A proposal to build a multi-service homeless complex in West Berkeley has stirred debate over whether it is appropriate to build housing for the poor in an area with known environmental problems.  

The Berkeley-based nonprofit Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) is proposing a $4.5 million project called the Ursula Sherman Village on the city-owned property near the Albany border. The village— which will be adjacent to the existing Harrison House Adult Shelter, also operated by BOSS—will consist of four buildings totaling 21,000 square feet. The project, slated for completion by 2006, would provide much needed housing, medical care, education facilities and job training for about 130 men, women and children who would stay at the facility for up to two years.  

  A recently released draft environmental impact report (DEIR) has raised concerns about elevated levels of particulate matter in the area. Particulate matter is small, airborne pieces of liquid or solid matter that come from a variety of sources and is known to aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, which state medical officials say is common among the East Bay’s poor.  

The poor air quality at the site is one of three environmental problems that have arisen since the city purchased the 6.4-acre site from UC Berkeley in 2000. The city has already spent more than $400,000 to mitigate a contaminated water problem and most recently the city discovered two fuel tanks underneath the Harrison House Adult Shelter, which could cost as much as $266,000 to remove.  

Community Environmental Advisory Commissioner LA Wood has been an outspoken critic of development at the site. Referring to a 19-month-long air study that showed levels of airborne particulate matter exceeding state and federal standards, Wood said building transitional housing for the poor at the location brings up issues of environmental justice.  

“The air is compromised down there and when you bring in people who are at high risk for respiratory illness and other health problems, it creates a very, very undesirable situation,” he said. “I think the project is greatly needed but I can’t support it in that location.” 

BOSS Executive Director boona cheema said there are measures BOSS can take to help offset the poor air quality such as locating clients with active respiratory problems at the McKinnley House in central Berkeley. 

Cheema said that signs will be posted around the complex warning residents and workers about the poor air quality and potential for respiratory problems. She said the city is taking steps to reduce the release of particulate matter from the Berkeley Solid Waste Transfer Station, which is immediately west of the proposed housing site.  

“But really what this comes down to is that there will be much less risk at Ursula Sherman Village for families than there is living on the street or in crack houses,” cheema said.  

Housing Director Stephen Barton said developing transitional housing in West Berkeley’s industrial area is a question of priorities.  

“I think the question is can you mitigate [the air problems] enough so it’s responsible to let people live there knowing they otherwise may not have an option,” he said. “We have to be realistic, yes it’s a less than ideal environment, but on the other hand people living on the streets is certainly less than ideal.” 

A public meeting on the project’s DEIR will be held June 9 at the West Berkeley Senior Center at 7 p.m. The Zoning Adjustments Board will conduct a public hearing on the project on June 26 in Old City Hall at 7 p.m. The DEIR is also available for review at the Central Library and on the Web at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/current/default.htm 

In addition, information about the 19-month air study can be found at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/parks/parkspages/HarrisonAirQuality.html

TUESDAY, JUNE 3 

March and Rally to Protect the Safety Net A community mobilization to protect basic services for the poor and homeless. Gather at 10 a.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 685 14th St., Oak- 

land. For information call boona or Janny at 649-1930. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise, and creative arts and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

Auditions for Young People’s Symphony will be held for musicians ages 12 to 21 on June 3, 4, 6 and 7. 849-9776. www.ypsomusic.org 

Discussion on “Language and Literature,” open to all from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut at Rose. Cost is $1, bring light snacks or drinks to share. 527-5332. 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 

South Berkeley Mural Project Community members in South Berkeley are coming together to create a neighborhood mural on the side of the Grove Liquor Store on the corner of Ashby Ave and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Meetings are held every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Studios at 1923 Ashby Ave. For further information on ways to get involved please call 644-2204. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam, with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave. $90 cash prizes. Cost is $7 at the door, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. 

Community Dances in Berkeley, traditional English and American dances, 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 

Opening Day for Berkeley Farmer’s Market on North Shattuck, from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Elephant Pharmacy parking lot, 1607 Shattuck Ave., at Cedar, and continuing every Thursday. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

“Berkeley Reads” Orientation for new volunteer tutors in the Berkeley Public Library’s adult literacy program, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave. at San Pablo. For more information call 981-6299.  

Lawyers in the Library at 6 p.m. at the North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM, holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

Embracing Diversity Films presents “Being Gay: Coming Out in the 21st Century” at 7 p.m. in the Little Thea- 

ter, Albany High School, 603 Key Route Blvd., between Portland and Thousand Oaks. A facilitated discussion follows. Appropriate for middle and high school students. Admission is free.  

Best Summer Camping and Hiking Adventures in Northern California Join Tom Stienstra, outdoor writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and award-winning guidebook author, for a slide presentation on the best camping, hiking and fishing opportunities this summer in the northern part of our state. At 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140.  

Susan Alcorn, author of “We’re in the Mountains, Not Over the Hill,” talks about women and wilderness travel, at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 843-3533. 

Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, all night study from 7 p.m. to dawn. Over 40 rabbis and scholars will be teaching. All ages welcome. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Commu-nity Center, 1414 Walnut St. 925-979-1998. 

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 

Celebrate Juneteenth with the Berkeley YMCA, with entertainment, African fashions, storytelling with Orunamamu, arts and crafts, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Downtown YMCA, 2001 Allston Way. 549-4524. 

So How’d You Become an Activist? With Michael Parenti at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Suggested donation $5. Wheelchair accessible. 415-927-1645. 

“Berkeley Reads” Orientation for new volunteer tutors in the Berkeley Public Library’s adult literacy program, from 10 a.m. to noon at the West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave. at San Pablo. For more information call 981-6299.  

Spring Festival Performance by Oakland’s Destiny Arts Center, at 6:30 p.m. at  

Longfellow Elementary School, 3877 Lusk Street in North Oakland, off 40th Street between Market and Martin Luther King Blvd. Dancers and martial artists ages 3-18. $5 to $10 donation will be requested at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Destiny Arts Center is a non-profit organization that uses arts education and violence prevention to enable children and youth to develop peaceful solutions to violence and everyday conflicts. For more information call 597-1619. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berke- 

ley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 

548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 496-6000, ext. 135. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, JUNE 7 

Live Oak Park Fair from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Shattuck and Berryman. Over 115 booths with crafts and fine art, entertainment, and diverse food, in a benefit for Camp Winnarainbow and KPFA. Free shuttles from the North Berkeley BART every 20 minutes. 898-3282. www.liveoakparkfair.com 

LeConte Elementary School Yard Sale, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 2241 Russell St., just 2 blocks up from Berke- 

ley Bowl. Great gear, plants, food and beverages, and a good way to support our schools. To donate items in advance, call 649-0419. 

California Writers Club hosts the winners of the 17th Annual Fifth Grade Writing Contest at a luncheon, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reserva- 

tions required, email cwcberk 

@earthlink.net, or visit www. 

berkeleywritersclub.org 

Peace Activist Lynn McMichaels will show slides and talk about her recent trip to Iraq at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 

Berkeley Path Wanderers leads a Boundary Walk. Meet at the Reservoir, Grizzly Peak and Spruce St. at 10 a.m. 526-8001. 

Ladybirds and Ladybugs  

We’ll collect and release as many adults and larva forms as we can find and talk about the good these beetles do, and learn about the ones who have turned to the dark side, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Tilden Nature Area. 525-2233, tnarea@ebparks.org 

Keeping Chickens in the City  

David Morris, chicken keeper for over 20 years, will cover the basics of raising chickens, egg production, and using chickens as part of your recycling and composting. He will also cover the laws regarding keeping chickens in the city. Class will be held at David’s chicken coop in Berkeley, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call to pre-register and for location. $10 Ecology Center members, $15 others, no one turned away for lack of funds. 548-2220 x233, beck@ecologycenter.org 

California Native Art and Garden Show, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit a native plant demonstration garden created by using the plants that are native here and that you see when walking the trails of Wildcat, Tilden, Claremont Canyon, Sibley, Huckleberry, Roberts, Redwood and Chabot Regional Parks. 

Rellim Reed Terrace, 1096 Miller Ave. 558-8139.  

Sick Plant Clinic UC Botanical Garden experts diagnose your plant woes the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. www.mip.berkeley. 

edu/garden 

History of Tilden Nature Area Walk through time to the lake and back to discover the story of the lost escudo and more, from 10 a.m. to noon in Tilden Nature Area. 525-2233, tnarea@ebparks.org 

Alternative Materials: Cob and Strawbale, a class on two natural building methods, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. For information call 525-7610. 

Walk to Benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation at 8:30 a.m. followed by an afternoon of entertainment, prizes and refreshments. At Cesar Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina. To register to walk or for more information call 800-241-0758, or 531- 6764. www.ccfa.org  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour, “The Refurbished City Hall,” led by Allen Stross, 10 a.m. $5 members, $10 non-members. For reservations call 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

SUNDAY, JUNE 8 

Live Oak Park Fair, see listing for June 7.  

Faith Community Speaks Out Against State Cuts, community meeting at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 1640 Addison. Testimonials, youth group skits, and performance by a multi-congregational choir. Sponsored by Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action. For more information contact Rev. George Crespin, 843-2244.  

California Native Art and Garden Show, see listing for June 7.  

Dried, Salted, Potted and Pickled Learn the cultural and natural history of food preservation while tasting a variety of meats, vegetables, fruit and fish. From noon to 2 p.m. in Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Registration required. Cost is $5 for Berkeley residents, $7 for non-residents. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Rhythm Workshop: Ta Ke Ti Na, led by Zorina Wolf, a master of Ta Ke Ti Na and local drum and percussion instructor. From 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Askenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $35. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Community Health Fair, with free health screenings and information, children’s activities and food, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Missionary Church of God, 1125 Allston Way. 540-6713. 

ONGOING 

Technical Assistance for Non-Profits A series of free workshops hosted by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, to be held at the Alameda County Conference Center, at 125 12th St., Oakland. For information or to register, please call Breonna Cole at 272-6060.  

Berkeley Community Media announces the rebirth of the poetry program, “Berkeley Speaks” in June. If you are interested in being a featured artist, call 848-2288, ext. 10. 

Figure Drawing Workshop 

The Berkeley Art Center in Live Oak Park hosts a four week figure drawing workshop on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, starting June 14. This class is designed as a drawing intensive to sharpen your observation skills and enhance your drawings. Bring your own dry drawing tools and good paper. Model is provided. Instructor is Carol Brighton. Cost is $150 for all four sessions. Contact the Berkeley Art Center to sign up, 644-6893. 

Marine Biology Classes for students age 10 to 13, from Tuesday, June 17 to Friday, June 27, 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Shorebird Nature Center, 160 University Ave, at the Marina. Cost is $90 for eight days of classes. For information call 644-8623. www.cityofberkeley.info/marina.  

Educators Academy: Insects and Crawling Creatures  

Readily available in the field and easy to keep in the classroom, insects are everywhere! You will discover the world of insects and their relatives by visiting several Regional Parks where you will collect, observe and release insects. You will learn new ideas for kindergarten through 5th grade classes and outdoor activities. You will love insects when this class is over...guaranteed! Tues., June 24 - Thurs., June 26, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Regis- 

tration is required. Cost is $100 for Berkeley residents, $110 for non-residents. Financial assistance is available. Wheelchair accessible. For information call 636-1684. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Educators Academy: Project WILD and Project Aquatic WILD From awareness to responsive action, Project WILD and Project Aquatic WILD are designed to help educators teach about wild- 

life and the environment through stimulating, hands-on activities. Participants will receive curriculum guides for kindergarten through 12th grades, as well as sample activities and supplemental resources. From Tues., June 24 to Thurs., June 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Cost is $45 for Berkeley residents and $51 for non-residents. Wheelchair accessible. Fi- 

nancial assistance is available. Registration is re- 

quired. For information call 636-1684, or email tnarea@ 

ebparks.org 

Summer Science Weeks: Insects and Plants Count butterflies, hunt bugs, and meet common plant families in California. Monday, June 30 to July 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for ages 9 to 12, in Tilden Nature Area in Tilden Park. Cost is $150 for Berkeley residents, $166 for non-residents. Financial assistance available for low-income families. For information call 636-1684.  

The Bay Area Shakespeare Camp offers a theatrical experience for children 7-13 years of age covering casting, staging, costuming, and performing, in a series of five, 2-week sessions beginning June 16 and ending August 22. Sponsored by the Bay Area Shakespeare Camp and the Oakland East Bay Shakespeare Festival, in cooperation with the City of Berkeley Parks Recreation & Waterfront Department. The camp will be held at John Hinkel Park, Southampton Place at Arlington Ave. The cost is $340 per session. Ad- 

ditional after-care is also provided for a fee. Scholar- 

ships are available for eligible participants in City of Berkeley Recreation Programs. Call 981-5150 for scholarship details. To register for the camp, or for more information, please call 415-422-2222, or 800-978-PLAY. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Community Meeting on the City Budget The public is invited to learn more about the budget deficit and plans to address the issue, on June 5, at 7 p.m., at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. For information call 981-CITY.  

Council Agenda Committee  

meets Monday, June 9, at  

2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 

981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m., in the  

North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruby Primus, 981-5160.www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/firesafety 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Housing Advisory Commission, Public Hearing on Allocation of Housing Trust Funds on Thursday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m., in the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission 

meets Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m., in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

School Board meets Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320.

That loud whooshing sound you heard rising all over Berkeley last Thursday afternoon was the collective sigh of relief when citizens learned that Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz is going to try to straighten out the Planning Department. Phil (everyone is on a first name basis with him) is one of the best-liked, and also (and not always the same thing) one of the most respected people in the city administration. His sharp pencil has saved the city budget in ways that seemed miraculous for years, though this year might be more of a challenge. 

For the last few years, it’s seemed that planning for the future of Berkeley has been in the hands of graduates of the Robert Moses School of Public Policy. For those of you too young to remember Robert Moses, he was New York City’s planning tsar from 1933 to 1959. He tried to reconstruct New York City in an imperial style with lots of concrete and highways, and his contempt for citizens who disagreed with him was legendary. 

Phil Kamlarz doesn’t have a degree in planning at all, which is probably a good thing. He might, for example, start his job by actually reading the description of the duty of the department’s Advance Planning Division, which is printed on the city’s Web site: “… assisting the  

Berkeley community in its efforts to plan for the city’s physical, cultural, environmental and socio-economic future.” Note that word “assisting.” It’s not “controlling” or even “guiding.” Ever since they laid out the streets in the Berkeley hills to follow the contours of the land instead of destroying them, members of the community have traditionally taken the lead in planning Berkeley’s future. 

Talleyrand said “war is too important to be left to the generals.” Similarly, planning for the future of Berkeley has always been considered too important to be left to the planning professionals. The same Web description says that the Planning Commission “oversees and reviews the planning process and planning issues.” It doesn’t say “carries out the plans made by staff” or even “endorses plans made by staff after the fact.” It clearly says “oversees.” 

When Carol Barrett, the departing planning director, arrived in Berkeley, planning commissioners had just finished a mammoth two-year effort to update the city’s General Plan. They started out with a draft which had been essentially dictated by former City Manager James Keene. At many lengthy public hearings they took testimony from hundreds of citizens, and re-wrote the plan from top to bottom to reflect this input. The cooperation of planner Andrew Thomas, who takes the old-fashioned title of “public servant” seriously, was key to the success of the process. But Thomas was hired as a consultant, and after the plan was finished he moved on to another city. Barrett, on the other hand, was uncomfortable from the beginning with Berkeley-style civic discourse. On her way out the door, it seems that she’s still trying to spin the Chronicle’s ever-gullible columnist Chip Johnson to blame the civilians for her failings. 

Phil Kamlarz has always gotten along with civilians. He’s needed to work cooperatively with them on election campaigns to fund civic projects like library improvements. Besides his sharp pencil, his eyes are sharp enough that he’s always known what was going on in city government. 

A classic cartoon shows The Little King standing on his balcony, looking out over a crowd of angry peasants. “Sire,” says his vizier, “The people are revolting!” Says the king imperiously, “Get a new people!” Phil Kamlarz has been around Berkeley long enough to know that he’s not going to get a new people, so he’s learned how to get along with the people we have. Maybe he can teach the Planning Department how to do it. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Berkeley Daily Planet.

TUESDAY, JUNE 3 

FILM 

The Inquiring Camera: “The American Egypt” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www. 

bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

James Weinstein, founder and longtime editor of the Socialist Review, discusses “The Long Detour: The History and Future of the American Left” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Andy Clark, Director of the Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University, discusses his new book, “Natural-born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zabava! Izvorno and Rumen Shopov and Friends at 8:30 p.m., with a Balkan dance lesson at 7:30 p.m., at Ash- 

kenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 

FILM 

I Found it at the Movies: “Made in Hollywood” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sidney Blumenthal, advisor to President Clinton from 1997 to 2001, provides a behind the scenes narrative of “The Clinton Wars” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Writers Group discusses “How to Write for the New Age Market” with author Richard Webster at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Leon Wofsy reads from his new book, “At 80: An old bird’s eye view of the year following September 11, 2001,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bluegrass Homecoming, in celebration of the Freight’s 35th Anniversary, with Bluegrass Intentions, Dix Bruce and Jim Nunally, High Country, the Kathy Kallick Band, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, and True Blue at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ignit, Green Hell, Caps-X, Parkside Drive perform punk rock at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Tom Rigney and Flambeau at 8:30 p.m., with a Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 

FILM 

Antero Alli: “Under a Shipwrecked Moon” Finnish-born, Berkeley-based filmmaker presents his personal film of family and memories at 9 p.m. at 21 Grand, 449-B 23rd St., near Telegraph, Oakland. 464-4640. 

Vera Chytilová: “Fruit of Paradise” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gallery Talk with Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson explor-ing art’s ability to provide insights into contemporary global issues, at 12:15 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

David Halberstam tells the story of four great ballplayers, their friendship and transition to older age in “The Teammates” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Simon Wood talks about his new thriller “Accidents Waiting to Happen” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Noon Concert Downtown 

Rhonda Benin and Soulful Strut at the Berkeley BART Station. Seating available. Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Assoc. 549-2230. 

Berkeley Edge Fest  

The music of Edmund Cam- 

pion and Cindy Cox, with texts and concepts by poet John Campion, featuring the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

New Age Academy Benefit Performance featuring both student and professional artists, at 6:30 p.m. at 2921 Adeline St. 848-4664. 

Rachel Garlin performs contemporary folk at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Brian Joseph in Concert performs politically-conscious urban folk music at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

George Pedersen and His Pretty Good Band and Sons of Emperor Norton at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Erika Luckett and Ellis sing at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $8-$10 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazz- 

house.org 

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 

FILM 

“The Battle of Algiers,” a film about the uprising of the Algerian people against French colonialists in the 1960’s, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheel- 

chair accessible. All events are free. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Nicholas Ray: “Party Girl” at 7:30 p.m. and “Hot Blood” at 9:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students; $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $8 adults. 642-0808.www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon Series, “Mars Revealed,” with Conrad Jung, lecturer, Chabot Space and Science Center. Luncheon 11:45 a.m. $11.50 - $12.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925, 665-9020. 

Haiku: A Critical Look at an Ancient Form, with Gabe Winer, creator of the Haiku Wall at Berkeley High; Gar- 

ry Gay, president, Haiku Poets of Northern California; and Ry Belville, translator of Nakahara Chuya, at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, third floor Community Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge Ave. 981-6121. 

Poets Melody Lacina and Laura Horn at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Marguerite Sprague de- 

scribes the rise and fall of a California mining town in “Bodie’s Gold” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, Combos and Lab band perform at 7 p.m. in the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, 1920 Allston Way. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, seniors and BHS staff, available at the door. 548-8026. www.berkeleyhighjazz.org 

New Age Academy Benefit Performance featuring both student and professional artists, at 2 p.m. at 2921 Adeline St. 848-4664. 

Berkeley Edge Fest The music of Terry Riley at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Mike Olmos Quartet, with trumpeters Mike Olmos and Noel Jewkes, bassist Em- 

manuel Vaughn-Lee and drummer Jeff Mars at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazz- 

school.com 

Anthony Jeffries and his All Stars, blues band at Rountree’s, 2618 San Pablo Ave. 663-0440. 

Pandeiros do Brasil with Karana and Dandara and the Ginga Brasil Dance Troupe at 9:30 p.m., with Brazilian dance lesson at 9 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The Bill Horvitz Band, an experimental jazz trio, performs at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $10. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart perform roots country originals at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Weary Boys and PBR Street Gang perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Voces por la Paz, a Concert for Peace, celebrating La Peña’s 28th Anniversary, with Latin American, Afro-Cuban, Chicano and folk music at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Himsa, Beneath the Ashes, The Answer, With Passion, The Harms perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 7 

Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios 2003 June 7-8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For list of participating studios go to www.pro 

artsgallery.org/ebos2003 

CHILDREN 

David Thom Band introduces children to bluegrass music and instruments, at 1 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale, children and students accompanying adults are free. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Oliver’s Urban Twist, a performance by Walden School, set in 1970’s New York with dancing, singing and laughter, at 2 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Also on Sun. at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12, available at the door. www.juliamorgan.org 

New Age Academy Benefit Performance featuring both student and professional artists, at 2 p.m. at 2921 Adeline St. 848-4664. 

FILM 

Superfest XXIII Interna- 

tional Media Festival on Disabilities From 1 to 5p.m., at La Peña. Cost is $5-$10. Screening of award winners. Call 845-5576 for schedule or www.madknight.com/cdt. 

Nicholas Ray: “Wind Across the Everglades” at 4:30 and 8:55 p.m. and “The True Story of Jesse James” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students; $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Banned in Berkeley,” a film by five disabled women artists on their sexuality and relationships, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul. 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bay Area Poets Coalition presents an open poetry reading from 3 to 5 p.m. on the front lawn of 1527 Vir- 

ginia St., Berkeley, off of Sacramento St., one block east of the North Berkeley BART station. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

Norman Fischer discusses “Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody's Books. 845-7852. ww.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Chanticleer performs at 8 p.m. at the First Congrega- 

tional Church, 2345 Chan- 

ning Way. Tickets are $22-$37. 415-392-4400. www.chanticleer.org 

Trinity Chamber Concerts 

Esfir Ross, solo piano, performs Mozart, Brahms and Chopin at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Sug- 

gested donation of $12 general, $8 students, seniors or disabled. 549-3864. 

Berkeley Edge Fest The music of John Adams and Ingram Marshall at 6 p.m., and musicians and composers Steve Lacy, George Lewis and David Wessell at 9 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. 

Tickets are $22 for each performance. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Kotoja performs at 9:30 p.m., with a dance lesson with Comfort Mensah at 9 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Patrice Pike and Shelley Doty perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

A. J. Roach performs Ap- 

palachian music at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $6-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Ponte las Pilas celebrate the style and defiance of the Zoot Suiter, and dance to Dr. Loco’s Rocking Jalapeña Band at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Oak, Ash and Thorn perform a cappella with a British Isles flavor at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Hellbillies, Iron Lung, The Profits, Face Down in Shit, Case of Emergency perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 8 

CHILDREN 

Family Classics: “Fantastic Voyage” at 2 p.m. Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Winds Across the Bay, the East Bay's youth wind ensemble, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a performance by current and past members of works by Giu- 

seppi Verdi, Nicholas Rim- 

sky-Korsakov, Johan deMeij and Joseph Willcox Jenkins, at 2 p.m. at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Tickets are $9 at the door or by calling 925-943-SHOW.  

FILM 

Vera Chytilová: “Prefab Stories” at 5:30 p.m. and “Wolf Chalet” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Superfest XXIII Interna- 

tional Media Festival on Disabilities, screening of award winners, from 1 to 5p.m., at La Peña. Cost is $5-$10. Reception with filmmakers from 6 to 7 p.m. For schedule, call 845-5576. www.madknight.com/cdt. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Unbound and Under Covers” Experiments in visual writing, reception for the artists, at 2 p.m. at the Ber- 

keley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Poets Clive Matson and Marc Hofstadter at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

African Drum Workshop every Sunday with Wade Peterson. Beginners from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., experienced from 12:30 to 2 p.m., at The Jazz House. Cost is $15 - $25, advanced registration is encouraged. 533-5111.  

Berkeley Edge Fest  

A tribute to Lou Harrison, featuring Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio and musicians performing on the gamelan at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall. Tickets are $22. 642.9988. 

Baroque Chorale Guild performs a variety of music from Europe in a Bon Voyage concert prior to their tour to Tuscany in July, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing, at Dana. Tickets are $22 general, $17 students and seniors. 650-969-4095. www.bcg.org 

Oakland Civic Orchestra, under the direction of Martha Stoddard, presents “In Light and Shadow,” with works by Albinoni, Gabrieli and Beethoven at 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave. in Oakland. The concert is free. 238-3896. 

Transmission Trio and Patrick Cress’s Telepathy perform unconventional jazz at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. 649-8744. www.thejazz- 

house.org 

Vox Populi performs songs of love and desire at 4 p.m. in Gallery A of the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Dann Zinn Band performs a blend of processed and original jazz and world music at the Jazzschool at 4:30 p.m. 

Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Carol Fran, Carmen Getit, Wendy DeWitt and Sue Palmer, Queens of the Boogie Woogie perform at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

AT THE THEATER 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

“The Guys,” by Anne Nelson, directed by Robert Egan. An exploration of loss and redemption in the aftermath of 9/11. Runs until July 5, Tues. - Sun., call for starting times. Tickets are $42-$54. The Roda Theater, 2016 Addison St. 647-2918. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare  

Theater opens May 31 with “Julius Caesar.” Bruns Amphitheater, off Highway 24 in Orinda. Please call for dates and times 548-9666. www.calshakes.org  

Shotgun Players presents 

“under milk wood,” a play for voices by Dylan Thomas, exploring the characters in a fishing town in Wales. At Eighth Street Studio, 2525 8th St., through June 22, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 adults, $12 children and seniors, $10 on Thursdays. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Transparent Theater 

Virginia Woolf's “Night and Day,” a stage adaptation by Tom Clyde, concerning the loves and careers of a group of young people in London in 1910. Through June 8, Thurs. - Sat., 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Sun., 7 p.m. pay what you can. 1901 Ashby Ave. 883-0305. www.transparenttheater.org

As the school year draws to a close, dozens of members of the Berkeley High School class of 2003 are preparing to take part in a tradition less formal but just as storied as the classic rites of prom and commencement.  

Before the year is over, some graduating seniors will run naked through the crowded Berkeley High courtyard in the annual “Senior Streak” during the school’s lunch period. The tradition, which most seniors said would happen during the next week, is intended as a final act of rebellion after a year that typically features several senior class pranks. 

Although the origins of the ritual are unknown, Berkeley High biology teacher Alex Panasenko, who has taught at the high school for over 30 years, said the streak has been happening at least since he began his career at Berkeley High. 

For the second year, Berkeley administrators are trying to end the streak. 

Last year several seniors who were identified while running were suspended from school for one day. Berkeley High co-principal Mary Ann Valles said only a few participants were suspended because it was difficult for administrators to recognize individual students. Many streaking seniors wear masks, and little else, during the sprint across the quad. 

Valles said that students identified during this year’s run would be subject to consequences including suspension, expulsion, financial remuneration and/or exclusion from senior prom. 

“We will suspend anyone we can identify,” she said. “We’ll consider further consequences on a case-by-case basis after that.” 

In the weekly letter from co-principals Valles and Laura Leventer on Monday, June 2, parents were urged to encourage their children not to streak or stage other pranks. 

“It is completely inappropriate, in a year of serious budget crisis, for us to focus our time, staff resources and money cleaning up after or monitoring such events,” the memo read. “Every year a student who is streaking gets injured from falling down.” 

Last year, Berkeley High senior Sam Shonkoff injured his ankle when he fell while running through the courtyard. Shonkoff was not suspended, but participated in graduation on crutches. 

Panasenko said that Leventer and Valles, who began serving as co-principals in November 2001, were the first principals he remembered that had suspended students who participated in the streak. He said although most former administrators had threatened disciplinary action, they had not followed through. 

Philip Chan, a 2002 graduate—now a freshman at Carleton College—who was suspended after last year’s senior streak, said he did not think that streak participants should be subject to disciplinary action. 

“It’s tradition, and it’s fun, and there’s nothing really wrong with it,” Chan said. “Running naked is not that big of a deal, so suspending kids seems a little ridiculous.” 

This year, many seniors said they planned to streak despite last year’s suspensions and this year’s threats. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said the likelihood of being caught was small. 

“Last year they got three kids out of 40 or 50,” he said. “I’m a fast runner; they’re not going to see who I am.” 

Other students expressed resentment that the co-principals are attempting to stifle a tradition that is older than the seniors themselves. 

“My dad graduated from Berkeley High, and he streaked in 1968,” one senior said. “I don’t buy the argument that people are offended by us running naked and that it disrupts the learning environment.” 

Most students and administrators agreed that, despite the warnings, the annual event would likely continue. 

“I do expect we’ll see it happen this year,” Valles said.

URBAN SPACE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding the story “Five Story Complex Set for Edge of Downtown” (May 16-18 edition):  

I can’t even begin to imagine the uproar that would be caused if someone proposed to tear down a 190-unit building to replace it with a Kragen Auto Parts. Patrick Kennedy is proposing the opposite, and yet it seems that for John Kenyon the glass will be forever half-empty. Writing in a city that has the luxury of having one of the few thriving downtowns in the United States, your correspondent exhibits a peculiarly suburban mentality, as evidenced by statements such as the “five-floor cliff of stores and apartments sited right up against the Martin Luther King, Jr. Way sidewalk.” You have only to go to Fillmore Street in San Francisco to appreciate what great urban spaces this scale of development can create. 

Yann Taylor 

Field Paoli Architects 

San Francisco 

• 

3045 SHATTUCK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for your article on my neighborhood’s struggle to get a public hearing on 3045 Shattuck Ave. I would like to offer a couple of clarifications. 

It’s true that neighbors’ complaints about the project date back to last June, when Christina Sun demolished the basement, but our campaign to get a hearing didn’t start until two months ago, when the remaining portion of the house was jacked up to the third-floor level. Prior to that, no one in the neighborhood had a clue that the building was going to be raised more than two feet, that its footprint would be expanded or that the backyard would be paved over for use as a parking lot. Sun’s original permit described only replacing the foundation and building out part of the basement as living space, retaining one of the two existing garage spaces. 

Jill Peterson, a former tenant of Sun’s at 3045 Shattuck, told the Zoning Adjustments Board that Sun told her she wanted to turn it into a “dorm-like situation.” The article mistakenly characterizes that as my description of the project. I describe the project as a six- to 10-bedroom, four-bath group living accommodation designed to be easily converted into two separate flats. 

Robert Lauriston 

• 

DILEMMA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

David and Lisa Sundelson have more than one dilemma with their trip to join the Yale reunion, but first, I hope that David met his friend Betty at the picket line at the Claremont. Doesn’t he know that there is a labor dispute going on there? 

Second, if he and the Missus are going to pay $300 for their White House picnic, do they know where that money is going? One might be too polite to ask, but just because it’s in the front yard doesn’t mean that the White House isn’t being used for shady purposes again. 

And third, what should Lisa wear? A nicely tailored pink dress might be just the thing! David could borrow a tasteful matching tie from Kriss ... 

Edith M Hallberg 

• 

RE-ELECT GORE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Numerous letters to the Daily Planet offering suggestions to the Democratic Party on who might be a good candidate to beat President Bush in 2004 underscore the Progressive community’s concerns that as the media portrays it, Bush is unbeatable. 

One seriously developing possibility for the Democrats to think about is that Al Gore, with grass-roots support, could be persuaded to reconsider running. With this end in mind, on Flag Day, June 14, there is going to be a huge Al Gore support rally in an amphitheater in Nashville, Tenn., where he now lives. People are coming from all over the country. Senators Byrd, Harkin and Kennedy are planned speakers and people will be sending e-mails and carrying placards bearing the names and faces of those who cannot travel to Tennessee. 

It has been rumored in political circles that Al Gore abruptly dropped out of the 2004 presidential race not because he’d lost the will to run again but because the leadership in the DNC and DLC offered him lukewarm support for a re-election bid when he denounced Bush’s Iraq policy in San Francisco at the Commonwealth Club on Sept. 23, 2002, before any current Democratic candidate denounced Bush’s Iraq war. 

Eric Alterman, a prominent media scholar, in his widely regarded new book “What Liberal Media,” goes into great detail about how the conservative right—with the cooperation of the major media—character assassinated Al Gore to the extent that even some Democrats thought he ran a poor race. 

In fact, with only a fraction of the millions the Republicans had and the media stacked against him, Al Gore got more votes in 2000 than nearly any Democratic candidate in history. It is not widely reported, but right now Al Gore is way ahead of any of the nine current Democratic candidates in both New Hampshire and Iowa. And he’s far and away ahead in CNN polls as still the most winnable candidate against Bush. 

Al Gore is the only truly “presidential” Democratic candidate who can put in question Bush’s legitimacy as Karl Rove’s carefully crafted commander in chief. 

Democrats need to come up with a stunning out-of-the-box, under-the-radar strategy if they hope to defeat a vastly right-wing funded, post-911 George Bush. The Democrats’ restoring Al Gore to his rightful place as the leader of the Democratic Party would really cause the White House to go on the defensive. 

As Eric Alterman says in his book: “Annoy the Media: Re-elect Al Gore.” 

Maureen Farrell

At a groundbreaking ceremony last week for what will be the second largest building on the UC Berkeley campus, Gov. Gray Davis poured out praises for the imminent construction of the Stanley Biosciences and Bioengineering Facility. 

The 285,000-square-foot building is expected to be a hub of biomedical research and innovation that will house state-of-the-art laboratories and bring together scientists from multiple fields to tackle health problems using an interdisciplinary approach and new technologies. 

“Out of this building will come new ideas, new industry and groundbreaking medical cures,” said Davis, speaking minutes before the ceremonial groundbreaking, which took place Friday afternoon at the former site of the old Stanley facility, located at the northeast section of campus on Gayley Road across from the Greek Theater. “The research that comes out of this facility will literally cure diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, will literally create new jobs, new industry and push back the frontiers of science and keep California on the cutting edge of science innovation.” 

But not everyone is enthusiastic about the development, which will expand the old Stanley building by four and a half times. The project incited public criticism when it was initially proposed three years ago as part of a larger UC Berkeley plan to seismically retrofit, modernize and develop the buildings in its northeast quadrant. That project, called the Northeast Quadrant Science Center, includes plans to replace nearby Davis Hall, a 38,000-square-foot building located south of Hearst Avenue, with a 145,000-square-foot building that would be the future home of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). The northeast quadrant plan also proposes the removal of the nearby lower Hearst parking structure, which has tennis courts and a skateboard park on its top tier, to make room for a 150-space parking lot.  

Residents have said the northeast quadrant plan will exacerbate traffic congestion and parking problems. They also worry about the project’s proximity to the Hayward Fault line. 

The main occupants of the facility will be the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, or QB3. The institute, a joint program between UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz, is one of four that the governor helped to create three years ago under his California Institutes for Science and Innovation project (Cal-ISI). Davis said the goal of the project, which relies on both state and private dollars, is to spur innovation that would replicate the success of Silicon Valley and spark economic growth throughout the state. 

The new Stanley building will also be the home of the university’s department of engineering and provide some facilities to CITRIS, another of the four institutes created under Cal-ISI. CITRIS researchers are developing such things as micromechanical “flying insects” that could some day conduct surveillance, and inexpensive electronic sensors that help firefighters locate people in burning buildings. The facility will also house the west coast’s only 900-megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a device that helps reveal the structure of proteins. 

The new facility, which will replace the old 67,000-square-foot building, is expected to cost $162 million and is slated for completion in January 2006. The project will consist of eight above-ground floors and three underground stories and will include a 300-seat auditorium, 40 research and teaching laboratories, a multi-media classroom and a cafe. 

Davis said the new facility would not have been possible without the efforts of UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl, who in 2000 launched the Health Science Initiative, a project that aims to modernize and reorganize health sciences research on the campus. At the ceremony Berdahl said, “Future generations will benefit from the far-sighted plan,” and praised Davis for helping his project come to fruition. “This is what it really means to be an education governor,” he said. 

Jim Sharp, who lives on LeConte street about two blocks from the project site, has been the most outspoken critics of the plan. He said the university’s environmental impact report (EIR) was insufficient because it lumped several major developments, including the Stanley project and the Davis North project, into one document. “They swept the Stanley development into one very large EIR document so that it got about as much review as a very small project might normally get,” he said, adding that citizens have very little say in university development projects in general. “The EIR process is pretty much pro forma,” he said. 

“The most citizens can do is wave their hands a little bit. The city of Berkeley did almost nothing. They pretty much sat on their hands and that’s what they have been doing for the last 10 years,” which he said has put him and his neighbors in an “industrial blight zone.” 

Sharp said the Stanley project represents a dangerous trend in university development. “The biggest concern we see is UC morphing into an industrial park rather than as a place to educate students,” he said. “We have seen more emphasis on research and development with private industry ... A private firm, instead of building an industrial park in the Silicon Valley, can take advantage of the public space and cheaper labor that the university provides.”  

UC Berkeley spokesman Robert Sanders rejected the notion that the university is sacrificing academic integrity for commercial interests and said the new facility simply enables the University to continue the research it is already doing. “There aren’t any industry labs here, we are not bringing in industry,” he said. “These buildings are meant to continue the research we are already doing but we need new infrastructure that allows us to do modern research.” 

He said the facility will help “fuel the high tech and biotech industry” but emphasized that the university is “not interested in the product. We are interested in the knowledge.” Sanders added that the labs will be primarily occupied by students, and that industry “will not steer our research.” 

When I was growing up, there was a popular bumper sticker, seen mostly on the back of old VW vans, that said: “What if there was a war and nobody came?”  

I am reminded of that bumper sticker now, in light of this administration’s unprecedented attack on civil liberties. What if our basic rights were taken away and no one noticed? What if our system of checks and balances was destroyed and everyone remained convinced it was happening to someone else?  

Under current legislation, if you are “suspected” of terrorist activity, you can be picked up and held indefinitely, without charges and without access to a lawyer. If your loved ones call to find out where you are or if you are okay, they will be told nothing.  

And, if currently proposed legislation—PATRIOT Act II—passes, you may no longer even be a citizen. Under PATRIOT II, if you attend a legal protest sponsored by an organization the government has listed as “terrorist,” you may be deported and your citizenship revoked. This is true even if you are only suspected of terrorist activity and nothing has been proven. 

The attack on civil liberties hasn’t been subtle; rather it has erred on the side of being so extreme as to seem surreal. Some of the lowlights include:  

• The USA PATRIOT Act creates a new crime of “domestic terrorism”—defined so broadly as to include civil disobedience and other nonviolent forms of resistance. The PATRIOT Act also greatly reduces free speech and privacy, allowing for Internet and library surveillance and eliminating the need for warrants before searching video or music store records. 

• The new Homeland Security Department, whose massive reorganization of more than 22 different federal agencies includes a beefed-up immigration office, renamed the Bureau of Border and Transportation Security, with a focus on catching immigrant violations and keeping people outside of U.S. borders.  

• Total Information Awareness (TIA), recently renamed “Terrorist Information Awareness,” which hopes to predict terrorist actions by analyzing such transactions as passport applications, visas, work permits, driver’s licenses, car rentals, airline ticket purchases, arrests or reports of suspicious activities. TIA would make financial, education, medical and housing records, as well as biometric identification databases based on fingerprints, irises, facial shapes and even how a person walks available to U.S. agents. 

If all this weren’t enough, currently proposed legislation would increase the PATRIOT Act’s powers. The Center for Public Integrity lists the full provisions of the act, which include, beside the deportation of citizens who are suspected of consorting with or supporting terrorists:  

• Immunity from liability for law enforcement engaging in spying operations against the American people; 

• Immunity from liability for businesses and employees that report “suspected terrorists” to the federal government, no matter how unfounded, racist or malicious the tip may be. 

Furthermore, PATRIOT II explicitly allows the indefinite detention of citizens, incommunicado, without charges, and without releasing their names to their own family members. And unlike PATRIOT Act I, which expires in 2004 unless it passes another majority vote, PATRIOT Act II never expires and removes the expiration date on PATRIOT I.  

According to a Washington Post report, the Government Accounting Office has found that the majority of people prosecuted under new antiterrorism security measures were pursued for reasons unrelated to terrorism, including credit card fraud and drug violations. “Many of [the] terrorism powers were actually being asked for as a way of increasing the government’s authority in other areas,” said ACLU’s Tim Edgar in the report.  

One of the reasons that the response to aggressive Homeland Security Measures has been muted is that, so far, the primary targets of “homeland security” have been immigrants, Arab-Americans and South Asian-Americans.  

Tirien Steinbach, a lawyer at Berkeley’s East Bay Community Law Center who works with indigent clients, says she’s noted an increase in harassment of her clients since passage of the act. “It’s not the policies themselves,” she says, “but the climate of repression that lets law enforcement feel as if they can get away with anything these days.”  

She sees her clients, and immigrant groups that have come under attack, as canaries in the coal mine—a warning signal that others should heed. “Everyone thinks it only happens to some other kind of people,” she says, “and by the time they realize the extent of the repression, it will be too late.”  

Mac Scott, of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants (CHRI), agrees. “The effects on immigrant communities has been devastating,” he says. “So many people have had family members deported, detained, or—at the very least—interrogated.” 

Because of that increased repression, some members of immigrant communities have been wary of organizing for fear of being targeted for harassment. 

“We have to work as a coalition,” says Tram Nguyen of Colorlines, a quarterly focused on race and public policy. “Communities are under such attack that they have to speak out. 

This recognition has also created an unusual alliance of libertarians, progressives and conservatives. In part, the criticism from the right comes from those who remember a time when a base of conservatism supposedly stood for small government, less bureaucracy and more individual liberty.  

One of the largest indicators of the new alliances forming in support of civil liberties and the biggest victory for rights advocates has been the success of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee in encouraging communities to pass resolutions and ordinances repudiating the PATRIOT Act and reaffirming the Bill of Rights. Since the passage of the PATRIOT Act in October 2001, over 100 cities, towns and counties, including Baltimore, Md., Castle Valley, Utah, and Detroit, Mich., and two states (Alaska and Hawaii) have passed resolutions opposing the legislation and reaffirming the importance of basic civil liberties.  

Bill of Rights advocates see the upcoming fights over PATRIOT Act II and Terrorist Information Awareness as well as the 2004 presidential election as key places to let legislators know that their stand on civil liberties issues will be carefully watched.  

We must disabuse ourselves of the notion that it is only “other people’s” liberties that are at stake. Our own government threatens our collective liberty far more than do outside sources. The response, as the Bill of Rights Defense Committees have shown, is to use our rights or lose them. Our right to think and speak for ourselves, without fear of spying neighbors, surveillance cameras or retaliation, is gravely threatened and only our collective and coordinated resistance will stop that threat.  

Rachel Neumann is the rights and liberties editor of AlterNet.

A San Pablo woman was arrested and charged with felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after a man was killed when she drove into his stopped car on Interstate 80 near the Ashby interchange. 

Nigussi Boru, 35, an Ethiopian man who lived in San Leandro, died from injuries sustained when his car was struck.  

Boru was a driving a 1992 Mitsubishi westbound on Interstate 80 when he rear ended a 23-San Jose man who was driving a 1998 Saturn. The Saturn spun completely around and Boru’s car came to a stop after hitting the Saturn a second time.  

Moments after Boru’s car had come to a standstill in the number three lane, the San Pablo woman, 30, crashed into his car at a high rate of speed without braking.  

Boru was rushed to Highland Hospital where he was pronounced dead.  

The suspect was also taken to Highland Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being booked into the Berkeley jail for felony drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter.  

The San Jose man was also treated for minor injuries.  

—Daily Planet staff 

and Bay City News reports

In the interests of understanding, if not influencing, an odd set of proposals for our neighborhood emanating from the “Office of Transportation,” my neighbors and I attended the South Oceanview neighborhood traffic management meeting held Tuesday, May 27, and enjoyed a most entertaining presentation. 

My theory would be that the little maps and models are far too fun to noodle with, and that’s how arguably educated city officials end up presenting a little neighborhood meeting with obvious nonsense having no sense of the predictable response.  

It took only about a polite half-hour for one of my neighbors to point out that the traffic circle “furniture” being promoted to us was, well, ugly. Unsightly, I think the planners call it. If the premise afloat was to “enhance” and “upgrade” the neighborhood’s sense of identity, well, shouldn’t these things just be thrown in the bay? We have plenty of indigenous blight without having to host the depressing rubberized traffic-flow dreamscape of some planner who probably hails from out of town.  

I kept trying to visualize the circle-things covered with our neighborhood’s particular style of graffiti, just for accuracy’s sake, and since less graffiti fits on a stop sign, I asked if simple stop signs weren’t a more sensible alternative.  

“People don’t stop at stop signs,” he explained patiently. That was my favorite, since I missed the memo and I’ve been stopping at stop signs all over town. People who don’t get enough gossip about me can add that one to the mix. He added that stop-sign stopping (which nobody does) creates pollution for the homeowners nearby, an enlightened moment for the planner whose original suggestion was to strip all the parking from commercial streets to “enhance traffic flow,” carefully crafting six, rather than four, lanes of heaving, sweating, polluting vehicles-worth of toxicity for those of us who live there.  

Don’t get me wrong, I love these meetings. I love watching the impassive officials’ faces when they’re forced to listen to the guy with a five-year-old, a six-year-old and a two-year-old talk about how his driveway is right next to the raceway created the last time the planners felt it was time to get out their models and maps.  

My neighbors are the best antidote to the visionary trance that must settle over city hall from time to time, and they do a lot of laughing, which is probably the best, most enlightened response to its inherent comedy. Where else can you keep a straight face while you ask if there’s a technical difference between a vehicle that does “cookies” versus “doughnuts”? The planners perhaps can make an educated guess, but it’s your neighbors who really know.  

Carol Denney is a Berkeley resident and a frequent contributor to the Planet’s Editorial Pages.

Time stopped Monday at exactly 8 a.m. 

The four clocks atop UC Berkeley’s Sather Tower, better known as the Campanile, ground to a halt before most summer school students even rolled out of bed, kicking off a month-long restoration project on the Berkeley icon. 

The Campanile, completed in 1914, has not seen an overhaul of its clocks, facing north, south, east and west, for several decades, according to Eric Ellisen, manager of the university’s facilities renewal program.  

This year, time caught up with the tower. The clocks consistently fell behind and the gears and bearings in the west face virtually froze in place, Ellisen said.  

But however unreliable they may have been, students said the timepieces served an important function. 

“I like to joke on tours that [the Campanile] provides students with a pretty good gauge for how late they are,” said Woody Hartman, a UC Berkeley junior and tour guide at the 307-foot tower, which provides a bird’s eye view of the city from the observation deck. 

UC Berkeley will spend $25,000 to clean and restore all four of the internal clock mechanisms on the tower and provide a complete overhaul for the troubled west face. 

Ellisen said the west clock makeover was prompted, in part, by encouragement from high places. 

“It happens that the west face faces the chancellor’s office,” Ellisen said. “We get daily calls—‘hey the clock is a minute off.’” 

The highlight of the restoration project will come June 16, when Pacifica-based steeplejack Jim Phalan plans to rappel down the west side of Sather Tower, unbolt the clock’s 8-foot hour hand and 12-foot minute hand and hoist them to the upper deck for repainting. With the hands out of the way, technicians will get a closer look at the bearings and gears. 

“We have no idea what we’re going to find,” said Ellisen, noting that there is very little documentation on the clocks. 

Ellisen said he has several campus machine shops at the ready to repair any broken parts or build new ones for the 89-year-old timepieces. 

“You’re not going to find any off-the-shelf parts,” he said. 

The university will cordon off a small portion of the esplanade below while Phalan, whose father worked on the tower for decades before him, scales the Campanile. But the tower will remain open, as it will throughout the restoration process. 

The Campanile’s bells will continue to toll on the hour, every hour, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.  

Revamping the timepieces will be the last step in an $800,000 Campanile restoration project which has included lighting work, replacement of the fire-alarm system and an overhaul of the elevator. 

At 8 a.m. Monday the clock’s wooden hands, made of sitka spruce, were spun backward to indicate 6:30, where they will stay until the restoration is complete, Ellisen said, because “we thought it was an attractive location.” 

UC Berkeley freshman Christina Byron, in town for summer classes, said she doesn’t expect to be distracted this month by the Campanile’s frozen clocks. 

“It’s always off anyway,” she said.

For four days this weekend, Cal Performances and UC Berkeley’s music department celebrate contemporary music and give it a push forward with the first biennial Edge Fest. 

The festival, which includes five concerts at Hertz Hall and two free events, has been several years in the making. 

“The idea was to develop a modern music festival that would alternate with Berkeley’s biennial early music festival,” explains festival co-curator and Berkeley faculty member David Wessel.  

The festival focuses on several of America’s most original composers, who are noted for incorporating non-Western music and electronics into their music, collaboration with artists in other mediums, and unorthodox approaches to composition. Several featured artists have strong ties to the Bay Area and to Berkeley. 

The opening program on Thursday, June 5, features music by UC Berkeley faculty members Edmund Campion and Cindy Cox. Campion’s works feature two collaborations with his brother, poet John Campion, and incorporate state-of-the-art electronic music techniques. Cox’s music will be performed by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and she will perform in the world premiere of her Hierosgamos: Studies in Harmony and Resonance, a tour-de-force for solo piano. 

Friday’s program features the music of Terry Riley. Celebrated as the founder of musical minimalism, Riley also incorporates Indian classical music and jazz into his work. The program includes his first performance in more than 30 years of “A Rainbow in Curved Air,” a work for electronic keyboard, and his premiere of Baghdad Highway, for solo piano, written in response to the war in Iraq. 

The concert will be preceded by a free showing of “Terry Riley’s Musical Rainbow” in Wheeler Auditorium at 5 p.m. 

The festival will present two concerts on Saturday. The 6 p.m. program features music by Ingram Marshall and famed Berkeley composer John Adams. In one of the pieces by Adams, the composer himself will conduct students from Berkeley’s Crowden School. Marshall, known for his meditative scores influenced by studies of Indonesian music, will make a rare appearance as performer in his Fragility Cycles. 

At 9 p.m. on Saturday, Wessel will perform using live electronics in tandem with George Lewis and Steve Lacy, both recipients of the Macarthur Foundation’s coveted “genius” award. Lewis is a virtuoso trombonist and innovator in electronic music, while soprano saxophonist Lacy is a major jazz figure. The trio will test the limits of improvisation, performing with computer music programs that respond spontaneously to the live musicians.  

The festival concludes on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a tribute to composer Lou Harrison. Harrison, who died in February at age 85, was probably the single most important figure in opening contemporary classical music to the influence of non-Western music, particularly that of the Indonesian gamelan ensemble. He selected five recent gamelan pieces to receive their world premieres in this program before his death. The tribute concert will span 60 years of his creative output. The music will be performed by several artists with whom he worked closely: pianist and festival co-curator Sarah Cahill, the Abel-Steinberg-Winant trio, and Gamelan Si Betty, the ensemble he helped build, along with a group performing his groundbreaking works for percussion ensemble. Cahill will lead a free panel on Harrison’s music at 1 p.m. in Morrison Hall. 

All concerts are at Hertz Hall on the UC campus. Tickets are $22, or all five concerts for $88. Student discounts are available. Tickets are available at the Cal Performances box office at Zellerbach Hall, at (510)642-9988, at the Web site www.calperfs.berkeley.edu, or at the door.

Award offered in murder case 

The Berkeley Police are offering a $15,000 reward for any information about the murder of Mario Deshawn Mills, 20, in the 1400 block of Derby on May 20. Police spokesman Mary Kusmiss said investigators are seeking the public’s help.  

“The most important thing we want to convey is that we really need the help of the community because detectives have no leads,” she said. “Right now there are no specific suspects or a motive.” 

The coroner confirmed that Mills died of gunshot wounds but police are not saying how many times he was shot or the caliber of weapon.  

City Council has approved rewards of $15,000 in all unsolved murder investigations. The city manager approved the reward for information related to the Mills case on Wednesday.  

Police are asking anyone with information about this case to call (510) 981-5741. 

Homemade fireworks 

Police responded to citizen reports of fireworks at Golden Gate Fields at 2 a.m. on May 31. Officers determined the fireworks had been set off at the Berkeley Marina and conducted a search of the area.  

They spotted three men walking along the shoreline, one of whom tried to ditch a duffle bag. The officers detained the three suspects and, upon searching the duffel bag, discovered 25 homemade explosive devices and five homemade rocket-type engines.  

Given the apparent volatility of the devices, officers called in the bomb squad to secure the suspected explosives. The three men, none of whom were from Berkeley, were arrested and charged with unlawful possession of fireworks.  

Early morning drug bust 

At 7 a.m. on May 29, Berkeley’s special investigative narcotics officers served a search warrant on a suspected drug dealers apartment in the 2700 block of Sacramento Street.  

Police discovered 11 grams of rock cocaine, 21 grams of marijuana and packaging materials such as a scale, baggies and razors. A man and woman, both 43 years old, were arrested for the suspected possession of crack cocaine and marijuana for sale. Just six days earlier, the male suspect had completed federal parole requirements stemming from a previous conviction for possession of crack cocaine. 

DVD robbery 

On Wednesday two men, 21 and 22, were arrested and booked for robbery and possession of stolen property. Officers discovered three stolen DVD VCR combination units in the suspects’ car after a chase. The electronics, allegedly stolen from Radio Shack at 2500 Shattuck Ave., were valued at $130 each. A fourth box in the car was empty. There was, however, a DVD VCR unit from a previous robbery of a Radio Shack in El Cerrito discovered in the suspects’ car. 

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A San Pablo woman was arrested and charged with felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after a man was killed when she drove into his stopped car on Interstate 80 near the Ashby interchange. 

The victim is Nigussi Boru, 35, an Ethiopian man who lived in San Leandro.  

Boru was a driving a 1992 Mitsubishi westbound on Interstate 80 when he rear ended a 23-San Jose man who was driving a 1998 Saturn. The Saturn spun completely around and Boru’s car came to a stop after hitting the Saturn a second time.  

Moments after Boru’s car had come to a standstill in the number three lane, the San Pablo woman, 30, crashed into his car at a high rate of speed without braking.  

Boru was rushed to Highland Hospital where he was pronounced dead.  

The suspect was also taken to Highland Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being booked into the Berkeley jail for felony drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter.  

The San Jose man was also treated for minor injuries.  

- Daily Planet staff and Bay City News reports 

The Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) presents Summer Noon Concerts 2003, a unique series of nine free concerts, Thursdays at noon in June & July, beginning June 5th. From Rhythm & Blues to Brazilian capoeira, these concerts at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (Shattuck Ave. at Center St.) are a showcase of the culturally rich performing arts in Berkeley. This outdoor summer celebration of Berkeley-based musicians & dancers is just a small sampling of the performing arts happening nightly in clubs, cafes, schools, theaters and concert halls in Downtown Berkeley. 

On Thursday, June 5th, our concert series opens with Rhonda Benin and Soulful Strut performing some of the best in R & B, with a splash of jazz and a solid helping of the blues. Soulful Strut appears regularly at many Bay Area nightspots such Enricos Sidewalk Café and Restaurant. 

On Thursday, July 31st, our concert series closes with SoVoSó, a highly visual and imaginative a capella ensemble that sings a compelling mix of jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, world, pop, and improvisational music. The ensemble is made up of former members of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra, and McFerrin says, “SoVoSó is tight, soulful, and a whole lotta fun.” 

This event is easily accessible by transit and there is one hour free parking daily from 9 am to 5 pm in Center Street Garage. Seating will be available. 

For a complete schedule of entertainers for the Downtown Berkeley Summer Noon Concerts 2003 visit the Downtown Berkeley Association website at www.downtownberkeley 

When Berkeley High School junior Allison Roberts entered the New York Times Magazine high school photography contest, she did it only because it was required for a grade in her photography class. 

A month later, Allison has her “A” grade, plus a $1,000 check and a new digital camera as the grand prize winner of the contest. Her photo will be published in the New York Times Magazine on Sunday. 

The contest, which drew thousands of entries from across the country, set out to select a student to fill the “What They Were Thinking” column in the June 1 issue of the magazine. Each week the column showcases a picture of a person or group of people and prints an excerpt from an interview with the subject of the photograph to reveal his or her thoughts and feelings. 

After struggling to come up with an idea for a subject, Allison chose her 10-year-old cousin Rachel Seban. The resulting picture shows Rachel leaning against the wall in her bedroom in what Allison called “that typical 10-year-old wanting to be a model pose.” 

The interview, which Allison wrote, will accompany the photograph in the magazine. In it Rachel complains about the end of spring break and reveals her goal of some day working as an actress or singer. 

“At first I thought the assignment would be really hard to do,” Allison said. “But once I finally decided to do my cousin I ended up having a lot of fun with it.” 

Berkeley High photography teacher Lucinda Daly submitted 41 entries to the Times from her Advanced Photo II students. Daly said she was not entirely surprised when she received a phone call saying that one of the entries had taken the top award. 

“It was a great photograph,” Daly said. “She really deserved to win.” 

When they entered the contest, the students put Daly’s contact information on the group application sheet, so she was the first to learn that Allison’s photo had won. Daly went to Allison’s house two weeks ago to tell her the good news. Allison said she was shocked. 

“I didn’t believe it at first,” she said. “In fact, it’s still pretty hard to believe.” 

On Friday Allison will appear on the “KTVU Mornings On Two” television program, an experience she was apprehensive about. 

“I’m really nervous,” she said. “It’s kind of scary to me.” 

While Allison said the attention has made her uncomfortable, her cousin Rachel was thrilled about their newfound fame. 

“It’s always been her goal to be in the newspaper—it goes along with her wanting to be an actress or something,” Allison said. “She thinks this is great.” 

FRIDAY, MAY 30 

“So How Did You Become An Activist, and What Now?” with poets Wanda Sabir, Frances Hillyard, and Adam David Miller from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar, at Bonita. Suggested donation $5, no one turned away for lack of funds. 526-4402.  

Jefferson Elementary Teachers Jim Harris and Linda Mengel with be honored with a Dessert Reception and Party at 7 p.m. in the Jefferson School Cafeteria. 525-7567 or downboy@pacbell.net 

SATURDAY, MAY 31 

Malcolm X Elementary School Spring Fair in celebration of its namesake’s birthday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1731 Prince St. Car- 

nival games, face painting and hair braiding. Featuring a talent show and a walking timeline of the life and work of Malcolm X.  

Bike Rodeo at San Pablo Park, in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Activities include a skill and handling workshop, bike maintenance, obstacle course for children four to eight. Food, carnival booths, and bike registration and i.d.-fingerprinting at the police booth. Sponsored by the City of Berkeley and Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition. 549-7433.  

ISM at the Crossroads  

Sympathy Service at 1:30 p.m. to honor ISM activists, Palestinians and Israelis who have lost their lives or been critically wounded as a result of the Israeli Occupation. Panel discussion follows at 2:30 p.m. with Dennis Bernstein, KPFA, Panel Moderator; Dr. Hatem Bazian,Center for Middle East Studies, UC Berkeley; Yael Ben-Zvi, Stanford University; Jennifer Kuiper, ISM; Lisa Nessan, ISM; Penny Rosenwasser, Middle East Children's Al- 

liance. At Unitarian Fellowship Hall, Cedar at Bonita. Suggested donation $10-20, no one turned away for lack of funds. 236-4250. www.norcalism.org  

Junior Solar Sprint 

Challenge, a solar car race between local middle 

schools, hosted by the Society of Women Engineers, 

U.C. Berkeley chapter. From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lawrence Hall of Science. For information call 642-1369. jssc@swe.coe.berkeley.edu 

Kids’ Garden Club: Soil  

For ages 7-12 to explore the world of gardening. Learn about plant beds and collect clay for pottery, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $5 for residents, $7 for non-residents. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Remove (thornless) Blackberries on Cerrito Creek 

with Friends of Five Creeks. Meet at 10 a.m at Pacific East Mall, 3288 Pierce St., 

El Cerrito. Bring work gloves, shovels, loppers if you can. 848-9358, www.five 

creeks.org 

“The Atomic Cafe,” a film about Americans preparing to survive a nuclear war in the 1950s, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. 540-0751. ww.thelonghaul.org  

Fixing our Elections, a talk by SF Board President Matt Gonzalez on Instant Runoff Voting, at 1:30 p.m. in Ber- 

keley's Main Public Library meeting room, 2090 Kittredge at Shattuck. 526-5852 www.fairvoteca.org 

The California Shakespeare Theater holds auditions for a new adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone. Needed are young people, ages 15-18, and adults, ages 50-80. Fri., May 31st, and Sat., June 1st, in Berkeley. For more information or to schedule an audition slot, call at 548-3422, ext. 114, or shana@calshakes.org 

SUNDAY, JUNE 1 

Rosa Parks School Annual Ice Cream Social and Silent Auction, from noon to 4 p.m. at 920 Allston Way. Silent auction items and services donated by local merchants and residents. 644-8812. 

La Place du Marché, the East Bay French-American School’s Annual Fair, with music, food and specialized vendors from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at 1009 Heinze Ave. and 9th St. Cost is $5, children 12 and under are free. 521-4920. www.ebfas.org 

Walkathon for the National Organization for Women, honoring Rep. Barbara Lee, at 9:30 a.m. at the Sailboat House, Lake Merritt. Donation $20. 562-1919. 

The World in Your Backyard, a garden party to benefit the Botanical Garden, with food, wine, music and plants from 3 - 6 p.m. For tickets call 643-2755.  

A Taste of Albany Spring Festival at Memorial Park, 1300 block of Portland Ave. from noon to 5 p.m. Music, arts and crafts, magic show and samples from Albany restaurants. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of event. 525-1771. www.albanychamber.org 

MONDAY, JUNE 2 

West Nile Virus and other  

Mosquito Problems 

William Hamersky of the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement speaks on how the West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne ill-nesses may affect Bay Area residents as well as wetland restoration programs, at 7 p.m. downstairs at the Al- 

bany Community Center, 1249 Marin. Sponsored by Friends of Five Creeks. 848-9358. f5creeks@aol.com 

National Organization for Women, Oakland/East Bay Chapter meets from 6 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Library, 1901 Russell St. The speaker will be Breonna Cole, aide to Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and campaign manager for Wilson Riles. 287-8948. 

TUESDAY, JUNE 3 

March and Rally to Protect the Safety Net A community mobilization to protect basic services for the poor and homeless. Gather at 10 a.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 685 14th St., Oak- 

land. For information call boona or Janny at 649-1930. 

Auditions for Young People’s Symphony will be held for musicians ages 12 to 21 on June 3, 4, 6 and 7. 849-9776. www.ypsomusic.org 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 

South Berkeley Mural Project Community members in South Berkeley are coming together to create a neighborhood mural on the side of the Grove Liquor Store on the corner of Ashby Ave and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Meetings are held every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Studios at 1923 Ashby Ave. For further information on ways to get involved please call 644-2204. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam, with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave. $90 cash prizes. Cost is $7 at the door, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. 

Community Dances in Berkeley, traditional English and American dances, 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 

Opening Day for Berkeley Farmer’s Market in North Shattuck, from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Elephant Pharmacy parking lot, 1607 Shattuck Ave., at Cedar, and continuing every Thursday. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Lawyers in the Library at 6 p.m. at the North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM, holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

Embracing Diversity Films presents “Being Gay: Coming Out in the 21st Century” at 7 p.m. in the Little Thea- 

ter, Albany High School, 603 Key Route Blvd., between Portland and Thousand Oaks. A facilitated discussion follows. Appropriate for middle and high school students. Admission is free.  

Best Summer Camping and Hiking Adventures in Northern California Join Tom Stienstra, outdoor writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and award-winning guidebook author, for a slide presentation on the best camping, hiking and fishing opportunities this summer in the northern part of our state. At 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140.  

Susan Alcorn, author of “We’re in the Mountains, Not Over the Hill,” talks about women and wilderness travel, at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 843-3533. 

Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, all night study from 7 p.m. to dawn. Over 40 Rabbis and scholars will be teaching. All ages welcome. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Commu-nity Center, 1414 Walnut St. 925-979-1998. 

ONGOING 

Technical Assistance for Non-Profits A free workshop series hosted by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, to be held at the Alameda County Conference Center, at 125 12th St., Oakland. For information or to register, please call Breonna Cole at 272-6060.  

Alameda County Hazardous Waste Drop-Off from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 29 - 31 at Ala- 

meda County Household Hazardous Waste, 2100 E. 7th St., Oakland. Take ad-vantage of this opportunity to safely dispose of paint, stain, varnish; auto products such as motor oil, oil filters and batteries; household batteries, cleaners and sprays; garden products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Please do NOT bring asbestos, most compressed gasses, computer monitors, CRTs and TVs, computers & electronic equipment. Call 1-877-STOPWASTE or visit stopwaste.org/fsrecycle. For information on what to do with other items, call 800-606-6606, or visit http://house 

holdhazwaste.org/oakland 

Berkeley Community Media announces the rebirth of the poetry program, “Berkeley Speaks” in June. If you are interested in being a featured  

artist, call 848-2288, ext. 10. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Community Meeting on the City Budget The public is invited to learn more about the budget deficit and plans to address the issue, on June 5, at 7 p.m., at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. For information call 981-CITY.  

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Monday, June 2, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Council Agenda Committee  

meets Monday, June 2, at  

2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 

981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Monday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m., in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/landmarks 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Monday, June 2, at 7 p.m., in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

Youth Commission meets Monday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m., in the  

North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruby Primus, 981-5160.www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/firesafety 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Housing Advisory Commission, Public hearing on Allocation of Housing Trust Funds on Thursday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m., in the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission 

meets Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m., in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

School Board meets Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320.

Full confession: I live on a Transit Corridor in a house without a backyard, so I sympathize with people who complain when their blocks are designated as urban sacrifice zones. Many of Berkeley’s Transit Corridors (translation: bus routes) have actual humans living right on them, or near them. The Amazing South Shattuck Flying House in the last Planet, though on the 43 bus route in a commercial zone, is surrounded by homes. Streets like my street became Transit Corridors in the first place because residents of Neighborhoods (translation: side streets) didn’t want cars (or, godforbid, buses) mucking up their lovely blocks. The barrier explosion of the early seventies re-routed all that nasty traffic onto just a few streets (MLK, Ashby, Sacramento, Sixth, University, San Pablo, Shattuck), and their residents were told to shut up and smell the diesel. 

Now, however, they’re being asked to sacrifice still more. The powers that be (translation: builders and their pawns) have decreed that open space in Santa Rosa is better than open space in Berkeley. If you don’t agree, you’re obviously a dreaded NIMBY (translation: Not In My Back Yard, a slogan coined by the victims of the Love Canal toxic waste scandal, but expropriated by developers to disparage anyone who doesn’t like their projects). 

What’s wrong, you might ask, with backyards? In these pages, we’ve been featuring splendid art created by Berkeleyans like Marcia Donahue in their back and even front yards. The series is a tribute to my late mother-in-law, the artist Mary Holmes, who always wanted to do a book about home-based art called “Yes! In My Back Yard!” but never got around to it because she was too busy making art. Berkeley yards are home to many of these treasures and other wonderful gardens. Everyone can enjoy them. I pass maybe 30 fantastic yards in my 20-minute walk to work. 

Berkeley is the third densest town in the Bay Area, the 15th densest in the country. Yet residents of south, west and central Berkeley living on or near transit routes are being assaulted by self-righteous preachers who tell them that it’s their civic duty to accept still more crowding. 

Such urban evangelists typically live in nice single-family houses in the hills, or at least the foothills, of North Berkeley, or perhaps in Piedmont. Sometimes they’re even Architectural Historians, self-anointed priests of haut-design who deride the modest frame Victorians which are the historic resources of the flatter parts of Berkeley. 

Some have second homes in nice places like Bolinas or Soda Springs or even Paris. One business school professor who is an investor in a University Avenue multiplex is rumored to own five or six houses around the world, in addition to his architect-designed home in the hills. 

They are often healthy folks in the prime of mid-life, equipped by genetics and luck to ride bicycles and go backpacking in the mountains. But what about Berkeley residents who have a hard time getting out of town to see nature, and who can’t use bicycles for transportation? 

I’m talking here about the 60-something guy with arthritic knees, still working two jobs, who wants a little cookout in his South Shattuck yard on a Sunday night. Try telling him he can get from his Hayward job to his Antioch job and home again using ever-shrinking AC Transit. He needs that old car and a place to park it near home if he’s ever going to have enough free time for his cookout. He doesn’t deserve a three-story dormitory built right up to his lot line, stealing the sunshine from his tomato plants and the privacy from his, yes, Backyard. It’s  

the worst kind of elitism to say that bicycling or hiking is morally superior to gardening, barbecuing or just sitting on the front porch on a nice evening. (And no, this is not an invitation to go off on meat-eating or air-pollution, though it will look like that to some fanatic Berkeleyans.) 

The mantra of Affordable Housing is sometimes invoked as an excuse for the Cram-‘em-In theory of urban design. That’s a topic for another day and more statistics. For now, let’s just say that “affordable” housing, contrary to what many of us used to think, doesn’t necessarily mean low-cost. To be continued. 

FRIDAY, MAY 30 

FILM 

Nicholas Ray: “On Dangerous Ground” at 7:30 p.m., “Run for Cover” at 9 :15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Ar- 

chive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-1412. www. 

bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

In Your Face Youth Poets  

at 7 p.m. at PRO Arts Gallery, 461 9th St. Oakland. Cost is $3-$6. 525-3948. 

Death at the Poetry Slam: An Interactive Murder Mystery written and directed by Thomas Lynch, featuring the East Enders Repertory Group. At 7:30 at the Public Library Claremont Branch, 2940 Benvenue Ave. 981-6280. 

Calvin Trillin on “Feeding a Yen: Savoring Local Specialties, from Kansas City to Cuzco,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, an evening jazz swing with a dance lesson at 8 p.m. and show at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  www.ashkenaz.com 

The Influents, Communique, Milwaukee at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

Spin Cushion, The Cushion Theory, Tiuana Gasser perform punk rock at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakes- 

ontelegraph.com 

Soul Frito The Caribbean Connection, Cuban hip hop at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

David Daniels, countertenor, Martin Katz, piano, perform works by Handel and Ravel, plus a song cycle written for Daniels by composer Theo- 

dore Morrison, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $28, $38, $48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Slammin, an all-body band combining a cappella singing with beat boxing and body music, performs at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Tickets are $18. 845-5373. www.jazz- 

school.com 

White Oak Dance Project 

with Mikhail Baryshnikov, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall. Tickets are $36, $48, $62. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Flamenco Fever with Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos, dinner shows at 6:30 and 9 p.m. for $35, cocktail show at 9:30 p.m., at Cafe de la pz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662. www.cafedelapaz.com 

Monster Squad, Whiskey Sunday, La Plebé, The Saint Catherines, 30 Years of War perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SATURDAY, MAY 31 

Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios 2003 May 31-June 1, June 7-8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For list of participating studios go to www.mesart. 

com/openstudiosPA.jsp 

FILM 

Nicholas Ray: “Bigger Than Life” at 4:30 p.m. and 9:10 p.m., “Rebel Without a Cause” at 7 p.m. at the  

Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Edward Miyakawa will be reading from his novel, “Tule Lake,” about Japanese- 

Americans in the Tule Lake internment camp during World War II, at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Iris Chang talks about “The Chinese in America,” at 10:30 a.m. at The Asian Cultural Center, Oakland Public Library, 388 Ninth St., Oakland. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera’s Gala  

Concert, celebrating Tchai- 

kovsky and Gounod, at 8 p.m. at the Longfellow Arts and Technology School, 1500 Derby St. Alan Katsman conducts the Berkeley Opera Orchestra and the UC Alumni Chorus. Tickets are $28, $23 seniors, and $16 youth, and are available from 925-798-1300. 

Soli Deo Gloria and Orchestra Gloria, perform “Bach’s Legacy,” music by the sons of Bach. Allen H. Simon, director, Jonathan Salzedo, harpsichord, Kevin Gibbs, tenor, Chad Runyon, bass. At 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-447-9823. www.sdgloria.org 

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble performs “Equal Writes,” a concert of music composed by women from the medieval period to the present. At 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $10, $5 for students and seniors. 233-1479.  

White Oak Dance Project 

with Mikhail Baryshnikov, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall. Tickets are $36, $48, $62. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Shakuhachi and Koto Performance with Marco Lienhard and Shoko Hikage at 8 p.m. at Emeryville Taiko Dojo, 1601A 63rd St., Emeryville. Cost is $15. 655-6392. www. 

etaiko.org 

Caribbean Allstars with the Harmonics perform Jamai- 

can reggae at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Carla Kihlstedt and Friends of Tin Hat Trio, with Marika Hughes, Ben Goldberg, Charming Hostess, Noe Venable, Scott Amendola, Todd Sickafoose, Nels Cline, Jim Campilongo and others in a benefit concert for the Lauren Orton Memorial Garden Fund. At 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 in advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Warsaw Poland Bros., Monkey, La Plebé at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Felonious, Otis Goodnight and the Defenestrators, and Illa Dapted perform hip hop at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

This is My Fist, The Specs, Hit Me Back perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no al- 

cohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Da Shout! Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Prophets of Rage, a 21-piece folkloric hip hop ensemble at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www. 

lapena.org 

Denise Perrier and the Cadence sing at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Tickets are $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazz- 

school.com 

Ira Marlowe, Roger Linn, Don Bassey and Paul Revelli perform at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $7-$15 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazz- 

house.org 

SUNDAY, JUNE 1 

CHILDREN 

Stop the Violence, Music Heals Concert with Cherrie Williams, the “Singing Domestic,” and children and special guests performing gospel, blues, jazz, soul, dance, poetry and art, at 2 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets available at the door, $15 adults, $9 children, students, senior. $13 in advance from 925-798-1300. www.juliamorgan.org 

Community Women’s Orchestra Spring Concert at Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St. at 4 p.m. Selections include Harry Potter Suite by John Williams, Finlandia by Sibelius, and Berceuse and Finale from Firebird by Stravinsky. Suggested donation $5, children free. For information call 653-1616. 

Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble Spring Showcase, “Lily’s Treasures.” Twelve young women, ages 10 - 19 playing an original score with a reading by actress Maria Duman of the story of a young girls’s journey through a world of animals. Story by Maureen Ustenci, directed by Diana Stork. At 5 p.m. at Saint Mary Magdalene Church, 2005 Berryman St. Tickets are $15 adults, 12 and under $5. 548-3326. 

Say it Through Song Benefit with Noe Venable, Baba- 

tunde Lea, John Fonseka, Etienne De Rocher, Carlos Mena, Jerry Hannan, Jethro Jeremiah and Todd Sicka- 

foose, at 3 p.m, at The Starry Plough. All ages welcome. Tickets $15 includes CD. 841-2082. 

West African Dance and Songs for Kids at 2 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children. 

525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

FILM 

Vera Chytilová: “Daisies” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Fred Wilson: “Aftermath,” guided tour of the installation at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, at 2 p.m. Free for members, UC students, faculty and staff, $5 seniors and disabled, $8 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Ed Rosenthal discusses his new book “Why Marijuana Should be Legal,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera’s Gala Concert, celebrating Tchaikov- 

sky and Gounod, at 2 p.m. at the Longfellow Arts and Technology School, 1500 Derby St. at Sacramento. 

Alan Katsman conducts. Tickets are $28, $23 seniors, and $16 youth, and are available from 925-798-1300. 

San Francisco Girls Chorus 

“Nature’s Ebb and Flow,” perform music by Brahms, Holst, and Tchaikovsky, under the direction of Susan McMane. At 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $12-$24. 415-392-4400. www.sfgirlschorus.org 

Suzzy and Maggie Roche perform selections from their recent album, “Zero Church,” a collection of non-denominational prayers set to music, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Contra Costa Chorale, with 

Thaddeus Pinkston, piano, perform works of Chopin and Brahms at 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 

2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $10-$12.50. 524-1861.  

Crowden School Faculty Showcase at noon at the Crowden School, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $10. 559-6910. 

www.thecrowdenschool.org  

Mel Martin Quartet at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, JUNE 2 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Last Word Poetry Series presents Thea Hillman and Glenn Ingersoll, at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Bookstore, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Stewart Udall talks about “The Forgotten Founders: Rethinking the History of the Old West” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Albany Music Benefit with Albany High School Jazz Band and Rhythm Bound at 8 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

TUESDAY, JUNE 3 

FILM 

The Inquiring Camera: “The American Egypt” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www. 

bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

James Weinstein, founder and longtime editor of the Socialist Review, discusses “The Long Detour: The History and Future of the American Left” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zabava! Izvorno and Rumen Shopov and Friends at 8:30 p.m., with a Balkan dance lesson at 7:30 p.m., at Ash- 

kenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 

FILM 

I Found it at the Movies: “Made in Hollywood” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sidney Blumenthal, advisor to President Clinton from 1997 to 2001, provides a behind the scenes narrative of “The Clinton Wars” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Writers Group discusses “How to Write for the New Age Market” with author Richard Webster at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bluegrass Homecoming, in celebration of the Freight’s 35th Anniversary, with Bluegrass Intentions, Dix Bruce and Jim Nunally, High Country, the Kathy Kallick Band, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin and True Blue at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ignit, Green Hell, Caps-X, Parkside Drive perform punk rock at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Tom Rigney and Flambeau at 8:30 p.m., with a Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 

FILM 

Antero Alli: “Under a Shipwrecked Moon” Finnish-born, Berkeley-based filmmaker presents his personal film of family and memories at 9 p.m. at 21 Grand, 449-B 23rd St., near Telegraph, Oakland. 464-4640. 

Vera Chytilová: “Fruit of Paradise” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students, $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth, $8 adults. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gallery Talk with Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson explor-ing art’s ability to provide insights into contemporary global issues, at 12:15 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

David Halberstam tells the story of four great ballplayers, their friendship and transition to older age in “The Teammates” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Simon Wood talks about his new thriller “Accidents Waiting to Happen” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Noon Concert Downtown 

Rhonda Benin and Soulful Strut at the Berkeley BART Station. Seating available. Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Assoc. 549-2230. 

Berkeley Edge Fest  

The music of Edmund Cam- 

pion and Cindy Cox, with texts and concepts by poet John Campion, featuring the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Rachel Garlin performs contemporary folk at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Brian Joseph in Concert performs politically-conscious urban folk music at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

George Pedersen and His Pretty Good Band and Sons of Emperor Norton at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

Erika Luckett and Ellis sing at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $8-$10 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazz- 

house.org 

AT THE THEATER 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

“The Guys,” by Anne Nelson, directed by Robert Egan. An exploration of loss and redemption in the aftermath of 9/11. Runs until July 5, Tues. - Sun., call for starting times. Tickets are $10-$54. The Roda Theater, 2016 Addison St. 647-2918. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

“Surface Transit” 

Written and performed by Sarah Jones, directed by Tony Taccone. African Am- 

erican poet and spoken word performer Jones weaves poli- 

ical humor into monologues detailing lives of eight New Yorkers. Extended until June 1. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare  

Theater, opens May 31 with “Julius Caesar,” under the direction of Jonathan Moscone. Please call for dates and times. Bruns Amphitheater, off Highway 24 in Orinda. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org  

Shotgun Players presents 

“under milk wood” a play for voices by Dylan Thomas, exploring the characters in a fishing town in Wales. At Eighth Street Studio, 2525 8th St., through June 22, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 adults, $12 children and seniors, $10 on Thursdays. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Transparent Theater 

Virginia Woolf's “Night and Day,” a stage adaptation by Tom Clyde, concerning the loves and careers of a group of young people in London in 1910. Through June 8, Thurs. - Sat., 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Sun., 7 p.m. pay what you can. 1901 Ashby Ave. 883-0305. www.transparenttheater.org

City Manager Weldon Rucker has asked Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz to run the city’s troubled Planning Department temporarily. 

Kamlarz is a 27-year veteran of Berkeley city government and has a reputation for being well liked. He will serve as interim director until another, long-term interim director can be found. Rucker said Kamlarz, who has no planning background, will focus on reorganizing the department and establishing better coordination and communication with other city departments and the various commissions that consider land use issues. 

“Phil has a tremendous presence and depth of experience that will help us cross the bridge to a new permanent director,” Rucker said. “He will help the organization become more systematic and improve how staff works with commissioners.” 

The Planning Department contains numerous subdivisions including the offices of current planning, advance planning, toxics management and building and safety.  

Kamlarz said he expects to hold the post for at least a month. 

“Personally it will be a challenge for me,” he said. “Now, I’m spending a lot of time learning about land use issues that are currently in the forefront. The city manager wants a smooth hand-off to a new interim director, so the game plan is to make that transition as smooth as possible.” 

Kamlarz, who has already begun to meet with planning staff, will take over from Director Carol Barrett, whose resignation takes effect June 6. After less than two years, Barrett announced on April 28 her intention to leave for a job in the city of San Marcos, Texas, her home state. 

Barrett, the third director in five years to resign abruptly, listed among her reasons for leaving a strained relationship with the Planning Commission, which develops planning policy and makes zoning ordinance recommendations to the City Council. Commission members frequently fight among themselves and clash with city staff over competing visions of the city’s future urbanscape, such as with the ongoing battle over the South Berkeley Plan and the recurrent strife over the West Berkeley Plan. 

Rucker said the job of planning director is tough and that Barrett left a positive mark on the city during her tenure. “She did a great job of recruiting new staff and established an excellent method of evaluating existing staff,” he said.  

Rucker said he’s been troubled by high turnover of not only planning directors, but also planning staff. He said Kamlarz has the experience to bring a much-needed stability to the department.  

Kamlarz said he is planning to meet with the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission to establish a better working relationship. “It’s no secret that there has been conflict between staff and the commissioners,” he said. “It’s fine to disagree just so long as there’s a respectful discussion going on.” 

Several commissioners welcomed news of Kamlarz’s appointment.  

“I am very pleased the city manager is doing what he can to facilitate a smooth transition,” said Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein. “I am looking forward to working with Phil.” 

Commissioner Susan Wengraf said the Planning Department urgently needs Kamlarz’s guidance regarding budget cuts and staff morale. “Phil knows all the players, he’s a good administrator, a good boss, and he’s up to the task,” she said. 

Commissioner John Curl said he has had little personal experience with Kamlarz, but is looking forward to working with him based on his reputation.  

“I’ve only ever heard good things about him,” Curl said. “I hear he’s competent and I’m glad to hear we have somebody who has a good track record.”  

RIGHT TO BE HEARD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bravo to Angela Rowen for her article “House Rises, Tempers Flare in South Berkeley,” (May 27-29 edition). 

As a concerned neighbor, I would add one more piece to this story. Why has the city denied neighbors their right of due process? Neighbors have consistently asked the city to hold a public hearing about 3045 Shattuck Ave. We’ve asked the Planning Commission, the Zoning Appeals Board, City Council and the city attorney. Each has turned us down. 

All we have asked for is an opportunity to be heard: to air our concerns about the project, the credibility of the owner, the history of the owner as landlord, and the established use of the house as something more than the claimed single-family home.  

The city has hidden behind the flimsy excuse that on Feb. 14, 2003, it posted a notice of design review at or near the building site. This was, according to the city, the neighbors’ chance to speak about the project.  

The problem is this: The neighbors never saw a posted notice. On May 20, when Carol Barrett was asked directly by Robert Lauriston, spokesman for the neighbors, about the specifics of the design review posting, she brushed him off with the excuse that the city does not keep records of when or where such notices are posted and by whom. Many neighbors said they pass by the site at 3045 Shattuck on a daily basis and never saw a posting by design review. 

It strains credulity to think that dozens of neighbors would not have flocked to the design review meeting in February to protest this monstrosity as they did on April 24 before the ZAB. And it also begs the question: Even if the notice was posted, who had the greater economic incentive to tear it down?  

Further, this section of Baja Berkeley is filled with dozens of active neighbors and neighborhood groups, all of whom are well known, individually and collectively, to the city Planning Department because of such issues as the public nuisance abatement involving Brothers Liquors at 3039 Shattuck (2000-2001); the Ed Roberts Campus on the east parking lot at the Ashby BART (2000-present); the proposed construction at 2076 Ashby, and the soon-to-open aquarium store at the former site of Brothers Liquors.  

Most troubling is the city’s silence. Despite receiving numerous complaints from many neighbors, not one city employee or official mentioned the appeal period for the decision by design review—even though each city employee, official or appointee knew about it. Rather than suggest to any of the many neighbors who complained that they could appeal this momentous decision, the city has been silent. Why? 

Where is our right to be heard? Why has the city allowed this owner to proceed without input from the neighbors? There have been multiple material facts disputed by the neighbors over and over, and still the city elevates the owner’s credibility over dozens of neighbors. Why? 

Victoria Ortiz 

• 

THE LEAST WE CAN DO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Kevin Lee Freeman lived on Telegraph Avenue for over 25 years. Longer than most of the merchants on Southside have been in business. Longer than the Berkeley city officials, elected and appointed, who conspired with those merchants to cleanse the Telegraph area of citizens like Mr. Freeman, have been in office.  

Like at least one of the Berkeley judiciary, Mr. Freeman had a drinking problem, not that this prevented that judiciary from facilitating the conspiracy against him. Unlike some members of the police agencies that enforced this conspiracy, this longtime citizen of Berkeley had no propensity for abuse or violence toward others.  

For years the dirty little secret of the “progressive” rulers of Berkeley, the one not spoken of before the cameras on the mayor’s campouts, has been the constant and systematic attacks on the poor. Sometimes it’s as seemingly innocent as the removal of public benches. Sometimes it is as harsh as the repeated arrest and incarceration for offenses ignored when committed by more moneyed members of the community. This is the hammer encased in the velvet bag called “homeless services” of which Berkeley is so proud. 

Kevin Lee Freeman was banned from his own neighborhood, a common practice here, in the hope that he would finally leave his home rather than face repeated incarceration. 

It worked. 

Kevin Lee Freeman is gone. 

End all stay away orders for nonviolent offenses. 

Absent a working detox facility end all but overnight incarceration for intoxicated citizens. 

It really is the least we can do. 

Robert Nichols 

• 

NO HISTORICAL MERIT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In all of the gallons of crocodile tears and printer’s ink expended over the “historic” Doyle House, you forgot to tell your readers that three reputable architectural historians testified that the building did not 

possess outstanding architectural or historical merit. I and every other architectural historian that I know would concur. In a word, my reaction to the house and its alleged history was “Huh?” 

Despite that professional testimony, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s board of directors chose to sue the city. I’d like to know on what basis the directors make such decisions other than sentimentality masking a desire to checkmate developer Patrick Kennedy.  

How much did litigation cost BAHA and the taxpayers of Berkeley at a time of extreme fiscal crisis, and were the members of BAHA ever polled on this use of their dues and staff resources? Not surprisingly, BAHA’s directors quickly dropped the suit when they discovered that it might entail financial consequences for themselves and the organization. 

BAHA has done a great deal of good by researching the history of Berkeley and educating the people of the Bay Area about the town’s outstanding architectural heritage. But through such nuisance suits and a specious egalitarianism about what merits city landmark status whenever a developer seeks to build, it has also damaged its own credibility and that of the Landmarks Commission. If virtually everything is a landmark, then nothing is. 

Gray Brechin 

• 

TITLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

David and Lisa Sandelson have more than one dilemma with their trip to join the Yale reunion, but first, I hope that David met his friend Betty at the picket line at the Claremont. Doesn’t he know that there is a labor dispute going on there? 

Second, if he and the Missus are going to pay $300 for their White House picnic, do they know where that money is going? One might be too polite to ask, but just because it’s in the front yard doesn’t mean that the White House isn’t being used for shady purposes again. 

And third, what should Lisa wear? A nicely tailored pink dress might be just the thing! David could borrow a tasteful matching tie from Kriss ... 

Edith M Hallberg 

• 

TITLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There is nothing conjectural about energy-efficient ferries, and there is no new technology required. The ferry boat “Berkeley,” built in 1898, transported countless people across the bay for 60 years at an energy rate of only 172 BTU/passenger mile. This approaches the efficiency of modern light rail, and was achieved with 19th-century technology (skeptical readers are invited to run the numbers for themselves; see http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/nhl/Berkeley.pdf). 

Keep in mind that car commuters are using over 5,000 BTU per passenger mile before attacking ferries on the basis of energy inefficiency or high emissions. 

I must acknowledge that Tom Brown, in his letter opposing a new ferry service from Berkeley to San Francisco, has done his homework. He has verified with published reports that his facts regarding emissions and energy consumption are indeed correct. However, he has provided the correct answers to the wrong questions. 

The studies he cites are based on three existing ferry routes: Vallejo, Larkspur and Oakland/Alameda to San Francisco. The first two have almost no relevance to the present debate about the Berkeley ferry and other short routes that would be funded by a small fraction of the bridge toll increase called for by state Senate bills SB 915 and 916. 

The Vallejo catamarans (very fast, very long route, very energy intensive) and the aging Larkspur monohulls (operating far below their original design speed of 30 knots) are two of the three services used to derive the results in the CalStart paper on emissions that Mr. Brown cites as authoritative. Even the Oakland/Alameda analysis is based on a longer route and faster boats than are applicable to a Berkeley or Treasure Island ferry. 

It’s no wonder that averaging in those long routes and high speeds leads to a conclusion unfavorable to ferries. But our Berkeley ferry, with a 5.6-mile route from the marina to the San Francisco ferry building, only needs to go 17 knots to cover this distance in 20 minutes. 

Repeat the analysis with realistic speeds, and with a hull form optimized for energy efficiency instead of cheap construction, and it’s easy to show that energy 

and emissions are an order of magnitude less than those assumed in the documents Tom Brown cites in his attack. 

It is not clear why the Water Transit Authority tossed such an easy softball to its opposition by allowing an estimated energy consumption of over 6,000 BTU/passenger mile to go all the way through their environmental impact report process. A quick conceptual design of a small ferry optimized for the Berkeley route (see www.Berkeley Waterfront.org) places energy consumption at about 665 BTU/passenger mile, about the same as a transit bus. 

Again, I must call upon Mr. Brown to compare apples to apples. Let’s not throw away the opportunity to have a Berkeley ferry that is clean and efficient, just because it is easy to find examples of other ferry services that are not. 

Paul Kamen

A controversy over a fall 2002 UC Berkeley course description that warned “conservative thinkers ... to seek other sections” has sparked a systemwide debate at the nine-campus University of California over one of academia’s most treasured concepts: academic freedom. 

Academic freedom, broadly defined, is the right to pursue research, teaching and publication without interference or intimidation by administrators who may not agree with a scholar’s work.  

At issue is a 69-year-old policy, crafted by former UC President Robert G. Sproul, which reserves academic freedom for scholars who engage in the “dispassionate” pursuit of “truth” and keep politics out of the classroom. 

The old policy has remained in place, largely unnoticed, since 1934, despite a politicization of the college campus that dates back to the 1960s and a growing consensus that there is no objective truth about anything.  

A new proposed policy, written by UC Berkeley law professor Robert Post at the behest of UC President Richard Atkinson, seeks to adapt to modern thinking. The statement, in line with those of most major American universities, asserts that professors should be free to pursue scholarship, regardless of its political bent, as long as it is quality work. 

“Most would now agree that scholarship can be both politically engaged and also professionally competent,” wrote Post in a March 12 letter to Atkinson accompanying the new policy. “In fact political passion is the engine that drives some of the best scholarship and teaching at the University of California.” 

But critics say the new statement, however modern, removes important safeguards against university professors who intimidate students who do not agree with their politics. 

“This is happening everywhere,” said Luann Wright, president of NoIndoctrination.org, a small, San Diego-based group that opposes bias in the classroom. “Why not leave the protections in place?” 

Proponents of the new policy say there are adequate safeguards in place elsewhere in the university’s policies. 

The UC Academic Senate, which represents faculty at all nine campuses, is reviewing the new policy and tinkering with small stylistic changes. An advisory vote is expected this summer or fall, but the ultimate decision likely will rest with Atkinson. 

UC spokesman Brad Hayward said it is unclear if Atkinson will have to seek a final stamp of approval from the UC Board of Regents, given that former President Sproul did not seek a vote from the board when he issued the initial policy in 1934 and made it official in 1944. 

UC dusted off the old policy last year when a national controversy erupted over a course description, written by graduate student instructor Snehal Shingavi, for his fall 2002 UC Berkeley writing class “The Politics and Poetics of Palestinian Resistance.” 

The description discouraged “conservative thinkers” from taking the course and argued that the state of Israel “has displaced, maimed and killed many Palestinian people.” 

Critics blasted the description as biased, and the story made it all the way to the Wall Street Journal, where an editorial decried the “Intifada curriculum” as evidence that American universities are “beholden to leftist ideologies.” 

The university removed the “conservative thinkers” language, but left the bulk of the description intact. The English department also assigned a professor to monitor the class. 

Hayward said the university, in the midst of the controversy, reviewed the old academic freedom policy, located in the university’s Academic Personnel Manual, and found it out of date and not very useful.  

But critics say the old policy provided just the sort of safeguards against bias that the university should have embraced in the midst of the crisis. A new policy, without those safeguards, marks a step backward, they say.  

“It is a funny kind of response to [the controversy]—to say, okay, in the future, we’ll just let it happen,” said UC Berkeley history professor Richard M. Abrams. 

But Hayward said the university’s move to revamp the academic freedom policy was not a direct response to the Palestinian course controversy. He said UC simply stumbled across the old statement in the course of the crisis and realized it was time for reform. 

Furthermore, he said, there are several protections against faculty abuse of power in another section of the Academic Personnel Manual. 

The rules guard against “significant intrusion of material unrelated to the course,” preventing a chemistry professor, for instance, from lecturing on the evils of war. The section also prevents “use of the position or powers of a faculty member to coerce the judgment or conscience of a student” and forbids an instructor from evaluating a student “by criteria not directly reflexive of course performance,” such as political views. 

Wright acknowledged that these additional rules are significant, but argues there is symbolic importance in keeping protections in place in the university’s marquee statement on academic freedom. 

“Why remove these safeguards?” she asked. Students “should feel that [the classroom is] a safe place to say, ‘I’m looking at it from a different perspective.’” 

Wright cites dozens of postings on her Web site, from anonymous, conservative students, who complain about political intimidation at the hands of their liberal professors. 

One recent posting by a UC Santa Barbara student read: “I always felt that in [my instructor’s] eyes I was an enemy, not a young student who had come there to learn and discuss and debate. She did not want to hear what I had to say if I did not agree with her. She was not open, she only wanted to silence the other side to the story. It seemed ridiculous because here she was teaching freedom and equality, yet she was discriminating against me based on my political views.” 

But supporters of the new policy say intimidation is rare and argue that the new statement is simply a common sense reform that conservatives are turning into a political football. 

“I feel like this is a big argument over not a lot,” said UC San Diego political science professor Ellen Comisso. “These guys are going to make it political story — ‘these left-wing professors, in order to indoctrinate their students, are attacking the no indoctrination policy.’” 

Wright, who describes herself as middle-of-the-road, argues that indoctrination is a real problem and that she would also be opposed to a right-wing professor imposing views on students. 

When Sproul wrote the original academic freedom policy in 1934, he was intent on maintaining UC’s image as a neutral institution and concerned that radicals were soiling the university’s name, according to C. Michael Otten’s 1970 book “University authority and the student: The Berkeley Experience.” 

Sproul’s concern is clear in a passage of his academic freedom policy which reads: “In order to protect [academic] freedom, the University assumes the right to prevent exploitation of is prestige by unqualified persons or by those who would use it as a platform for propaganda.” 

UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement of the 1960s sharply challenged the notion of an apolitical campus. And many intellectuals, dating back at least as far World War II, disputed the notion that there is an objective “truth,” arguing instead that everyone brings their own biases and perspectives to the study of any given issue. 

Post, author of the new policy, said his new policy simply reflects these modern currents in American intellectual life and encourages a healthy debate among passionate people who are nonetheless open to new ideas.  

“All of academic freedom rests on this notion: that you can’t know something in advance,” he said. “So, to attack that is very bizarre.” 

If Charles Siegel (“NIMBYs Shout ‘It’s Too Big!’” May 23-26 edition) had bothered to talk with any of the actual neighbors of Patrick Kennedy’s proposed 1950 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way project, he would have discovered that we are not NIMBYs, but a group of reasonable people working to protect the character of our neighborhood and peacefully coexist with the project. 

He would have found that we agree with his assessment of the current strip mall on the corner, and that we actually favor the construction of a housing project in that location. He also would know that we have been meeting with Mr. Kennedy and his project staff to convey our concerns and create a project that all of us can live with. Does that sound like a bunch of NIMBYs to you? 

We are not here to stop the project. We are here to preserve our quality of life while accommodating the need for additional housing in Berkeley. We believe that it’s possible to do that without vilifying the people on one side of the debate or the other. Our neighborhood has been proactive in approaching Mr. Kennedy and making our specific concerns known before we get into the knock-down-drag-out fights for which his projects are famous. The accommodations we are asking for can and should be made: adequate setbacks from the sidewalk on the Berkeley Way side of the building, reduction in the height of the building along our street so as not to overwhelm the one- and two-story structures on the rest of the street, and changes in traffic flow to reduce congestion on Berkeley Way. Is that asking too much? If so, perhaps Mr. Siegel would like to swap houses with the neighbor who lives right next to the project, so he can bask in the 24-hour shade cast by the 50-foot structure next door. 

Contrary to his assertions, Mr. Siegel is not a member of our neighborhood. We are not living in downtown, where five-story buildings may be appropriate. We are not living in a European city, with its charming four- and five-story buildings. We chose to live in Berkeley, Calif., because we like the way it feels and the character of its neighborhoods. This is not a question of one project on one corner. This is about whether we as a city are going to let one developer dictate the character of our city. We are in favor of Smart Growth. We support the University Avenue Plan. We should not have to sacrifice the quality of life in our neighborhood to allow for maximization of Panoramic Interest profits. Mr. Kennedy should have to live by our rules, not vice versa. 

D’Arcy Richardson is a Berkeley resident.

The demolition process has begun in the construction of the new Congregation Beth El synagogue, the 35,000-square-foot project that pitted the synagogue against neighborhood activists. 

Neighbors who are opposed to the expansion said the project would prevent the future opening, or daylighting, of Codornices Creek, which runs through a culvert on the southern portion of the construction site, and create parking and traffic problems in the area. 

On Monday, workers began clearing trees, many of them mature cypresses that neighborhood activists had asked the synagogue to preserve. A ground-breaking ceremony will be held June 15 to kick off the demolition and construction process. 

The project, located on Oxford Street near Spruce Street, is expected to be monitored closely by two committees formed last year as part of an agreement between the synagogue and neighbors.  

The committees, composed of representatives from the synagogue and the neighborhood, will meet throughout the construction process to make sure the developer is abiding by the plans agreed to as a condition of its use permit. The plans include promises to restore and protect the creek and to provide enough parking to prevent neighborhood traffic congestion. 

“We have worked with and will continue to work with the committees,” said Harry Pollack, a spokesman for the synagogue and a city planning commissioner. 

David Dempster is a project neighbor and chairman of the Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association (LOCCNA), the group that fought to block the project in 2001. He said he hopes neighbors and the synagogue can keep the lines of communication open to prevent any acrimony. 

“Since the signing of the agreement, I have made efforts to try to be as welcoming as possible to CBE because they’re going to be our neighbors and I want to make sure we have the best possible relationship,” he said. 

Juliet Lamont, a neighbor who lives one block from the new synagogue site and a member of the creeks committee that will monitor Beth El’s compliance with its proposed creeks restoration plan, said she didn’t want to “build ill will” with the synagogue but was disappointed that so many trees were cut down.  

Lamont said neighbors had repeatedly asked Beth El to save as many trees as possible, and the developer has agreed to preserve many of the trees in the southern portion of the project. But on the north end, where the synagogue will be built, at least 80 percent of the trees, which total over 100, had been cut down in the past week, she said. 

“The whole perimeter was denuded,” she said. “It was a shock and it’s really a tragedy that this could happen on any site like that, not just for this site but for all of Berkeley.”  

Lamont said the Beth El project points to the need for not only a stronger creeks protection ordinance in the city, but also for the creation of a mature tree protection ordinance. 

In reply to Charles Siegel’s commentary on the emerging opposition to Patrick Kennedy’s proposal to build 191 units of housing at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and University Avenue: I am a resident of the 1800 block of Berkeley Way and I want to defend my neighborhood against the slander of Mr. Siegel, who attempts to brand us as suburban NIMBY whiners because we dare to challenge the “received” wisdom of the person he considers the only successful developer in town.  

University Avenue is undergoing a renaissance of sorts—or at least a great deal of construction activity. Paralleling University Avenue between San Pablo and the UC Berkeley campus are Berkeley Way (to the north) and Addison Street (to the south) which receive the spillover traffic, parking, noise and shadowing impacts from University Avenue development. We find ourselves in a continual struggle to maintain a residential neighborhood so close to downtown and the principal traffic artery of the city.  

When our neighborhood appealed the zoning appeals board’s approval of a second unit to the City Council in April/May 2001, then Mayor Shirley Dean and other councilmembers described our neighborhood as “fragile” and “deserving of protection,” and the council proceeded to overturn the permit. The University Avenue neighborhoods (both residential and commercial) joined with the city to develop a comprehensive and balanced plan for re-development of the University Avenue corridor. The plan was adopted by City Council and incorporated into the General Plan in 1997. Unfortunately the plan’s implementation required a zoning overlay similar to those that exist for other avenues in Berkeley, and this vital step was never completed.  

Absent a University Avenue zoning overlay, our neighborhoods have been working with developers and the city on individual projects within the framework of existing zoning laws and the General Plan. A group from the 1800 block of Berkeley Way met with Mr. Kennedy in October 2002 after his purchase of 1950 Martin Luther King in an attempt to develop a working relationship with his firm so our neighborhood concerns could be incorporated into his plans.  

Unfortunately Mr. Kennedy proceeded to design the largest possible structure that the one-acre lot could hold, so now we are struggling with a project with inadequate parking (110 spaces versus the 150 spaces required by zoning), inadequate open space (12,570 square feet versus the 38,600 square feet required by zoning), shadowing of neighborhood houses and gardens well into midday, and inadequate street and side-setbacks required of C1 developments that front and abut residential neighborhoods.  

These zoning code provisions protect the quality of life, both for Mr. Kennedy’s tenants and for our neighborhood. But Mr. Kennedy maintains that he needs these variances from the zoning ordinance to provide affordable housing. Mr. Kennedy’s project manager, Mr. Hudson, even went to the extent of lifting up the separate northwest building that intrudes into our neighborhood while informing neighbors that the building existed solely to meet affordable housing goals. 

As a neighborhood that optimizes inclusionary housing—from single-family and multi-family homes to condominiums, Section 8 and student housing— and whose population includes people of all ages, races and income levels—we resent being told that the livability of our neighborhood must be sacrificed to meet the goals that we support and represent. We contend what we are really being sacrificed to are Mr. Kennedy’s profit goals.  

This process takes an enormous amount of energy on everyone’s part, and often leaves hard feelings all around. Mr. Kennedy has developed not only new mixed-use projects in Berkeley but also an unsavory reputation for continually pushing the envelope of Berkeley development and political process, offering mitigations and promises that evaporate when “they don’t pencil out,” and for bad faith dealing with anyone who stands between him and an additional dollar of profit from his investments.  

We challenge Mr. Siegel and Mr. Kennedy to affirm their commitment to Smart Growth as embodied in the University Avenue Plan. Our neighborhood welcomes a sensitively designed project and will support one that conforms to the University Avenue Plan. But we will not be rolled, and we will resist a project that destroys our neighborhood. 

Stephen Wollmer is a Berkeley resident.

The Planning Commission put final touches Wednesday on a proposal to allow more in-law apartments in the city. 

The commission voted to lower the height limit it had previously proposed, to relax owner occupancy requirements and to allow more small-property owners to build secondary units, also referred to as accessory dwelling units. The revisions, hashed out at the commission meeting, will be added to the proposed amendments by planning staff, then sent to City Council for a final vote. 

A state law passed in 2002 requires cities to change their laws to make it easier for property owners to build accessory dwelling units. Under the planning department’s proposed amendments, developers would no longer be required to obtain a use permit to build secondary units in most residentially zoned areas. Instead, builders would simply have to obtain a zoning certificate—which certifies that the applicant has complied with a certain set of standards—and the necessary building permits. The proposed amendments eliminate public notification and public hearing requirements, essentially giving property owners the right to build secondary units that do not unduly impact neighboring units. 

The commissioners held a public hearing on the amendments at its May 11 meeting and asked staff to report back to them on the requirements related to owner occupancy requirements, rear and side setback space, building height, minimum unit size and parking.  

One of the more contentious issues was the owner occupancy requirement. The proposed amendment requires that a property owner who wishes to build an accessory unit occupy either the main unit or the secondary unit. Some commissioners said they feared such a requirement would be unenforceable. “There’s no good reason to pass a law that is unenforceable,” said Commissioner David Tabb. 

Other commissioners wondered what would happen to tenants if their owners decided to move off the property. 

“What are the eviction protections for these tenants?” said Commissioner Susan Wengraf. “Is there no way to craft an ordinance to protect the stability of the neighborhood? As it is now, it’s too rigid, too restrictive.” 

Wengraf also brought up the possibility of a property owner, such as a professor, who might vacate a unit temporarily to travel or go on sabbatical. 

The commission voted on and passed a motion proposed by Commissioner Gene Poschman to add a section to the owner occupancy provision that would allow property owners to live off the property for as many as three years. 

Only Commissioner David Stoloff voted against the time allowance. 

In response to public concerns that the proposed ordinance’s minimum size would prevent some small-property owners from building accessory units, the commission had asked staff to report back on how neighboring cities handle the size requirement. The report by senior planner Janet Homrighausen indicated that Oakland and El Cerrito, which have a minimum unit size of 220 and 275 square feet, are satisfied with their requirements.  

The commission voted to change the original proposal and to set the minimum at 25 percent of the floor area, or 300 square feet, whichever is larger. The previous draft had stated that an accessory unit had to meet both provisions, but the commission voted Wednesday to allow owners to satisfy at least one of the standards, which would allow owners with very small properties to build reasonably sized units. 

The commission will meet one last time to approve the remaining changes, after which it will go to City Council for a public hearing and vote in early July.

A Berkeley couple, reported missing Tuesday by a concerned parent when they did not return on schedule from a hike near Big Sur, were located by search and rescue teams later that day, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Department. 

Leif Meyer and Danielle Huber, both 22, began their hike into the Ventana Wilderness around noon on Monday. They had planned to hike back later that day, but Meyer fell late in the afternoon and sustained minor injuries to his face. 

Although unequipped with camping or overnight gear, the couple decided to spend the night in the forest and hike out the next day because it was already getting dark, sheriff’s officials said. 

Meyer’s father, Evan, reported his son missing around 1 a.m., Tuesday. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team located the pair at 10 a.m. Tuesday near Ventana Camp.  

Both had sustained minor injuries, but refused medical attention.  

Four sheriff’s deputies and six trained volunteers were involved in the search. According to a sheriff’s spokesman, any costs associated with the search may be charged to Alameda County. 

Sgt. John DiCarlo of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team said hikers should stay aware of the time while hiking in wilderness areas. Also, they should prepare for the worst—even on a short trip—by bringing food, water and extra clothing in case temperatures drop, and should dress in the proper gear and footwear.  

He added that hikers and campers should always let a friend or family member know where they are going and when they are expected to return, as Meyer did. 

—John Geluardi and  

Bay City News Service

The administration of Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown often totters on the edge of both absurdity and obscenity, sometimes threatening to split itself in half and fall on both sides simultaneously. Such a time, it seems, is when the mayor puts out word that he might be interested in running for the office of California attorney general.  

One would think that, not yet five months into his second four-year term, Mr. Brown has some work left on all that mayoral stuff he so recently asked us for the chance to do. But this is a restless man, Jerry Brown, seeking out political office these days like the International Boulevard homeless folk collect cans.  

This leaves my California Republican friends with the delicate task of trying to push Mayor Brown into running for attorney general in the 2006 Democratic primary without hiding the glee they would feel if he were actually the Democratic nominee.  

Jerry Brown “deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done in terms of public safety in Oakland,” Republican communications consultant Dan Schnur tells the San Francisco Chronicle, “but if he ran for state attorney general, he’d run right into a Rose Bird-death penalty buzz saw.” 

The likelihood is that you have no idea what Schnur is talking about in his “Rose Bird-death penalty” comment, which is why this is a Republican smokescreen for what they really think is Brown’s vulnerability. It was 1977, some may remember, when then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Rose Bird as chief justice of the California Supreme Court, only to be supremely embarrassed (if it is possible for Brown to be embarrassed) when Californians voted Bird off the bench (in 1986) because of Bird’s opposition to the death penalty. Brown, who has managed to get away with appointing three members to the Oakland Unified School District Board while successfully avoiding any responsibility for their actions or for the crisis in the Oakland schools, has certainly had enough time and practice to be able to distance himself from the opinions of the late Ms. Bird.  

But there is not nearly enough time or room between Mr. Brown and the little man in black whom the Republicans somewhat conveniently failed to mention in their list of Jerry Brown vulnerabilities: his aide and confidante and used-to-be-roommate Jaques Barzaghi. It would be interesting and perhaps entertaining to see how Mr. Brown should reconcile his projected role as state attorney general with his silence on the official city finding that Barzaghi was a sexual harasser in the workplace while on the city payroll on Brown’s staff. The attorney general, after all, is charged with enforcing California’s sexual harassment in the workplace laws.  

Interesting, too, is Brown’s assertion in the Chronicle that he “has solid law enforcement credentials through his work combating crime in Oakland.” 

Must be a different Oakland he’s talking about than the one where I drive around. A few days after Brown talked up his crime-fighting successes, Oakland had its 41st homicide of the year. We are now up to 46, putting us in line with last year’s ghastly toll.  

I’m not a big believer in crime statistics as an indicator of what is actually going on in a community. A low number of reported domestic violence assaults, for example, might not mean there’s little domestic violence. It might mean that police are not taking the crime seriously, and, therefore, many women are opting not to call 911. A rising rate might mean just the opposite—that more women are gaining confidence in police willingness to investigate such crimes, and so more are coming forward.  

In other instances, police effectiveness in one area might boost the actual incidences of crime in another. When police do their jobs and bust some of the mid- or high-level drug lords (such as happened with Felix Mitchell some years ago), the established order of drug dealing is disrupted and organizations fight for control of lucrative corners. Thus, breaking up a drug gang can lead directly to an increase of drug-related murders in the short run. Looks bad in statistics, but if the community knew the cause and were prepared in advance by a city administration that talked straight with its citizens, they might be more willing to accept the temporary consequences.  

Brown, however, is not one for talking straight with citizens. In fact, in between elections, he hardly talks to us at all.  

And so it’s statistics ... and general perceptions ... that California voters will be weighing in 2006 when we decide on our next attorney general. 

Unless Brown gets awfully lucky and Oaklanders suddenly start practicing One Love for the next couple of years, thus dropping the crime rate dramatically and consistently for all categories, what folks are going to remember about Oakland and crime and Jerry Brown are last year’s triple-digit homicide rate, the Raider riots, the Riders (regardless of whether they are acquitted at trial), the $11 million police misconduct settlement, the dismantling of any semblance of “community policing” (even by the city administration’s own low standards of that term), and Oakland’s failure to find safe and legal outlets for its black and Latino young adults (see sideshows). 

It’s a good bet that California Republicans, who have not had a lot of statewide success in recent years, would dearly love to be able to run against somebody with that kind of record.

One of Saddam Hussein’s top generals was not included in the U.S. card deck of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. Now stories are circulating in European, Middle Eastern and other foreign press that he was paid off to ensure the quick fall of Baghdad.  

On May 25, the French paper Le Journal du Dimanche, citing an unnamed Iraqi source, claimed that Gen. Maher Sufian al-Tikriti, Saddam’s cousin and a Republican Guard commander, made a deal with U.S. troops before leaving Iraq on a U.S. military aircraft. Allegedly the deal had been secured in advance by the CIA, but by prearrangement was implemented only after U.S. troops reached Baghdad’s airport on April 4. Sufian was said to have left Iraq, along with a 20-man entourage, on April 8—the day before U.S. forces captured Baghdad without resistance.  

An Arab diplomat told Le Journal that the CIA had hatched the plot more than a year before. “Many suitcases filled with dollars were floating around,” the diplomat said.  

This story has been picked up by newspapers around the world, including the London Times and the Sydney Morning Herald. But the only recent reference to General Sufian in the U.S. press was in early May, when it was reported that his home was now a base where survivors searched for records on the fate of missing loved ones.  

Other Arab sources have added details. Reportedly Sufian ordered the Republican Guard out of the city to fight in the countryside, where they were easily picked off. General Sufian may also have betrayed the location of the house where Saddam Hussein met with his family on April 7, and where Saddam may or may not have been killed. A further report from Agence France Presse alleges that Saddam was betrayed by not one but three of his cousins, as well as other senior military officers, and a former Cabinet minister.  

The Egyptian weekly Al-Usbua claimed that General Sufian had betrayed his cousin in exchange for $25 million, the guarantee to move to the United States and the promise of a future high position in Iraq. (One hopes that this last claim is not true, as Sufian was notorious as Saddam’s partner in terroristic oppression.)  

The Lebanese newspaper Sawt al-Urouba has alleged that some of the “human shields” who had traveled to Baghdad before the war in the name of protecting civilian targets were in fact U.S. agents who bribed Iraqi generals while in the city.  

In a May 19 article in the Defense News, the retiring Chief of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Tommy Franks, is quoted as telling a Defense News reporter on May 10 that, before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. Special Forces had gone in and bribed Iraqi generals not to fight. Franks told the reporter, “I had letters from Iraqi generals saying, ‘I now work for you.’”  

If so, the U.S. plans for occupying Iraq followed the model of the invasion of Afghanistan. There, too, key warlords were bought off by liberal dispensations of CIA dollars, making military operations far easier than many had anticipated. The downside of these deals was to restore parts of Afghanistan to warlords whose traditional source of income has been the drug traffic.  

Whatever the details, it would appear that refinements in military strategy and high-tech materiel were not, as the Pentagon has suggested, the key to quick U.S. victory in Iraq.  

On April 24, the U.S.-based online news site World Tribune.com noted that General Sufian, the commander of several Republican Guard units defending Baghdad, did not appear on the U.S. list of 55 most wanted Iraqis. It cited Arab diplomatic sources as saying that Sufian was believed to have ordered his units to abandon their weapons and return home. But U.S. officials, it reported, had denied any deal with Sufian.  

On April 8, at the time of the alleged deal, U.S. Marines announced that General Sufian had been shot at a roadblock outside Baghdad. On April 9, Knight Ridder newspapers carried a report from Marine headquarters on how Sufian met his death in a white Toyota sedan, uniformed and alone except for his chauffeur.  

The fate of Gen. Maher Sufian al-Takriti is key to a central mystery surrounding this poorly reported war: Why did Baghdad fall without a fight?

Close to 200 Berkeley artists will display their work as part of the Pro Arts gallery’s East Bay Open Studios beginning this weekend. 

More than 500 East Bay artists, who work in media ranging from painting and metal sculpture to prints, glasswork and furniture, will open their studios on May 31 and June 1, 7 and 8, marking the largest participation in the event’s 29-year history. Coordinators said the number of artists has increased by 15 percent during each of the last several years. 

“The word has gotten out about this opportunity,” said Svea Lin Vezzone, exhibition and program manager for Pro Arts and the coordinator of Open Studios. “We’ve been able to give the event as a whole more visibility.” 

Each artist displayed a sample of his or her work in the Pro Arts gallery in Oakland throughout May, giving visitors a preview of the studios they could visit during the two weekends of the exhibition. 

“It sets it up as a self-guided tour,” Vezzone said. “People see a sample of this completely unique art in the gallery and then decide that they want to see more of it.” 

Artist Jim Rosenau, for example, constructs bookshelves made of recycled books rather than wood. He designs the shelves to have themes, using for material old murder mysteries, humorous books or cookbooks. 

Rosenau, who will display and sell his work from his studio at 2612 Benvenue Ave., first displayed his art publicly at last year’s event, and partially attributed his decision to continue his project to the positive feedback he received from visitors. 

Though Rosenau will show pieces out of his own studio, several larger sites will host multiple displays. The Sawtooth Building at Dwight Way and 8th Street will feature the largest exhibition in Berkeley, with 18 artists showcasing their work. Another large Berkeley display will be at The Magazine furniture store at 1823 Eastshore Highway. There, seven local artists have planned an artistic showcase featuring a 1987 Airstream motor home remodeled using contemporary design and modern furniture.  

Artists participating in The Magazine open studio said the collaboration enables them to attract a larger number of visitors than each would receive at individual studios. Participant Max Geiser, who operates his own bedding company, Fold, said the turnout at the store last year was larger than the participants had expected. 

“We were giving people champagne and truffles, and by the end of the day we had gone through hundreds of truffles,” Geiser said. “It was incredible to see that kind of interest in our work.” 

A trend in this year’s Open Studios is the increased number of pieces that focus on current events, including the economic downturn, the war in Iraq and the heightened terror alerts in the United States. One piece called “Confiscation” shows a collection of sewing scissors seized at airports since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 

“The art on a whole is more charged this year,” Vezzone said. “Artists are always the barometer of the political climate, and it’s been interesting to see how artists respond to the recent politically aggressive climate.” 

The East Bay Open Studios will take place May 31 and June 1, 7, and 8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The preview exhibition will continue through June 8 at the Pro Arts gallery at 461 9th St. in Oakland, Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maps of open studio locations can be found at www.proartsgallery.org.

The quasi-rural stretch of the Gravenstein Highway south of Sebastopol is more adventurous to roam than the one-block Berkeley that Sebastopol has become. Forever looking behind trees for the radical chicken ranchers that once hid out here, I find current equivalents as antiques and collectibles dealers, cheese makers and tenders of flea markets and nurseries along the seven-mile “Antique Row.” 

Take the Rohnert Park-Sebastopol exit from 101 onto 116 West, which is the newer Gravenstein Highway. Many of the old blooming apple orchards morphed into “more profitable” vineyards, except when grapes glut the market. 

Llano House Antiques at the corner of 116 and Llano Road is named for the Llano Flood Plain just eastward. Ernie Haskell and Hilary Burton bought the 1849 roadhouse in the 1980s and today use it to display their classic collections of Depression-era glass, American oak furniture and old kitchen utensils. Be sure to walk upstairs to see over 50 pressback chairs and great redwood beams that were uncovered by vandals when the historic building was deserted in the 1970s. 

For a quick cheese fix, visit Jose (Joe) Matos Cheese Factory, a good mile out at 3669 Llano Road. Joe worked for decades making fireplace bricks in San Rafael, saving every penny so he could make cheese like his father and grandfather. The result: one white, full-flavored cheese made daily in one vat in one little building. On the right cows meditate, a calf hollers on entering the world in the garage, and on the left is the cheese room. Small and wonderful. 

Back on 116, turn right to Pack Jack Bar B Que, a must stop for carnivores. A brick barbecue pit inside smokes meat with premium seasoned oak. 

A native of Egypt, Texas, owner Donnie Harris said, “If you’re from Egypt and a boy, you call yourself a cowboy—that’s what you did.” Old rodeo posters, chaps, Harris’ grandpa’s shotgun and “even a plank from grandpa’s fence” adorn the walls.  

Visitors pack away the succulent ribs, chicken, lamb, cole slaw and potato salad, with nothing over $10. This is no “Texas-style” barbecue, this is the real deal. 

Next stop is School Bell Antiques, originally Mt. Vernon School, completed in 1903 and closed in 1957. The blackboards and chalk trays still function, you can pull the rope to ring the bell, and, ladies, don’t miss the sick pink girls bathroom just inside the door. 

After being invited to run an antique collective, Darrell and Jane Parker bought the building and moved in their Lone Pine Antiques Shop. They now rent space to 20 dealers of high quality collectibles and antiques, including foreign political posters and old trademark signs. 

Across the road is Lone Eagle’s Call of the Wild, a blend of American Indian traditions, leather clothes and mood-setting incense. Lone Eagle, aka Kerry Mitchell, draws on his Comanche heritage to make cedar flutes, peace pipes and medicine shields, and sells Panamanian palm leaf hats and Dakota buffalo skulls.  

Mitchell designed for stars from Doris Day to Jon Bon Jovi. His leather outfits have adorned the bods of Cher (a few decades and tucks ago), Ann Margaret (ditto), Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle and Tommy Smothers. 

Headed north again toward Sebastopol, the Willow Tree Shops host 12 dealers. Among them is Jon Wobber of Shakespeare & Company, who has a loft of 4,000 quality used books. Willow Tree owner John Shoaf serves as auctioneer at the June 1 Antiques & Treasures Auction, at the Sebastopol Veterans Building, to benefit the Sonoma County Food AIDS Food Bank. 

Across the back street is Antique Society, featuring 100 dealers’ collections and a tea room with chocolates and espresso. Behind Willow Tree is the Red Barn 2nd Hand Store, a great place for rummaging. A half-block down is a compulsory stop: California Carnivores and Vintage Gardens Antique Roses, considered a shrine by many lovers of old roses. 

California Carnivores founder and grower Peter D’Amato talks to, nurtures and strokes sensual plants that eat animals, including a Venus Flytrap. Pretend spiders and skeletons dangle here and there, and when hearing the remark, “I love the sense of humor of this place,” Peter replied dourly, “What sense of humor?” 

The Sebastopol Flea Market offers lots of Mexican clothes and food imports (closes at 3 p.m.). Several more antique and collectibles dealers lie ahead, including the huge Sebastopol Antique Mall in town.  

Just beyond the flea market and on a dangerous curve, turn left carefully into the Sequoia Drive-in for the perfect hamburger Herb Caen sought and never found. One dines under corrugated green plastic with children’s plastic play equipment in the patio. Jerry and I joined two belly dancers from the nearby TribalFest dance contest, their Chihuahua, bikers, cyclists and farmworkers—the regular suburban Sebastopol crowd. Belly dancer Georgia Gilliam of Nipomo remarked, “Here we are in full regalia and all anyone says is ‘What a cute dog!’” 

Kathleen Hill writes a series of six Hill Guides to the West Coast with her husband Gerald Hill, including “Sonoma Valley—The Secret Wine Country.” Globe-Pequot Press.

Some of the biggest names in the world of East Bay spoken word went head to head at the Starry Plough on Wednesday in the first semifinal of the Berkeley Poetry Slam, a seven-month-long competition. 

After Wednesday’s three-round competition, four of the eight poets qualified for the finals, the next step in their quest to earn a spot on the Bay Area team that will compete in the National Poetry Slam in Chicago in August. 

The results featured few surprises, with Jamie Kennedy, a returning member of the 2002 East Bay team, taking the grand prize. Jason Bayani, a poet who called herself Kat, and another poet known as Daled also qualified for the June 11 final. 

Before the slam, competing poets stood outside the club chatting, warming up and building their energy level for the performance. 

The eight poets earned their place in Wednesday’s semifinal through a series of weekly competitions that began last November. The poets are judged both for their verse and their performance, and the top 16 finishers during the season qualified for two rounds of semifinals, the second of which will take place next week. The resulting field of eight will be narrowed to four who will then compete in the Bay Area finals alongside the winners of the San Francisco finals; the Bay Area will send a unified team to the National Poetry Slam for the first time since 1999. 

Slam co-host Charles Ellik, who coached last year’s East Bay national team, said the high level of competition at Wednesday’s semifinals was a good sign for the group’s chances at nationals. 

“No matter what happens after this, this is definitely a team that can win in Chicago,” Ellik said. “These are some of the best poets anywhere in the country.” 

The audience in the packed pub seemed to recognize the high skill level, shouting out compliments when favorite artists took the stage or after a particular line of poetry. 

“Daled’s bringing the championship back to the bay,” one audience member yelled. “Jamie, will you marry me?” cried another. 

Wednesday night’s competitors used a mix of new poetry and audience favorites to rack up their scores from the panel of five judges.  

The highest score of the night—a 29.6 out of a possible 30—went to Kennedy’s poem in the second round, a tirade against brand name clothing that encouraged participation from many members of the audience who had heard the lyrics before. 

Kennedy’s first-round poem was a tribute to “walking time bombs in lipstick” that he’s dated. He drew laughs for his lines asking women to “let Jamie Kennedy be your therapy.” 

“I trust well-balanced women like I trust Ghandi to have my back in a bar fight,” Kennedy said. 

The poets focused on a variety of subjects, including racism, war, money, and love. Two well-received poems, by Daled and seventh-place finisher known as Victor, raged against President Bush, whom Daled called brainless and Victor labeled a coward. 

“Someday soon it’ll all go ‘boom,’” said Daled, prompting cheers and whistles. 

Other poems were more personal. The first performance of the night was from eventual sixth-place finisher Nazelah Jamison, who spoke about her desire to find a man who truly loves her. 

“I wanna‚ be somebody’s sunshine, his fine wine,” she said, smiling. “I wanna‚ be somebody’s big thing.” 

One surprise Wednesday was the elimination of the poet Rupert. A member of the 2002 East Bay national team, he finished fifth in this year’s semifinals. Competing poets were limited to three minutes per round, and Rupert’s time penalty on his first poem cost him the two points that would have pushed him into fourth place. 

Nevertheless, Rupert drew cheers at every mention of his name. Rupert was the loudest of the performers, yelling lyrics about impatient customers and drunken bar patrons that earned high performance scores from the judges. 

“I am the worst employee that this copy store has ever seen!” shouted Rupert during his poem about his job. 

Kat was the one newcomer among the four who made it to the finals. Although her first performance did not come until late February, Kat’s passionate lyrics and quiet presentation earned her a second place finish in a field of slam veterans. 

Kat’s poetry drew from personal experiences, such as being homeless, her mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer, and a troubled romantic relationship. Each piece silenced the often raucous crowd. 

“All I wanted to do was take away your pain, but you wouldn’t let me try,” she said in her third poem, an address to her ex-boyfriend. 

The poets showed their support for each other’s work, giving hugs and high fives throughout the competition. When slam co-host Dani Eurynome announced the four finalists, all the competitors gathered on stage and remained in a group until long after the event had ended. 

“It”s all about this community,” co-host Ellik said. “That’s what keeps this going.” 

The second round of the Berkeley Poetry Slam semifinals at the Starry Plough will be on Wednesday, June 4, at 8:30 p.m. The finals will take place Wednesday, June 11, at 8:30 p.m.

The Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) presents Summer Noon Concerts 2003, a unique series of nine free concerts, Thursdays at noon in June & July, beginning June 5th. From Rhythm & Blues to Brazilian capoeira, these concerts at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (Shattuck Ave. at Center St.) are a showcase of the culturally rich performing arts in Berkeley. This outdoor summer celebration of Berkeley-based musicians & dancers is just a small sampling of the performing arts happening nightly in clubs, cafes, schools, theaters and concert halls in Downtown Berkeley. 

On Thursday, June 5th, our concert series opens with Rhonda Benin and Soulful Strut performing some of the best in R & B, with a splash of jazz and a solid helping of the blues. Soulful Strut appears regularly at many Bay Area nightspots such Enricos Sidewalk Café and Restaurant. 

On Thursday, July 31st, our concert series closes with SoVoSó, a highly visual and imaginative a capella ensemble that sings a compelling mix of jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, world, pop, and improvisational music. The ensemble is made up of former members of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra, and McFerrin says, “SoVoSó is tight, soulful, and a whole lotta fun.” 

This event is easily accessible by transit and there is one hour free parking daily from 9 am to 5 pm in Center Street Garage. Seating will be available. 

For a complete schedule of entertainers for the Downtown Berkeley Summer Noon Concerts 2003 visit the Downtown Berkeley Association website at www.downtownberkeley.org 

You can’t win ‘em all. 

California Shakespeare Theater’s production of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” doesn’t quite make the grade they’ve led us to expect from their work. A general air of awkwardness pervades the action, rather like those awful “mixers” where everyone is trying very hard to behave as if they’re really interested in one another, when what they actually want to do is go home.  

This doesn’t mean there aren’t some good performances. If the overall production had lived up to the standards set by the stage design, costuming, sound and lighting effects, this would be a hands-down winner. John Coyne’s background is stunning. About a third of the huge gray space is dominated by a profile of the flower-crowned Caesar. It sets the mood for the significance and horror of the unfolding tragedy.  

Equally appropriate and creative are Emmy Award winner Katherine Roth’s costumes which reach for a sense of timelessness through a somber-toned blend of modern suits and toga-like draperies. Michael Chybowski, 1999 Obie Award winner for sustained excellence, has designed lighting that is flawless. 

What is largely missing in this production, and most strikingly so in the crowd scenes, is a sense of ensemble. It is almost as if each actor is out there working it out for himself. (The brief appearances of the two actresses are so rudimentary that it seems perfectly accurate to refer to the cast members as “him.”) There are some fine individual performances, but that’s the problem: they’re individual. This is a play about the interplay between individuals and the world—Caesar’s assassination is an act of political policy, based on the belief that his future career would be destructive to Rome. At that time and for this play, Rome was the world. 

Cal Shakes (as the company dubs itself) has divided this production into two acts: the first centered upon the conspiracy and assassination of Julius Caesar; the second, upon the subsequent chaos. 

Caesar (L. Peter Callender) is drawn as a smooth-talking politician, a superb manipulator of crowds, always playing to the watchful eyes he can expect wherever he appears in public. 

Brutus, perhaps the most interesting of all the characters, is well played by T. Edward Webster. His ambivalence toward the assassination and complex feelings for Caesar are acted straightforwardly, an interpretation which provides important balance to the production.  

Cassius, the initiator of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, also deserves to be noted. He is loathsome, an agitator and manipulator whose motivation for the assassination is more personal than political: he bears old grudges that he masks with loftier motives. In this production, the actor, James Carpenter, presents him as lacking redeeming characteristics. 

All in all, this production is a curious mixture: Genius playwright, terrific staging, erratic acting.  

What is authorship after all, I wondered, as I pondered Jayson Blair, formerly of the New York Times, surfing the Internet for juicy details for his stories. 

And then there’s Rick Bragg, also of the Times, who used reporting by a freelancer in a story without giving him credit. Blair got fired for his sins (which included more than surfing). Bragg was suspended last week; he resigned Wednesday.  

Both had violated the Times’ definition of byline integrity: they had used other people’s work and claimed it as their own.  

Reflecting on their fates, I can’t help thinking there’s something quaint about the notion of a journalist reporting and writing a piece all by himself. As a magazine writer and editor and book author, I’ve come to see writing as a group process. Behind every byline there are silent partners: researchers, editors, fact-checkers, spouses, friends, colleagues, lawyers —and Web sites.  

The bigger the publication and the more ambitious the writing, the bigger the platoon of unacknowledged authorial hands. (Doris Kearns Goodwin employs researchers; I borrow an occasional graduate student from the departmental pool.)  

Let’s face it: writing for publication is a complex social act, and the Internet has increased its complexity. It is easier now to draw on other people’s work—to locate it and appropriate it (a quick cut and paste).  

We may have already moved into a postmodern age of authorship, where we can never really be sure who wrote what. Bylines may be quaint holdovers, like the Doric columns on postmodern buildings.  

If that’s the case, we do face a real problem. Bylines are more than ways to claim intellectual property. They are assertions of authenticity. Lending her byline, the writer lends her personal authority to what she says. The more she relies on hidden sources, the less we may trust her.  

But in addition to the byline, there’s another guarantee of authenticity: the publisher — the newspaper, the magazine, the publishing house. The publisher assures readers that the group process used to produce the work under its name is a careful process. In our times, when journalism is big business, these institutions’ integrity is more important to us all than byline integrity.  

That is why the trouble at the Times is so troubling: the Times’ own rules for journalistic integrity seemed so out of touch with these Times reporters’ actual practice. Nobody seemed to be minding the store. 

Even if the Times improves its oversight, that may not be a permanent fix. Things are changing too fast. Rules that made sense yesterday don’t always make sense today. (When most journalists do most of their reporting by telephone, what exactly does “dateline integrity” mean?) Our journalistic conventions are having a hard time keeping up with changing technology. What scholars call the “social construction of truth” is taking on a whole, and often scary, new meaning.  

Carol Polsgrove is author of “It Wasn’t Pretty Folks, But Didn’t We Have Fun? Surviving the Sixties with Esquire’s Harold Hayes,” published by RDR Books in Oakland. A former East Bay resident, she teaches journalism at Indiana University.