Residents are opposing a proposal by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to construct a six-story office building on a sloping one-acre plot of land and pave over a nearby valley to build a parking lot. Many of those neighbors came out on Monday to take a tour guided by LBNL officials as part of the scoping process, a preliminary step required before a draft environmental impact report can be done on a project. 

During the scoping phase, residents can learn more about a proposed project and offer suggestions as to what factors should be examined in the subsequent environmental analysis, which is required by state law. The project involves the construction of an office building on 65,000 square feet of land and filling in part of a valley that includes the Cafeteria Creek to make room for a 120-space parking lot.  

The tour was attended by about 45 people, including residents, city employees, city commissioners, and LBNL employees. But the most outspoken attendees were environmentalists and neighbors of the proposed site who worry that the project will exacerbate traffic congestion and remove valuable open space. 

Because the site of the proposed office building is located on such a steep hill-- the slope is about 90 feet-- workers will have to dig out up to 26,000 cubic yards-- or more than 2000 truckloads-- of soil to level out the land. The preferred plan is to dump that soil into the nearby creek and build a parking lot on top of it. About 300 linear feet of open creek will be buried. 

LBNL is considering alternatives to burying the creek, including an option to ship the soil out to a landfill, either up Grizzly Peak Road or down University Avenue. But Jeff Philliber, LBNL Environmental Planning Group Coordinator, said the parking lot option was the preferred one because it will save money and provide parking in an area that is in dire need of it. 

Under the parking lot option, 39,000 square feet of land will be covered with asphalt. Philliber, who guided Monday’s tour, admitted that the water quality could be affected by the increased petroleum and other contaminants leaking into the water supply. But he said steps could be taken to mitigate that, such as using devices to separate oil and water. Another resident brought up the question of increased storm water runoff due to the loss of permeable surface. “We will have to look into ways to slow the water down,” Philliber said. 

Pamela Shivola, a North Berkeley resident and a creek restoration advocate, said the plan is misguided. “This is beautiful,” she said, looking out into the valley, lush with brush and willow, oak and eucalyptus trees. “They just want to kill everything that’s alive. The word unconscionable comes to mind.”  

Daniella Thompson is a neighbor who lives on LeConte street and a member of the Native Plant society. She said the proposed development is “totally intolerable. To fill this creek up with soil is a total outrage against nature. I can’t believe they’re even proposing it.” 

Dean Metzger, president of the Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association and a transportation commissioner, said LBNL should come up with a plan that encourages transit use. “I think what the people of Berkeley are concerned with is changing the culture of driving so that we get people out of their cars and using public transit,” he said. “We are never going to change unless institutions like yours takes a step in that direction.”  

Philliber said transit-friendly alternatives were “certainly being considered in our long-range plan” and said the lab has been more aggressive than most institutions in encouraging the use of public transportation, pointing to the LBNL shuttle buses as an example. 

The city council on Tuesday will consider a proposal by Councilmember Dona Spring to officially oppose LBNL’s plan to pave over the creek. It would call on the city manager to send letters to LBNL, the Regional Water Quality Control board and other state agencies to oppose the plan on the grounds that it would “destroy the ecological integrity of the North Branch area of the Strawberry Creek.” It would instruct him to write a letter to LBNL outlining the city’s policy of prohibiting the removal of live oak trees. 

TUESDAY, JULY 8 

Bamboo Building, a class on using timber bamboo in construction, proper tool usage and joinery, with Darrel De- 

Boer, at 7 p.m. at the Buil- 

ding Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $35. For information call 525-7610.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 525-3565. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 

Twilight Tour: Off the Beaten Path, a walk through some of the more unusual and less-known parts of the Garden with horticulturist Judith Finn, at 5:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden 

South Berkeley Mural Project Join neighbors to create a mural on the side of the Grove Liquor Store on the corner of Ashby Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Studios at 1923 Ashby Ave. 644-2204. 

THURSDAY, JULY 10 

The City of Berkeley Young Adult Project Annual Community-Wide Picnic from  

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grove Playground located at 1730 Oregon Street. All youth are invited to participate. Group Games at 10 a.m., lunch and prize drawing at noon, KMEL Radio Station Dance Contest for 10-14 year-olds and Magic Show at 1 p.m. 981-6670. 

Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Prize winner and founder of the “Green Revolution,” will speak on “60 Years of Fighting Hun- 

ger,” at 7:30 p.m. in 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley. 643-4200. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers meets at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave. at 7:30 p.m. For information contact rorlando@uclink4. 

berkeley.edu  

Lawyers in the Library at 6 p.m. at the South Branch, 1901 Russell. 981-6260. 

FRIDAY, JULY 11 

Berkeley Critical Mass Bike Ride meets at the Berkeley BART the second Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, 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. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 496-6000, ext. 135. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, JULY 12 

Women’s Freedom Fair, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in MLK Jr. Civic Center Park. There will be women from many different organizations representing freedom in different ways: freedom from oppressive media body images, financial freedom, freedom from violence, reproductive freedom and more. The event will celebrate, educate and inspire women and girls. There will be food and beverage vendors, activities, music. www.womensfreedomfair.org 

SF Mime Troupe addresses militarism and empire in “Veronique of the Mounties in Operation Frozen Freedom” at 2 p.m. in Cedar Rose Park. www.sfmt.org 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Disaster Mental Health, for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 a.m. to noon at 997 Cedar St., between 8th and 9th Sts. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes or call 981-5506. 

Educator’s Academy: Rock ‘n’ Roll at Wildcat Creek  

from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Explore a streambed, gather stones and discover their origins. Concepts and activities will match K-5 California Earth Science Content Standards. $45 for Berkeley residents, $51 for non-residents. For information call 636-1684. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Peach/Stone Fruit Tasting at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. Cooking demonstrations with Becky Smith of Frog Hollow Farm. 548-3333.  

Compost Critters What do you get if you put lunchtime leftovers, leaves, and creepy crawlers together? A chance to explore our compost, meet our worms and even take some home! From 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Free. 525-2233.  

Farms in Berkeley? A walk to visit innovative community gardens in North Berkeley and part of the Ohlone Greenway, then up to Codornices Park for lunch. After a look at the Rose Garden we’ll have an easy walk back downhill. From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Accessible by public transit. Reservations required, call 415-255-3233. http://green 

belt.org/getinvolved/outings/ 

green_reservation 

Summer Gardening with East Bay Native Plants, a class in restoration gardening using plants adapted to our climate. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a local garden with Lyn Talkovsky, an East Bay landscape gardener who specializes in local native plants and Glen Schneider who is writing a Natural History Field Guide to the East Bay. Pre-registration is required, cost is $15 Ecology Center members, $25 general, low-income spots by arrangement. 548-2220 ext. 233. erc@ecologycenter.org  

California Wildflower Show A profusion of native flowers gathered in the field, brought into the museum and sorted, identified and labeled by botanists. Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St, at 10th St, Oakland. Museum admission is $6, $4 seniors and youth. 238-2200.  

SUNDAY, JULY 13 

Sixth Annual Bay to Barkers Dog Walk and Festival, at the Berkeley Marina, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Benefits the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. Contests, prizes, demonstrations, vendors and other events for canines and humans. Registration for the walk begins at 8:30 a.m., walk begins at 10 a.m. 845-7735.  

SF Mime Troupe addresses militarism and empire in “Veronique of the Mounties in Operation Frozen Freedom” at 2 p.m. in Cedar Rose Park. www.sfmt.org 

UC Berkeley Walking Tour with architectural historian Sally Woodbridge. Meet at the Campanile at 11 a.m. Cost is $5, registration required, call 642-9828. 

California Wildflower Show See listing for July 12.  

MONDAY, JULY 14 

September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows will show and speak about their video “Civilian Casualties,” which tells the story of civilian deaths in Afghanistan as seen by four Americans who lost family members on September 11. At 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Ave, Oakland, be- 

tween Grandlake and Lake- 

shore, under 580. Wheelchair accessible. Suggested donation $1. Sponsored by East Bay Communities Against the War, 658-8994. 

What’s Wrong with Geneti- 

cally Engineered Food and Crops Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative Meeting and Potluck. Drinks and utensils supplied. David Henson, director of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, will speak on the strange things happening with genetically engineered foods. At 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. Wheelchair accessible. 883-9096.  

Home Owners Support Group meets to learn about window installation and energy conservation at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. graypanthersberk@aol.com 

Berkeley CopWatch meets at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Volun- 

teers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

National HIV Testing Month The City of Berkeley offers free HIV testing, drop in on Satur- 

days from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays 6 to 8:30 p.m., during July, at 830 University Ave. at 6th St. For other days and times call the HIV Testing Information Line at 981-5380.  

Summer Fun Camps for Children and Teens, from age five and up are offered at Berkeley recreation centers and include such activities as arts and crafts, swimming and tennis lessons, yoga, organized sports and games, and field trips. The Summer Fun Camp Program runs through August 22, Mon. - Fri., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fee, including lunch and snack, is $77 per week for Berkeley residents. Pick up applications at the Camps Office, 2016 Center St. 981-5150. 

Echo Lake Youth Camp for ages 6 - 12 at Echo Lake, near South Lake Tahoe. One week sessions are offered between July 7 and August 22. Cost is $235 per session. For registration information please visit the Camps Office at 2016 Center St., or call 981-5150. 

Free Quit Smoking Class on six Monday evenings, from 6 to 8 p.m., starting July 14th, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. To register or for more information contact the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program, 981-5330 or QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Bay Area Technology Education Collaborative, a community non-profit offers low-cost training in Computer Information Technology. Free orientation on July 9, classes start July 14. For information call 451-7300, ext. 604. www.baytec.org 

Summer Science Weeks: Mammals and Birds Pick apart an owl pellet, prepare a mammal baby announcement, and discover your home range. For ages 9 to 12 years. Monday, July 14 – Friday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $150 for Berkeley residents, $166 for non-residents. Financial assistance is available. Registration required. For information call 636-1684.  

Free Energy Conservation Retrofits for Berkeley Residents CA Youth Energy Services is a nonprofit sponsored by the City of Berkeley that trains and employs high school students to provide conservation retrofits. Work includes weatherstripping, replacing lightbulbs with CFLs, cleaning refrigerator coils, replacing faucet aerators and showerheads with low-flow devices, installing earthquake preparedness measures, and a comprehensive audit. Available to home owners and renters. Call for an appointment, 428-2357. 

Alameda County Hazardous Waste Drop-Off from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 10 - 12 at Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste, 2100 E. 7th St., Oakland.Take advantage of this opportunity to safely dispose of paint, stain, varnish, thinner and adhesives; auto products such as old fuel, motor oil, oil filters and batteries; household batteries, cleaners and sprays; garden products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Please do NOT bring asbestos, medical waste, 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://householdhazwaste.org/oakland 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on Disability meets Wednesday, July 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Paul Church, 981-6342. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/disability 

Homeless Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/homeless 

Planning Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruth Grimes, 981-7481. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/planning 

Waterfront Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti. 644-6376 ext. 224. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/waterfront 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/earlychildhoodeducation  

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Community Health Commission meets Thursday, July 10 at 6:45 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/health 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thursday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5410. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/zoning 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Monday, July 14, 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks

Discussions about the future of Berkeley are often built around cherished myths, fiercely debated without recourse to fact.  

Let’s look at a few: 

1) Berkeley is a city. In fact, much of Berkeley was designed as suburbs of various kinds. Southeast Berkeley, thousand Oaks and most of the Berkeley Hills were streetcar suburbs, where the streetcars went in first and subdivisions followed. Developers of subdivisions along the streetcar routes made big profits in this era, a pattern which BART development repeated in the seventies. Original residents of these subdivisions commuted first by ferry and then by Key System train to jobs in San Francisco, or rode the streetcar to work at the University of California. In the flats, once home to blue-collar workers, the streets were designed in the urban grid pattern common to American towns at the turn of the century. In the seventies the installation of barriers transformed the flatlands’ urban grid into the prevalent suburban pattern of quiet cul-de-sacs served by fast through streets which move autos around quickly. Berkeley never had much of a downtown shopping district, though it did boast one big department store, Hink’s, and a couple of dime stores in its heyday. At best, Berkeley has been a company town, with one big employer, the University of California, and many interesting quirky small businesses. 

2) If you build dense housing, mass transit will follow. Someone ought to tell that to AC Transit, which is busy reducing routes and raising fares in order to save money, just as big dense projects are being built on bus lines. To be fair, they don’t have much choice, given the lack of commitment on the state and federal level to supporting mass transit with funding. By targeting available income to a few designated rapid transit routes like San Pablo, the transit agency is enabling the old money-making strategy which made fortunes for land-owners in the past: promote new transit routes, buy up property on them and make a killing on development. However, if this development comes at the expense of taking transit away from already built-up areas, and if residents perversely choose to continue to use automobiles anyway, only builders benefit in the long run. Building first and hoping transit will follow, on the other hand, is akin to the cargo cults which supposedly flourished on remote Pacific islands in the past. 

3) Apartment buildings on big streets will turn Berkeley into Paris. Oh sure. Here are a few things Berkeley does not have: Baron Haussman, the 19th century equivalent of Robert Moses, who leveled much of the city and rebuilt it according to his grand plan. Right or wrong, that strategy just wouldn’t play in Berkeley. Also: family-sized apartments. Both the central city of Paris and its suburban ring have large apartments with at least three bedrooms and generous living rooms. The older city apartments are still not very expensive by the standards of New York or San Francisco. (Berkeley residents have been known to buy Paris apartments as second homes.) Even Belleville, Paris’s gritty working class suburbs, has low-rise apartment buildings surrounded by open space with play areas attached. Berkeley built a few nice low-income family developments of this kind in the seventies and eighties, but our new buildings are mostly luxury dorms for well-off students, with a few token less expensive units for elderly or disabled singles or couples. Unlike Paris, we have no big parks or playgrounds downtown for prospective residents to use. 

Berkeley also lacks Paris’s Culture with a capital C. The University of California does offer the institutional fare common to college towns like Bloomington and Lubbock, mostly traveling attractions and student productions. We have a few small university-run museums, none even as grand as Ann Arbor’s, but no city art museum. We provide no large public concert-hall for well-regarded local groups like the Berkeley Symphony, which must pay exhorbitant rates to use UC’s Zellerbach Auditorium. We don’t even have a commercial repertory film house any more. As a suburb, we do have access to San Francisco, but BART stops at midnight. Berkeley restaurants stop serving at ten, because many residents of this bedroom community complain if they stay open later. 

4) Berkeley needs more jobs. Unless we can precisely specify what kind of jobs, more jobs only make things worse. Minimum wage retail chains like Eddie Bauer and Blockbuster Video produce some sales tax revenue, but their employees must commute to work, burdening public services enough to wash out the revenue advantage. The University of California  

increasingly relies on under-paid lecturers and graduate students to teach its growing student body, and these employees can’t afford to live in Berkeley either. It’s a chicken-and-egg proposition. If we build predominantly small market-price apartments, and if prices of single-family houses continue to escalate, and if rent-controlled units increasingly house only current residents because of vacancy de-control, we can’t absorb more workers. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Planet.  

TUESDAY, JULY 8 

FILM 

Sarunas Bartas: “Corridor” 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 

Terry and Stevie Halbert  

discuss their new book “Expedition America: A National Park Odyssey,” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 843-3533.  

www.easygoing.com 

Ksenija Soster Olmer, Sande Smith and Inez Hollander Lake, authors of “A Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Daughters” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861.  

Berkeley Summer Poetry with Danielle Willis at 7 p.m. at Mediterranean Cafe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. lucifersmuse@hotmail.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Grupa Maistori performs traditional Bulgarian village music at 9 p.m., with a dance lesson with Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi at 7:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Mimi Fox, solo guitar at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

All Strings Considered, hammer dulcimer virtuosos Jamie Janover and Michael Masley with bassists Michael Manring and Jim Prescott, 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 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 

FILM 

Excess of Evil: “The Devils” at 7:30 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 

Labor Fest 10th Anniversary Celebration, “From Piers to Plantations, a Union in Hawaii” by Ian Ruskin. The story of Harry Bridges in Hawaii. Japanese labor songs by Tanbaka Tetsuro. At 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org For more information about the film call 415-642-8066. www.labornet.net 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Heidi Julavits talks about her novel, “The Effect of Living Backwards,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Jim Paul reads from his new novel, “Elsewhere in the Land of Parrots,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Café Poetry and open mic hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Donation requested. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Chris and Cassie Webster with Scott Nygaard, sister harmony with guitar, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in ad 

vance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Tangria Jazz Group presents a free evening of jazz and literature at 7 p.m. at The Jazz House. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.org 

Astash and Shabaz present an evening of qwaali-sufi-world music, at 9 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

THURSDAY, JULY 10 

FILM 

Aki Kaurismäki: “Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana” at 7:30 p.m. and “Drifting Clouds” at 8:50 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 

Guided Tour of “Paul Kos: Everything Matters” at 12:15 p.m. at The Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu  

Melanie Bellah reflects on the death of a child in “Abby and Her Sisters: A Memoir,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Vanishing Tribes of Burma/Myanmar slide show and talk with Philip Hassrick,  

co-founder of Lost Frontiers, at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 843-3533. www.easygoing.com 

Merle Updike Davis reads from her memoir and history of social work, “Ties Across Time,” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Lesbians Across the Country Project, slide presentation and talk with the photographer Angela Dawn, at 7 p.m. at Boadecia's Books, 398 Colusa Ave., Kensington. 559-9184. 

Female Rebels and Mavericks Slideshowand talk by Max Dashu of the Suppressed Histories Archives, at 7:30 p.m. at Change Makers Bookstore, 6536 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. Cost is $12-15. Wheelchair accessible. For information call 655-2405. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Summer Noon Concert Downtown with the Charles Wheal Band, a mix of Chicago, Texas and West Coast blues, at the Berkeley BART Station. Seating available. Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association. 549-2230. 

Bandworks Student Recital at 7:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Chus Alonzo’s Potingue En- 

semble, contemporary Flamenco and Latin Music, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Trailer Park Troubadours, folkabilly 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 

Leslie Helpert and Reorchestra perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Keni el Lebrijano Flamenco Guitar at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

FRIDAY, JULY 11 

CHILDREN 

Stage Door Conservatory's “Kids OnStage” presents “The King’s Creampuffs,” a free mini-musical by Martha Swintz, at 7:30 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 527-5939. StageDoorCamp@aol.com 

FILM 

Aki Kaurismäki: “Drifting Clouds” at 7:30 p.m. and “Ariel” at 9:25 p.m. at 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 

Jane Gotesman introduces her new book of photographs, “Gameface: What does a Fe- 

male Athlete Look Like?” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Rafael Manriquez in a new CD release concert at 8 p.m., at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rose Street House of Music fund-raiser concert for Irina Rivkin’s debut full-length CD, plus Rebecca Crump and special guests, at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music, a grassroots musical community featuring women singer-songwriters, 1839 Rose St. Sliding scale donations, no one turned away for lack of funds. 594-4000 ext. 687. 

Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums with Ms. Carmen Getit and Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers perform East Coast swing and lindy hop at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jessica Lurie Ensemble, Crater and Japonize Elephants perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Blame Sally, singer/songwriter group 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 

Geoffrey Keezer, solo piano, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Kim Nalley at 9:30 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Shotwell, Grabass Charlestons, Billy Reese Peters, Tiltwheel 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. 

V Soul performs at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Suggested donation $10. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

SATURDAY, JULY 12 

FILM 

Aki Kaurismäki: “I Hired a Contract Killer” at 5:20 and 9 p.m. and “La Vie de Bohème” 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 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michele Anna Jordan introduces her new book, “The BLT Cookbook: America’s Favorite Sandwich,” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Alex de Grassi, guitar virtuoso, celebrates the release of his new CD, “Now and Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century,” at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Tickets are $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Fito Reynoso’s Ritmo y Armonía perform Afro-Cuban favorites at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Donald “Duck” Baily and the “Duck” Quactet perform improvisational jazz at 2 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $8-$15 sliding scale. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

The Lafleur et Basile Band and the Creole Belles perform traditional and original French Cajun music at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $14. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Pocket, 7th Direction and Spindrift perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Vince Lateano at 9:30 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

Subincision, Link, The Effection, The Mona Reels, The Librarians perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5, $1 if wearing prom clothes! 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JULY 13 

FILM 

“Nasty Girl,” followed by Morley Safer’s taped interview with Anne Rosmus, the film’s Nasty Girl, who struggled to reveal the truth about the Third Reich in her Bavarian hometown, at 2 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. In German with English subtitles. Suggested donation $2. 848-0237. 

Aki Kaurismäki: “The Match Factory Girl” at 5:30 p.m. and “Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana” 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 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Guided Tour: “Paul Kos: Everything Matters” at 2 p.m. at The Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu  

MATRIX/Anna Von Mertens, artist’s talk and reception at 3 p.m. at The Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Vicki Noble discusses her study of the double goddess, a Neolithic and Stone Age icon, “The Double Goddess: Women Sharing Power,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Zine Reading at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. Vegan dinner available for $3-$5. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Poetry Flash at Cody’s with Ruth Daigon and Andrena Zawinski at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz at Coventry Grove with pianist Benny Green, a musical afternoon at a private residence in Kensington. Tax-deductible donation of $125 benefits the Jazzschool. For more information, or to register, call 845-5373.  

Carol Elizabeth Jones and Laurel Bliss, old-time folk and bluegrass duo, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freight- 

andsalvage.org 

Dave Ellis Quintet performs at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Tickets are $10-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, JULY 14 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ivan Richard considers his early life in a Buddhist monastery in “Silence and Noise,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Gregory Mone reads from his new novel, “The Wages of Genius,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Gender Studies Book Group discusses “Don’t Bet on the Prince,” by Jack Zipes, at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Poetry Express, featuring Shailja Patel, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave.  

AT THE THEATER 

Aurora Theater Company, “Thérèse Raquin,” by Emile Zola, directed by Tom Ross. A sinister tale set among the lo- 

wer classes in nineteenth-century Parisian society. Runs through July 27, at 2081 Addison St. Tickets are $32 and $34. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

California Shakespeare Festival runs through October 22. Performances this year will be Julius Caesar, Arms and the Man, Measure for Measure, and Much Ado About Nothing. Please call for dates and times. The Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org  

Central Works Theater Ensemble, “The Wyrd Sisters” directed by Jan Zvaifler. Through July 27, Thurs. - Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 5 p.m. No performance July 4 or 24. At the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $8-$20 sliding scale. For reservations call 558-1381. 

foolsFury, “Attempts on her Life,” by Martin Crimp, directed by Ben Yalom, July 11, 12, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. at LaVal’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid at Hearst. Tickets are $20 general, $15 students, seniors. 1-866- 

GOT-FURY. www.foolsfury.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

ACCI Gallery, “Barococo” ceramics by Tony Natsoulas. Exhibition runs until July 14. Gallery hours are Mon. - Thurs. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave.  

843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

Addison Street Windows, “Windows” An all-media exhibit by San Francisco Women Artists, July 10 through August 11. 2018 Addison St. 658-0585. For information on the artists call 524-8538.  

Albany Community Center Arts Foyer Gallery, “Many Faces of the Middle East” Photographs by Ed Kinney, through July 11. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. 1249 Marin Ave., Albany. 524-9283. 

The Ames Gallery, “Conversations with Myself” Works by Barry Simons. Paintings and collages incorporating the artist’s original poetry. By appointment or chance. Exhibition runs until August 15. 2661 Cedar St. 845-4949. www.amesgallery.com  

Berkeley Art Center, “Unbound and Under Covers,” Visual writing: spoken word performances and book exhibition runs to July 27. Curated by Jaime Robles. Work and performance by Indigo Som, Meredith Stricker, Dale Going and Marie Carbone, Susan King and Lisa Kokin. Berkeley Art Center in Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org  

Berkeley Historical Society, “Focus on Berkeley” A photography exhibit by the Berkeley Camera Club, Berkeley High School students and community photographers in celebration of the City’s 125th Anniversary. Exhibition runs until Sept. 13. Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. Sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society,  

848-0181.  

Kala Art Institute, Kala Fellowship Exhibition, Part I The Kala Fellowships are awarded annually to eight innovative arts working in printmaking, book arts, video and digital media. Part I features the work of May Chan, Taro Hattori, Amanda Knowles and Andrew Mamo. Runs until July 31. Call for gallery hours.1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977. www.kala.org  

A New Leaf Gallery, “Four Elements of Sculpture: Fire, Air, Water and Earth,” Exhibition runs to August 31. 1286 Gilman St. Call for gallery hours. 527-7621.  

www.sculpturesite.com 

Photolab Gallery, “Images from the Ballroom Series” by Andy Stewart. Black and white photographs on exhibit until July 19. Gallery hours are Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., sat. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400.  

www.photolaboratory.com  

Red Oak Realty Gallery, Prints by Barbara de Groot. Exhibition runs until July 26. 1891 Solano Ave. 848-3965. 

Slater/Marinoff & Co., “All Animal Art” Forty photographers and artists have donated works to help fund the spay-neuter and food costs of the Milo Foundation’s work in finding new homes for abandoned dogs and cats. Exhibition runs until August 31. Hours are Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1823 Fourth St. 548-2001.

If laughter heals all wounds then children's laughter is the most magical of elixirs. Watching a few dozen boys and girls laughing, shouting, flirting and chasing each other around on a basketball court can cure whatever ails you. Such laughter can heal children as well. For the last 20 years or so, Berkeley-based BORP (Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program) has been providing a hefty dose of Saturday feel-good medicine for hundreds of Bay Area children with physical disabilities. 

“It's kind of a chance to be like everybody around you,” said Sarah Marks, a Contra Costa teenager. “Some people have trouble fitting in with their disabilities. Not really for me, really. I have a lot of friends in this program.” 

Marks' favorite sports included wheelchair basketball and track, including the 1500-meter singles race where she holds the national track record.  

“We've been coming for at least five years,” said Sarah's mother, Laura Marks. “She really wanted to play sports. We started coming to play wheelchair basketball and then they got her in a track chair.” 

Every Saturday children come from all over the greater Bay Area, from as far away as Santa Cruz and Sacramento, to Berkeley's James Kenney Recreation Center to compete on a level playing field. 

“We're really the only program that does all the stuff we do in the whole Bay Area,” said Tim Orr, BORP's Youth Program Coordinator. “There is a program similar to ours in San Jose, but they don't serve teenagers.” 

Orr started working with BORP as a fundraiser and administrative specialist. 

“My roommate, a guy in an electric wheelchair, asked me to get involved in 1984,” he said. “I met some parents and some kids who were involved in Special Olympics. They really didn't like it because they thought they were getting treated as if they had mental disabilities. A little too special.” 

Founded in 1976, BORP served the unmet activity and social needs of folks with disabilities, mainly adults. In 1986 Orr secured grants which allowed BORP to start serving the physical activity needs of disabled children as well. Today BORP's revenues come from a wide variety of sources, predominantly foundation grants, corporate donations, individual donations and fundraisers but not government entitlement programs. 

Orr believes the biggest struggle BORP has yet to overcome is outreach. On average 50 to 60 children attend each Saturday session, but Orr believes the number of Bay Area children eligible to benefit from BORP's weekend program may run as high as 5,000 

“The reason there are so few wheelchair sports programs in the whole country [is because] outreach is very hard to do,” Orr said. “It's hard to get people, and their parents, to commit to coming out on a regular basis. And a lot of them need help with transportation and stuff to be able to do it. There are so many kids with Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Bifida. A lot of kids are amputees, like our big guy Marcus. He walks all the time but he has a disability that doesn't allow him to run or jump so he can't play against able-bodied high school sports.” 

Lamile Perry, 20, lives in Berkeley and studies at Laney Community College. 

“I was the national track champion last year,” Perry said with pride. “My specialty is in track. I'm a sprinter. I also play a little bit of basketball. I've been involved in BORP since I was about five or six. Right here in my hometown. I only live about 15 minutes away from here actually. Last year we had a guy that came all the way from Oregon. We get people from all over." 

Perry was born with Cerebral Palsy. Although he has had numerous operations, he said the surgeries have actually increased his mobility problems. 

“I don't even look at myself as being disabled. If I can do whatever an able bodied person can do, this chair don't stop me. I think [BORP] really helps people in wheelchairs because it gives them a chance to do sports. At all the schools it seems as though you've got to be able-bodied to play sports but here everybody is the same. You get a chance to do what everybody else is doing. You get to play sports. You get to travel. We get to live life like every other athlete is doing. If they get to play sports and travel, why can't we?” 

“It's a great program because you get to know other people and you get to know what they go through,” said Antonia Gutierrez, 15, of Oakland. “It’s fun ‘cause you get to meet people that have your problems. They understand what you're going through and they don't make fun of you. You know?” 

Hugo Lopez is the parent of Jason Lopez, a 15 year-old Junior at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco. When Jason was three he suffered a spinal cord injury. 

“We got him in here when he was about 6. He loves it and I think it's fabulous,” said the senior Lopez. “It's the only time he gets to interact with his peers, people in wheelchairs, and it's good exercise for him. He plays basketball and he's in track and field. It's really the only physical activity he gets during the week. He goes to school but it's just a lot of class work. They don't let him really participate with the school [physical exercise] programs.” 

Lopez's enthusiasm is echoed by fellow parent Laura Marks, who also teaches in the public school system. 

“This is a group that's accepting of everybody which I don't see as much in our public schools,” Marks said. “This is such a great education for Sarah, not only for the sports, but [for the] kids with different abilities, backgrounds, different places where they live, different family situations. The diversity here is nowhere else. We struggle with the kids and have disappointments because they have struggles. It feels good to see them succeed here and it carries over into other areas of their lives. [One of the]moms said to me, ‘You know I can't tell you how wonderful this has been. His grades are better. His attitude is better. And it's all because he's coming to play wheelchair basketball on Saturday.’” 

Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program BORP  

830 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94710 

Phone (510) 849-4663  

http://www.borp.org/ 

INFILL PROJECT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding LBNL’s plans to fill part of a seasonal tributary to the North Fork of Strawberry Creek in order to assist in disposing of construction dirt by building a parking lot, I am very skeptical as to whether all options have been duly studied. Please consider me opposed to this plan, and willing to fight against it, until you have shown that there is no way to avoid destroying yet another of our tiny, remaining natural areas.  

I expect that our local politicians will assist in opposing this plan, when they realize the strength of community opposition. 

Judy Forrest 

• 

REPRESENTATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Taxpayers in Berkeley, Emeryville, North Oakland, and Piedmont should be interested that they have a representative on the Alameda County Board of Education. Probably not one person out of 1000 knows what this body is. It has a budget of over $30 million.  

Jacki Fox Ruby was elected to represent the citizens in that area. She defeated the incumbent, Jerome Wiggins, who had served with distinction on the board for many years trying to allocate more money to students at risk. Ruby was supported by an infusion of $17,000 to her campaign by the county superintendent of schools, Sheila Jordan. After taking office, Ruby voted Jordan a 66% raise.  

You can contact Ruby at the county office of education, 313 W. Winton Ave., Hayward, 94544 or by email at rubyfox@lmi.net. 

Ernest A. Avellar 

Hayward 

• 

CORPORATION YARD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am responding to Angela Rowen’s article in the June 27 issue titled “Neighbors protest at the Corporation Yard Site.” 

I appreciate your coverage of how, in our eyes, the City of Berkeley that has treated this neighborhood irresponsibly. 

Horse and buggies visiting the Corporation Yard (established in 1916) have given way to diesel trucks and the latter include 18 wheel tractor/trailers. You note that I have personally witnessed (though some time ago, not “last week”) one such 18 wheel truck back into my neighbors’ parked car (right in front of my living room window) as it made multi-point turns (all the while blocking traffic) in attempting to negotiate the too narrow Corporation Yard entrance (the neighbors were arbitrarily denied damage compensation for their car). However, to set the record straight, in the interview I stated that it was a flatbed truck and mused apocalyptically “What if the flatbed truck had been an 18 wheel gasoline tanker with an explosive/flammable load (such trucks regularly visit the Corporation Yard to service the gas station which was installed without a permit a few years ago)?”  

In sum, this neighborhood continues to be seriously jeopardized by such activity. Further,the city has fostered the development of recreational facilities and parks on all adjacent sides of the Yard (Strawberry Creek Park, Charlie Dorr Tot Park, Berkeley Lawn Bowling, and BYA organic gardens). We love the park space, but not the fact that our children (ages 2 and 4, with another on the way) are exercising strenuously in the midst of diesel fumes and dust pollution. In addition, there are no stop signs or crosswalks for us to access Strawberry Creek Park from Bancroft Way -- we are forced to wait or stop traffic ourselves in order to cross the street. 

Instead of wasting money on temporary modular buildings, the operations from the Ratcliff building should be permanently transferred to other sites, with the remaining Corporation Yard operations transferred over time as funds become available. Everyone on the Zoning Adjustment Board, it seemed to me, agreed that the Corporation Yard should be moved out of the neighborhood.  

Give us a central Berkeley park instead of heavy industry! 

Muni Schweig 

• 

LOS ALAMOS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bay area U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, maintains that UC is a competent manager for the Los Alamos weapons lab. In introducing her July 1 to a University audience, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl said that she recognized that the university plays a role in maintaining national security. Tauscher then went on to say that it was the President who “cooked the books,” and not the University. Unless the bid proposal has already been written off, this is calculated the wrong way.  

UC Interim Vice President Bruce Darling said that it was important to remember that UC Berkeley combined science and technology to help develop the atomic bomb during World War II. I would remind the “audience” that 400 scientists at the Los Alamos government laboratory warned in a statement signed October 13, 1945 --two months after Hiroshima and Nagasaki-- that to keep the secrets of nuclear fission would lead to “unending war more savage than the last.”  

Sincerely, 

Richard Thompson,  

Cal alumnus  

• 

LETHAL PATRIOTISM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When municipal budgets are going up in smoke, why do cities still sponsor fireworks that scare pets and pollute the air? It’s time to put the remnants of lethal patriotism into the dust bin.  

Bob Gable 

• 

TIMID GOVERNOR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you, Robert Scheer (”Recall Bush, not Davis”), for reminding Californians that the cause of our state’s financial problems came from the Bush Administration’s release of energy manipulators, like Enron, who had their way with California’s energy markets. It was the energy crisis that precipitated the economic downturn, which reduced tax revenues, that landed us in a Very Deep Debt. Perhaps this recap of recent history will wake up some of the anti-Davis Republicans who slept through the energy crisis the first time.  

Perhaps it will also awaken Gray Davis, albeit too late, to the deregulation problem as well. It was Davis who kept his well-coifed head down and quiet while Attorney General Bill Lockyer challenged the energy company manipulations at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The full weight and force of California’s government, and its political establishment, might have pressured them into doing the right thing. And it is just that kind of Davis timidity, bordering on Republicanism, that has angered Democratic voters enough to want to replace this Governor with a real Democrat.  

Bruce Joffe  

Piedmont 

• 

URBAN LEGACY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A July 1 letter estimated that during the 1990s, Berkeley was “building housing at not much more than one-fifth of the rate of the 1960s.” A good thing, too -- given the awful architectural legacy that the 1960s left Berkeley. 

That legacy includes UC’s monstrous “unit” high-rise dorms in Southside, and ugly, cheaply built “tilt-up” apartment buildings all over town. Meanwhile, neighboring cities like El Cerrito, Albany and Richmond built little but single-family housing. And they’ve continued in that pattern of inefficient, low-density land use to this day. 

Berkeley residents learned from what UC and developers did to us in the 1960s. We’re gradually building a more livable city, now that neighborhood groups and City officials demand that new structures fit in with their surroundings -- and demand that adjacent cities provide their fair share of needed housing. 

Tom Brown 

• 

ENCOURAGING WORDS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I just want to pass along a positive word -- I like the paper. The first thing I look for is the Outdoors article or a gardening related story. I also work on the crossword for speed. Preferrably while sitting outside. Of course the paper’s mix of articles is to be commended. A good blend of progressive news and happenings that matter. 

More later. Keep it up.  

Alan Tong 

• 

TAXI SCRIP SERVICE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley City Council watchers note the diminishing regard for the weal of Berkeley seniors, attributable not just to budget-cutting. The latest is taxi scrip abuse. 

It has been Berkeley Paratransit Services (based, for some reason in the Housing Department) practice to periodically mail (no over the counter service) forms containing latest pricing information and application, to be returned by mail with payment. The senior citizen can then only wait and watch for the mail carrier. Clearly, this exchange process requires an allocation of at least a month and staff supervision. 

The current scrip period began July 1. Recipients needed confidence in receipt by mid-June. It is difficult to schedule appointments with specialized health services; it is costly to have to cancel them. Phone calls are counterproductive; the senior citizen who reports phoning at about 2:30 p.m. on a Monday is told by taped response that “We only answer the phone on Mondays between 1 and 4 PM.” 

It would be different if taxi scrip were a mere nicety in our lives. Many Berkeley seniors, like myself (low-income, without family,) depend on taxi scrip for transportation to and from health-related services. Most low-income seniors are women. 

I am aware of Council Districts 2 and 4 seniors who became alarmed by mid-June and contacted their Councilmembers. Some desperately mailed in checks without current application forms and information. I also alerted the Commission on Aging, Senior Services, and the Housing Department. My June 26 attempt to reach the city manager and mayor presumably resulted in a phone message the following afternoon from a Housing Department peacemaker who compounded a bad situation with the news that the taxi scrip person wasn’t there that day, acknowledged that they could “do better,” and misinformed me by declaring that in the meantime “East Bay Paratransit [a service for disabled persons, requiring advance scheduling and processing into their computer] is also available.” He concluded with the useless bureaucratic “If you have any questions” blah blah. 

Helen Rippier Wheeler 

• 

A HEALTHY SIGN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is a healthy sign for the Berkeley community that you are back in circulation. Your coverage of Berkeley issues is more thorough and more fair-minded than any other Bay Area publications that take an erratic swipe at reporting on Berkeley.  

As examples among many other, your recent articles on residential development and the tenure protest of UC professor Iganacio Chapela are not likely to be matched elsewhere in the Bay Area press. The Theodore Roszak column on Bush’s blind faith is a gem, and your editorial on the recall of Davis, “It Could Get Worse,” is a reminder that intemperate political anger often worsens rather than improves government.  

On cultural matters, you carried the only review I have seen of the recent outstanding production of Euiripedes’ “The Bacchae” in John Hinckel Park. 

It would be great if you could resume daily publication! 

Norman K. Gottwald 

After five years of debate and dozens of public meetings, UC Berkeley and the city planning staff have come to a tentative agreement on the future of the area just south of the university campus, according to a Planning Department memorandum. 

The Southside Plan, which goes to the Planning Commission for a vote Wednesday night, would clear the way for new office and housing development amid the restaurants and record shops of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, while restricting growth in the residential areas to the south. 

The university, as a state entity, is not required to follow the plan but has pledged to use it as a guide. 

If approved by the Planning Commission Wednesday, the new plan will undergo a lengthy environmental review and probably won’t make it to City Council for final ratification for at least a year, according to Planning Commissioner Rob Wrenn. 

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington raised concerns about the university’s successful push for a series of new concessions that allow a mix of housing and office space on three university properties along Channing Way instead of requiring housing alone. 

“The university has fought every step of the way to try to undermine the construction of housing,” said Worthington. “It’s absurd.” 

Students need more options in an expensive housing market, Worthington said, and placing students near campus promotes travel by foot and by bicycle, limiting the number of cars that flood the area. 

But Tom Lollini, UC Berkeley’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Physical and Environmental Planning, said the university has sunk almost $250 million into Southside housing in recent years.  

The marquee project, four new residence halls between College Avenue and Bowditch Street, known collectively as Unit 1 and Unit 2, will provide 890 new beds when they open in 2005 at a cost of roughly $123 million, according to the university. 

Lollini promised more housing in the near future, but said the university does have other needs. UC Berkeley is considering a number of new research and staff support facilities along Bancroft Way, he said.  

The recent amendments to the Southside Plan, which also include increased building heights in commercial areas, have their roots in a controversial push by new Planning Commissioner David Stoloff to bring the university’s concerns with the plan front and center. 

Mayor Tom Bates, elected in the fall, appointed Stoloff, a former UC Berkeley planning official, in an attempt to repair what he called a poor relationship between the university and the commission. 

Stoloff then called for a special meeting with university officials in February, allowing them to voice their concerns. Several commissioners, who had already passed a draft of the Southside Plan in June 2002 considered the move an affront. Nonetheless, the meeting went forward and Lollini followed up with a March 20 letter to the city outlining the university’s proposed amendments. 

Wrenn, who heads a sub-committee on the Southside Plan, expressed disdain for the university’s methods, but said he was generally satisfied with the outcome. 

“If at first you don’t succeed, just come back again and take another shot—take advantage of some new commissioners,” he said, describing the university’s tactics. “But I don’t care, as long as we get a good plan.” 

Lollini said the university felt left out of the process in recent months and praised Bates and Stoloff for moving the document forward. 

“I think the change in leadership in the city has been very helpful on this,” he said. “An opening was created in this conversation and it served all of us well.” 

Bates said he was pleased with the outcome. 

“We’re very happy that we’ve reached an agreement that seems to resolve the problems that have been festering for a long time,” said Bates. “I think this bodes well for working with the university in a positive way.” 

John English, a Hillegass Avenue resident who has followed the process closely, said the city wound up with a solid plan after years and years of endless debate. 

“I think it basically is going in the right direction,” he said. “ [But] I’m almost bored with the subject, I’ve been with it for so long.” 

Although I had heard some rumors about a building going up on the Oxford Street Parking Lot in downtown Berkeley, it was not until I read the article by Rob Wrenn that I knew what was being planned. Mr. Wrenn wrote: “Resources for Community Development (RCD) together with Equity Community Builders, has been selected as the developer for the City of Berkeley’s Oxford Street surface parking lot. The planned mixed-use project will include approximately 90 apartments, a majority of them below-market units. The plan includes 28 three-bedroom units and one four-bedroom. If built as planned this would be the largest amount of affordable family-oriented housing built in Berkeley for many years.” 

With 29 out of 90 apartments being 3 or 4 bedrooms, this means that the majority of the units (68%) will be smaller (studio, 1 & 2 bedrooms) and probably not for families. The building being planned for Oxford Street, no matter how nice, will not be in a location that will naturally attract families. The proposed building will be in the center of downtown Berkeley, across the street from the UC Campus and surrounded by restaurants, retail, movie theaters, and other apartments. Low-income families might find the neighborhood of this building to be a stressful place, with heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic and the majority of nearby services dependent on “disposable income” which they don’t possess. Building more affordable housing close to public transportation is a laudable goal. However, families with two or more children often find that having a car is more cost-effective than public transportation, and if they can’t afford a car (even one that doesn’t run well), they don’t usually venture far from their homes.  

As a parent, I know that most parents want to live in a neighborhood where other families live, where traffic is minimal, and where there are places nearby for children to play. Venturing outside the proposed building with young children will mean being confronted daily with their questions about “why can’t we eat here?” and “will you buy me that?” This puts additional burdens on the low-income parent. Although Berkeley High School is nearby and the main library is two blocks away, there is no playground, ball field or park within easy walking distance. Kids could cross Oxford Street and play on the UC campus, although it is not really a park. Washington School is about four blocks away but requires crossing both busy Shattuck Avenue and MLK Jr. Way, and a low-income family might be tempted to use the dismal and unsafe playground at Civic Center Park.  

Perhaps the building’s plans include a courtyard with swings or a climbing structure, but the liability issues for the developers and/or building owners might prevent this. My guess is that young single adults will be the majority of tenants in this new building, and UC students wanting a shared housing arrangement will probably be those most interested in the larger units. If the City of Berkeley and its non-profit developers want to build more housing for low-income families, they need to think about the location of such a development and how that location can enhance the quality of life for those families. UC Berkeley has been offering affordable housing for students with children for many years, and those housing complexes include open space, parking and traffic controls, and play areas for children. The construction of a high-rise housing development for low-income families in the city center sounds vaguely like the disastrous urban development projects in Chicago and Detroit that were built in the 1960’s. I hope that our city planners and local government officials will carefully think through the long-term effects of such a project before proceeding with it.  

Sue Fischer is a Berkeley resident.

Hundreds of students, teachers, parents and education advocates will converge on Sacramento on Wednesday to pressure the state board of education to hold off on administering the high school exit exam, which they say unfairly punishes students who do not have access to quality education. 

The exit exam requirement was established as part of Gov. Gray Davis’s education reform package. It requires that high school graduates—beginning with the class of 2004— pass the exam in order to receive a diploma. But many of the 172,000 students who have been given multiple chances to pass the exam since 2001 have still not passed. Students from minority and low-income communities have traditionally been less likely to pass the exam than other groups. 

In response to concerns about the level of student preparedness, Jack O’Connell, Superintendent of Public Instruction, wrote a letter last month urging the board to vote for a two-year delay of the test. The board is expected to approve the delay, but critics say the board should vote to hold off on the adminstration of the test indefinitely until quality education is assured for all of the state’s students. Activists with the Campaign for Quality Education, a statewide coalition of education and civil rights groups calling for education reform, will participate in rallies, testify before the board, and meet with state legislators to make their case. 

“What we really want is for the state to delay the exit exam until they can ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn,” said Mike Chaves, spokesperson with Californians for Justice, a community-based group that advocates for low-income and minority students. “The first focus should be on addressing those schools that are providing a substandard education and fixing the real problems in schools and to make sure that students have a fair opportunity to learn.” 

The rally, which will include a speech by Assemblymember Loni Hancock, will begin at 10 a.m. in front of the State Education Building on the corner of 15th and N streets in Sacramento. The board is expected to discuss the exit exam issue at around 10:30 a.m.

Your June 27 editorial “It Could Get Worse” closes by urging the newly formed Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club to take “as part of its mission finding better Democrats for California races, so that we won’t be stuck with embarrassments like (Governor) Davis in the future.” We certainly intend to do our best to meet such a challenge. But you, like us, know this will be no easy matter. The challenge in getting better politicians into office lies in organizing and mobilizing a majority that will elect them. This might be relatively easy in Alameda County, but we’re not doing as well at the statewide level, or in most of the country. Indeed, we are witnessing a rightward shift that is fueled by an administration that is masterful at manipulating people’s fears and obfuscating the issues. 

On the one hand, we are faced with the most dangerous and destructive right-wing government in our country’s history. Every day it extends and consolidates its hold over our national life. It has immense resources, a carefully thought-out strategy, and the misplaced trust of a frightened public. On the other hand, we have a Democratic opposition that in spite of all its weaknesses is committed to the preservation of our basic constitutional liberties, respects what remains of our social contract, and seems to recoil from the Bush Administration’s proclivity for military adventure. However, this opposition is largely bereft of a clear, alternative direction for the country: a deficiency that has been one of the political right’s greatest strengths. 

While we must do everything we can to keep the right from gaining more power, we must also understand that we cannot stave it off for long by electing Democratic politicians who validate its message by retreating or, indeed, embracing its issues. 

We must do two different things at the same time. We must do what it takes to defeat the right at the polls and we have to find a way out of the ‘lesser evil’ trap. We have to create a progressive force that can present a vision of a new path forward for America, a vision that is serious, convincing, and practical. It must be capable of generating the moral capital and organizational energy to overcome the vast resources at the disposal of the right. We believe we see the seeds of such a movement in the progressive insurgency that is presently taking shape in the Democratic Party. Indeed, the impetus for our new Democratic Club came from a desire to participate in this process. 

As progressives we must recognize that our failure to elaborate a positive and realistic alternative vision for the development of our national community contributed to the appeal of the right’s message. Yes, we have had some good ideas. But we are divided up into single-issue groups, more often than not saying no to something – opposing changes and policies we don’t like. That’s not sufficient. We need an inspiring vision of America’s future. Not pie in the sky – but a serious, comprehensive proposal for improving life in our country. We, as a people, need to renew our collective covenant; we must invest in our social infrastructure (health, education, retirement), rebuild the sinews of our industrial economy and learn to better care for our planet that is home to all. We must reject the costly, destructive, and shameful pretensions to empire, recognizing that our nation’s security can only be achieved by working with – not against – the international community. 

We know of no shortcuts or easy answers. We have to think deeply, organize better, and put aside old formulas and pat answers. Most importantly, we must not despair. It seems to us that the right has lost faith in humanity’s future, searching for meaning in boundless acquisition and in the exercise of untrammeled power. Pessimism and disillusionment nourish the soil in which the right flourishes. In a world perceived as ‘zero-sum,’ where one person’s gain is another’s loss, where there are no possibilities of a brighter collective future, the politics of greed, and naked, cynical power win out.  

Our greatest strength is our love for our national community – our resolve to build an America that will be safer, more prosperous, and that will work better for all of us. 

As the Planet editorial noted, the WDRC had a standing room only crowd (160 persons) at its June meeting. Our next general meeting will be July 29 at 7 p.m. in larger quarters: the First Congregational Church at 27th and Harrison in Oakland. The agenda will focus on why and how progressives should fight the recall of Governor Gray Davis. 

Matthew Hallinan and Sandra Chelnov are co-chairs of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.

Residents who are cited for code violations—from parking junkers on city streets to illegally converting their garages—will now be able to appeal their citations a lot sooner. But they may also face higher fines if they’re found guilty. 

“It gives us more discretion in dealing with how penalities are doled out,” said Supervisor Gregory Daniel said. “The state law might establish a penalty at $100 or $150, but with an adminstrative review process you can get that up to $1,000.” 

The city recently announced the establishment of a zoning code enforcement unit within the city’s Office of Neighborhood Services. The new team will consist of four full-time city employees—three code enforcement officers and one supervisor—devoted to investigating community complaints about potential violations and expediting resolution to problems. The new unit specifically deals with building and zoning issues like storm water discharge and dumping, street vending violations, and public right-of-way issues. The code enforcement officers will also tip off other departments to violations of other codes, including health, environmental, housing, and fire laws. 

Supervisor Gregory Daniel likened the new unit to a swat team. “You send the regular cops out to the daily routine patrols. But if there’s a problem where you need skill, you need a marksman with special training,” he said. 

Daniel said under the previous system, there was only one code enforcer within the zoning department who handled complaints from neighbors or investigated violations. The aim of the new system, he said, is to improve the quality of life for all residents by cracking down on law-breakers and, in some cases, helping residents come into compliance with city law. 

“There are a lot of provisions saying what you can and can’t do. But the flip side of what we want to do is help you do what you want legally. So, for example, if a person spent ten grand to illegally convert their garage, we want to search out those resources that will help you bring the project into compliance. It would be pretty ugly if we made you tear it down and throw away $10,000.” 

Another component of the new system is the establishment of an adminstrative hearing process, which will allow residents to have their cases heard before an internal hearing body within the city manager’s office instead of going into municipal court, which often takes months or even years to resolve, Daniel said. The new appeals process for neighborhood complaints is similar to that used for parking tickets and business license issues. 

“Other cities are going toward this system,” said Daniel. “It cuts down on a lot of waste. We don’t have to spend a whole lot of staff time and resources sitting in a courtroom dealing with attorneys.” 

Daniel said the hearing officers are supplied by a private company with whom the city contracts. The two hearing officers will hear cases two days per week and be equipped to hear a total of 40 cases per week. 

The administrative hearing will also give the city more leeway on what types of penalties to impose because it is not limited by the parameters established by state criminal law. Under an administrative system, the city council establishes penalties for certain violations.  

“It gives us more discretion in dealing with how penalities are doled out,” Daniel said. “The state law might establish a penalty at $100 or $150, but with an adminstrative review process you can get that up to $1,000.” 

Jim Schevill was born in 1920, in a woodsy hillside Berkeley home that barely survived the great fire of 1923. His father was creator and chair of the romance languages department at UC, his mother an artist and a scholar of Navaho culture and mythology. Despite the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler, Jim might have been expected to live a quiet life, like his father and his neighbors, in the security of academia, or, at most, deviating from that path to a career in opera. (“A dream. I had a light baritone, and asthma.”) In either case, a fortunate birth, a comfortable, if not wealthy future.   

According to Jim, three experiences took him forever off the smooth path that seemed laid out for him. 

The first exploded on him when he was 17, visiting Europe with his mother. He went to Freiburg, Germany, to hook up with his friend Jack Kent (later UC City Planning Department, Berkeley City Council). That night their sleep was broken by strange street noises, fires, cries, the shattering of glass. It was what came to be known as Kristallnacht, the nationwide riots against the Jews, opening shot in the Holocaust. The next morning, sick with horror and disgust, Jim wrote his first poem (“a bad one, too angry”) and suddenly knew who he was. Since then he has written hundreds of poems, 30-odd plays, a novel, two biographies, scores of essays and lectures, and has edited several books. 

The second crisis came during World War II, after Jim had already survived two years in the army. In 1944, he was assigned to a German prisoner of war camp in Colorado. After learning that the prisoners in the camp were dominated, indeed terrorized, by the fervent Nazis among them, Eleanor Roosevelt proposed a secret “Nazi re-education” program, and Jim (at 24) was one of the officers assigned to design and implement the program. For Jim, this became another horrifying lesson in the persistence of evil in the minds of men. His one novel “The Arena of Ants” (1976) came out of this experience. 

The third experience took place when he was home again, five years later, and had just landed his first teaching job, at UC Extension. It was the time of the infamous Loyalty Oath—the stakes were high, a lifetime career perhaps—and the Oath destroyed relationships, cut deep wounds into the university a decade before the Civil Rights and FSM movements. Jim says, “How could I sign, after what I’d seen in Germany, and in that POW camp?” He refused, with a curt, blistering letter, and was promptly fired, effectively black-balled from public institutions indefinitely. “Best thing that ever happened to me. I was hired to teach humanities at California College of Arts and Crafts [1951-1957], met Diebenkorn, all those great artists.” Jim’s Loyalty Oath experience shines in his most widely produced play, “The Bloody Tenet,” (1957) about the trial of Roger Williams, also banished for “disloyalty.” 

As McCarthyism loosened its hold, Jim was hired at SF State (where he served on my MA orals committee, and I became one of the many people to whom he offered his loyal friendship—which might include advice on manuscripts, references for a job, housing—you name it). Until 1968 he wrote plays for the distinguished Actors Workshop (1955-1967, founded by SF State colleagues Jules Irving and Herbert Blau), and ran the SF State Poetry Center, which played a central role in what is now called the San Francisco Renaissance. “The important—and rare—thing we did was to make sure all kinds of poets were included in our public readings.” 

The Actors Workshop produced the first reading of the “Stalingrad Elegies” on KPFA (1965), a series of poems based on actual letters written by German soldiers dying in the snow under Hitler’s insane orders to attack Stalingrad in winter. These award-winning poems, which continue to move audiences, “came out of my concern about our country entering a new bloody conflict—Vietnam.”  

In 1968 Jim went to teach at Brown University, continuing to write poems that critically probed his country’s soul, many of them collected in “Ambiguous Dancers of Fame” (1987) and “The American Fantasies” (1983). Many more plays, short and long, were produced, including “Lovecraft’s Follies,” a dark satire on the scientific-military-industrial complex. “That was a high point, an excellent production in Providence, Rhode Island.” (1970) 

In 1988 Jim retired from Brown and moved back to Berkeley, where he lives with his wife Margot, former singer with the San Francisco Opera, now anthropologist and authority on Guatemalan textiles.  

When I asked Jim what he is working on now, his gentle eyes turned steely. “Some poems on the theme of Bush’s concept of evil.” 

You can hear James Schevill read some of his new poems at Berkeley Art Center (in Live Oak Park) on Saturday, July 19. The 6:30 reception is followed by a 7:30 reading. 

“I think I’m predisposed to really love books,” said Indigo Som. “I mean, we’re in Berkeley, right? One of the reasons I live here is because you walk down the street and you look in everybody’s windows and you see massive bookshelves and books overflowing. Right? You can see people walking down the street, reading as they’re walking down the street. You know? I love that.” 

Beyond loving books, Som, 37, makes books unlike any you’ll find in your mother’s library. Currently, two of Som’s books flutter as you walk past them, their pages mere stained gossamer silk and thread, pinned to the walls at the Berkeley Art Center. They are part of an exhibit, running through July 27, entitled “Unbound and Under Covers: Experiments in Visual Writing.”  

Exhibit curator and Oakland resident Jaime Robles explains Unbound’s perspective on the bookmaker’s art. 

“There’s no crossover between the visual and the verbal in western art, generally. Literature [is] on one side and then you have paintings and sculpture on the other side. You don’t have this kind of mix like you do in Asian cultures,” Robles said. “The show wasn’t meant to be about book arts, it’s more visual artists who are into the book form or who are interested in using it as a vehicle for the visual arts. What I wanted was people who had a very strong connection to writing, who either were writers or who were artists that had such a close connection to text and were such good writers that they could be considered writers primarily.”  

Robles, who edits the literary magazine Five Fingers Review, selected one of her own pieces for the show. Sheets of poetry, dipped in beeswax, are suspended over flickering candles. The pages seem to melt. The poem is a eulogy to her mother, whose cremains lay in an open dish beside the poem.  

Death, nature and family are themes that Unbound examines. Eight of the nine writer-artists in the show are women.  

“There certainly is a lot of work here that refers to family and mothers,” Robles acknowledged. “It’s primarily women artists. There’s a lot of things about mothers and home and family.” 

“Book arts is full of women,” Som agreed. “I’ll speculate that it has something to do with women being more trained or more accustomed to multi-tasking. Also there’s a lot of fine handwork involved and there’s a lot of crossover between the textile world and the book world, although we have our fair share of hot shot boys.”  

She laughed softly: “Mostly the women are in charge of a lot of it.” 

White haired and sturdy, Jerry Grigsby is neither female nor a book artist. A Berkeley hills resident, he regularly attends Berkeley Art Center events.  

“This is my second time through [this show] and every time I talk to somebody I tell them all about it,” Grigsby said. “It’s really beautiful, physically, without even going into the content of the word. Some of these pieces remind me of ‘Concrete Poetry,’ the kind of poetry that is just about the color and the shape of the sentences and the phrases just sort of carry something without even knowing what the words mean or what they’re saying. It becomes verbal on a personal level. As you see the objects they mean something or they bring up some kind of a memory.” 

Robles, who teaches creative writing and critical theory at New College in San Francisco and St. Mary’s in Orinda, deliberately elicited an evocative atmosphere for her exhibit.  

“It was meant to have an erotic side to it,” she said. “It also is meant to have a sleuth-like quality to it. When you say somebody is under cover, it’s not just under covers, but it has that quality of being subversive. I wanted it to have all of those word connotations.” 

That ambiguity worked for Som. In an art exhibit purporting to be about text and books, neither of Som’s two pieces have legible words or identifiable narrative.  

“There’s a lot of personal stuff that I didn’t think was necessary for a viewer to appreciate it. I wanted to communicate a feeling and not the specifics of what made me have that feeling,” she said. “They’re more about handwriting and the gestures of handwriting. I’ve always been interested in everything to do with the written word and so this was a way for me to draw and write at the same time but not say anything specific. 

“I think my fascination with language has a lot to do with the fact that I learned Chinese as a first language. There was a little lag time when I was monolingual, and I think that I became just really hyperaware of language, of the thing itself. I think the hyperawareness of language just makes you want to write and participate in the language that way.” 

When asked how her fluttering silk flags with indecipherable words can be called a book she replied: 

“It’s a book because there’s text, there’s sequence, there’re pages and because ...” she fades to a quiet murmur, “because I make a lot of books and I say it is a book.” 

Berkeley Art Center Web site: http://www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

"Unbound and Under Covers: Experiments in Visual Writing" is open through July 27, 2003 

IT BECAME NECESSARY TO DESTROY THE PLANET IN ORDER TO SAVE IT 

By Khalil Bendib 

Plan Nine Publishing, 160 pages, $15.95 

Berkeley resident Khalil Bendib, a cartoonist, sculptor and news commentator (KPFA “Voices of the Middle East”) has just published a collection of cartoons called “It Became Necessary to Destroy the Planet In Order to Save It.” Described as the “first ever book of political cartoons written from a Muslim-American perspective,” Bendib works hard to demystify widely held beliefs about Arabs and Muslims, including the notion that “Muslims don’t have a sense of humor.” 

A naturalized citizen born and raised in North Africa, at the age of 15 his first cartoons appeared in Algeria’s national weekly, Les Actualities. His initial (but not final) brush with censorship occurred at the Daily Trojan, the student newspaper at USC where he earned a master’s degree in Japanese language and culture. He then went on to a full-time job as a political cartoonist with the San Bernardino Sun. While there he received national attention for his work.  

Since leaving the Gannett newspaper chain, his cartoons have been featured in hundreds of small and mid-sized Muslim, Arab, African-American, Jewish and progressive on-line and print publications, including the Daily Planet. “It Became Necessary to Destroy the Planet In Order to Save It” contains cartoons previously published and many that have not yet been in print. 

The book is divided into 10 chapters that comment on elections, Sept. 11, the Middle East, social justice, militarism, government, economy, environment, sin and the almighty media. The chapters that worked best were sin and economy. The election cartoons were dated, the environment section overwhelming and the chapter on the Middle East was both thought-provoking and disturbing. 

Humor is subjective. And political humor can be downright dangerous. Bendib’s little book of cartoons will find an audience of enthusiastic fans as well as vigorous detractors, but as is stated in his energetic press releases, Bendib “has discovered that he fits perfectly within an America that has traditionally espoused the ideals of freedom of speech and tolerance and he would dream of living nowhere else on this planet.” 

Visit Bendib’s website at www.bendib.com/book. His book is available at Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, and at City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave., in San Francisco.

THE PIRATES AND THE MOUSE: 

Disney’s War Against the Counterculture 

By Bob Levin 

Fantagraphics Press, 266 pages, $24 

Tearing down symbols is an evolutional inevitability of civilization. If you’re a symbol, whether a statue in Baghdad or a Connecticut WASP who’s made a fortune marketing lifestyle products to insecure homemakers, sooner or later, you’re coming down. And apparently, cartoon mice are not immune to this phenomenon. 

Berkeley author Bob Levin’s new book, “The Pirates and The Mouse: Disney’s War Against the Counterculture” faithfully documents the story of a group of young outlaw cartoonists calling themselves the Air Pirates who set about tearing down, what must be for every cartoonist, the ultimate symbol of corporate domination in their medium—Mickey Mouse. 

The book follows Dan O’Neill, a comic strip prodigy who, in the early 1960s at the age of 21, had a nationally syndicated comic strip and a home at the San Francisco Chronicle. As the sixties progressed O’Neill became more and more submersed in the exploding counterculture of the Bay Area, and his strip “Odd Bodkins” became stranger and stranger. Eventually O’Neill offended or alienated everybody in mainstream publishing, was fired from the Chronicle and had his strip dropped from every newspaper in the country. (It is now published weekly in the Berkeley Daily Planet.) 

Undeterred by his career setbacks, O’Neill, who by the late sixties had become a sort of hippie Hunter S. Thompson for the comic book set, formed the Air Pirates and dedicated them to attacking Mickey Mouse as a corporate raider of the American psyche and a symbol of cultural imperialism. 

The Pirates started producing and distributing comic books that portrayed Mickey and his pals engaging in vivid sex acts, swearing like sailors and doing or dealing large amounts of various drugs. Disney found out about the comic books, and having spent 30 years cultivating a squeaky clean image, was not amused at seeing Minnie performing oral sex on Mickey. The Mouse House laid down a copyright infringement lawsuit the size of Magic Mountain and tied up the Pirates in court for a decade. The ensuing battle changed the lives of everyone involved. 

Levin’s book, which contains several pages of original Air Pirates artwork, covers a lot of ground. He weaves his tale around a well-detailed backdrop of the social state of the nation and Bay Area during the1960s, throwing in a history of the comic book industry, a synopsis of Disney’s evolution as a media conglomerate and an insightful snapshot of copyright law.  

However, while following the Pirates’ case as it meanders through the courts, Levin goes a bit off course. Levin is an author and an attorney. And it shows. At times the detailing of legal minutia asks the reader to share the same love of the law that Levin possesses, and ultimately that draws away from the narrative.  

Otherwise, the book hums along nicely, with particularly astute observations regarding the way Disney, while cornering the global market on the childhood dreams, had “appropriated, emasculated and sugar coated not only America’s folklore, but the world’s fairytales and myths.” 

In fact, Disney did seem to have a hand in every child extortion scheme going back then. The Mouse had his little white gloves in everything from major motion pictures to apparel like Davy Crockett hats. (Licensing agreements were the major source of revenue for the company at the time.) From television shows like “The Mickey Mouse Club” to theme parks like Disneyland, Mickey was truly a corporate titan. As such, for 1960s revolutionaries, baby boomers raised on the Magic Kingdom, Mickey Mouse was a near perfect symbol of middle-class conformity and intellectual homogenization. 

Bob Levin has written a good, fair, detailed account of Dan O’Neill and the Air Pirates self-destructive obsession with ripping off, and tearing down, Disney. (And after all the dust settles, their rationalization for doing so almost holds up.) 

Levin’s book nearly becomes a cautionary tale of what happens when people are foolish enough to cross the powers that be. But in the end, it doesn’t matter who lost or who won the legal case; Disney went on to generate enormous profits in the eighties under the leadership of Michael Eisner, and the Air Pirates went on to become legends of the comic book underground. Today, original Air Pirates artwork fetches outrageous sums of money at comic book conventions all over the nation.  

The emotions that incubated and fueled the counterculture movement of the sixties have long since flamed out; but the Air Pirates, by taking direct aim at the heart of an American icon, did nothing less than claim their place in a revolution.

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL SILVERMAN 

By Theodore Roszak 

Leap Frog Press, 329 pages, $15.95 

For starters, what is a gay, Jewish humanist writer named Daniel Silverman, from San Francisco, doing accepting a speaking engagement at the evangelical Faith College in North Fork, Minn.? 

According to Silverman’s no-nonsense agent Hanna, it’s all for a badly needed twelve grand, that’s what, a fee he doesn’t dare refuse now that his cachet has fallen in the literary world. About the speech, Hanna cautions, “Just make it not so Jewish ... A little Jewish is okay.” And, she reminds him, Silverman’s sequin-chemise wearing black boyfriend Marty of many years is absolutely out!  

Not unlike a fairytale, wherein interdictions are introduced only later to be violated, Berkeley author Theodore Roszak sets the trap of searing social critique about the dark, myopic side of religion, taking on with guns loaded the zealotry of the religious right that relies on a party line of intolerance and hatred.  

Silverman’s hosts, the Swensons, at first appear to be genuinely interested in exchanging ideas, but not so, Silverman discovers, with the rest of the Free Reformed Evangelical Brethren in Christ who ferociously adhere to a single-minded notion of a vengeful God. Their way is the only right way, and everyone else is going to hell. Not surprisingly, the premise means that Silverman is ambushed by a lineup of characters, including homophobes and Holocaust deniers, not the least of which are embodied in the avid gay-hater Mrs. Blore and the virulent Jew-hater the Reverend Apfel, who informs Silverman the Holocaust has been grossly over-exaggerated and an invention of the “liberal Jewish media.” In fact, the Holocaust, for many at Faith College, refers to aborted fetuses, pictures of whom are presented like the slaughter of the innocents. 

So as our rough beast from Sin City slouches toward the podium to deliver his talk, every wary eye in the house is on him. Given his rising dismay and anger to the verbal assaults he’s endured, Silverman, who was never the “good Jew” his religious Grandpa Zvi had always hoped he would be, feels compelled now to confront the savagery of his audience’s bigotry toward Jews, toward gays, et cetera. I won’t give the delicious text of the speech away, but let’s just say that afterward, pandemonium breaks out, with a near riot. 

But Silverman, poised for quick flight, is in for another surprise. The overnight has been turned upside down by the Minnesota weather gods, who now conspire with a blizzard of Wagnerian proportions that makes escape impossible. Post-speech, the instant pariah Silverman is consigned to his room and the library, a virtual prisoner of Faith College. Desperate, he debates his options when three students, known as the committee for the Religious Humanism Studies Program, cautiously approach Silverman to praise him for his bravery. They fear for themselves and ask for his help in escaping the college. “You think I’m running an underground railroad?” says Silverman. “Give me a break.” (p 245) 

Inflected with humor, the book functions as a contemporary parable about intolerance and bigotry, and the dangers of subscribing to any philosophy that insists you cease to think broadly and critically. 

Its scathing indictment of the nasty power of the Christian right hits the bull’s-eye in today’s political climate. It is a timely story, openly challenging notions of what passes for “religion.” Roszak doesn’t hesitate to meet mean-spirited, narrow-minded bigotry head on, taking the opportunity to explore also the tenets of Judaism and Silverman’s conflicts with his own humanist vision. The moral of the tale is underscored throughout with bumper sticker conciseness: “There is no room for intolerance.” 

At times Roszak seems to push too hard to make his point, and the characters occasionally lapse into the allegorical, more like embodiments of abstract ideas, without sufficient complexity. At times the deck is so stacked, particularly in his representation of the Christian Midwest, that the story loses some of the power it might have gained if we were seduced at first by the “banality of evil,” a picturesque small town, which perhaps might have initially invoked nostalgic Rockwell-esque images. The premise seems pitched to an “already enlightened,” reader (presumably someone from the Bay Area whose cue is to nod in agreement, but who is never really implicated the way, say, the reader in a Flannery O’Connor story is. As a result, the higher moral ground is too easily reached. Having lived in both the Bay Area and the Midwest (and there is arguably a good deal of anti-gay, racist sentiment floating around), I think Roszak missed an opportunity to explore the converse of stereotypes associated with each locale. Certainly the Bay Area has its share of the religious right, and the Midwest has plenty of leftist activists. 

While the Swenson character obviously is meant to stand in some contrast to the openly bigoted zealotry of other characters at Faith College, a more balanced exploration of systems of belief might have yielded an even more terrifying cautionary tale. Openly hate-filled bigots wielding signs with aborted fetuses, as disturbing as that image is, are not nearly as frightening as those whose bigotry and intolerance manifest themselves in far more subtle and insidious ways, often under the guise of liberal or carefully thought-out attitudes. It is why a well-spoken, figure like Ralph Reed, the father of the religious right, was ultimately more worrisome than the small-town preacher who periodically brings his tribe to Bloomington, where I now live, to rant that “God hate fags.” Even in his own small, conservative Indiana town, this particular person is considered a fringe lunatic. 

A comic relief sub-plot of the book comments on the act of writing itself, and what it means to be a writer in the age of corporate control and the primacy of the Internet. Silverman fears he may be a has-been and experiments mentally with various story lines that could lead to a rebirth. Over and over, his active imagination conjures up figures from literature and Jewish folktales, as well as his patriarchal Grandpa Zvi, with whom he holds conversations and dialogs, all of which will eventually lead to a “new book.” Mentally narrating his life as he goes, Silverman makes an observant outsider, simultaneously confronting his own demons, both of the writing and spiritual variety.  

Even at one of the most crucial moments in the book, after a desperate escape attempt that results in near-death, Silverman resorts to the refuge of imagination, “Click! Went his writer’s memory, quickly capturing the moment of truth that was flying by. But when am I ever going to stick that in a novel? he wondered.” 

And, more importantly, perhaps, how will “homo-terrorist” Silverman ever find his way home, Auntie Em? Perhaps, Roszak seems to be saying, we can all find our way there by recognizing an all-encompassing God who embraces the pluralistic products of His imagination with equal love. 

Alyce Miller is a Bay Area transplant to the Midwest, where she has been a professor of English for eight years in the graduate creative writing program at Indiana University in Bloomington. She is the author of two books of fiction, and more than 100 stories, poems, and essays. Her work has won the Flannery O’Connor Award, Kenyon Review Award for Literary Excellence in Fiction, and the Lawrence Prize. She just completed a J.D. at the Indiana University School of Law.  

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX 

By JK Rowling 

Scholastic, 870 pages, $29.95 

It was worth the wait. 

The fifth installment of the Harry Potter series, released last month, takes a darker, more adult approach to the story of the young wizard. Harry is, after all, 15 years old by the time the book begins, and author JK Rowling paints the title character as a rapidly maturing young adult with a more advanced set of challenges and ideas to face. But though the tone of the book changes in “The Order of the Phoenix,” the best parts of the first four books remain, creating a story that is just as good as the first four—but with a new twist. 

The darker mood that pervades the book may come as a shock to its younger readers, but it is exactly what Rowling needed to prevent her latest offering from becoming derivative from the first four. There are only so many times a young wizard can come face-to-face with pure evil without thinking about the link between the two. In “Order of the Phoenix,” Harry does exactly that, and in time learns about a tangled web of familial relations, wizarding feuds and ancient prophesies that have put him in position to fight Lord Voldemort on behalf of the entire magical community. 

The best parts, then, are not the many action sequences but the descriptions of Harry’s internal struggle. He experiences a series of frightening dreams about walking alone down a dark hallway, only to find a locked door. He escapes his home with his awful Muggle relatives, only to find that the best parts of his life at school have all but disappeared. Most of all, Harry grapples with the same ideas that every young teenager does: he realizes his parents, teachers and heroes are, in fact, fallible. 

“The world is not split up into good people and Death Eaters,” Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, says, blurring lines the younger Harry would not have thought to question. 

It is precisely this depiction of Harry’s transition into adulthood that makes readers keep turning the pages in anticipation of the next adventure. If the highlights of the book are the exciting scenes—the vivid dreams, duels with Voldemort and Quidditch matches—the backbone of the story is Harry’s position as a (mostly) typical teenage boy. He develops a crush on a girl, then suffers the humiliation of botching their first date. He fights with his friends, stresses over exams and most often would rather be flying on his broomstick than studying potions or charms. 

The book begins slowly, with a sequence of events that make little sense as they happen. The action picks up as the reader gradually learns more background information. But about two-thirds of the way in, the story starts to drag, losing itself in a seemingly endless string of educational decrees designed to control wizarding students. 

The plot structure has become formulaic by now, and devotees can predict exactly when Harry will make his crucial mistake; when he will engage in the climactic battle with Voldemort; when his fellow students will come to revere him as a hero. But rather than making the book feel like a carbon copy of its predecessors, the familiar structure gives it the feeling of a classic. Rowling’s strength as a writer is her storytelling; plot construction is a secondary issue. 

Though younger readers may get lost in the book’s complexities and dark themes, the familiarity of the characters and story line will keep them reading. But the target audiencehas aged alongside Harry. Those who started with the first book upon its release in 1998 are now five years older, making the 10-year-old crowd a mature group of high schoolers in 2003. Those young teens are the ones who will best relate to Harry’s challenges, and as Harry grows another year older by the time the next book comes out, readers can look for the sixth book to continue the maturing trend.

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

The state Legislature’s failure to pass a budget on time is creating short-term financial headaches for public and private agencies in Berkeley and could lead to the temporary closure of a local community college and the elimination of vital health care services if the stalemate lingers into the fall, according to education and health care officials. 

“This is a bad situation,” said Shirley Fogarino, spokesperson for Berkeley’s Vista Community College, who warned that the school may have to close its doors in September or October. 

Late budgets are nothing new in Sacramento. This year marks the 17th time in 26 years that the June 30 deadline has come and gone without a final budget. But a May ruling by the State Supreme Court has upped the ante—preventing the state from making a host of interim payments while the Legislature gets its act together. 

Under the court ruling, the state cannot make a $200 million monthly payment to California community colleges due in late July and can make only partial payments to K-12 education. In addition, trial courts and certain health care programs will face delayed checks, Cal Grants for college students will be withheld and the University of California will receive funding for payroll expenses alone.  

The state will reimburse the funding for all programs when the Legislature passes a final budget, but education and health care advocates say they will feel the pinch in the meantime. 

Karen Grimsich, executive director of Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay, said her agency stands to lose $12,500 monthly payment from the state during the budget crisis—a delay the program cannot afford. 

“You can’t take a break from having Alzheimer’s,” she said. 

Grimsich said the center, which serves about 100 clients at facilities in Berkeley and Hayward, also faces delays from city and county officials who are waiting for state dollars before doling out funds. 

“All of that is slowing down,” said Grimsich, estimating that 20 percent of her $2 million budget may be affected. “Everyone is frozen.” 

The economic downturn has already hurt Alzheimer’s Services, she said, cutting gifts from private foundations. With a shrinking budget, the agency shortened its hours and laid off three staffers in April and is planning to refinance its building. But even with the cuts, the center faces a $40,000 to $50,000 deficit. 

“We’re going to get right down to the wire now running out of cash,” said Grimsich, who warned that the program could be forced to close in the fall if the state’s budget crisis lingers. 

David Dowell, associate vice chancellor for budget and finance for the Peralta Community College District, which oversees Vista in Berkeley and three other schools in the East Bay, said the district stands to take a $3 million hit this month when the state ends its $200 million monthly payment to community colleges across the state. 

Dowell said Peralta can tap a $5 million reserve and $36 million in bond money to get through October, but will run into trouble if the stalemate in Sacramento bleeds into the late-fall. 

“We’re better off than a lot of districts because we happen to have more reserves,” he said. “Some will close their doors in September.” 

Peralta, anticipating heavy cuts when the state passes a final budget, has already chopped $11 million from its $87 million budget and plans to cut 10 percent of its classes system-wide in the fall, putting dozens of part-time instructors out of work. Vista, in particular, is laying the groundwork for a 25 percent to 30 percent cut in courses, according to Fogarino. 

The University of California is in better shape. Their faculty and staff are considered state employees and must be paid. The court, however, has ruled that the state must revert to paying most of its employees minimum wage with no budget in place.  

State Controller Steve Westly originally balked at enforcing the minimum wage provision, arguing that it was too complicated to reconfigure the payroll system. But he said last week that he would make the shift by late August or September. 

“That is certainly a concern, but it’s a concern for late in the summer,” said UC spokesperson Brad Hayward. 

In the meantime, UC will not receive funding for non-payroll expenses, shutting off the dollars it uses to pay vendors. But Hayward said the university’s payments to vendors typically lag a couple of months behind services. So in July and August, the university will be paying its May and June bills with last year’s money. However, if the crisis lingers into late-August, Hayward said, it would “certainly be a problem.” 

Hayward said UC should also be able to handle delayed payments for Cal Grants in the short term. Faced with a similar crisis last year, the university stepped in to bridge the gap for UC Berkeley students, who start school in August. UC hopes to do the same this year, Hayward said, but could run into trouble in late September when classes begin at its other eight campuses, which are on the quarter system. 

Eric Smith, associate superintendent of business and operations for the Berkeley Unified School District, said the delayed payments should only affect about 10 percent of the school budget. The district will make up the shortfall by borrowing dollars from a number of its special funds to buttress its general fund. State law allows the district to pursue this strategy for 120 days, Smith said.

FRIDAY, JULY 4 

Independence Day, City of Berkeley Offices Closed 

Pools are open! Come swim at your neigborhood pool. Willard Pool, Telegraph at Derby, 1 - 4 p.m.; King Pool, Hopkins at Colusa, 1 - 4 p.m.; and West Campus Pool, Brow- 

ning at Addison, 1:30 - 4 p.m. For more Berkeley Aquatics information call 981-5150.  

July 4 at the Berkeley Marina, sponsored by the City of Berkeley. Free celebration from noon to 10 p.m. with two stages for live music, arts and crafts, free sailboat rides, bicycle parade at 7 p.m. and a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. “Operation Kidprint,” a program of the Berkeley Police Department will provide parents with their children’s fingerprints at no cost. Valet bicycle parking available free of charge. Personal fireworks and alcohol are forbidden. Cars must be in by 7 p.m., and will not be permitted out until after 10 p.m. 981-7000. 

Evening Canoe Outing with Save the Bay Celebrate the 4th away from the crowds, paddling through Oakland’s serene Arrowhead Marsh, from 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is $25 for STB members, $30 for non-members. To register or for more information call 542-9261. www.savesfbay.org 

World One Festival, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Cerrito Park, El Cerrito. Music includes classical Indian dance, global fusion, bluegrass, reggae, capoeira, roots, and African. Sponsored by the City of El Cerrito, and 88.1 KeCg 97.7. For information contact  

worldone@worldoneradio.org 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, 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. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 496-6000, ext. 135. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, JULY 5 

Living House Construct a trellis for a garden and plant beans that will climb up and bring shade. From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Free. Wheelchair accessible. 525-2233.  

Sick Plant Clinic UC Botanical Garden experts diagnose your plant woes from 9 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden 

Rattlers! Learn abut the only poisonous snake in the park and meet its very common harmless mimic. Bring the whole family. From 1 to 3 p..m. at Tilden Nature Area. Free. Wheelchair accessible. 525-2233.  

SUNDAY, JULY 6 

War Tax Resistance Information and Gathering Find out ways to respond to the use of our tax dollars for the military, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. 843-9877.  

Butterfly Count Our native plant garden is blooming. Learn to identify the local species to add to our butterfly list. From 1 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Free. 525-2233.  

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Culture from 3 to 5 p.m. and Betty Cook on “Maps to Enlightenment” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, JULY 7 

Berkeley Biodiesel Cooperative Orientation for those interested in making biodiesel welcome, at 7:30 p.m. Call for location, 594-4000 ext. 777. biobauerx@hotmail.com 

Berkeley CopWatch meets at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, JULY 8 

Bamboo Building, a class on using timber bamboo in construction, and proper tool usage and joinery, with Darrel DeBoer, at 7 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $35. For information call 525-7610.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 525-3565. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 

Twilight Tour: Off the Beaten Path, a walk through some of the more unusual and less-known parts of the Garden with horticulturist Judith Finn, at 5:30 p.m. at the UC Botannical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden 

South Berkeley Mural Project Join neighbors to create a mural on the side of the Grove Liquor Store on the corner of Ashby Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Studios at 1923 Ashby Ave. For further information on ways to get involved please call 644-2204. 

THURSDAY, JULY 10 

The City of Berkeley Young Adult Project Annual Community-Wide Picnic from  

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grove Playground located at 1730 Oregon Street. All youth are invited to participate. Group Games at 10 a.m., lunch and prize drawing at noon, KMEL Radio Station Dance Contest for 10-14 year-olds and Magic Show at 1 p.m. 

Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Prize winner and founder of the “Green Revolution,” will speak on “60 Years of Fighting Hunger,” at 7:30 p.m. in 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley. 643-4200. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers meets at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave. at 7:30 p.m. For information contact rorlando@uclink4. 

berkeley.edu  

Lawyers in the Library at 6 p.m. at the South Branch, 1901 Russell. 981-6260. 

ONGOING 

National HIV Testing Month The City of Berkeley offers free HIV testing, drop in on Satur- 

days from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays 6 to 8:30 p.m., during July, at 830 University Ave. at 6th St. For other days and times call the HIV Testing Information Line at 981-5380.  

Summer Fun Camps for Children and Teens, from age five and up are offered at Berkeley recreation centers and include such activities as arts and crafts, swimming and tennis lessons, yoga, organized sports and games, and field trips. The Summer Fun Camp Program runs through August 22, Mon. - Fri., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fee, including lunch and snack, is $77 per week for Berkeley residents. Applications for the camps can be picked up at the Camps Office, located at 2016 Center St., or can be mailed upon request. 981-5150. 

Echo Lake Youth Camp for ages 6 - 12 at Echo Lake, near South Lake Tahoe. One week sessions are offered between July 7 and August 22. Cost is $235 per session. For registration information please visit the Camps Office at 2016 Center St., or call 981-5150. 

Free Quit Smoking Class on six Monday evenings, from 6 to 8 p.m., starting July 14th, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. To register or for more information contact the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program, 981-5330 or QuitNow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Bay Area Technology Education Collaborative, a community non-profit offers low-cost training in Computer Information Technology. Free orientation on July 9, classes start July 14. For information call 451-7300, ext. 604. www.baytec.org 

Summer Science Weeks: Mammals and Birds Pick apart an owl pellet, prepare a mammal baby announcement, and discover your home range. For ages 9 to 12 years. Monday, July 14 – Friday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $150 for Berkeley residents, $166 for non-residents. Financial assistance is available for low-income families. Registration required. For information call 636-1684.  

Free Energy Conservation Retrofits for Berkeley Residents CA Youth Energy Services (CYES) is a nonprofit sponsored by the City of Ber- 

keley that trains and employs high school students to provide conservation retrofits. Work includes weatherstripping, replacing lightbulbs with CFLs, cleaning refrigerator coils, replacing faucet aerators and showerheads with low-flow devices, installing earthquake preparedness measures, and a comprehensive audit. Available to home owners and renters.Call for an appointment. 428-2357. 

www.risingsunenergy.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Monday, July 7, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St., Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

City Council meets Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. in City Council hambers, Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

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

Peace and Justice Commission meets Monday, July 7, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

Youth Commission meets Monday, July 7, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

Commission on Disability meets Wednesday, July 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Paul Church, 981-6342. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/disability 

Homeless Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/homeless 

Planning Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruth Grimes, 981-7481. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Barbara Attard, 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/policereview 

Waterfront Commission meets Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti. 644-6376 ext. 224. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/waterfront 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/earlychildhoodeducation  

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Community Health Commission meets Thursday, July 10 at 6:45 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/health 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thursday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5410. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/zoning

Just after we took on the job of resurrecting the Berkeley Daily Planet, Mayor-elect Tom Bates got some bad publicity for trashing copies of the Daily Californian which endorsed his opponent. Wags opined that if he’d recycled them instead, it would have been less shocking to Berkeley. Friends suggested to us that the first edition of the revived Planet should be headlined “Steal This Paper,” homage (for those of you too young to remember) to yippie Abbie Hoffman’s “Steal This Book.” The idea made us laugh, but we didn’t use it. 

It’s funny to think that you can steal something free, but it’s actually illegal to take more than your share of copies of free papers. This law was enacted to prevent recyclers from taking papers from news racks and selling them as waste paper. It hasn’t stopped the practice, but it’s slowed it down. 

People still, unfortunately, steal newspapers when they disagree with their content. Recently, copies of the Daily Cal were snatched, probably because the snatchers thought that a news story had been reported in a racist way. We sympathize, but it’s just a bad idea to try to suppress speech you disagree with. The best antidote to speech you don’t like is more speech. Rather that stealing those papers, the critics should have written to the Daily Cal, or to other publications if the Daily Cal rejected their letters, explaining exactly why the coverage seemed racist, and what the alternative should have been. That way, everyone learns something. 

Which brings us to the crisis du jour. When the last two issues of the Daily Planet went on the stands, last Tuesday and Friday, we received early morning calls from concerned readers saying there were no copies at their regular pickup points at nine in the morning. Copies are dropped early on publication day, and they usually take at least a day to disappear into the hands of readers. We’d love to believe that we’ve had a sudden and dramatic surge in readership, but we don’t really think that’s the case. 

Last Friday, one reported empty box was near Andronico’s on University, close to the building project at 1392 University which was pictured on the front page of that edition. Maybe the construction workers took a bunch of copies home to show to their families. On Tuesday, eight boxes on North Shattuck were cleaned out by 9:30 a.m. Each had been filled with at least a hundred copies a couple of hours before. There’s no easy explanation for this loss. 

There are two obvious possibilities. First, someone could be stealing newspapers to sell for recycling. It does seem odd, though, that the other free papers in the same locations were still there after the Planet disappeared. The other possibility is more disheartening. Maybe the editorial content rubbed someone the wrong way. But it is completely unnecessary to destroy copies of the Planet to express a different point of view. The opinion pages are always open to dissent. We love dissent. Controversy sells papers. 

We haven’t reported this problem to the police, because we think they probably have better things to do. But we would like to enlist the help of our loyal readers, particularly the early risers among you. Please call the Planet office, 841-5600, if you see anyone taking lots of papers out of boxes. A couple of our distributors do pick up copies for re-distribution from boxes, so you shouldn’t assume that the person you see doing this is a thief. Just give us a description, and we’ll check it out. And of course call us when any box is empty for any reason, and we’ll get it re-filled. 

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, this is the Planet’s Fourth of July editorial. We’ve always liked the free speech part of the patriotic ideology, even though it’s honored more often in the breach than in the observance. Increasingly, protecting free speech is everyone’s job—we certainly can’t rely on the Bush government to do it for us. So please help the Planet keep information flowing. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Planet. 

FRIDAY, JULY 4 

FILM 

“Gridlock” Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth play addicts fighting bureaucracy to get help, at 8:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. Free, sponsored by N.E.E.D. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tropical Vibrations, Harry Best and Shabang perform a mix of Caribbean styles at 9 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

SixFourTwo and My Hero perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Celebrate END Dependence Day in collaboration with Underground Railroad and Brown Fist Collective at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

www.lapena.org 

Mimi Fox Trio performs at 9:30 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

S.T.F.U., Critical Unit, Dead Fall, D.F.A., Strung Up perfrom 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, JULY 5 

FILM 

“War Game” a British docu- 

drama on the horrific possibilities of an atomic holocaust, at 8:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. 540-0751.  

www.thelonghaul.org  

Aki Kaurismäki: “Crime and Punishment” at 5 and 8:45 p.m. and “Hamlet Goes Business” 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 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading from 3 to 5 p.m., at the West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. Free. For information call 527-9905.  

poetalk@aol.com 

Aphrodite Jones reads from her new book, “Red Zone,” about the San Francisco dog-mauling case, at 5:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Celebrate END Dependence day in collaboration with Underground Railroad and Brown Fist Collective at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Benefit for Lynn Morris with Peter Rowan, True Blue and Earl Brothers at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $18.50 advance, $19.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Vince Black with Root Awakening perform socially conscious reggae classics at 9:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Noche Flamenca from Madrid performs at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42. 642-9988.  

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Pernice Brothers, Warren Zanes and Heavenly States perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Collective Amnesia at 9:30 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

The Cost, From Monument to Masses, Red Light Sting, 1905, The Cinema Eye 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, JULY 6 

FILM 

Aki Kaurismäki: “Leningrad Cowboys Go America” at 5:30 p.m. and “Hamlet Goes Business” at 7:10 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 

Poetry Flash at Cody’s with G. P. Skratz and Summer Brenner at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Noche Flamenca from Madrid performs at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus at 7 p.m. Tickets are $42. 642-9988.  

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Teka brings an evening of Hungarian music and dance to Ashkenaz, at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $12. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

MONDAY, JULY 7 

FILM 

“Unprecedented,” a documentary about how the 2000 Presidential Election was manipulated to ignore the actual vote and allow five U.S. Supreme Court Justices to appoint George Bush to the White House, at 3 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Free. Sponsored by the Berkeley Peace Vigil. Information about the documentary is available at www.unprecedented.org  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Christopher Moore reads from “Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Bob Levin discusses how communal-living cartoonists provoked the ire of Disney in his new book, “The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney’s War Against the Underground,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

www.blackoakbooks.com 

Last Word Poetry, featuring Kirk Lumpkin and Mary Rudge, at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Bookstore, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Poetry Express, open mic night, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Sassafras, Shotgun’s 11th Anniversary Spendalicious Silent Auction Family Reunion and Supperganza. Come have dinner, enjoy live music and support the Shotgun Players, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are sliding scale $11-$111. For reservations call Kimberly 704-8210 ext. 317.  

Bandworks Student Recital, featuring rock, blues and pop at 7:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

TUESDAY, JULY 8 

FILM 

Sarunas Bartas: “Corridor” 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 

Terry and Stevie Halbert  

discuss their new book “Expedition America: A National Park Odyssey,” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 843-3533.  

www.easygoing.com 

Ksenija Soster Olmer, Sande Smith and Inez Hollander Lake, authors of “A Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Daughters” will read at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861.  

Berkeley Summer Poetry with Danielle Willis at 7 p.m. at Mediterranean Cafe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. For more information contact lucifersmuse@hotmail.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Grupa Maistori performs traditional Bulgarian village music at 9 p.m., with a dance lesson with Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi at 7:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Mimi Fox Solo Guitar at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

All Strings Considered, hammer dulcimer virtuosos Jamie Janover and Michael Masley with bassists Michael Manring and Jim Prescott, 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 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 

FILM 

Excess of Evil: “The Devils” at 7:30 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 

Labor Fest 10th Anniversary Celebration, “From Piers to Plantations, a Union in Hawaii” by Ian Ruskin. The story of Harry Bridges in Hawaii. Japanese labor songs by Tanbaka Tetsuro. At 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org For more information about the film call 415-642-8066. www.labornet.net 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Heidi Julavits talks about her novel, “The Effect of Living Backwards,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Jim Paul reads from his new novel, “Elsewhere in the Land of Parrots,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Café Poetry and open mic hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Donation requested. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Chris and Cassie Webster with Scott Nygaard, sister harmony with guitar, 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 

Tangria Jazz Group presents a free evening of jazz and literature at 7 p.m. at The Jazz House. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.org 

Astash and Shabaz present an evening of qwaali-sufi-world music, at 9 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

THURSDAY, JULY 10 

FILM 

Aki Kaurismäki: “Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana” at 7:30 p.m. and “Drifting Clouds” at 8:50 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 

Guided Tour of “Paul Kos: Everything Matters” at 12:15 p.m. at The Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu  

Melanie Bellah reflects on the death of a child in “Abby and Her Sisters: A Memoir,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Vanishing Tribes of Burma/Myanmar slide show and talk with Philip Hassrick, co-founder of Lost Frontiers, at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 843-3533. www.easygoing.com 

Merle Updike Davis reads from her memoir and history of social work, “Ties Across Time,” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

Lesbians Across the Country Project, slide presentation and talk with the photographer Angela Dawn, at 7 p.m. at Boadecia's Books 398 Colusa Ave., Kensington. 559-9184. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Summer Noon Concert Downtown with the Charles Wheal Band performing a mix of Chicago, Texas and West Coast blues, at the Berkeley BART Station. Seating available. Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association. 549-2230. 

Bandworks Student Recital, featuring rock, blues and pop at 7:30 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4. 525-5054.  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Chus Alonzo’s Potingue Ensemble performs contemporary Flamenco and Latin Music at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Trailer Park Troubadours, folkabilly originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advan- 

ce, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Leslie Helpert and Reorchestra perform at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

Keni el Lebrijano Flamenco Guitar at 8 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810. 

AT THE THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “The Bacchae,” directed by David Stein. Euripedes’ play about Dionysus and his revenge against a hateful king. Sat. and Sun., through July 6, at 5:30 p.m., outdoors in John Hinkle Park, off The Arlington at Southampton Ave. and Somerset Place. Free. 525-1620. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theater Company, “Thérèse Raquin,” by Emile Zola, directed by Tom Ross. A sinister tale set among the lower classes in nineteenth-century Parisian society. Runs through July 27, at 2081 Addison St. Tickets are $32 and $34.  

843-4822.  

www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater, “The Guys,” by Anne Nelson, directed by Robert Egan. Through July 5, Tues. - Sun., call for starting times. $10-$54. The Roda Theater, 2016 Addison St. 647-2918. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Festival runs through October 22. Performances this year will be Julius Caesar, Arms and the Man, Measure for Measure, and Much Ado About Nothing. Please call for dates and times. The Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda. 548-9666.  

www.calshakes.org  

Central Works Theater Ensemble, “The Wyrd Sisters” directed by Jan Zvaifler. Through July 27, Thurs. - Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 5 p.m. No performance July 4 or 24. At the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $8-$20 sliding scale. For reservations call 558-1381. 

foolsFury, “Attempts on her Life,” by Martin Crimp, directed by Ben Yalom, July 11, 12, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. at LaVal’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid at Hearst. Tickets are $20 general, $15 students and seniors.  

1-866-GOT-FURY.  

www.foolsfury.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

ACCI Gallery, “Barococo” ceramics by Tony Natsoulas. Exhibition runs until July 14. Gallery hours are Mon. - Thurs. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave.  

843-2527. acciart@aol.com, www.accigallery.com 

Addison Street Windows, “Windows” An all-media exhibit by San Francisco Women Artists, July 10 through August 11. 2018 Addison St. 658-0585. For information on the artists call 524-8538.  

Albany Community Center Arts Foyer Gallery, “Many Faces of the Middle East” Photographs by Ed Kinney, through July 11. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. 1249 Marin Ave., Albany. 524-9283. 

The Ames Gallery, “Conversations with Myself” Works by Barry Simons. Paintings and collages incorporating the artist’s original poetry. By appointment or chance. Exhibition runs until August 15. 2661 Cedar St. 845-4949. www.amesgallery.com  

Berkeley Art Center, “Unbound and Under Covers,” Visual writing: spoken word performances and book exhibition runs to July 27. Curated by Jaime Robles. Work and performance by Indigo Som, Meredith Stricker, Dale Going and Marie Carbone, Susan King and Lisa Kokin. Berkeley Art Center in Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St.  

644-6893.  

www.berkeleyartcenter.org  

Berkeley Historical Society, “Focus on Berkeley” A photography exhibit by the Berkeley Camera Club, Berkeley High School students and community photographers in celebration of the City’s 125th Anniversary. Exhibition runs until Sept. 13. Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. Sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society,  

848-0181.  

Kala Art Institute, Kala Fellowship Exhibition, Part I The Kala Fellowships are awarded annually to eight innovative arts working in printmaking, book arts, video and digital media. Part I features the work of May Chan, Taro Hattori, Amanda Knowles and Andrew Mamo. Runs until July 31. Call for gallery hours.1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977. www.kala.org  

A New Leaf Gallery, “Four Elements of Sculpture: Fire, Air, Water and Earth,” Exhibition runs to August 31. 1286 Gilman St. Call for gallery hours. 527-7621.  

www.sculpturesite.com 

Photolab Gallery, “Images from the Ballroom Series” by Andy Stewart. Black and white photographs on exhibit until July 19. Gallery hours are Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., sat. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400.  

www.photolaboratory.com  

Red Oak Realty Gallery, Prints by Barbara de Groot. Exhibition runs until July 26. 1891 Solano Ave. 848-3965. 

Slater/Marinoff & Co., “All Animal Art” Forty photographers and artists have donated works to help fund the spay-neuter and food costs of the Milo Foundation’s work in finding new homes for abandoned dogs and cats. Exhibition runs until August 31. Hours are Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1823 Fourth St. 548-2001.

On the south end of People’s Park, California indigenous plants meld with living sculptures, dinosaur tracks and Andean potatoes due to the work of a group of volunteer gardeners. 

“A mix of people brings a mix of types of plants and gardens,” said Richard List, a professional landscaper who now devotes much of his time to working in People’s Park. “It’s so like People’s Park to have this hodgepodge of stuff going on.” 

List spends most mornings planting seeds and flowers as well as researching the plants that are already in the park. He has been working at the People’s Park garden off and on since 1989, and prides himself on knowing about many of the “botanical oddities” in the area, including a rare species of Andean potato that he found growing there. 

One of the problems the gardeners face comes in the park’s role as the only non-fenced community garden in Berkeley. Although the park officially closes at 10 each night, people walk through at all hours, and the volunteers have seen their tools stolen and their plants smashed. 

In response, gardener Dana Merryday has begun to paint the gardening tools that sit out at night. The front of the group’s wheelbarrow reads “It’s bad karma to steal!” a message that Merryday said should discourage people from walking off with the wheelbarrow. 

“As they’re walking away they have to read that,” he said. “It just kind of stares up at you.” 

But for the most part, Merryday and List emphasized, the garden is well-respected. Anyone can sow their own plot of land at the park, and the understanding among community members is that the fruit and vegetables are available to everyone. 

While Merryday focuses on the food gardens, List puts the bulk of his energy into more creative endeavors. After reading a book about fossilized dinosaur tracks, he used a shovel to create prints all around the park’s paths. Each track is anatomically correct for a specific type of dinosaur, List said. 

“The kids love it,” he said. 

List is also working on a variety of “living sculptures,” which he describes as pieces of art made out of living things. His first piece for People’s Park is a giant heart elevated from the ground with a mound of dirt and filled in with small flowers. 

UC Berkeley oversees maintenance of the Park. The university buys many of the plants for the gardens and provides custodial services to spruce up the area. 

One of the latest projects implemented in the park with university support is the Peace Garden. The area, a circle eight feet across, was transformed a few months ago into a flower patch with large pieces of a tree trunk outlining a peace sign on the ground. The project was begun with help from a group called Roots of Peace, whose primary goal is to transform land scarred by land mines into agricultural areas. 

“They wanted to do a garden in People’s Park because of what it stands for,” Merryday said. 

The next group project is to renovate the dilapidated play area to make the park more kid-friendly. Merryday and gardener Terry Compost are working with UC Berkeley to secure funding to improve the existing play structures and purchase more equipment. 

“We want to make the park a fun, safe place for everyone,” Merryday said.

The man police pulled from the bay at the Berkeley Marina early Monday morning was severely beaten, not shot as originally believed, and still recovering from severe head injuries at Oakland’s Highland Hospital Thursday afternoon, police said. 

The victim, identified by friends as Scott Roberts, is a lifelong Berkeley resident who has made his mark as a drummer in local bands and as producer and arranger with hip-hop stars like Snoop Doggy Dogg, E-40 and C-Bo. 

“He’s been my friend ever since he was a child and we’re all very sad this has happened to him,” said Bobi Cespedes, a local Afro-Cuban musician who was planning to take Roberts on tour this week as a drummer with her band. “He’s very mellow. He’s a great person and I can’t imagine who would have done this to him.” 

According to press accounts, some friends have speculated that Roberts, known as “One Drop Scott” in the music world, was assaulted in a dispute over a woman. But Cespedes and another friend, producer Greg Landau, said they had no idea why he was attacked. 

Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Mary Kusmiss said the department was not prepared to make any statement on a motive in the assault and had not identified any suspects. But detectives, she said, “have some leads.” 

Police responded Monday to a 2:40 a.m. report of gunshots at the Marina and found the 42-year-old Roberts neck deep in the water near the public boat launch, “conscious but non-responsive,” Kusmiss said. 

The report of gun fire, mixed with Roberts’ severe injuries, led to an initial press release that inaccurately labeled the musician the victim of gunshot wounds, Kusmiss said. 

The attack, Kusmiss said, was particularly “brutal,” but police cannot say for sure what the weapon may have been. “It was certainly some hard object, but whether it was a bat or a pipe, we don’t know,” she said. 

After police officers administered first aid, paramedics took Roberts to Highland Hospital. As of Thursday afternoon, Kusmiss said, he had been taken off ventilation. 

Roberts was the leader of a popular 1980’s East Bay funk band called Freaky Executives and also played in a steel drum group called Spirit of Pan, according to Landau. 

But “One Drop Scott” has enjoyed his greatest success as a hip-hop producer. “He’s one of the top rap producers on the West Coast,” said Landau. 

Roberts, he said, has been able to bring his background in world music to his work as a hip-hop impresario. 

“He’s a really creative, very generous, very giving person,” said Landau.

FREEMAN MEMORIAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Special thanks to Angela Rowen and the Daily Planet for covering the memorial for Kevin Freeman. It might interest readers to know that before the memorial march in People’s Park, UC Police Officer Vargas “detained” a marcher who was discreetly applying body paint in a circle of trees and bushes, although no complaint had been lodged by any park user. 

Vargas became agitated when park users approached to witness the “detention” and called for back-up. She stated that “things would go worse” for the detainee if those utilizing their right to observe did not leave. The witnesses, who continued to exercise their right to observe, recorded her curiously prejudiced lecture to the detainee. 

It goes without saying that alcohol-related illnesses should not be a jail or death sentence for homeless people; drinking problems on frat row are treated differently. But it is not simply the absence of a detoxification center which is the problem. Berkeley and University of California police are routinely detaining, harassing and jailing people who are different or who are ill. Until our politicians re-direct those priorities, tragedies such as Kevin Freeman’s are simply a matter of time. 

Carol Denney 

• 

MISREPRESENTATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Judging by the editorial “More Light, Less Heat Needed,” attacking Hank Resnik and Livable Berkeley, his suspicion of bias may be on target. 

The editorial misrepresents “smart growth” in order to discredit it. No smart growth adherent has suggested, as the editorial implies, that “building a thousand high rises in Berkeley will prevent McMansions in Fairfield.” Rather, smart growth is advocated on democratic, environmental and economic grounds. 

Smart growth means concentrations of homes and activities so they are mutually accessible by foot. People pay sums that I can barely imagine to live in such places, San Francisco, Paris, London, Boston, to name a few. As tourists, we envy them. 

Low-density zoning that prevents cities like Berkeley from moving in this direction is social engineering by fiat. It forces us to use our cars to move from one activity to another. 

A byproduct of smart growth is attractive transit service for longer trips. Residents drive less. They consume less energy and require less infrastructure. Economic and environmental advantages result. 

Whether or not smart growth occurs in Berkeley, some people who dislike change will move away. Some did following the political shifts of the 1960s. Their homes were not abandoned. Other people moved in. The city flourished. 

Concentrations of activity at nodes along major arteries can bring a more vibrant Berkeley. The Daily Planet would serve us better by exploring the possible shape and benefits of that growth than by prognosticating imminent demise. 

Healthy cities evolve. Our region is on a long-term growth trend in population and economic activity. Berkeley cannot be the “static city,” unaffected by what is going on around it. 

Robert R. Piper, Ph.D. 

• 

SENIOR SERVICES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley City Council watchers note the diminishing regard for the weal of Berkeley seniors, attributable not just to budget-cutting. The latest is taxi scrip abuse. 

It has been the practice of Berkeley Paratransit Services (based in the Housing Department) periodically to mail (no over-the-counter service) forms containing the latest pricing information and an application, to be returned by mail with payment. The senior citizen can then only wait for the mail carrier. Clearly, this exchange process requires an allocation of at least a month and staff supervision. 

The current scrip period began July 1. Recipients needed confidence in receipt by mid-June. It is difficult to schedule appointments with specialized health services; it is costly to have to cancel them. Phone calls are counterproductive, viz the senior citizen who reports phoning at about 2:30 p.m. on a Monday to be told by taped response that “We only answer the phone on Mondays between 1 and 4 p.m.” 

It would be different if taxi scrip were a mere nicety in our lives. Many Berkeley seniors, like myself (low-income, without family) depend on taxi scrip for transportation to and from health-related services. Most low-income seniors are women.  

I am aware of seniors in Council Districts 2 and 4 who became alarmed by mid-June and contacted their councilmembers. Some desperately mailed in checks without current application forms and information.  

I also alerted the Commission on Aging, Senior Services and the Housing Department. My June 26 attempt to reach the city manager and mayor presumably resulted in a phone message the following afternoon from a Housing Department peacemaker. He compounded a bad situation with the news that the taxi scrip person wasn’t there that day, acknowledged that they could “do better” and misinformed by declaring that in the meantime “East Bay Paratransit [a service for disabled persons, requiring advance scheduling and processing into their computer] is also available.” He concluded with the useless, bureaucratic, “If you have any questions, blah blah.” 

Helen Rippier Wheeler 

• 

TAMED CAPITALISM? 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In his letter of June 27, Randy Silverman states that regulations have “tamed the savage tendencies of laissez-faire capitalism.” The United States has never practiced laissez-faire, so what has been tamed is really the privileges and subsidies that government has granted to special interests.  

But wait a minute, politicians are still getting funds from the moneyed interests and awarding them special privileges. Now I’m confused—just what is it that has been tamed? 

Fred Foldvary 

• 

EMBRACE UNION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The following letter, dated June 19, was addressed to Glenn and Diane Yasuda, owners of Berkeley Bowl: 

I write to encourage you to embrace the union drive at your store, Berkeley Bowl. As a loyal customer, a citizen of Berkeley, a member of Berkeley’s Commission on Labor, a union steward, president of a union chapter and statewide union and Green Party activist, all of these perspectives would embrace unionism at the Bowl. 

I would like to share with you a less-than-mainstream perspective on unionism. It’s unfortunate that our culture lends so little support for what is basically a medium to ensure fairness and justice in the workplace. It seems ironic that as a society we tout so loudly and often how we live in a free country, yet we tolerate the very opposite when it comes to carrying over the cornerstones of this freedom-speech and assembly-into the workplace. For far too many United Statesians, the minute they walk through the door of their workplace they are second-class citizens. 

There can be many benefits to having a union in your workplace. A union contract lays out rules for both parties to follow. A well-written contract can preclude many workplace conflicts and create an atmosphere of fairness. A contract between management and workers can clarify who gets paid what and how an employee can develop their careers with the company. This promotes loyalty and long-term employment that can reduce turnover and save operating costs in the long run. 

Unionism does not have to be antagonistic. I would be saddened to see this type of relationship between management and employees at the Bowl. I have worked hard to maintain a working relationship with the Human Resources Department at SFSU and they have acted on many of my recommendations to head off problems before they become grievances. They realize the value a well-functioning union chapter can add to the workplace. But just like any democratic institution, it only works as well as the people involved, on both sides, and their commitment to a better workplace for all. 

I don’t think I need to remind you that by law your employees have the right to organize. Your official position is supposed to be one of neutrality. Already I hear rumors that you have taken seemingly oppositional steps giving the appearance you are trying to resist. If this is true, I hope this letter can convey to you what a mistake it would be to continue along that path. Personally I promote your store whenever I can. I want to see your good reputation remain for everyone’s sake. 

Like I said, I am a loyal customer and want to keep shopping there. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance. 

Russell Kilday-Hicks 

• 

UNLUCKY OWNERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Excellent letter from Mr. Koenigshofer (Daily Planet, June 27-30). He asks how many of the Rent Board members live in rent-controlled units. While most apartments in Berkeley (excepting new construction) are under rent control, only a fraction are incredible deals, namely those occupied by long-term tenants who got in when the getting was good. Many are large, handsome apartments for which the total price is less than most students pay to share a room. These apartments are very expensive for their unlucky owners. Despite the Rent Board’s complete disregard for fairness, providing housing costs money, especially in Berkeley’s anti-landlord, tax- and fee-crazed climate.  

Why should an unfortunate owner be forced to play a parental role in perpetuity to a tenant who might be rich or poor, kind or insufferable, but who is definitely not a family member? 

I hope that Rent Board Commissioner Kavanagh, in his next predictable rebuttal, will reveal whether he happens to enjoy one of these incredible deals. 

Judy Johnston 

• 

CLEAN AIR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The air we befoul gets in us all, whether we drive, drive a lot, drive a little, or go carless. Air pollution along with other toxics gets in us. 

With the Bush administration taking creative writing lessons in editing EPA reports, we may have to resort to penning our own letters to our automobile manufacturer (and to all automobile manufacturers) requesting more greenhouse gas emission-less vehicles. Technologies exist “on-the-shelf” now that would markedly improve the fuel efficiency of almost all light trucks, SUVs and standard automobiles, if only the auto industry would prioritize their use. And the savings in reduced fuel prices would, on average, more than triple the cost of using available underutilized fuel efficiency technologies. 

The Sierra Club, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Rainforest Action Network and Global Exchange all have automobile fuel efficiency campaigns under way accessible from their Web sites. And, automobile manufacturer mailing addresses can be obtained from the Consumer Resource Handbook at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/.  

We can have hulked-up station wagons on steriods (SUVs) along with greater energy independence and cleaner air, but we need to push the auto industry into being more environmentally responsible if we want to breathe cleaner air and free ourselves from dependence on limited foreign oil resources. 

Recent social and environmental histories suggest that now, perhaps more than ever, is the time to begin a comprehensive renewable energy program state by state, nationally and globally. 

The cost of a postage stamp seems like a good neg-entropic investment down the asphalt toward better energy efficiency and a healthier, more life-sustaining environment. 

In addition to requesting more efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles, you may want to ask that autos be fitted with interior air handling systems that permit the occupants to turn off polluted exterior air from being sucked into the vehicle during urban commutes when the air conditioner, fan or heater are running. 

Clean air is patriotic! It’s healthy. It’s peaceful. 

Rand Knox 

San Rafael

The state jobless rate for teens has climbed to 19.8 percent, the highest in a decade, and those looking for jobs this summer are finding that even the low-level job market, usually open to students, has been saturated by adults. 

“I need to make money to pay for college, but I can’t find a job anywhere,” said Samantha Robinson, 17, of Berkeley. “Even McDonald’s wasn’t looking for teenagers.” 

The weak summer job market for students is a function of the economy nationwide. The U.S. unemployment rate for working adults hit 6.4 percent during June, a peak not seen since April 1994. And because jobs are so limited, adults with more education and experience seek lower and entry-level positions—at restaurants, retail stores and offices—leaving few choices for teens. 

“It’s definitely a paramount concern,” said Juanita McMullen, program director of YouthWorks, a city of Berkeley-sponsored organization that matches students with jobs. “We are always in search of special projects that will allow us to put more kids to work.” 

YouthWorks, which aims to find jobs for 300 to 400 teenagers each year, secured work for 310 students this summer, mostly in community organizations that receive city funding. 

“The best thing is when community groups can take two or three students,” McMullen said. “That’s when we celebrate.” 

But YouthWorks has had its share of problems attributable to the economic downturn as well. State funding for such programs has decreased, and McMullen said she can no longer count on the federal government to compensate. 

Meanwhile, students not enrolled in YouthWorks programs are having an even tougher time finding work for the summer months. Teens4Hire.com, a Web site that posts help wanted ads from businesses across the country, reported the results of a May survey that revealed that 51 percent of business owners that had once hired teenagers would no longer do so. 

“I’d like to help the kids out, but when there are more qualified adults coming to me looking for a job, I’m going to go with them,” said one downtown Berkeley storeowner who wished to remain anonymous. 

High school senior Robinson knows that sentiment well. She dropped off close to 50 resumes but only heard back from one company. That company then decided to hire someone else. 

Robinson said at the beginning of her job search she was picky about the type of work and level of pay, but now she is much less discriminating. “It’s frustrating when you apply at every store on a certain street and don’t get a single call back,” she said. “It’s not that I’m not trying.” 

Teens4Hire executive director Renee Ward offered 10 tips for teenagers to increase their odds of finding a job. She emphasized earning good grades in school, being aggressive in seeking work and following up after submitting applications. 

“Employers are impressed when teens take initiative,” Ward said. “They need to know you are serious.” 

At the same time, Ward said that teens should consider other alternatives to working for pay.  

“Millions of teens who wanted to work in 2002 could not find jobs and so far 2003 is looking worse,” she said. “If you can afford to ... attend summer school or volunteer. This experience will look great on your application next year.” 

McMullen emphasized that programs like YouthWorks are the best way for students to find summer work. 

“Without a hub operation many kids just don’t know where to look,” she said. “It is increasingly relevant to have a public agency for work information.” 

But 16-year-old Matt Sumper said lack of information was not his problem in finding a job. 

“More information packets were not going to help me get hired,” he said. “Businesses just want people that are more qualified than I am, but I can’t get the qualifications without someone giving me a job.”

Arleen Goodwin and Joan Kloehn founded the small Berkeley nonprofit Senior Medi-Benefits in the mid-eighties hoping to assist seniors with the paperwork generated by illness, so that people whose medical bills and insurance claims were piling up would get some help. People assumed that such nightmares would slowly recede as health providers joined networks with interconnected billing, and more claims would be submitted electronically. 

Most people know what happened next. Hospitals, clinics and insurance companies merged, changed names, disappeared or issued ever-changing plans every year. Premiums doubled, then tripled, deductibles and “out of pocket” minimums skyrocketed. Seniors would be sent a letter saying their insurance companies no longer offered coverage, and the scramble would begin anew for ever more expensive health insurance. 

One elderly couple who bought supplemental insurance from a friendly salesperson, thinking to find a way to cover the gap between Medicare’s coverage and their actual costs, had the friendly young man call a month later explaining with apologies that his company’s plan was no longer offered. 

In the meantime, the sizeable bulge in the population of elderly citizens grew as inexorably as insurance premiums, and more and more families now face the difficulties of trying to plan for long-term care. 

Enter Arleen and Joan, joined by their new associate Matt Olesen, who work as a team to help with Medi-Cal eligibility on behalf of families whose savings have dwindled as medical and nursing home costs rise. Senior Medi-Benefits’ work on behalf of California families is making a difference family by family as well as reforming systemic county-wide mistakes. 

“Many families have had their applications wrongly denied,” states Arleen. “We battle for an individual application, but we also work cooperatively with the state to make sure the eligibility workers at the county level understand people’s rights.” 

Discharge planners sometimes help with long-term care applications, as lawyers sometimes do. The discharge workers are overworked and underpaid; lawyers are overworked and ... expensive. Berkeley’s own Senior Medi-Benefits is the only nonprofit working with families on a case-by-case basis, step by step, until an application is finally approved. 

“Many families don’t know whether they have to sell the house, how much money is too much, and they’re afraid to ask,” says Joan. “We’re not the government, not the state. We’re the place you can call to get the facts when you need them.” 

Two commendations from the city hang on Senior Medi-Benefits’ walls. But the real thanks are from the families who’ve saved thousands of dollars by getting appropriate counseling before their assets are gone.  

Health issues may never simplify, as co-founders Arleen and Joan once hoped, but it is certain their 17-year-old nonprofit will battle on, family by family and issue by issue, to make sure seniors get the assistance they need.  

Senior Medi-Benefits’ number is (510) 420-0550, and online at www.seniormedi-benefits.org. 

Carol Denney, a Berkeley resident, is the coordinator of medical claims for Senior Medi-Benefits.

A divinity student at Berkeley’s Pacific School of Religion (PSR) was crowned Miss California last weekend, winning $12,000 and a trip to the storied Miss America pageant. 

Nicole Lamarche, 24, had twice been the first runner-up in state pageants—she finished second to Jennifer Glover, Miss Contra Costa County, in last year’s Miss California pageant and as an undergraduate student in Arizona came in second in that pageant two years ago. 

“Once I made finals this year I was just waiting for them to say ‘First runner-up: Nicole Lamarche,’” she said. “I was so used to it.” 

But the third time proved to be the charm for Lamarche, who is entering her third year at PSR and is seeking ordination in the United Church of Christ. 

Lamarche won the competition with a combination of her vocal performance, her photogenic qualities and her interview. 

Lamarche won the overall interview competition, scoring big points with judges for her answers about topics such as affirmative action, gay marriage and the conflict in the Middle East. The interview was worth 40 percent of the overall score, giving Lamarche the points needed to beat Miss Hollywood, Erynn Lewis, who came in second. 

A platform that stemmed from personal experience helped Lamarche secure the title as well. She spoke about making college a realistic option for all students by making it affordable, an issue close to her heart because neither of her parents earned a bachelor’s degree. 

“There are so many options out there now, especially in California,” Lamarche said. “Keeping college affordable can help to motivate ‘at-risk’ kids.” 

Lamarche qualified for the state pageant by winning the title of Miss San Francisco, the regional competition that covers San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley. That pageant, which attracted about 15 competitors this year, requires no qualifier or entry fee in hopes of making the pageant scene more accessible. 

As the first Miss San Francisco to win the Miss California title in 50 years, Lamarche has a reputation to live up to. Miss San Francisco 1954, Lee Ann Meriwether, went on to win Miss America and then maintain an acting career highlighted by her role as Catwoman in the 1966 movie “Batman.” 

But no matter how much success Lamarche has in pageants, she says her career ambition will not change. Although she will postpone her third year of seminary, she is committed to completing her degree so she can be ordained. 

“It’s really important to me to finish the Master’s of Divinity so I can become a minister in the church,” she said. 

Though Lamarche’s seminary friends at first found her participation in beauty pageants “a bit strange,” they have since realized the benefits it can have. 

“They’ve seen what it’s done for me,” Lamarche said. “It forced me to be comfortable in my own skin, and plus it’s paid for a bunch of my education.” 

Now, Lamarche’s focus will turn to the Miss America pageant, which will be held in Atlantic City, N.J., in September. She has relocated from her Berkeley home to San Diego, where her days are spent working with makeup artists, wardrobe consultants, voice instructors and personal trainers to prepare her for the competition. 

“There’s a lot of shopping involved,” she laughed. 

In early September, Lamarche will fly to Washington, D.C., to meet the other Miss America competitors for a few days of sightseeing. From there, the group will travel to Atlantic City, where they will begin interviews and preliminary rounds of the pageant. Although most Americans see only one night of Miss America competition, the pageant begins two weeks prior to the Sept. 20 television broadcast. 

“I know there’s another competition out there, but I’m so excited just to have won Miss California that I can’t see much past that right now,” Lamarche said. “But I don’t expect to win. It will just be a great experience.”

For more than 10 years, I have been proud to be employed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Although I know that some in the community object to some of the lab’s actions, I have generally been pleased with the lab’s activities over the past decade, have enjoyed my time there, and I know that our research has been top-notch.  

Unfortunately, the lab, in conjunction with UC Berkeley, has just begun the environmental impact report (EIR) process for a project that—if built as planned—will completely bury a small creek and fill most of its valley, in order to build a parking lot. In fact, although LBNL wants the parking lot, that’s not the main motivation: really, they just need a place to dump more than 2,000 truckloads of dirt that will be generated by excavating for a new building, and disposing of it on-site will save them a lot of money and a lot of hassle. Where can you dump 2,000 truckloads of dirt? In a valley. It doesn’t seem to bother them that the valley is a thriving creek corridor that includes several coast live oaks, supports lots of bird life and is threaded with paths made by the lab’s black-tailed deer. In short, the project will: 

• Completely bury about 300 linear feet of open creek (a tributary of Strawberry Creek); 

• Result in the removal of coast live oaks and other important riparian vegetation; 

• Actually fill in (i.e. bury) a riparian corridor with 2,000 truckloads’ worth of of dirt; 

• Cut away an extremely steep slope for building construction—an inappropriate building site—thus generating the dirt fill in the first place, and 

• Construct a new parking lot, thereby actively promoting more vehicle use, traffic and air pollution. 

I’m very familiar with this particular creek, having noticed it many times on my daily bike ride home from the lab. When the weather conditions are right, a steady flow of cool air pours down the valley, creating a noticeable local cool zone. Because the valley opens onto the road at a hairpin curve that holds drivers’ attention, most employees have probably never noticed this steep-sided valley and its seasonal creek ... but I have, and I don’t want to see it destroyed. In fact, I’ll quit rather than be a part of an organization that will fill in a creek. I love my job and colleagues, but LBNL cannot be allowed to act so irresponsibly. 

More information on the project is available at the lab’s Web site, http://www.lbl.gov/Community/env-rev-docs.html, where you want the June 16 “notice of preparation.” Most of the other documents there are for another project. (Note: This project is not the nano-technology foundry building, but rather a different building proposal.) 

To add to the problems, the building site itself is a poor choice: it contains a grove of coast live oaks, and is very steep—that’s why so many truckloads of dirt need to be excavated.  

If LBNL committed to cleaning up and re-using sites currently available for building (i.e. not new open space), this project would be unnecessary. 

At this point, the lab is “scoping” the EIR. That is, they’re figuring out what should be included. It’s vital that they consider reasonable alternative sites. It’s also important to immediately show the lab that they are going to face substantial opposition to this ridiculously anti-environmental proposal, so that they consider alternatives before becoming totally committed to it. Filling in a creek to build a parking lot should not be allowed. Please, take a stand. 

Dr. Phillip N. Price, a Berkeley resident, works as a scientist in the environmental energy technologies division of LBNL. 

Despite signing a new contract that provides University of California lecturers with pay hikes and increased job security, some instructors are still feeling vulnerable and undervalued by a system that caters to tenured and tenure-track professors.  

“I don’t know that we’ve eliminated the status as second-class citizens. In fact, I don’t think we have,” said Alan Karras, a UC Berkeley lecturer in world history and political economy who helped negotiate the contract, which was announced Monday. “But it’s changing slowly.” 

Lecturers, who make up about 12 percent of the university’s faculty, teach about a quarter of the classes on UC’s nine campuses, freeing up tenure-track professors to pursue research and other duties. For years, they have complained that they shoulder a heavier workload than professors, while enjoying fewer rights and inferior pay. 

Average salary for a lecturer with less than six years experience is currently $43,000, according to UC figures, and average salary for a lecturer with more than six years experience is $51,200. That compares to a $63,700 annual salary for the average tenure-track assistant professor and $109,200 for the typical tenured professor.  

UC spokesperson Paul Schwartz said the university pays professors more because they have research, publishing and public service responsibilities that lecturers do not. 

The new lecturers’ contract, approved by the instructors this week, provides modest pay increases for all instructors. But the most significant gain comes in minimum pay. Lecturers with less than six years experience will make no less than $37,000 by 2005 under the new contract, up about $10,000 from the current floor. Instructors with more than six years experience, also known as “post-six” lecturers, will receive a minimum of $41,700.  

The deal, which runs through 2006, also provides lecturers with professional development funding, greater leeway in pursuing research grants and a “continuing appointment” for post-six lecturers, meaning they will no longer have to re-apply for their jobs every three years. 

“For the first time, we’re being recognized as professionals rather than vendors,” said Kevin Roddy, a UC Davis lecturer in medieval studies and president of the University Council-American Federation of Teachers, which represents UC’s roughly 2,600 lecturers. 

Despite the gains, some lecturers said the union did not win adequate protections for pre-six instructors, who account for three out of every four lecturers.  

“It leaves the vast majority of us just as vulnerable to the whims of management,” said UC Irvine lecturer Andrew Tonkovich, who heads the Irvine branch of the union. 

Lecturers have long contended that the university routinely fires instructors before they reach post-six status in order to save money, a process know as “churning.” Schwartz said the university has never fired lecturers for economic reasons and notes that the new contract includes explicit anti-churning language. 

Still, Schwartz said, the anti-churning provision doesn’t change the fundamental status of the lecturer. 

“The lecturer role is not meant to be a permanent position,” he said. 

According to Roddy, the university began hiring lecturers in the 1950s, when the G.I. Bill helped swell the student ranks. The first lecturers, he said, taught for brief periods, filling in for a professor on sabbatical, for example. 

“We were considered truly temporary,” he said. “[But] slowly, these people started getting hired at a regular rate, year after year.” 

Still, the university required lecturers to leave after six to eight years, so as not to threaten tenured professors. That changed in the mid-1980s when the lecturers formed a union and negotiated a contract that provided for a performance review after six years, with a three-year job renewal for those who scored well. 

“At the time, that was considered a major breakthrough,” Roddy said. 

But pay began to lag in the late-1990s, charges of churning surfaced and many felt they were simply invisible on campus. 

“People didn’t even know who we were—even faculty,” said Kathryn Klar, a UC Berkeley lecturer in Celtic Studies who has taught for 23 years. 

Klar said things began to change last year when lecturers, two years into a three-year contract battle, made headlines—staging an August strike at UC Berkeley and an October strike at four other UC campuses. 

“I think the university had to come out publicly and say we actually do something valuable for them,” she said. 

Schwartz defended the university’s treatment of lecturers. 

“UC has a history of offering its lecturers benefits and wages that are virtually unmatched,” he said. “This contract is in keeping with that.” 

The strikes, he added, had no impact on the university’s bargaining position. 

“If you look at the history of the proposals that both sides made, I think you’d find that the contract was pretty much in line with what we’d been offering [all along],” he said. 

Tonkovich said the university was, indeed, able to block many of the lecturers’ demands, including job security for pre-six instructors, significant pay hikes for any lecturers making more than the minimum and a reduction in workloads. 

The lecturers, he said, still have a battle ahead of them if they are to win true respect. 

“I don’t want to let the university off the hook with the core problems,” Tonkovich said. 

This is the second in a three-part series on Berkeley’s housing boom. The final installment will be published next Friday. 

Berkeley’s current housing boom is mostly producing smaller market-rate units that will be occupied primarily by young professionals and students, producing little in terms of affordable family housing. 

Between May 2001 and May 2003, the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) approved 17 housing projects with a total of 930 units. Two of the 17 approved projects, at 2517 Sacramento and at 2575 San Pablo, are senior housing projects; all of the units are affordable to seniors who are classified as “low” or “very low” income. These two projects together would add 67 units of affordable housing to Berkeley’s housing stock.  

Fourteen of the remaining 15 projects are market-rate projects, but also include the affordable “inclusionary” units required by the Inclusionary Housing Requirements of Berkeley’s zoning ordinance. Under these requirements, a fifth of the units in any housing project must have rents that are affordable to households whose income is at most 81 percent of the area median income.  

However, when Section 8 subsidies are available, as is the case now, 10 percent of the units have to be affordable at the 81 percent level and another 10 percent have to be affordable at 50 percent or 60 percent of the area median income for Section 8 tenants. In this case, the developer receives rents approximating fair market value for the Section 8 units. 

It has become common over the past few years for developers to take advantage of the Section 8 provision and to agree to provide an equal number of units affordable to low and very low income households. 

When a developer agrees to make a tenth of the units affordable to households at half of the area median income, they also become eligible for a density bonus, which entitles them to build 25 percent more housing units along with other concessions. When these units are Section 8 units, a developer can get a density bonus while collecting from the government and the tenant together the equivalent of market rent.  

The 15 market-rate projects in Berkeley include 870 units—166 of these are affordable to low or very low income households. An additional 44 units are in a group-living project on Bancroft Avenue near the UC Berkeley campus with a 120 beds in dorm units for students.  

How much is affordable? 

A quarter of the housing units approved by the ZAB since May 2001 are below-market units affordable to low- and very low-income households. Five percent are group living units. The remaining 70 percent are market rate units affordable to people with higher incomes. 

Of the 17 projects, 15 consist of rentals, while two developers are proposing to build condominium units. The new market rate rental housing that is being built in Berkeley is not affordable to a majority of current Berkeley residents, especially many current tenants. 

Government housing programs operate on the assumption that people can afford to pay 30 percent of their gross (before-tax) income on rent. Paying more than 30 percent is clearly more of a hardship for lower- and middle-income families than for those with higher incomes. 

For example, three vacant two-bedroom units in the Gaia Building in Downtown Berkeley recently listed on the Panoramic Interests Web site have rents ranging from $2,275 to $2,675 a month. Using the 30 percent standard, these rents are affordable to households with incomes of $91,000 to $107,000. 

Rents for two-bedroom units available this summer in other Panoramic Interests buildings listed on their Web site, including one scheduled to open this summer, range from $1,650 to $1,975. These rents are affordable to people with incomes between $66,000 to $79,500. 

Who can afford the new housing? 

According to the 2000 Census, the median household income in Berkeley in 1999 was $44,485. However, there is a large gap between the median income of tenant households ($27,341) and homeowner households ($80,324). In Berkeley west of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, and south of Cedar Street, an area made up of south, west and central Berkeley, the median income of tenant households ranged from $25,122 to $35,392, depending on the specific census tract.  

Tenant incomes are higher in north Berkeley and the Berkeley hills. Incomes have most likely increased somewhat throughout the city since the Census data was collected, but are typically still well below what would be necessary to afford the market rate one- or two-bedroom units now being approved and built in Berkeley. 

In fact, many current Berkeley tenants can be classified as low and very low income. A 1998 survey of tenants in rent controlled units found that a third of non-student tenant households were very low income while another 19.6 percent were low income. 

Even with rent control, about a third of Berkeley’s tenants were paying over half their income in rent. Since 1998, when the survey was done, median rents for two-bedroom apartments in Berkeley have risen sharply. The median market rent for a two-bedroom unit in 2002 was $1,600.  

Rental units that have not been vacant since the passage of the Costa-Hawkins vacancy de-control law in 1995 have substantially lower rents, but the number of these units is shrinking. 

Families left out 

Lower income families with more than one child face a particularly difficult situation. They require larger units, but few affordable large units are being produced. Families need space, but only families with higher incomes can afford the cost in Berkeley.  

The 17 projects approved by ZAB since May 2001, with 930 units total, include only four three-bedroom units. Both affordable housing projects approved in that two-year period are for seniors. 

Funds from the Housing Trust Fund were allocated for 17 affordable housing projects by nonprofit developers with a total of 217 units and 35 beds during fiscal years 1999 through 2002. Most of these projects are for seniors or people with disabilities or special needs.  

Nonprofit housing developer Affordable Housing Associates got approval before May 2001 for a 27-unit affordable housing project at 1719-23 University that will include eight 3-bedroom units. 

Resources for Community Development (RCD) together with Equity Community Builders, has been selected as the developer for the city of Berkeley’s Oxford Street surface parking lot. The planned mixed-use project will include approximately 90 apartments, a majority of them below-market units. The plan calls includes 28 three-bedroom units and one four-bedroom. If built as planned this would be the largest amount of affordable family-oriented housing built in Berkeley for many years. 

Rob Wrenn has lived in Berkeley for the last 21 years and is member of Berkeley’s Planning Commission.

When Erick Mikiten, the architect who designed the recently opened Adeline Street Apartments, set out for the Bay Area in the late 1980s to attend UC Berkeley’s graduate school for architecture, he didn’t count on the scramble ahead of him. 

He arrived a month before classes were to begin, believing that would give him enough time to find an apartment among the list given to him by the University’s housing department. But Mikiten, disabled due to a congenital disease that weakens the bones, learned quickly that the housing environment was different here than in his previous home in Texas. 

“Affordable housing was hard to find,” he said. “But affordable housing that was also accessible to the disabled was virtually impossible.” 

Mikiten finally did find a place—only days before the semester started—through a program by the city of Oakland that gave landlords money to remodel units to make them wheelchair accessible. But the place he landed—a studio that was converted from a basement—was far from ideal. The ceilings were a mere 6 feet 7 inches high and the floor area only about 400 square feet. On top of that, the unusual subterranean set-up meant the grade came up to four feet of the exterior wall, causing rain to leak into the apartment during most of the rainy season. 

“It was very oppressive,” said Mikiten, who continued to look for another apartment during the four years he lived in the Oakland unit. “I really learned how architecture makes a big difference.” 

Perhaps that experience is one of the things that has driven Mikiten, now an architect based in Emeryville, to develop some of the most innovative disabled housing developments in the nation. One of those projects is the newly opened Adeline Street Apartments, a 19-unit building that provides ground-floor retail and housing for a few dozen physically disabled people and their families. The residents were chosen by lottery from a list of hundreds of other Section 8 applicants. 

Aesthetically, the building rises above many built for this type of population. The exterior consists of cement board over gold bricks and tile, making for a durable facade, and includes deep overhangs and wood brackets at the eaves. The residential portion—the top two floors of the building—feels like an oasis from the urban grit found on the South Berkeley commercial corridor below. Large windows inside the units and the use of exterior walkways instead of enclosed hallways adds natural light, air and views of the bay and the eastern hills. A terrace on the second floor provides a community space, and planter boxes and pots filled with herbs including rosemary and sage—all placed at a low level—give residents an opportunity to garden. 

Mikiten said his experience living in his small Oakland studio inspired his design of the building’s two studio apartments, which have higher ceilings and larger windows than the rest of the units. “I wanted to make sure the studios didn’t get stuck in some corner,” he said. “Typically, architects will shove them into a little section to plug up a hole somewhere. I wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case here, because it’s so much harder to live in studios anyway. They’re so small and much more limiting.” 

Dan Sawislak, executive director of Resources for Community Development, the nonprofit housing developer of the project, said the development exemplifies the trend away from federally funded high rises, where same-size units are stacked onto each other, to smaller, community-friendly accommodations that get funding form a variety or sources. 

“Before, low-income housing buildings were not built to last,” he said. “There was a lot of concern about the materials being cheap. With this project, we used durable, sustainable materials, because we want to make sure we’re here for at least 50 years.” 

Donnaye Leonard-Jones and her partner moved out of their North Oakland apartment after being attacked and threatened because of their sexual orientation. The two had been homeless for about a year—living in shelters and in their car —before getting the Adeline Street apartment in March. Leonard-Jones, who suffers from lupus and fibromyalgia, listed the building’s more practical features: a garbage chute located on each floor, plenty of hand rails along the walkways and inside the units, lever door handles, door knobs and light switches that are wheelchair-level, bathroom mirrors that slant down, and kitchen and bathroom sinks that are open to allow wheelchairs to go underneath. 

Leonard-Jones lives with her partner, Leatha, on the third floor, which gives them a view of the bay. She said she pays $260 a month for the two-bedroom apartment. Tenants’ rent is generally a third of their income. 

“I like the views,” Leonard-Jones said. “I can see the sunrise and sunset.” She added that one of the best things about her new home is its location. “It’s close to everything—to both Children’s Hospital and Alta Bates, to Berkeley Bowl, to the pharmacy. It’s also close to free food and services provided by the two churches and drop-in centers in the area. You can catch a bus that takes you anywhere you need to go, and the BART’s just right there.” 

The project’s location is precisely what makes it a favorite of city planners and developers. Although it was difficult to convert the L-shaped lot into a uniquely designed housing project that accommodated many different sizes of units, the result is an infill housing development that brings economic activity to an area that many say is in dire need of revitalization. 

“This is a sort of a natural corridor to get reinvigorated by development of this scale,” Mikiten said, adding that he believes this development has sparked more renovation in the neighborhood. He has already been signed on to design facade and interior improvements to a building occupied by A Better Way, located on the same block as the Adeline Street Apartments on the corner of Fairview Street. 

“There are a lot of places around here that can be developed,” he added “They’re just spread out along the corridor.”

Despite pleas from riders not to cut bus lines, the AC Transit board of directors voted Wednesday to reduce or eliminate service on 74 lines throughout the East Bay, a plan that includes scaling back Berkeley’s 17 line. 

The approved plan was a tamer version of the original proposal, which called for as many as 150 lines to reduce coverage or service times, or be eliminated all together. The transit organization, which faces a $40 million budget deficit, chose to cut fewer lines based on community response at a public hearing last month. 

At that hearing, most bus riders said they would prefer to pay higher fares if it meant being able to keep more lines. 

The number of lines affected by the new plan surprised many. Sources close to the board of directors had suggested in recent weeks that fewer than 50 lines would be affected, and said the 17 line would be saved because it was among the more heavily frequented lines listed in the original proposal. 

The new plan eliminates about 680 hours of service daily—about 11 percent of the total daily offerings, allowing AC Transit to save $12.5 million. 

The question of fare changes will come before the board of directors after another public hearing on Wednesday, July 16. At that hearing, riders will consider fare hikes to cut additional money and balance the budget. AC Transit public information officer Mike Mills said the organization is looking to come up with $6 million through fare increases and elimination of discount passes. 

“There will be some more tough choices, because although the service reductions take care of a lot of money, we still need to increase revenue,” Mills said.

“Let me get this straight,” said my brother, leaning across the table and looking at me with a bit of interest for the first time in 42 years. “When you go to New York City you stay with a kid you taught in fourth grade? Have I got that right?” 

I had stopped in Philadelphia to have lunch with my brother before traveling on to Manhattan. Now I wondered if I’d made a mistake. “Yes,” I answered. “You got a problem with it?” 

He leaned back in his chair and motioned the waiter to refill his wine glass. 

“No,” he said. “Of course not. I just think it’s odd that you would be friends with someone who you taught when she was nine or ten. I mean, you must be thirty years older than her, right?” 

“Twenty,” I said. “Only twenty.” 

“Yes,” he continued. “Twenty. Don’t you think it’s strange that you’ve stayed in contact with her and that now she’s your friend?” 

I paused before answering. “No. Her mother and I were friends first and then a friendship just naturally developed with Amy. Even when I moved to California, we kept in touch.” Now I wondered if there might be something wrong with me.  

“So, what do you do when you visit her in New York?” 

“Not much,” I answered. “It takes half an hour just to walk up the steps to her flat. She lives in an old tenement building on the Lower East Side. Her bathtub is in her kitchen. There’s no elevator, no air conditioning, no closet and no view unless you count the smokestacks of Con Edison.”  

“Sounds awful,” said my brother. He stopped peering at me and studied the dessert menu. “And what does Amy do for a living?”  

“She’s a lawyer,” I said. “She makes more in one year than I make in five. She wears expensive pantsuits to work and tight jeans and spiked high-heeled shoes on the weekends. She knows all the trendiest restaurants in Manhattan.”  

I thought back twenty years ago to when Amy was a curious, outgoing, three-foot-tall, freckle-faced redhead. Now she towers over me, especially when she wears her pointy Pradas. I see her at least twice a year, on my bi-annual visits to the East Coast. She’s the one I call when I need a place to stay after a late night or early morning flight. She can afford to live in a better neighborhood and in a place with an enclosed shower, but she prefers the excitement and bohemia of the Lower East Side. When I stay with Amy I feel cool myself, even though I am 51 years old and wear relaxed fit jeans.  

“You need tighter pants,” Amy said when I arrived at her apartment on Monday. “Something that shows off your butt.” She was lying on the floor, pulling on her jeans. They were so tight, that when she stood up she could barely breathe. “Like these,” she said, turning to show me her backside, encased in the stretched denim.  

“I don’t think so,” I said. 

“And you need heels.” She’d frowned at my feet, encased in old running shoes. “And no fleece,” she added, fingering my vest. 

“No fleece?” I asked. “I don’t own anything but fleece. I live in Northern California. We wear fleece.” 

“I know,” said Amy. “Why do you think I never moved there?” 

“Because of fleece?” 

“Yes, fleece.” She slung a big black leather purse over her shoulder. She reached out and patted the top of my head affectionately. “Come on, let’s go.” I followed her out the door of her apartment. She strode down the hallway, the click of her heels echoing up and down the ancient stairwell. I was quiet and contemplative in my sneakers, fleece vest and relaxed fit jeans. Our roles were reversed. I was the student and Amy was my teacher. There was no doubt that Amy was hipper than I. But I was the one in the most comfortable shoes and pants.

Since the wave of shootings that began in mid-June, Berkeley police have been working with community members to try to track down suspects in the recent shootings, with neighbors providing anonymous tips to the department’s violence suppression team. 

One spin-off of that collaboration happened on Friday, June 27. At about 5:15 p.m., police attempted to make a traffic stop on a Chevy Lumina at 58th and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The driver failed to yield and the driver, a young male who police say has some outstanding Oakland warrants, bolted from the car at around 54th and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and got away. 

A short chase ensued around this location, with the suspect running a block east onto Dover street near 54th. Police sealed off the block and searched for the man, but he could not be found. A woman who was in the car was arrested. 

A neighbor who lives at 54th and Dover said she saw police with their guns drawn, and believed they were looking for the suspect in the backyard of a neighbor who lives across the street. The woman, who did not want to give her name, said she has lived in her house on 54th street for 40 years and that incidents of violence in her neighborhood have skyrocketed in the past year. 

“I haven’t seen this kind of violence since the early 1980’s during the crack epidemic,” she said, adding that if police really wanted to solve the problems of violence in her neighborhood they would crack down on the open drug dealing. 

“There’s a liquor store down the street where they sell drugs openly, like, inside the store,” she said. “Neighbors have complained. I have repeatedly complained to police, but it doesn’t stop.”

If you were anywhere near Oakland City Hall this week—or near a news broadcast, for that matter—it was impossible to miss the buzz around the abrupt firing of City Manager Robert Bobb, and the just-as-sudden, simultaneous resignation (supposedly for personal reasons) of Parks And Recreation Director Harry Edwards. 

Except for those who believe that the two men left of their own accord, the questions being most asked by most people were:  

Why did Mayor Brown fire the top-ranking official in his administration? Why now? And, what’s next? 

Damned if I know.  

Relying upon the mayor himself for an explanation only spreads the confusion. On Channel 2 Brown was saying that philosophical differences in the way the city needed to be run caused him to let Bobb go. An hour later, Channel 4 showed a clip from the same press conference, in which Brown said he was cutting staff to deal with the city’s budget shortfall. 

Some people might accuse the mayor of disingenuousness in such contradictory statements—if not outright lying—but I’m not so sure. To be able to lie, one must have a spot somewhere in his brain where the actual truth is reposited. Because Brown seems to arrive at decisions in such a Byzantine way, it is entirely possible that he may have misplaced the actual reasons why he got rid of Bobb in the first place.  

In such cases, Brown seems to be using his rambling conversations as a way to figure the thing out himself. He appears sometimes to talk until he comes up with a reason that sounds, well, reasonable both to himself and his listeners and, if he does not get the desired reaction, then he talks on until another reason comes to mind. In such a situation, truth, if it happens to occur at all, may be an unintended byproduct. 

It is entirely possible that the mayor woke up one morning, four and a half years into his administration, and suddenly felt it necessary to surround himself with his own people. That’s where the “why now?” question is most appropriate. With the exception of Jacques Barzaghi, the mayor has appeared entirely uninterested in staffing City Hall with Brown loyalists. You can find an Ignacio De La Fuente contingent, a John Russo contingent and an (exceptionally large and influential) Don Perata contingent in city government. Bobb himself seems to have brought half his top staff with him when he came out from Virginia. But Jerry has seen fit to make do with borrowing close staff members from the city’s other power brokers. 

City Councilmembers Larry Reid and Desley Brooks think they know the reason for the shakeup: noting that both Bobb and Edwards are black, Reid and Brooks cite racism. Reid was particularly incensed. “Jerry sees the African-American community as irrelevant and shows us disrespect,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. Which is probably true, though it is difficult to see how that makes Oakland’s African-American community substantially different from much of the rest of Oakland. 

So is Jerry Brown an anti-black racist? 

Well, certainly, the Mayor has taken advantage of anti-black racism. There was always that subliminal message in his original mayoral campaign of the white savior come to rescue poor Oakland from a corrupt and incompetent black political establishment. True, you can find no quotes of Brown saying that the goal in his first year as mayor was to break the back of black political power. However, when newspapers reported that assertion (“Jerry Brown shakes up Oakland’s black political establishment,” headline, Salon.com, June 1999, and, “Brown’s election in this birthplace of the Black Panthers has a further significance: it may signal the waning of Oakland’s counterproductive race politics. In voting for Brown, black Oaklanders decisively rejected a black political establishment they saw as arrogant and incompetent,” City Journal, autumn 1999), you can also find no quotes from Brown stating a belief that the use of the term “black” political establishment in such context might be inappropriate. 

Does that mean that Brown believes that he, because he is a white man, is better than every black person on earth? No, I pretty much doubt he believes that. 

If, on the other hand, you’re asking if Jerry Brown believes that because he was born Jerry Brown, he is on a higher plane than most other people on earth, I’d have to say that this is distinctly within the realm of possibility. 

I’m not sure whether this is better or worse. Just different. 

Anyway, back to the Bobb/Edwards thing.  

As for Mr. Edwards, one can only wonder why it took so long for him to wear out his welcome. Edwards’ hiring came during Jerry Brown’s infamous search-to-find-well-known-and-well-qualified-African-Americans-to-put-in-positions-for-which-they-were-not-actually-qualified period. That was the period in which Brown recruited Maya Angelou and Angela Davis for Oakland’s head librarian position, presumably on the theory that one who has written a book must therefore know where to place them back on the shelf.  

Edwards, with no known administrative experience and no stated work background in either parks or recreation, was picked as administrator of Oakland’s parks and recreation department. That he failed, miserably, is hardly a surprise. That he lasted three years while failing miserably is, at the very least, a tribute to a remarkable, long-running display of stubbornness and tenacity in the face of disaster ... either on Edwards’ part, or Brown’s, or both. 

Bobb is another issue altogether. At the very least, he demonstrated that he was interested in actually running Oakland, which put him light years ahead of his boss. Who comes in as his replacement, and what marching orders that replacement gets from Jerry Brown, will go a long ways toward determining the real reasons for the mayor’s City Hall shakeup. Or, on the other hand, it might not. 

With Jerry Brown, unfortunately, one never knows. Maybe not even Jerry Brown.  

J. Douglas Allen-Taylor is an Oakland resident.

The south wall of the Grove Liquor Store on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Ashby Avenue will soon serve as an artistic representation of South Berkeley—a collaboration between neighborhood activists and nearby Epic Arts Studio. 

The effort began more than a year ago when local resident Eve Cowan decided to create a mural at the site., enlisting the help of Epic Arts staff members. Now the studio provides space for meetings, financial sponsorship, and administrative and legal help for the project. 

The art studio, located at 1923 Ashby Ave., sets out to “build community partnerships, mobilize local artists, produce cultural events, and develop resources and facilities which support greater education, production and participation in the arts,” according to the group’s mission statement. 

In producing the mural, called “South Berkeley Shines,” they hope to beautify the neighborhood and encourage community participation. 

“It was a perfect match,” said Epic Arts director of development Tanya Hurd. 

The mural will display scenes from the neighborhood including the Thai Buddhist Temple, the South Berkeley Community Garden, the South Berkeley Library, La Peña Café and the Black Repertory Theater. Several local artists will work together on the project, with each using a different type of paint for their part of the collage. 

For now, Epic Arts staff members and area activists are finishing the plans for the mural and soliciting donations to fund the project. The core group, which involves eight neighbors, meets every week with other interested participants to work on specific tasks to make the mural a reality. 

Grove Liquor Store has a donation jar on their front counter, and mural organizers are also gathering leftover paint from people’s homes. 

“The response has been incredible,” Hurd said. “People have been dropping 

five dollar bills saying ‘if I give more, will it happen quicker?’” 

Hurd said that with an additional $200, the team should have enough financial support to at least begin the project. 

Now, the main obstacle for the mural organizers is gaining a permit for their artwork. Because the wall for the mural faces Ashby Avenue—which is California State Highway 13—the California Department of Transportation must approve the project. Hurd said she has made several attempts to contact CalTrans, but that she has not had a response. Nonetheless, Hurd said the group hopes to begin painting the wall later this month. 

“I think it’s good that they’re going to make it a more beautiful area,” neighbor Shelly Harper said. “We could use something that reminds us that South Berkeley does indeed shine.”

Hong Kong—An hour before the anti-government rally in Causeway Bay, a district crammed with elegant Japanese department stores, boutiques and clubs, I was having dim sum with friends. They were all dressed in black, the color of protest on July 1, the sixth anniversary of Hong Kong's Handover to mainland China.  

“Why are you wearing orange?” asked Joey, the ringleader of this band of protesters, all of them hip young Cantonese from the advertising, publicity or film industries.  

“Cause I'm not a fashionista,” I replied to her, avoiding a minefield—the issue of the censorship that's expected if the government passes the security bill known as Article 23.  

After devastating the shrimp buns and leaving a mess of noodles, our tall, stunningly attractive field commandante—dressed in combat khakis topped by a torn, chrome-studded black T-shirt—led her troops to the top of a double-decker tram. The alleys and overhead walkways on this bright, sweltering afternoon were crawling with the battalions of the night, a rolling black tide of anger. To me, the symbolism was unfortunate. It didn't remind me of democratic protest, but of Mussolini-era fascist militancy.  

The silent, black sea swelled over the streets of the Wanchai district. Only the effigies of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, Financial Secretary Anthony Leung, and Security Chief Regina Ip—hanging by their necks—drew snickers from the crowd.  

The humorless mood was in stark contrast to the protest marches of my younger days, when students chanted and embraced the cause of the downtrodden, love, sex and rock 'n' roll in a dizzy fusion of compassion and passion.  

This crowd was vastly different from the radically democratic American students who stormed Chicago's Democratic Convention in 1968, or the Red Guards waving Mao's little red book. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and Nicaragua's Sandinistas, the Right, not the Left, has led the really effective demonstrations that have taken down governments around the world—from Gdansk, Poland, to Timosoara, Romania, and Moscow.  

Sadly, the more appropriate analogy for this huge protest is Mussolini's March on Rome in October 1922, the coming to power of the fascist Black Shirts.  

Rome in the Roaring '20s and Hong Kong of the third millennium may seem eons apart, but there are similarities. In many ways, Hong Kong is actually more Catholic than Italy after the latter's secularist reforms known as the Risorgimento. An ally of the ultraconservative Opus Dei movement that has tried to depose Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Hong Kong's Bishop Joseph Zen is the spiritual center of the protest. Hundreds of thousands heeded his call, if only because they were educated in Hong Kong's Catholic schools, the legacy of a British colonial establishment that never bothered to organize public education.  

Mussolini-style fascism was the combined muscle of the "little guys," small-time property owners and professionals who envied the capitalist plutocrats and feared the leftist labor unions. Most of the Hong Kong marchers may be unfortunate, but they are not the downtrodden. Hundreds of small businesses are going bankrupt every month here, and free-falling property prices have clobbered professionals who own more than two apartments. Put together all the "little guys" of Hong Kong and you get more than half a million protesters.  

The marchers vented all their fury on Tung, a former shipping tycoon, and Leung, a onetime banker with Citibank and Chase. The Handover six years ago cemented an alliance between the mainland bureaucrats with the local tycoons and multinational corporations. No venom was aimed at the labor left, mainly because there's not much left of it after the flight of factories from the city to the mainland. China's new prime minister Wen Jiabao came for this Handover anniversary to sign a free-trade pact to benefit Hong Kong industry. But businessmen and labor leaders alike admit the tariff reductions are too little, too late.  

The labor unions marked Handover Day with a pro-China soccer fair in on the opposite end of Victoria Park. Some 200 listless workers were scattered among the red banners in the vast concrete playing field—too few for a Venezuelan-style street battle with the black-clad marchers.  

Rally organizers admit most of the turnout was not against the Beijing-backed security measures or the city's nearly 9 percent unemployment rate. Few people are suggesting that the paternalistic Tung is autocratic or evil, in the way of a Berlusconi or a Saddam. If there is a single complaint against the Tung administration in the wake of the SARS epidemic, it's that government officials are incompetent bunglers.  

Incompetence—therein lies the main grudge that swept the Fascists into office in Italy. Mussolini got the trains to run on time, and that is exactly what these half a million protesters want: a government bureaucracy that operates as efficiently as a Swiss watch, at least between the hours of 9 and 5.  

The marchers’ “Down With Tung” slogan clearly spelled out their goal: not a mere revision of security laws but the downfall of the Tung government. The new Black Shirts are aiming for a coup that will propel them into power and onto a confrontation course with the communist mainland. Though Marx may be rolling in his grave, Mussolini would be proud.  

The one sure guarantee against any threat to civil liberties hidden in the small print of Article 23 is that the current government will be too ineffective to carry it out. The real danger for Hong Kongers—as the Italians discovered to their dismay by the 1940s—is that they just might get the government they desire.  

Yoici Shimatsu (yoishimatsu@yahoo.com) is a freelance journalist based in Hong Kong and former editor of The Japan Times Weekly in Tokyo.

A North Berkeley resident who wants to stop the city’s plan to install cell phone antenna on the roof of Starbucks Cafe is badgering the city to take down the mock antennae that have been erected on top of the building. 

Shahram Shahruz, one of a dozen residents who successfully pressured the city in April to hold off on the deal with Sprint Wireless until a public hearing could be held on the matter, first noticed what appeared to be antennae on top of the North Shattuck building on June 22. He promptly shot off an e-mail to Mayor Tom Bates, councilmembers and some planning department officers demanding to know what was going on. 

Phil Kamlarz, interim planning director, responded via e-mail that city planning staff had said that the structures were “mock antenna” and were not transmitting. The structures, which resemble two chimneys, are located on top of 1600 Shattuck Avenue. When the Daily Planet inquired about the mock antenna, land use manager Mark Rhoades said putting up mock structures is pretty common practice. 

“The zoning board and the council have had a consistent practice of asking for the applicant to put up a mock-up of the project,” he said. “In most instances this takes the form of story poles for residential additions. The city believes it’s a good idea for the decision-making process for the council members and the public to see what this will look like and to determine whether or not that aspect of it is consistent with the city’s telecommunications ordinance.” 

But Shahruz, who lives 100 feet from the proposed site of the new antenna, said he doesn’t buy the city’s line. He said he believes the city put the mock antennae up as a way to undercut the neighbors’ potential challenges to the plan. “One reason to deny the permit is to say it is a visible blight or eyesore,” Shahruz told the Planet. “If the city puts it up there and if no one complains then they can say ‘look, no one is complaining—it’s not an eyesore.’” 

Shahruz and other nearby residents say they are concerned that the real antennae Sprint plans to install will emit harmful radiation. But, since the city has said it cannot reject an antenna installation application based on health reasons due to federal law, Shahruz and other opponents will attempt to fight the plan based on claims that the antennae will impede views. They will also challenge Sprint’s claims that more cell phone service is needed in that area. The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16. 

“I tend to believe the city has set its mind to grant a permit to Sprint,” Shahruz wrote in an e-mail to the Daily Planet. “The whole hearing will be a sham.” 

Shahruz says he wants more answers from the city to prove that the mock structure is legal and is, in fact, not real antennae. “How do we know they are really mock antenna?” he said. “How do we know they’re not transmitting?” In a June 23 e-mail to Kalmarz and city attorney Manuela Albuquerque, Shahruz asked the city to point to a city law that specifies the definition and purpose of a mock structure. He also asked why such a structure would not require a permit. “Can we erect a ‘mock’ Eiffel Tower as tall as the real one, made out of cardboard without permit in our backyard? It appears that the city allows ‘mock’ structures without permit,” he said. 

Calls to Rhoades requesting answers to the same questions were not returned.

Attacks on American troops in Iraq are not letting up. The Bush administration blames “Saddam Hussein Loyalists,” and has launched a military offensive, Operation Sidewinder, to root out these supposed American enemies. But Sidewinder so far has been a bust, as an organized body of Saddam Loyalists is proving to be as difficult to find as weapons of mass destruction.  

The White House must now face up to the uncomfortable fact that troubles related to the occupation are coming from almost every quarter of the Iraqi population, particularly the Shiites, who never supported Saddam. Moreover, these difficulties spring not from some organized opposition, but from public dissatisfaction with the incompetent and disorganized management of the occupation.  

Some remnants of Saddam’s elite troupes may be doing some of the sniping, but one would not know it from the results of Operation Sidewinder thus far. To date, more than 300 persons have been arrested in house-to-house searches, yet it is not at all clear that the bulk of those arrested were guilty of anything. On June 30, Amnesty International questioned the arrests and the conditions under which the detainees are being held.  

The U.S. Central Command claims to have apprehended 11 people on a “targeted” list, but none of the remaining regime members presented on the ubiquitous “villains” playing cards have been found. In short, no one in any position of authority in Saddam's circle has been located or shown to be behind the attacks.  

Ordinary Iraqis, meanwhile, have plenty to be upset about. Conditions in occupied Iraq are desperate.  

Basic utilities have not been restored. There is no drinking water. Food spoils in the scorching heat with no electricity to run refrigerators. There is no cooking fuel. The Americans’ decisions to fire public officials associated with the Baath Party, including those who could help turn the electricity back on, was deeply unpopular.  

Basic nutrition is also a desperate concern. “Today, the lives of 100 percent of the Iraqi population, 27 million people, depend on the provision of monthly food rations,” UNICEF chief representative in Iraq Carel de Roy declared on July 1. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) chief representative in Baghdad, Torben Due, says the crisis is unprecedented. “To avoid a food crisis in the country we have initiated the largest emergency operation in the 40-year history of the WFP,” he told the InterPress News Service on July 2.  

Religion continues to be a source of strife.  

In the town of Fallujah, an explosion in a mosque resulted in the death of Sheikh Laith Khalil, the prayer leader, on July 1. The details of the explosion were confused. Some residents claimed it was the result of a U.S. military attack; American troops claimed that the occupants of the mosque were trying to make a bomb. In any case, the explosion was not created by Saddam loyalists, and it resulted in greater hostility toward American forces.  

Insensitive, heavy-handed tactics by U.S. and British soldiers have done little to win hearts and minds. Broadcast images of a male American officer physically searching an Iraqi woman inflamed sensibilities in religiously conservative regions of Iraq. British troops searching homes with dogs -- considered by pious Muslims to be polluting -- further demonstrated disrespect. Many of these offenses could be avoided with minimal cultural sensitivity training.  

Occupation administrator Paul Bremer’s plan to appoint a committee of his own choosing to write a new Iraqi constitution has met formidable opposition from the most revered Shiite religious leader in the nation, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani of Najaf.  

In a fatwa, or religious decree, issued on July 1 and translated by Iraqi Shia expert Juan Cole of the University of Michigan, Sistani declared, “The occupation officials do not enjoy the authority to appoint the members of a council that would write the constitution.” The ayatollah insisted, “General elections must be held so that every eligible Iraqi can choose someone to represent him at the constitutional convention that will write the constitution.”  

Sistani’s opposition to the Bremer's autocratic plans will likely generate further public opposition to the activities of the occupation. If Bremer continues to ignore Sistani's authority, religious zealots will be tempted to attack the American troops.  

For now, portraying Saddam Hussein as a kind of Bogeyman responsible for all that is going wrong in Iraq may help the White House with the American public. At some point, however, the administration must stop alienating Iraqi citizenry. If not, the epithets for the occupation Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been trying to reject—“quagmire,” “guerrilla war” and "Vietnam"—will become reality.  

William O. Beeman (William_beeman@brown.edu) teaches anthropology and is director of Middle East Studies at Brown University. He is author of "Language, Status and Power in Iran," and two forthcoming books: "Double Demons: Cultural Impediments to U.S.-Iranian Understanding," and "Iraq: State in Search of a Nation."

The Zoning Adjustments Board last Thursday approved the final environmental impact report (FEIR) for the Durant Street Apartments, removing another hurdle in developer Ruegg & Ellsworth’s efforts to demolish the historic Ellen Blood House in order to construct 44-unit, mixed-use project. 

The next step is getting the permits to demolish the old building—a 19th-century house that was deemed a structure of merit by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1999—and construct the five-story, 31,000-square-foot proposed development. 

Critics of the plan, including preservationists with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA), have argued that the FEIR did not adequately provide alternatives to demolishing the structure, including a proposal to relocate the house to a site on Berkeley Way. 

In a letter to board chair Lawrence Capitelli, BAHA president Susan Chase said that alternative, which she described as “serious and concrete,” should have been considered in the environmental impact report. Critics have also said that the need for the housing in the Southside area is no longer strong enough to justify a housing project that will require the destruction of a historic building. 

The board will consider whether to issue the permits for the plan at the July 10 meeting.

“Hot Prowl” burglary 

A thief entered a home on the 600 block of San Luis Road in the Berkeley Hills early Wednesday morning in what the police call a “hot prowl” burglary—a robbery with residents in the home. 

The thief, described as a heavy male over 5’ 6”, entered through an open window. A 56 year-old female resident awakened “when she heard some rattling noises from downstairs,” said Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Mary Kusmiss. 

Seeing what she believed was a flashlight briefly turning on and off through an open door in her bedroom, the resident walked to the top of her stairs. 

“She looked down the stairs and saw a man she didn’t recognize,” said Kusmiss. “She went back into the bedroom, slammed the door and started screaming.” 

Her husband awakened and called 911. Police found two large paintings that belonged in the living room outside, but residents said two other paintings, heirlooms painted by a family member, were missing. The residents did not attach a monetary value to the paintings. 

As of Wednesday, police had no suspects. 

DVD heist 

A patrol officer driving west on Channing Way at 11:43 p.m. Monday night noticed a man running out of Blockbuster Video with a backpack, shouting incoherently. 

“[The officer] caught up alongside the man who was running and attempted to ask him what was happening,” said Kusmiss. 

At that point, the man turned and ran north on Milvia Street. 

“Just then another man came running westbound on Channing Way and appeared to be chasing the first man,” Kusmiss said. 

At that point, the first man dropped the backpack and the second man picked it up. The police officer caught up with the pair at the corner of Bancroft Way and Milvia Street and discovered that the first man had stolen 23 DVDs from Blockbuster—including “The Fast and The Furious,” “Spiderman” and “The Recruit” —valued at $690. 

The man who picked up the backpack was a Blockbuster employee. 

Police picked up the thief, a 32 year-old Oakland man, and charged him with grand theft and a parole violation. 

Bicycle gang attempted robbery 

An 18 year-old resident of Birmingham, Alabama, visiting a brother’s home on the 2200 block of Derby Street in Berkeley, set out with his brother Monday night to pick up some supplies at Andronico’s Market for a road trip. 

On the way to the market, according to police, the brothers noticed three young men on bicycles. The three men, riding pink, red and black bikes, approached the brothers and asked if they wanted to buy marijuana. 

When the brothers declined, one of the bicyclists asked to borrow $5. The brothers declined. 

“One of the suspects hauled off and whacked the Alabama brother in the face,” said Kusmiss. 

The same suspect proceeded to punch the Alabama brother about 15 times, the victim told police. The brother then “teetered backward and fell onto a white Ford Mustang,” Kusmiss said, triggering a car alarm and a call to the police by the car owner. 

The three assailants escaped with no money. Later, an officer found three young men who matched the description of the attackers at the corner of Adeline and Harmon streets, near the Ashby BART station, and caught two of them. The two brothers positively identified the pair, both 18 year-old Berkeley residents, who have been charged with attempted strong arm robbery.

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

City Council will consider on Tuesday keeping closer tabs on Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and weigh new ordinances that would allow speedy approval of “in-law” housing units—the small backyard cottages or above-garage apartments that dot the city. 

Under a measure put forth by Mayor Tom Bates, city staff would conduct a preliminary analysis of all major planned development projects at Lawrence Berkeley Lab, a federal facility operated by the University of California. Under Bates’ proposal, Berkeley City Manager Weldon Rucker would also appoint a “lab liaison” from existing city staff to coordinate relations between the city and the national science center. 

Bates said the measure was prompted in part by the lab’s announcement this year of a plan to build a six-story, 94,000 square foot molecular foundry in Strawberry Canyon. The $85 million foundry would be dedicated to the study of nanoscience, the manipulation of materials at the molecular level. 

Community activists and city officials say they were caught unaware by the lab’s proposal to expand. 

“I feel like the city has not been prepared to deal with the larger problems,” Bates said, in reference to the project. 

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington said the late notice on the molecular foundry project is part of a larger pattern. 

“When the lab does something, we usually find out about it from the community groups protesting the lab and not the lab itself,” he said. 

But Worthington raised doubts about whether one person, the proposed “lab liaison,” could keep tabs on the entire lab, especially if that liaison has another job. 

“In-law” units 

City Council will also conduct a first reading of an ordinance that would allow for speedy approval of “in-law” units. The state legislature, attempting to address California’s shortage of rental properties, passed a law last year requiring municipalities to streamline the process for approval. 

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Old City Hall. A special meeting on the city’s workers’ compensation costs will be held at 5 p.m.

Five months after pledging to boycott the Claremont Resort and Spa the UC Berkeley football team has signed up for a week-long stay at the hotel in August. 

The team had promised to stay away from the hotel to show support for the hotel workers, who have been locked in a bitter, two-year contract dispute with the Claremont. The team’s room reservations sparked outrage among union officials, student activists and clergy who have sided with clerks, dishwashers and waiters pushing for better wages and health care benefits. 

Athletic department spokesperson Bob Rose said the football team is staying at the Claremont for one week during a three-week, pre-season training camp in August. He could not confirm the dates of the stay, but said he thought it will cover the week of Aug. 14 to 21. Rose said he did not know the cost of the week-long booking. 

Claire Darby, boycott coordinator for Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) Local 2850, which represents about 300 workers at the Claremont, said the football team booked rooms under a different name in an attempt to avoid scrutiny. 

Rose said he knew of no such ruse, but Claremont spokesperson Anne Appel could not find any listing for the team in the hotel’s books.  

The team will spend two weeks of its training camp at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus on Warring Street, Rose said, but the athletic department was unable to book the space for the entire three-week camp. The Claremont, he said, was the only available local hotel that could accommodate the team, and the meeting space it needs, during the final week of camp. 

The only other option—moving the entire training camp off-campus and taking freshmen away from academic orientation sessions—was unacceptable, Rose said. 

“In the real world, there are times when your intent is to do what’s right—[but] you need also to do what’s right for your student-athletes,” he said. “That’s always our number one priority—student-athletes.” 

“To me, it sounds like another excuse,” said Liana Molina, interfaith organizer for the Oakland-based East Bay Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. 

The team is maintaining a partial boycott of the hotel. Before this year, Cal football stayed at the Claremont the night before home games, mirroring the practice of many big-time football programs around the country. Rose said the team will take its business elsewhere this year, staying at the Doubletree Hotel at the Berkeley Marina. 

Students applauded the decision to pull out of the season-long contract, but said the one-week stay was unacceptable. 

“I think it’s a betrayal,” said graduate student Mo Kashmiri. “Obviously, the students were really pissed about this.” 

Darby, the boycott organizer, said UC Berkeley’s chancellor’s office, Boalt Hall School of Law and School of Social Welfare have joined in the boycott, while the Haas School of Business has resisted. The Yoga Journal, California State Bar Association and high-tech powerhouse Intel have also pulled out of the Claremont, she said. 

HERE vice president Wei-Ling Huber said the union pulled out of contract talks in May when the Claremont wouldn’t budge on health care and wages. The union is asking for full coverage of health care costs and a 50-cent increase per hour in wages, Huber said. The hotel, she said, is offering to cover only part of escalating health care costs and to provide a 25-cent raise per hour. 

Appel, in a written statement, said the Claremont had offered a 19 percent hike in health and welfare contributions over three years in its latest bid to finalize a contract. 

HERE is also attempting to unionize about 100 non-union spa employees at the hotel —massage therapists, nail technicians, hair dressers and estheticians, who provide facials. 

The union and the hotel have battled for months about the proper way to conduct an election among spa employees. HERE wants workers to sign union authorization cards while the Claremont wants a secret ballot election.