alarm installed in the van, and that she kept its remote shut-off switch with her at all times, even when she slept.  

A previous police report said the van was reported stolen July 16, 2001 and was returned the next day by a friend of Lazarus Ortega. 

In his written statement to the police, Lazarus Ortega said shortly before midnight on Dec. 29, he asked his mother, who was behind a closed door in her bedroom, if he could use the telephone.  

Ortega told police that Charlotte Ortega said that he could not, and that afterwards he left the home to walk around the neighborhood. He said that he returned between 4 and 5 a.m., Sunday morning, and went to sleep.  

When he awoke – sometime between noon and 1 p.m. on Sunday – he noticed that his mother’s bedroom door was open and she was not there. He told police that he then drove to Oakland to tell his sister that their mother was missing. 

However, when police questioned Lazarus, they said that he had previously told another officer that he had noticed that his mother was gone after he returned to the house from his walk. 

Shortly after this, according to the report, Lazarus told the police, “There are no holes in my story.” 

Charlotte Ortega’s daughter told police that she confronted her brother and asked him why he hadn’t told her about their mother’s disappearance earlier in the day. 

The daughter reports Lazarus as saying, “I didn’t really trip,” and “You know I don’t really care.” 

One of Charlotte Ortega’s neighbors told the police that around 1 a.m., he heard a car alarm. The alarm was turned off and reactivated six times in five minutes. When the neighbor went to look, the van was driving away. 

The neighbor reported that the van had returned by 2 a.m.  

Charlotte Ortega’s wheelchair and prosthetic devices – which she could not drive without, according to friends – were found in the house. 

On Thursday, friends and colleagues remembered Ortega as a selfless person who decided, from an early age, to dedicate her life to public service. 

“Charlotte devoted her life to her kids and her work,” said Ruth Martinez of Alameda, Ortega’s teaching assistant for the last 13 years. “That was pretty much what she did.” 

“She was a special education teacher for 20 years, and she just loved her students. She told me that ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to be a teacher.” 

Susan Sperber, principal at Hawthorne Elementary, said that Ortega was an excellent teacher as well as a “really nice person.” 

“She was a loving, caring teacher,” she said. “In the 15 or 16 years I worked with her, she never lost her cool.” 

“This is unfair.” 

In 1993, former Gov. Pete Wilson appointed Ortega to serve on the board of directors of Protection and Advocacy, Inc., a federally-funded non-profit group that advocates for people with disabilities.  

She served on the board for five years, during which, according to the organization, “her interest and understanding of people with mental disabilities was instrumental in the development of expanded services to that population.” 

“I just really enjoyed being with her on the board,” said Edith Brandenburger, a former chairperson. “She was just a wonderful person, and she worked so hard.” 

“She was knowledgeable, principled and hard-working,” said Eddie Ytuarte, a current board member. “I liked her and respected her.” 

Martinez said that her friend was a fun-loving person with a great sense of humor with “a way with words.” She couldn’t give examples of Ortega’s jokes, she said, because she knew she could not do justice to them. 

“She was a lovely lady that something horrible happened to,” she said. “It’s a tragedy and it’s very unfair.” 

Ortega is survived by her daughter, Adriana Ortega of Oakland, and three granddaughters – Deijanique Dove and Chardai and Desiree Ortega.

Editor: 

Nobody is mad anymore. Everybody is certified sane. All our poetry is the same, all our politics is the same, all or art is the same, all our religion is the same, yet the dead are screaming in their graves. Even their tombstones cry out. 

Do you feel safe? Do you feel sane? Madness comes to those who want it. Confront creeping sanity with insane slogans and art. Declare yourself, America – go mad and save the world. 

George Kauffman 

Berkeley 

With the Central Library remodeling project coming in late and over budget and the same contractor being awarded another lucrative public contract, some are questioning the City Charter’s requirement to accept the “lowest responsible bid” for capital projects. 

City officials defended the policy saying it is probably the best way to assure fairness in selecting contractors for public projects. The city awards contracts for millions of dollars every year for construction projects, road work and sewer replacement, most of which comes in on time and reasonably close to budget. 

Public Works Director Renee Cardinaux also defended the Central Library contractor, Arntz Builders, saying that the company has a history of quality work, although a reputation for bringing some jobs in late. 

“I’m familiar with two projects they did in Santa Clara County, the juvenile hall and the district attorney’s offices and they were both good jobs,” he said. 

But Councilmember Betty Olds said the charter requirement is not specific enough and some disreputable contractors have become adept at manipulating the bidding process by submitting very low bids. Then, once the bid is accepted, she said, they increase their profits by altering the project through “change orders,” which drag out completion dates. Olds declined to go on the record with the names of those she was speaking about. 

In addition, Olds said the lowest, most responsible bid requirement does not go far enough to protect the city from shoddy work. 

City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque said similar bidding requirements were incorporated into many city charters and state building codes during the early part of the century as a mechanism to prevent government officials from awarding public contracts to business associates and family members. 

But in August, when it became apparent that the Central Library was going to be approximately 17-months late and several million dollars over budget, the City Council asked the Public Works Department to study the situation and recommend possible improvements to the contractor selection process. The report is to be presented to the council in March. 

Cardinaux said the lowest responsible bidder requirement is not perfect, but has worked well for the most part. He added that choosing responsible contractors is a difficult process and that even the best contractors encounter unforeseen problems, especially in large remodeling projects, that can increase budgets and delay completion dates. 

“The pluses of accepting the lowest responsible bid is that it’s the most clear-cut way to award a contract without having favoritism involved. It keeps everybody’s hands clean.” he said. “The bad side is that government clients are perceived to have deep pockets and that sometimes attracts bidders who think they can get more money out of their clients.” 

Cardinaux said that Arntz Builders was not trying to squeeze money out of the city, but rather was not prepared to deal with problems related to a very complex project, which included a major addition, seismic retrofitting and historical restoration. 

“Arntz Builders are not bad builders. They’re not sitting at the Central Library trying to rip the city off,” he said. “The job was very complex and they didn’t manage it very tightly.” 

Cardinaux also pointed to two other major public projects, the retrofitting and remodel of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center and the construction of the Tsukamoto Public Safety Building, both of which came in close to the bids and on time.  

Arntz was also awarded a $30 million contract by the Berkeley Unified School District to build a series of buildings that will include a food court, gymnasium and administrative offices. BUSD is not bound by the Berkeley City Charter but is required by a similar state law to accept the lowest and most responsible bid. 

BUSD Manager of Facilities and Planning Lou Jones said he was comfortable with Arntz Builders because they carried out a $5 million remodeling project at Washington School in 1996 with very few problems. “I think they were about two months late but that’s about industry standard on large projects,” he said. 

He added that it is very difficult to research a contractor’s background to determine the “responsible” aspect of the bidding requirement. He said construction problems such as weather delays and site conditions are present in almost every moderate-to-large project.  

“When you’re looking into the past work of a contractor, you almost always find problems and everybody is typically blaming everybody else,” he said. “It’s hard to know who is being straight forward when the builder is saying ‘the architect’s drawings are lousy’ and the architect is saying ‘the contractor’s (lazy and) trying to steal money from you.’ 

Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz said the city is looking into possible charter amendments that might better protect the city. 

“We’re exploring our options,” he said. “If there is a better way to avoid favoritism and assure more responsible work we want to look at it.” 

He said the city is looking closely at UC Berkeley’s policy of weeding out unscrupulous or incompetent builders by examining their work history before accepting their bids. 

Cardinaux said the university’s policy has advantages but also drawbacks. “You can examine their financial worth, safety record and change order history and that’s still no guarantee that a construction project will go smoothly,” he said. “It’s a very complicated problem and for very many years, very qualified experts have struggled for an answer, including me.”

Editor: 

A recent letter (See no evil, Touch no Evil, Hear no Evil- Jan. 1) provides an excellent example of how effective the media/government propaganda machine is at using faulty moral arguments and incomplete information to cloud the real issues involved in the Afghanistan War.  

To suggest that the purpose of this war has anything to do with liberating the Afghan people from the oppressive Taliban is patently absurd. The U.S. government was giving tens of millions of dollars in grants to this “evil” regime just months before 9/11for their drug eradication program and if 9/11 hadn’t happened we might be writing checks to them as you read this. In addition, there are dozens of regimes throughout the world which are equally oppressive as the Taliban (most of which the majority of Americans couldn’t find on a map) and no one would even consider risking a single American life to help overthrow since sadly American foreign policy is a manifestation of raw self-interest, and nothing more. 

In the current case “we” have decided to destroy a regime (without negotiating) because they are intimately associated with a group that killed thousands of Americans. Whether or not you agree with the military course we have taken lets look at some of the results so far. Most estimates from groups inside Afghanistan indicate that we have killed at least as many innocent civilians as died in the attacks of 9/11, the human rights record of the people replacing the Taliban are remarkably similar, we still haven’t captured Bin-Laden or Omar, and it is unclear whether what we have done will in the long-run decrease the likelihood of future terrorist strikes against the United States 

Jason Scorse 

Albany 

Tatia Malika Oden French, Ph.D., died in childbirth Dec. 28. She was married to Joseph Blaine French, teacher at Berkeley High School, the daughter of Madeline Oden, longtime city employee, and Stan Oden, a Sacramento State University instructor. 

Mrs. French attended Berkeley High School and graduated in 1987. She then enrolled at UC Santa Cruz. Tatia’s passion for justice, her compassion and empathy for others and her belief in the ability of an individual to make a difference led her to study psychology. She graduated in 1991 with honors in that field, then went on to pursue her doctorate degree in psychology at Berkeley’s Wright Institute. She earned her degree in 2000 and devoted much of her professional life to the study of the devastating effects of physical battery on African-American women. Her dissertation, “Insult Denied: Traumatic Brain Injury in Battered African-American Women” was awarded the prestigious Richard Alan Smith Scholar’s Award from the Wright Institute. While working on her dissertation, Mrs. French soon realized that the healing of the human mind was related to the healing of the human body and so decided to prepare for medical school. 

Over the last year and a half she completed her pre-requisites for medical school while helping administer Emerson School’s Healthy Start program, maintaining a private practice, and working for Kaiser Permanente dispensing psychological advice to physicians and subscribers. 

Through her friends, Mrs. French met her husband to be, in whom she discovered a kindred spirit. They shared joy, laughter and friendship, and enjoyed camping and traveling together. 

On Aug. 19, 2000, the two married in a ceremony which they created, honoring their values of spirituality, family and love.  

Mrs. French was a devoted and loving daughter, sister, granddaughter and aunt, who took a great deal of pride in both of her brothers’ accomplishments. 

She sought the counsel of her parents in all areas. She and her father, Stan, celebrated the completion of their doctorates in the same year. Through him, Mrs. French gained the love of history and knowledge. Maddie supported her daughter in every area of her life, encouraging her travel and assisting her though all life’s transitions. 

In May of this year Mrs. French announced that she was pregnant. The couple named their daughter Zorah Allie Mae French. The child also died Dec. 28. 

In addition to her husband and parents, Mrs. French leaves behind her husband’s parents, David and Carolyn French, her grandparents George and Phyllis Mintzer and Clyde Oden , Sr., brothers and sisters, Marcus and Natasha Oden, Kofi and Jamilah Rashid, Lynn C. French, MaryAnn French, David French, Jr., Howard and Agnes French, James French, DeeDee and Bernie Boone, Buffa and Guy Harkless and Tania Jackson. 

Mrs. French celebrated her family. She celebrated friendship. She celebrated herself. She celebrated life itself. 

Services were held Thursday at Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church. This obituary was based on the obituary disseminated at the service.

Editor: 

The recent story regarding the use of flexible gas pipe in building construction overlooked a related and critical earth quake safety issue. Gas meters have traditionally been connected to houses and other buildings with conventional ridged steel pipe and inflexible connecting elbows, couplers, etc. This ridged steel pipe system connecting the gas meter can crack or snap under earth quake forces, as has been shown recently in the Loma Preita and North Ridge shakers. By far the greater danger than ground shaking is that of fire storms. 

Many damaged houses can be repaired, but once fires start entire blocks, for miles, will be destroyed by fire (remember 1906), especially because of ruptured water mains. 

The older urban Bay Area communities are more vulnerable to fire storms than in any California earthquake zone due to the number and age of wood frame houses built since the 1906 quake and up to W.W. II. This is especially serious in the East Bay from Albany throughout Oakland, and south to Fremont, as well as older San Francisco neighborhoods. The specific hazard is that there are a large number of pre-W.W. II one and two-story wooden houses sitting up on short pony walls, usually made of 2x4 studs and wood siding. These unreinforced lower areas are very vulnerable to shifting and tilting, thus putting stress on the gas pipe and joints between the gas meter and the house wall. This failure will be one of the major sources for fires after a quake, the other being unstrapped water heaters and other gas appliances. The ridged gas pipes within walls area also vulnerable to cracking, and here again flexible gas pipes could be a valuable safeguard when shifting of the building occurs. It would take only a few inches of movement to snap old and probably rusty gas pipe connections. 

Sounds obvious does it not? Then why does Pacific Gas & Electric, emergency services departments, and building departments balk at instituting a region wide program to make this very inexpensive flexible connections at the gas meter.? (Water heater earth quake strapping and flexible gas pipe are already required, as are flexible pipe connections to kitchen ranges.) 

It appears that PG&E is the major stumbling block – the meters are theirs. And, why is there acquiescence by earthquake engineers and emergency agencies? Maybe this trail runs through the entire political spectrum and involves the real estate, lending, commercial property owners, and developer interests. Some one is benefiting from the above inaction. 

Perhaps there is a city council member, state legislator, or a U.S. Congress person who will investigate the above allegations and how state and federal funds for earthquake preparedness are being spent. 

Lastly, who are the emergency preparedness officials at local and upper levels who have not called our attention to the likelihood for fire storms (remember 06) in old wood frame neighborhoods. Please do not feel safe because you have already retrofitted your foundation walls, if there area any houses in your block not reinforced and without flexible gas pipe connections you are vulnerable.  

Ken Norwood 

Berkeley 

Berkeley officials are crowing over three new state tobacco-control laws, saying they extend at least some of the protection the city already offers to Californians all over the state. 

One of the new measures prohibits self-service cigarette displays, restricts the distribution of free tobacco product samples and bans the sale of smaller cigarette packs and roll-your-own tobacco packages. 

The measure, which went into force on New Year’s Day, also expands compliance checks to telephone, e-mail and Internet sales and at businesses with a record of selling tobacco to minors. 

“California’s children deserve protection from the dangers of tobacco use and the insidious marketing by the manufacturers of America’s No. 1 killer,” Berkeley Health Officer Poki Namkung said in a statement. “Creating an environment where smoking is not considered the norm and enforcing the state’s tough second-hand smoke and youth access laws are key to protecting the health of our children.” 

City officials couldn’t resist a swipe at what they see as a hole in the state law, however.  

An ordinance passed by the Berkeley City Council already prohibits self-service displays of any tobacco product and requires all tobacco sales to be handled by a clerk.  

But, as Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program Director dryly noted, Berkeley’s ordinance, unlike the new state law, also prohibits self-service sales of cigars. 

A second law bans smoking and discarding cigarette or cigar butts in children’s “tot lot” play areas to protect youngsters from choking, swallowing or burning themselves with smoking debris. 

Again, Berkeley officials couldn’t resist pointing out, Berkeley was already on the case with one of the state’s first such bans a year and a half ago, and Berkeley’s law is tougher in that it is pointedly specific about enforcement and prohibits smoking within 10 feet of tot lot sandy areas. They acknowledge that the state law also prohibits smoking on any school or public playground, however. 

The third law restricts the sale of hand-rolled, filterless cigarettes called “bidis” to businesses that prohibit minors. Bidis are produced in what Berkeley officials term “candy-like” flavors and sold in packs of less than 20, which they say “makes them more tempting and affordable” to young people.

City will help homeless according to survey 

SAN FRANCISCO — The city will spend more than $100 million helping its homeless population this year, according to the first financial survey of homeless services in nearly a decade. 

The cost of coping with the thousands of people who have no place to sleep has swelled since the last time the city tried to account for such spending, according to a report released Wednesday by the Board of Supervisors’ budget analyst. 

Eight years ago, for example, the price tag of shelters alone was $4.5 million. This fiscal year, it will top $12 million. 

Supervisor Gavin Newsom asked for the report as part of an effort to determine why so many people remain on the streets suffering from poverty, mental illness and drug addiction despite the millions of dollars spent on aid. Newsom said the city needs to know whether the money is well spent. 

San Francisco’s annual homeless census recently found 7,305 people sleeping outside and in shelters, hospitals, jails and treatment programs – 36 percent more than in 2000. 

City to have Old Mint 

SAN FRANCISCO — The city has reached a tentative deal with federal officials that will let them take over the Old Mint, a long-vacant national landmark in the heart of downtown. 

The agreement would let San Francisco get to work on reopening the imposing but rat-infested “Granite Lady” as a museum, shops, offices or some combination. 

“The hope is to start rehabilitating the building this fall,” Hala Hijazi, project manager for Mayor Willie Brown’s Office of Economic Development, said Wednesday 

City officials hope a developer or the federal government will pay for at least part of the project. The city has estimated that the seismic work alone will cost at least $18 million. 

Also, the building has been deteriorating in the seven years since it was last open to the public, and will require additional restoration and lots of maintenance.

SAN FRANCISCO — A Eureka man was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury after allegedly sending a letter to the FBI in San Francisco claiming the letter was laced with anthrax, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

Roger Hudnall, 45, allegedly sent the letter on Nov. 24, threatening to kill two people and stated the envelope contained anthrax, according to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent. The letter was wrongly addressed and returned to Hudnall’s former landlord, whose return address was on the envelope. 

When she opened the returned envelope, white powder spilled out. The letter said the powder was anthrax, the same kind that had been sent to Washington, D.C., which killed several postal workers. 

The white powder later tested negative for anthrax. 

Hudnall also was indicted for allegedly impersonating as an FBI agent in July to avoid being evicted. 

Impersonating a federal officer while demanding anything of value carries a fine of $1,000 or three years in prison, or both. Hudnall also faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for mailing a threatening letter. 

SACRAMENTO — A series of winter storms has left the Sierra Nevada mountains packed with plenty of snow, easing state hydrologists’ concerns the state could be headed for a drought. 

Poor snow a year ago aggravated the state’s electricity crisis by cutting the water available to hydroelectric plants that produce about a quarter of California’s power. Snowpack was half of normal last January, and the winter stayed dry. 

By contrast, this year the snowpack is 139 percent of normal — the equivalent of 61 percent of an entire average winter, according to the Department of Water Resources’ first snow survey of the year Thursday. 

“If we were to have just average rain and snow the rest of the year, we’d be in good shape,” said department spokesman Jeff Cohen. “There’s a lot of cushion there.” 

The mountain range’s snowpack provides two-thirds of California’s water for cities, farms and recreational uses. 

It’s too soon to tell if the series of wet winter storms will continue, Cohen said, “but we’re on track right now for an above average year, that’s for sure.” Not only have the storms been consistent, he said, but they’ve been spaced far enough apart to allow water to soak in and run off without causing flooding. 

The department took remote readings from 95 automated snowpack sensors, plus conducted snow surveys along Highway 50 throughout the American River watershed. 

The surveys showed 165 percent of normal snowpack at a test site located at 7,600 feet above sea level; 172 percent of normal at 6,800 feet; 176 percent at a site at 6,700 feet; and 179 percent at a test site located at 7,100 feet. 

The 139 percent average snowpack across the Sierra would be enough water to fill a glass 17 inches tall, Cohen said. 

Water projections aren’t yet in from the State Water Project, Cohen said, but are also expected to bring good news for the projects’ urban and agricultural customers in a couple weeks. 

The above average snowfall is good news for state officials who had been worried enough about a possible drought that they started a drought-preparedness Web site and held a series of workshops this fall. They also had begun contemplating starting a water purchasing program — buying water from those who have it and distributing it to those who need it — as the state did during the last drought. 

That drought ran six years from 1987 to 1992, forcing half the state’s counties to declare drought emergencies. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The Department of Water Resources: http://www.water.ca.gov 

This do-it-yourself project is pretty easy to do and can actually make your home safer a lot safer. We were once paid $55,000 to partially rebuild a fire-damaged condominium that had exploded into flames when a short circuit occurred in a frayed lamp cord. Fortunately, the owner was away at the time and was not injured. But, she lost just about everything she owned, family photos, personal records, memorabilia, her wardrobe, furniture, clothing everything. 

Ensuring that electrical appliances are in good condition is important. And, repairing a frayed appliance cord is a good way of doing your share to ensure home safety. On the other hand, when it comes to working on electrical appliances, there can be dangers especially if you aren’t careful. For example: If you replace a lamp cord with undersized wire, overheating can occur and a fire can result. 

Other simple mistakes can be disastrous too. As you make the electrical repairs that we suggest, be sure that all connections are tight and snug. A loose electrical connection can promote arcing and a fire can result. Lack of proper insulation between the electrical contacts and the surrounding metal socket housing can result in a short circuit that can ultimately cause a fire. 

Doing these kinds of repairs are important, but you should be acutely aware of the importance of being extremely careful when working with electric appliances. It’s easy to prevent an electrical repair from backfiring once you realize what things can go wrong. So, read on and learn another trick or two. 

With a lamp there are two parts that are known to wear out occasionally and which must occasionally be replaced: the cord and the light bulb socket. 

Replacing a light bulb socket and switch is easy. Don’t try to repair just the switch. You won’t save any money, and it may even cost more. Also, it doesn’t make any difference which style switch you select. There are three basic types to choose from: pull chain, push-push, and twist. 

Keep in mind that a switch is a switch is a switch and when it comes to “which type,” we suggest that you be the judge. There is, however, another consideration when selecting a switch.  

That is whether it simply goes on and off or provides low and high intensity on positions.  

Some folks call it a “three-way switch,” probably because it has three positions: off, on low and full on. The wires are connected in exactly the same way regardless of which switch you choose.  

But, the three-way is a little more expensive than the standard type.  

Also, if you select the three-way switch you guessed it you also will have to provide the more expensive three-way bulbs. 

Once you have decided on which switch you will use, the hardest part of the job is over. Now it’s time to begin disassembling the lamp. Most lamps are built pretty much the same way. Quarter-inch threaded tubing travels from the base of the light socket to the bottom of the lamp. The tubing screws into the socket at the top end of the lamp and relies on a nut and washer at the bottom end to hold the entire lamp together kind of like a multi-piece totem pole.  

Often, a layer of felt conceals the connection at the bottom of the lamp.  

During the repair don’t discard the felt. It not only conceals the connection, but also prevents the lamp base from scratching your table. 

There can sometimes be several pieces between the socket and the bottom of the lamp. We sometimes see lamps in as many as a dozen pieces. Although there are usually only one or two sections, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to photograph your lamp before you take it apart just in case. 

Caution: Don’t begin until the lamp has been unplugged and the bulb and lampshade have been removed. 

If you intend to replace the cord as well, carefully remove the felt cover from the base of the lamp. Use a razor blade to help peel it off. This will expose a threaded tube with a nut on the end through which the lamp cord travels. If you do not intend on replacing the cord please skip the previous step. 

To replace the socket, remove the setscrew at its base. Then, use a screwdriver to pry the socket shell from the base cap. Simply wedge the screwdriver into the seam between the two pieces and gently pry. With the outer shell out of the way remove the cardboard insulation sleeve to expose the two electrical connections. One will be copper colored (the darker of the two) and one will be silver colored (the lighter of the two). Loosen both screws and release both wires. You can now unscrew the base cap from the threaded rod. At this point, if you are replacing the cord, pull it out of the lamp. Disassembly is now complete. 

To make the repair, all you have to do is reverse the disassembly process. Keep in mind that the wire lamp cord must be carefully reconnected. The wire that attaches to the silver post is the neutral side of the connection. The neutral wire on a lamp cord is identified along its entire length, usually by ribs, indentations or square corners on the insulating jacket. And, that’s all there is to it. 

For more home improvement tips and information visit our Web site at www.onthehouse. com.

Of all the flowers that linger this late in the season, Johnny-jump-ups are among the best. 

Alyssum’s flowers also last, but begin to look ragged by now. Chrysanthemums have the opposite fault, staring out too bright-eyed and stiff, seeming almost lifeless. 

Johnny-jump-ups, originally from Europe, are a type of wild violet whose small flowers may not be flamboyant, but even now pulse with life. 

In good weather, they look perky; rain, wind, and cold leave them only temporarily ragged. The flowers have the same winsome look as pansies, their cultivated cousins. A thick shock of “hair” — two purple petals — surmounts the three golden petals of the each “face,” on which purple veins wrinkle into a smile. You may get Johnny-jump-ups without even planting them, as offspring of pansies. 

Johnny-jump-ups thrive under a range of conditions. Still, they prefer a soil that has plenty of humus to keep it well-aerated and moist. Shade from hot afternoon sun completes this picture of Johnny-jump-up heaven. 

Once you have Johnny-jump-ups, you’ll notice that they quickly spread. Unlike most flowers, Johnny-jump-ups — along with other violets — do not have to rely on wind or insects for pollination. Besides their showy flowers, violets also produce flowers that self-pollinate without any help. You won’t notice these flowers, even if you look closely, because they grow beneath the surface of the soil, the seed pods poking up through the ground only as their seeds ripen.  

To further aid dispersal, violets can shoot their ripe seeds almost 10 feet away. 

Success with Johnny-jump-ups may very well prompt you to expand your repertoire of wild violets. For instance, for a groundcover, there is the low, spreading Labrador Violet, a native with small, blue flowers and dark, purple leaves. For something frilly, there is the Birdfoot Violet, with deeply cut leaves and, usually, purple and lilac petals. The Woolly Blue Violet comes in an albino form that retains a large blue center — the “Confederate Violet,” once popular in the South. And for your nose, how about the old-fashioned Sweet Violet, once used for fragrant nosegays? 

And of course, do leave some room for some “high-bred” pansies.

SACRAMENTO — The state should temporarily increase personal income taxes on the richest Californians to help offset an expected $12 billion budget shortfall, Senate President John Burton said Thursday. 

By reverting two top income brackets to the levels they were in the mid-1980s, California could raise an additional $2 billion to $3 billion a year, Burton said. The increase would halt once the state built a reserve of 3 percent, he said. 

Taxpayers affected by his proposal will get a federal tax break from the Bush administration, Burton said, so “it really isn’t going to be that much of a hardship on anybody.” 

Californians in the highest income bracket pay 9.3 percent in state taxes. That includes single, heads of households making more than $45,888 and married couples earning more than $67,346. 

Under Burton’s plan, the state would restore two additional brackets — single filers making between $130,000 to $260,000, and married couples earning between $260,000 and $520,000 — which would pay 10 percent. The tax rates increase to 11 percent for a single filer earning more than $260,000 or a couple making more than $520,000. 

“You’re talking about people who got a pretty nice savings out of the Bush administration,” Burton said. “If you’re making $200,000 taxable, which means you’re at $300,000 gross, and you have to come up with less than $500, I don’t think that’s necessarily going to cut into someone’s standard of living.” 

A top Republican budget negotiator quickly labeled Burton’s proposal as a “soak-the-rich idea.” 

“I expected this,” said Assemblyman John Campbell, R-Irvine. “This is just their typical usual response when they spend too much, to try and figure out a way to create class warfare to hide a further dampening of economic activity.” 

Also Thursday, California Treasurer Phil Angelides proposed that the state could save more than $2 billion over the next 2 1/2 years by restructuring its debt. 

Angelides said his plan can help the state with the budget deficit caused by both a sharp economic downturn and a dispute over the state’s ability to recoup money it has spent to buy electricity on behalf of three cash-starved utilities. 

The proposals come a week before Gov. Gray Davis releases his budget proposal. 

“The governor’s been focusing on spending cuts, not raising taxes,” said Davis’ spokesman Steve Maviglio. 

Burton, however, said the solution would have to be half spending cuts and half new taxes. 

“There’s just no way, in my judgment and the judgment of most intelligent people that you can cut your way through such a tremendous deficit,” Burton said. “There’d be no state employees, no highway patrol.” 

The Legislature returns Monday for the final year of its two-year session and a special legislative session devoted to the state’s economy and the budget shortfall. 

“I am very determined that the entire burden of this deficit’s not going to fall on the elderly, blind and disabled. It’s not going to fall on the poor children. It’s not going to fall on the developmentally disabled,” Burton said. 

Larry McCarthy, president of the California Taxpayers Association, said his organization “strenuously disagreed” with Burton’s proposal, adding that the tax brackets were eliminated in the 1980s when the overall tax base was increased. 

His group will oppose any tax increase, McCarthy said, because “to raise rates back up is to ignore history and ignore reality.” 

Officials should know within days whether negotiations between Davis’ administration and the Public Utilities Commission will let the state issue long-term bonds to offset the energy costs, Angelides said. Regardless, he said, it likely is too late to issue those bonds before the next fiscal year begins in July. 

The restructuring pushes principle payments on the state’s general obligation bonds to the end of the decade, but would bring slightly lower overall costs, Angelides said. It must be approved by several committees and commercial bond houses. 

The plan would save a projected $223 million during the last six months of this fiscal year, $923 million in the fiscal year that starts July 1, and $963 million the following year. 

Bond houses and budget negotiators said the plan is merely a piece of the state’s overall response. 

“This is not a panacea ... for the budget,” Angelides agreed. 

However, he said the one-time debt restructuring is suitable to help the state deal with a one-time revenue crunch. In addition, the state should take advantage of the most favorable interest rates in 30 years, Angelides said: “Now is really the time to restructure this debt.” 

——— 

The California Franchise Tax Board: http://www.ftb.ca.gov 

SAN FRANCISCO — Providian Financial Corp. said Thursday it is firing 800 workers in California and Kentucky and warned even more layoffs loom as the hobbled credit card issuer struggles to recover from mounting loan losses. 

The firings, affecting 6 percent of Providian’s work force, follow 550 job cuts made after the San Francisco-based company decided in November to close a Nevada office. 

The latest cutbacks will affect Providian employees in four California cities — San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton and Sacramento — as well as Louisville, Ky., said spokesman Alan Elias. Providian planned to deliver most of the pink slips Thursday and Friday, Elias said. 

Providian plans to book a first-quarter charge of between $10 million and $15 million to pay for the firings. 

With the company’s growth restricted by federal bank regulators, Providian warned further layoffs are possible later this year. Other employees might be offered new jobs at other companies if Providian succeeds in its effort to sell its international business, as well as other pieces of its $32 billion loan portfolio. 

The mass layoffs reverse years of expansion that swelled Providian’s payroll from 3,000 employees at the start of 1997 to more than 13,000 workers in 2001. Along the way, Providian grew from the nation’s 13th largest issuer of Visa credit cards and Mastercards to the fifth biggest. 

“I deeply regret the need for these reductions,” Providian CEO Joseph Saunders said in a note to employees. “I very much hope that we can go through this process with as much fairness and grace as our circumstance permits.” 

Providian’s purge stems from the company’s deepening loan problems. 

Powered by a sophisticated computer program that emboldened the company to issue credit cards to high-risk borrowers that scared off other lenders, Providian emerged as one of the financial services industry’s biggest success stories of the 1990s. 

But the company’s run of prosperity ended abruptly during the last half of 2001, as more of its 18.5 million accountholders stopped making payments on their balances, saddling the company with crippling problems. As of Nov. 30, Providian’s loan losses stood at 12.8 percent of its managed loan portfolio, up from 7.7 percent at the start of 2001. 

Providian is trying to offset the damage by pruning expenses. The company estimates the job cuts made so far will save the company about $60 million annually. 

The streamlining hasn’t done much for Providian’s ravaged stock, which plunged by 94 percent in 2001, wiping out $15 billion in shareholder wealth. 

Providian’s shares fell 11 cents to close at $3.44 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Investors are largely unimpressed with Providian’s recovery efforts so far because the company hasn’t adopted a new system for identifying potential customers or disposed of the troubled loans that sank the company in the first place, said industry analyst Jennifer Scutti of CIBC World Markets. 

“Cutting jobs and closing offices doesn’t really fix the problem,” Scutti said. “They need to sell portions of their portfolio, but they may have too many skeletons in the closet to pull it off.” 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.providian.com 

CALIENTE — Seventy-seven vehicles collided in fog on Highway 58 Thursday, killing one motorist and injuring 15. Two other chain-reaction collisions in Kern County crunched 13 more vehicles on foggy Interstate 5. 

The biggest pileups began shortly after 9 a.m. on Highway 58 about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles in the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains, which separate the Mojave Desert from the southern San Joaquin Valley. 

Arriving officers estimated visibility at 100 feet and found jackknifed big-rigs, an overturned cement truck, a person pinned under a pickup truck’s steering wheel, with more collisions continuing to occur, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Ted Eichman said. 

Fifty-five cars and trucks were involved in the first collision; the second occurred east of the original smashup. 

A California Department of Corrections prisoner van was involved but no inmates were injured or escaped, CHP spokesman Tom Marshall said. 

A Kern County firetruck parked on Highway 58 was struck by a private vehicle, which was heavily damaged, fire Capt. Doug Johnston said. The highway was closed by that time and it was unknown how that car got onto the road, he said. 

“The scene looks like a war zone,” Johnston said. 

The county coroner’s office identified the fatality as Carl Ray Woosley, 52, of Bakersfield. Other motorists removed the man from his vehicle and tried to save him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Johnston said. 

It took until midafternoon for the CHP to reopen the westbound side of the heavily traveled highway, and the eastbound side was not reopened until nightfall. 

“There’s only so much you can do to unwrap these vehicles,” Eichman said. 

The Highway 58 accidents were followed by two others that had no injuries. Nine vehicles were involved in a southbound Interstate 5 pileup in Tejon Pass, and four vehicles crashed on southbound I-5 at State Route 43 near Buttonwillow, Eichman said. 

Eichman stressed that although fog appeared to be connected to the crashes, “Fog doesn’t cause collisions; unsafe driving does.” 

The National Weather Service had issued dense fog advisories for the central and southern San Joaquin Valley. 

Because the area of the largest crash was bounded to the south by the Tehachapis, to the east by the southern Sierra Nevada and to the west by the coastal range, when fog comes, “that’ll be the last place it burns off,” said forecaster Gary Sanger of the service’s Hanford office. 

The weather service predicted more fog Thursday night and Friday throughout the Central Valley, with potential for dense fog during the morning commute. 

SANTA CRUZ— Great white sharks don’t just troll the cold waters off a select few coasts — they head to warm waters, sometimes hundreds of miles away, and dive deeper than researchers thought, according to a study published Thursday. 

Scientists who tracked six adults tagged off the coast of central California had thought the animals would stick relatively close to shore. Instead, using small data transmitters, they found the creatures spent months in open ocean. 

One shark, named Tipfin, spent 40 days migrating from the Farallon Islands near San Francisco to Hawaii, where it stayed four months. Three others swam hundreds of miles to the warm waters west of Baja California. Only two stayed close to the coast off San Francisco. 

“I was shocked by the results,” said one author, biologist Burney J. Le Boeuf of the University of California, Santa Cruz. “It turns out they’ve got a life at sea.” 

A need for new mates, or even a different diet, could explain the long migrations, Le Boeuf said. 

He and others, including scientists from a joint project of Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, reported the results in the Jan. 3 issue of the journal Nature. 

The offshore travel of the sharks lasted at least five months, suggesting it’s important to shark life, the researchers said. They could not pinpoint the exact reason for the migrations. 

The researchers also were surprised by the depths at which some sharks swam. 

“The sharks went straight out across the open ocean, diving to depths of 700 meters,” Le Boeuf said. “In all our observations before, they were never observed below 100 meters.” 

The researchers tracked the animals with tags that continuously recorded water depth, temperature and light levels, and then detached from the animals on a pre-set date. The tags popped up to the surface and transmitted data to satellites. The light levels let scientists track the animals’ movements. 

The data then beamed to servers in France and Maryland, which triggered an e-mail to researchers. 

Previous studies had only tracked great whites for short periods near seal colonies such as the Farallones and Ano Nuevo, according to Barbara Block of the Tuna Research and Conservation Center at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station. 

She said her first reaction to the new study was to inform a fisherman friend in Hawaii of the results. 

“I said, ‘Do you know there’s a great white shark swimming off of Maui right now?’ ” she said. 

———— 

On the Net: 

http://www.pelagic.org/ 

http://www.ucsc.edu/ 

SEQUIM, Wash. — A male killer whale repeatedly beached himself Thursday despite efforts by wildlife workers to move him to deeper water off Dungeness Spit, where another whale was found dead the day before. 

The male orca, believed to be 20 years old, was towed out of shallow water several times, but kept returning to shore, said National Marine Fisheries Service spokesman Brian Gorman in Seattle. 

“It’s kind of been frustrating,” he said. “The longer (he) remains stranded, the less likely it is to successfully return him.” 

Gorman said experts would monitor the whale through the night, keeping his skin wet and making sure he didn’t injure himself. Rescue efforts were expected to resume Friday morning, Gorman said. 

Experts took tissue and blood samples and planned to support the whale with a harness during the night, KING-TV reported. 

“We don’t know what he’s thinking or why he’s trying to get out (of the ropes),” said Kelley Balcomb-Bartok of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor. 

The whale, initially found in shallow water Wednesday near the spit on the north coast of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, was towed to deeper water Wednesday evening but, already disoriented, swam back to shore during an unusually low tide, Gorman said. 

A female killer whale was found dead on the spit Wednesday. A calf had been earlier spotted with the two adults, and a Coast Guard helicopter from Port Angeles was searching for it. 

The male orca “may in fact be in some kind of distress from the fact the female has died,” Steve Jeffries, a state research scientist, told reporters. 

A necropsy was begun Thursday on the female, but results were not immediately known. 

“Certainly, this is a serious setback for killer whales in general,” Balcomb-Bartok said. 

Experts have hypothesized that toxins in Washington’s inland waters may be poisoning the black and white whales. 

“The necropsy should go a long way toward helping us find out,” Gorman said. “It should tell us some other stuff — the levels of toxins that were in the female’s body and it will help us understand what’s going on, her stomach contents — things we normally aren’t able to find out because killer whale strandings are pretty rare in this part of the country.” 

The two whales are thought to be transients in the Strait of Juan de Fuca from a larger Pacific population, Gorman said, and were probably hunting for seals. Scientists believe they could be related. 

“Transients roam through the region and we do get rare sightings,” Balcomb-Bartok said. 

Though most orcas live in family pods with defined territories, some transients wander as far south as Mexico’s Baja Peninsula and north to the Bering Sea. 

Approximately 78 whales in three pods live in the marine waters of Washington state, said Tracie Hornung of the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor. Seven of those whales failed to return to their summer range in Washington’s San Juan Islands after their winter travels last year. 

Environmental groups have petitioned to place the whales on the endangered species list. 

Dave Ellifrit, an expert in orca identification, was examining photos of the whales in hopes of identifying them. Most transients and all resident killer whales have been identified individually, based on their markings, with a number assigned by researchers in Canada and the United States. 

Groups of killer whales have their own dialects, said Rich Osborne of the Whale Museum.  

Transients have fewer variations in their speech and sound more “haunting” than residents. 

Osborne said that on Monday, he heard the sound of transient orcas on hydrophones in the San Juan Islands, about 20 miles across the strait from Dungeness Spit. And on Tuesday, he said, several people at a shoreside restaurant near Sequim reported seeing whales near the beach in Dungeness Bay. 

The Berkeley Rent Board receives more than 300 inquiries a week ranging from very specific questions about individual units, to broader questions about rent control in general. In this column we will reproduce some of the more interesting questions and answers. Our topics will include permissible rent ceilings, the effects of vacancy decontrol, permissible grounds for eviction, habitability of units, the rules concerning security deposits and other issues of interest to renters and property owners. You can e-mail the City of Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board at rent@ci. berkeley.ca.us with your questions, or you can call or visit the office at 2125 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA. 94704 (northeast corner of Milvia/Center Streets) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., and on Wednesday between noon and 4:45 p.m. Our telephone number is (510) 644-6128. Our Web site address is www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent/. 

Question: 

I am interested in buying a house that has an in-law unit on the property. My realtor says it’s a “golden duplex” and therefore not subject to rent control. What exactly is a golden duplex and why would it not be under rent control? 

Answer: 

First, for Rent Board purposes, a duplex is any two-unit property. Some duplexes are exempt from rent control, or “golden,” while others are not. A duplex is exempt from rent control if an owner lived in one of the units as his or her principal residence on Dec. 31, 1979 and an owner currently occupies one of the units as his or her principal residence (it need not be the same owner). “Owner” in this context means an owner of record with at least a 50 percent interest in the property.  

The rationale for this exemption from rent control is the belief that an owner who shares a small property with a tenant will have a more familial relationship with his tenant and, therefore, there is less need for external rules to protect the tenant from unwarranted rent increases.  

So, why aren’t all owner-occupied duplexes exempt? The exemption is limited to two-unit properties that were owner-occupied on Dec. 31, 1979 to protect tenants living in non-owner-occupied duplexes. If any duplex would become exempt by virtue of an owner residing on site, it is likely that every duplex in Berkeley would eventually be owner-occupied because of the financial benefit that comes with owning a rental unit with an unregulated rent. Such a broad exemption would effectively remove a significant number of units from the rental market and displace hundreds of renters. Therefore, to preserve the composition of the rental market, the exemption is limited to current owner-occupied duplexes that were owner-occupied at the beginning of rent control.  

Question: 

I moved into a house with three other roommates two years ago. We each paid one roommate $500 for the security deposit, and he, in turn, paid the landlord $2,000. Now I am moving out and I want my security deposit back, but our landlord says he doesn’t have to return it until my roommates move out. Is that correct? 

Answer: 

Yes. According to Rent Board Regulation 706, a landlord is not required to refund any portion of a security deposit until he has recovered possession of the unit, i.e., until the unit is vacant. Because there is no telling when the unit will be vacant, especially if roommates are replaced as each one moves out, you should ask for your share of the security deposit from the remaining tenants or from your replacement, if there is one.

Editor: 

To learn that violence is a problem on the Berkeley High campus is sadly of little surprise after my own incident. 

Last Oct. 24, a co-worker and myself (adult 30 year old males) were attacked by a gang of kids outside Willard Junior High School on our way on Telegraph Avenue after lunch. The kids turned out to be BHS students, let out of class early after a “pep” rally. Go team. 

If violence is being tolerated at BHS, then those lessons of tolerance are being taken into our streets.  

And we all pay for it, literally - I just got my emergency room bill and I am shopping for a lawyer. 

Todd Stiers 

Berkeley 

Supervisors may call for massive recount 

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is moving closer to ordering an unprecedented recount of two elections in hopes of getting at the root of problems plaguing the city’s voting operation. 

All ballots for city races in November 2000 and November 2001 would be recounted under a proposal by Supervisor Matt Gonzalez that came before the board’s Rules Committee on Monday. 

Gonzalez and the committee’s other two members directed the city attorney to draft legislation to re-examine the ballots from the two elections. The job could fall to an independent auditor, the civil grand jury, District Attorney Terence Hallinan’s office or another investigative agency. 

In the case of the November 2000 election, the passage of time makes it highly unlikely that the results of any contests would be overturned. In that election, supervisors were elected by district for the first time in two decades and voters considered two highly charged growth measures. 

Still, Deputy City Attorney Buck Delventhal said the review could prove helpful for two reasons: “to make a better accounting of what happened and, second, to decide whether the board needs to change the way elections are done.” 

As for the November 2001 election, there is still time under state law to challenge the results through an official recount conducted by the Department of Elections. 

Lab hired to investigate bridge scaffold collapse 

OAKLAND — An engineering laboratory has been hired to determine why scaffolding collapsed last Friday morning on the Bay Bridge, killing a painter, state officials said Monday. 

FTI Anamet Laboratory of Hayward will conduct the tests on the scaffolding, which buckled in the center as it was being lowered onto a truck, trapping Daryl Clemons, 33, and three other workers against the bottom of the bridge’s upper deck. Clemons was killed, and the other three received minor injuries. 

The 18,000-pound scaffolding was being used on the bridge’s seismic retrofitting project. The state Department of Transportation has suspended all work on the retrofitting until further notice, and the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered the painting subcontractor, Robison Prezioso, not to lower or lift any of the three remaining overhead scaffolds on the bridge until the cause of the collapse is determined. 

Superintendent sues district again 

PITTSBURG — A year after school trustees sacked Superintendent Robert Newell for the second time, he has slapped the Pittsburg district with another lawsuit, this time alleging slander. 

Among its many allegations, the suit accuses the Pittsburg Unified School District of ruining Newell’s reputation by leaking information about a poor job review to the public and violating Newell’s privacy by releasing information about his health. 

Newell has no grounds for a suit, according to Laurie Juengert, an attorney for Pittsburg schools. 

This will be Newell’s second legal battle with the district. After he was dismissed in 1997, Newell sued the district. In a settlement, he won back his job and $135,000 in damages. 

The district fired him again in December 2000, just as he returned from several months of sick leave, and paid him to finish the remaining year and a half of his contract.  

That cost the district $189,000. 

Newell then took a job as a teacher in the district, a right reserved for administrators under California law, but he did not teach and remained on medical leave until he resigned from that position last June. 

All told, the district has paid Newell about $600,000 in its two attempts to remove him. 

While he was superintendent, Newell was accused of ruling by intimidation.  

Many blamed Newell when, after two years of failed contract negotiations, teachers went on a weeklong strike in June 2000.

Richard “Grizzly” Brown 

April 4, 1960-Jan. 2, 2002 

Known for his massive stature, as well as the size of his heart, Richard “Grizzly” Brown, also recognized by his Muslim name, Saad Muhammad, of Berkeley left this life Jan. 2. He was 41 years old.  

Born to Carolynn and Eugene Brown on April 4, 1960 he was raised in Berkeley and attended Berkeley and Albany schools. Upon leaving high school he pursued a career as a weight lifter and strongman.  

For two consecutive years, 1985 and 1986, he competed in the World’s Strongest Man Contest as a representative of the United States. He held a place in the Guinness World Book of Records for the largest biceps – more than 25 inches (cold, not pumped).  

After retiring from the sport of strongman in 1987, he secured a position with the Berkeley Unified School District as a campus monitor and later a school safety officer, when he served as a mentor, counselor and father figure to hundreds of students at Berkeley High School.  

In 1989 he transferred to Willard Middle School, where he served students and the school community for 11 years.  

In 1991, he began his study of Islam and later converted.  

In 1994, he met his wife, Jennifer, at Willard Middle School where they were both employed. 

In 1997 they joined in marriage at the “Wedding Court” at Willard Middle School.  

He was the proud father of three young sons, Timothy, 10, Donnell, 6, and Aadam, 3. Preceded by his father in death, he is survived by his wife, Jennifer, three sons, Timothy, Donnell and Aadam, his mother Carolynn Bell-Brown, his grandparents Eli and Mattie Bell (all of Berkeley), two half brothers, Eugene and Brandon, as well numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and colleagues.  

A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at 11:00 a.m. at Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. Berkeley, CA.  

This obituary was written by Mr. Brown’s family.

SACRAMENTO – A California Indian tribe has received the permission it needed to construct a $100 million Nevada-style casino outside Sacramento, where it is expected to draw gamblers who now head for Reno, Nev. 

The U.S. Department of Interior took trust to 49 acres of unincorporated land near Roseville, northeast of Sacramento, on behalf of the United Auburn Indian Community. 

“It’s an ideal location. It’s on the I-80 corridor between San Francisco and Reno, below the snow line,” said tribal spokesman Doug Elmets on Friday. “Those who don’t like going over the (Sierra Nevada) mountains in winter will find this incredibly convenient.” 

Construction may begin this fall and will likely take about a year. 

Reno-area casino operators have said they view the casino as perhaps their biggest competitor among the tribal casinos built or pending in Northern California. 

However, Elmets said the tribe and its Las Vegas-based management partner, Station Casinos Inc., intend to market the casino mainly to the Sacramento area. 

Nor will the 200,000-square-foot casino have the look or feel of glitzy Las Vegas or Reno, Elmets said, but will be designed to fit visually with the surrounding Sierra foothills communities. 

Opponents have 30 days to file objections. 

Local opposition was muted after the tribe reached voluntary agreements with Placer County and surrounding communities that were praised Friday by Interior Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Wayne Smith, Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt, and one-time opponent Cheryl Schmit of Stand Up for California! 

The tribe agreed to make up for lost local property taxes, pay $900,000 a year to compensate for increased police, fire and emergency services and contribute $50,000 annually to fight compulsive gambling in the county. It also agreed to create an advisory committee to hear community grievances, and to submit to arbitration despite the tribe’s immunity from lawsuits. 

The tribe settled on the unincorporated Roseville location after an unsuccessful attempt five years ago to put the casino near Schmit’s home in Penryn, close to two day-care centers and a Buddhist temple. 

It will now be in an industrial park, near a county landfill, recycling center and several factories, although subdivisions are being built within eyesight of the location. The 24-hour-a-day casino will be built near two large retirement communities and an upscale shopping mall, and is projected to attract 8,000 gamblers a day. 

Tribal Chairwoman Jessica Tavares said Friday’s announcement means “a new chapter in our history — one marked with renewed hope and economic self-sufficiency.” 

The United Auburn Indian Community was recreated by an act of Congress in 1994, 27 years after it officially ceased to exist. It reached an agreement with Gov. Gray Davis’ administration in 1999 that will allow it to provide Las Vegas-style gaming. 

Some of the tribe’s approximately 220 members live on an impoverished 30-acre reservation in Newcastle, but the tribe hopes to use gambling proceeds to buy and improve an 1,100-area area near Sheridan for those who wish to relocate.

FAIRFIELD — One person was killed Thursday following a crash that involved a transit bus, a car and a big rig on Interstate 80 in Fairfield, police said. 

The accident occurred about 3 p.m. on westbound I-80 at Red Top Road.  

One overturned vehicle blocked the road, shutting down lanes and backing up rush-hour traffic, said California Highway Patrol Officer Byron Tiamson. 

A woman driving a white Honda Civic rear-ended a black BMW, spun out, and was hit from behind by the small bus, which was transporting disabled people, the Daily Republic in Fairfield reported. 

After that, the woman’s car hit a big rig and another big rig slammed on its brakes to avoid a collision and jackknifed. 

The woman driving the car was killed.  

Her name has not been released. 

Four other minor injuries have been reported. 

The accident closed two lanes and backed up traffic about seven miles to Travis Air Force Base.