A proposed reorganization of the City of Berkeley’s 49 commissions, advisory boards, and task forces surfaced at this week’s Council Agenda Committee meeting, sparking immediate statements of alarm and concern from commissioners and councilmembers. 

In answer to a question by Councilmember Miriam Hawley about the status of a proposed plan to bring commission reports through the Agenda Committee, Assistant City Manager Arietta Chakos instead reported on a broader proposal which she said was currently being worked on by the city manager’s office. The proposal suggests eliminating some boards and commissions, consolidating others into subcommittees of what Chakos called “super commissions,” and changing the meeting schedules of some of the “non-judicial” commissions from monthly to quarterly. Chakos did not provide details of which commissions were being considered for the changes. 

Chakos, who did not return calls for this article, said during the meeting that the proposed changes would be presented to City Council at its Jan. 27 meeting as part of City Manager Phil Kamlarz’ report on budget cutting proposals. Cisco deVries, aide to Mayor Tom Bates, told the Daily Planet that he did not believe that the proposed reorganization was requested by City Council, but was initiated by the city manager’s office. 

Peace and Justice Commission member Elliot Cohen, who said he’d heard rumors about the proposal as far back as mid-December, said that the worst part of the plan would be its effect on citizen participation in Berkeley government. “At City Council, unless there is a public hearing, only 10 citizens get the right to speak, and that is decided by lottery. At non-judicial commissions, at least the ones I’ve observed and the one I sit on, anybody who wants to speak gets to speak. Commissions, therefore, are the only avenue of government in the city of Berkeley where a citizen can go before a public official and make an oral presentation and be heard. It’s the only place that it’s guaranteed to happen. By getting it heard at commission, you get the chance to have the issue put on the City Council agenda. So the ability to speak before commissions is the only way a citizen has of directly addressing city government, other than writing a letter. I think that’s an important right, and I think it’s being taken away from people.” 

Asked about the proposal following Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he thought the idea was a mistake. “Participatory democracy through the commissions is one of the things that makes Berkeley unique,” Worthington said. 

Worthington said the commission proposal sounded suspiciously like a reprise of attempts in earlier years by moderate Councilmembers to do away with some commissions by simply refusing to appoint members.  

Councilmember Dona Spring was more blunt. “I think this is an attempt to dismantle the great Berkeley commission system, and to get commissions under the thumb of the Agenda Committee,” Spring said. “They’re trying it gradually, little by little. It’s very demoralizing. In fact, we soon will be able to do away with City Council altogether, and just have the Agenda Committee rubberstamp the Mayor’s decisions. The whole thing made my blood run cold. I plan to fight it.” 

Spring said she expects the proposed reorganization will affect every commission except those that are “not secured by voter approval, such as the Police Review Commission, the Zoning Board, and the Fair Campaign Practices Commission.” 

Emily WilWilcox, chairperson of the Commission on Disability, noted that the issue of commission consolidation or elimination had not been presented to her group recently, and added that she could not see any circumstances in the near future where her commission could be eliminated or the work curtailed. “So many of our issues have not yet been integrated into other commissions and into the mind-set of many of the staff people,” Wilcox said.  

“While we have this one label—disability—in our title, the issues that come before us relate to everything else that happens in the city. It would be fair to say that if you randomly name another commission or board in the city, you would see that we have an interest in every topic that every other board is covering. When it comes to the Disaster Council, for example, there are special needs for people with disabilities where our input is important. The same thing with transportation, planning, housing, community health. Every aspect of the city is something that we have an interest in. We’re still trying to make sure that accessibility for the disabled is included as we move forward.”  

Wilcox noted the recent passage by Council of a measure to authorize wheelchair-accessible taxis as a good example. Wilcox said that “while the item sat on the Transportation Commission’s future agenda for quit a long time, we never could convince them to place it on their current agenda. I finally contacted them and told them they could take the wheelchair-accessible taxi issue off their agenda altogether, since we’d finally gotten it through City Council.” 

Another member of the controversial Peace and Justice Commission, which Councilmember Worthington believed might be one of the major targets of the reorganization, also argued against the plan.  

“One of the things that some city leaders tend to forget about when they talk about commissions is that this is hundreds of citizen volunteers doing a great deal of work, much of which would otherwise have to be done by city staff, and by the Council and the mayor,” P&J member Steve Freedkin said. “As Council and the city manager’s office think about any improvements in the commission system, they need to be very careful not to lose that benefit. Under the guise of trying to save a few dollars, they could end up costing a whole lot more. City staff would then be required to handle a lot of the issues that currently get handled by the commissions.” 

Freedkin added that downsizing P&J would be of little economic benefit to the city because the commission’s costs are “virtually nothing. Our staff person is a salaried city employee who does his work for our commission simply by working extra hours for which he doesn’t get compensated. So there’s no savings to be had by cutting back on our commission.” 

FRIDAY, JAN. 16 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Otto J. M. Smith, Prof. Emeritus, Electrical Engineering, UCB, on “There is Still Hope.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $11.50 - $12.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020. 

Docent Training for Berkeley Historical Society, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Veteran’s Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. 

End the Nightmare; Bring Back the Dream! Participate in continuous readings of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence,” in front of the Oakland Federal Building, 1302 Clay St. near the 12th St. BART station.  

Applying Earth Charter Principles in Daily Life An interactive workshop with Ellis Jones, co-author of “The Better World Handbook,” at 6 p.m. at the Fellowship of Humanity, 390 27th St. Suggested donation $15. 655-8252. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Players at all levels are welcome. 652-5324. 

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. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets every Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. Parking is free and is handicapped accessible. For information call Katherine, 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, JAN. 17 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Sproul Room, St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 587-3257. www.berkeleycna.com 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Basic Personal Preparedness for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Fire Department Training Center, 997 Cedar St. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes or by calling 981-5506. 

Lost Waterfall in Winter Hike about 3.5 miles from the Nature Area around Lake Anza along the swollen creek and find out what animals live there and the history of the lake. Pack a snack and dress for possible muddy and wet weather. From 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Mini-Gardeners Explore Dirt We’ll dig through our soil and compost to help our plants, and maybe find some creepy crawly friends. Dress for a mess! Ages 4-6 years. Cost is $3. Registration required. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Cost is $3. Wheelchair accesiible. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org  

Pruning and Winter Care for Healthier Roses, 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

First Annual Crab Feed and Auction presented by Communication, Arts and Sciences Program of Berkeley High School, from 5 to 9 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Cost is $35. Service graciously provided by CAS Students. For ticket reservations and/or Auction donations, please e-mail your request to sstier@acgov.org  

African-American/African Dialog If you consider yourself of African descent and would like to participate in a dialogue between African-American and African immigrants, please join us from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Downs Memorial United Methodist Church, 6026 Idaho St . near San Pablo and 60th, Oakland. Please RSVP to 527-4099. 

Shamanic Journeying Meditation using earth’s power centers, plant and mineral energies, Native American medicines, and concepts and principles from different meditation traditions around the globe, at 9 a.m. Free. For information and directions call 525-1272. 

Oakland Chinatown Lunar New Year Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 9th and Franklin Sts. in Oakland. Also on Sunday. 

California Writers’ Club Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pamada discus how to find an agent at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-3635. 

Yoga for Seniors at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St., on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Open to non-members of the club for $8 per class. For further information and to register, call 848-7800. 

Pet Adoptions, sponsored by Home at Last, from noon to 5 p.m., Hearst and 4th St. 548-9223. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 18 

In the Name of Love, a tribute and 75th birthday celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 7:30 p.m. at the Calvin Simmons Theater, 10 Tenth St. Oakland. Tickets are $12-$20 available from www.ticketweb.com or 866-468-3399. 

“Unraveling the Lying Liars of the Great American Dynasty” with Paul Krugman, Al Franken, Kevin Phillips and Amy Goodman at 7 p.m. in the Berkeley Community Theater, 1930 Allston Way at Milvia. Tickets are $15 in advance and are available at Cody’s Books. 

Tibetan Buddhism, Erika Rosenberg and Paul Brumbaum on “Engaging the Challenges of Life and Work” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Eckhart Tolle Talks on Video, free gatherings at 7:30 p.m. to hear the words of the author of “The Power of Now” at the Feldenkrais Ctr., 830 Bancroft Way. 547-2024. EdScheuerlein@aol.com  

MONDAY, JAN. 19 

City Offices Closed - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

Martin Luther King Jr. Rally Join in a multi-cultural Peace Celebration in honor of the 75th Anniversary of Dr. King’s birth, with Danny Glover, Barbara Lee, and local performers, at 10:30 a.m. at the ILWU Warehouse Union Hall-Local 6, 99 Hegenberger Rd, Oakland. 638-0365. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, JAN. 20 

Berkeley High School Parent Teacher Student Association invites you to attend the first General Membership meeting of 2004, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the new Library, in the new D Building. Jim Slemp, Principal, will speak, followed by a question and answer period and a tour of the new building. Enter using the Milvia St. entrance.  

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Advance sign-up needed. 594-5165.  

A Critical Look at the Biodiesel Industry at 7 p.m. at BioFuel Oasis, 2465 4th St. at Dwight. Donation of $5-$10 requested. 665-5509. www.biofueloasis.com  

Friends of Strawberry Creek meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library’s Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. The meeting will focus on creek-water monitoring with a presentation by Civil Engineer/Hydrologist Ed Ballman.  

Berkeley Garden Club “Jepson Herbarium: Its Purpose and Origin” will be the topic presented by Staci Markos, Public Program and Development Coordinator at 1 p.m. at the Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. Non-members welcome. Free. 524-4374. 

Public Hearing on Proposed Cellphone Antennas for the roof of Starbucks Cafe and Barney’s Restaurant on Cedar St. At 7 p.m. in the Berkeley City Council Chambers, 2134 MLK, Jr. Way.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 234-4783. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Slide show of Sweden and Lappland with Jackie Hetman at 11 a.m. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672 for information or check our web page, http://home.comcast.net/~teachme99/tildenwalkers.html or email teachme99@comcast.net 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21 

Neighborhood Forum with the City Manager and Fire Dept. from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Fireside Room, St. John’s Presbyterian, 2727 College Ave. Sponsored by CNA/BANA.  

EmbracingDiversityFilms and the Albany High School PTA co-host the screening of “Daddy & Papa” at 7 p.m. at the Albany High School Library, 603 Key Route Blvd., Albany. A discussion will follow the movie. Free. 527-1328. 

Writers’ Room Coach Training is offered from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for volunteers who would like to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. To attend please call Terry Bloomburgh at 849-4134 or email Bloomburgh@sbcglobal.net 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “The Da Vinci Code,” by Dan Brown at 6:30 p.m. at Liu’s Kitchen, Solano Ave. 433-2911. 

Gray Panthers “Trekking into 2004: Where Do We Go from Here?” Bring your ideas and inspiration. At 7 p.m. at 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. 

An Evening with Mountaineer Joe Simpson at 6:30 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:15 a.m. at Hide-A-Way Café, 6430 Telegraph Ave. For information call Fred Garvey, 925-682-1111, ext. 164. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and  

Vigil at the Berkeley BART Sta- 

tion, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Amnesty International Berkeley Community Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1606 Bonita Ave., at Cedar St. Join fellow human rights activists to help promote social justice one individual at a time. 872-0768. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 22 

Pro-Choice Rally, to celebrate the 31st Anniversary of Roe v Wade, Meet at 5 p.m. in front of the Powell St. BART station, in SF, for a march to Civic Center. 415-334-1502. 

Prepare for the March 2 Election A presentation on ballot measures by the League of Women Voters, at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Central Library, 3rd floor meeting room, 2090 Kittredge St. 526-5139. 

Winter Back-Country Travel Safety and Survival Tips at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

ONGOING 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra misses its alums! As our nation's second oldest youth orchestra, based in Berkeley, YPSO is in possession of a treasure trove of memorabilia dating as far back as 1936. To preserve and share these photographs, letters, programs and other interesting materials YPSO is creating a Digital Online Museum. It is our hope that this archive will connect people with Berkeley’s collective history and community. If you participated in the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra please contact David Davis at davisde@ 

yogashorts.com or 543-4054. 

Support the Berkeley Public Library On-line Auction Visit www.bplf.org and bid to name a character in a work by Michael Chabon, have dinner with Elizabeth Farnsworth and Khaled Hosseini, let Bill Schechner tell your story, work with Adair Lara on a memoir, hear Maxine Hong Kingston at your book club, and much more. 981-6115. 

Freedom From Tobacco A free quit-smoking class offered by the City of Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program on six Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 22 to Feb. 26, at the Central Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. To enroll please call 981-5330 or e-mail at quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us.  You will receive a confirmation of your registration.   

Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League offers an exciting opportunity for East Bay girls in grades 1-8 to learn softball, make friends and have fun! Registration starts in January; the season runs March 6 through June 5. For information call 869-4277. www.abgsl.org 

Vista Community College Classes in Computer Software begins Jan. 15. Enrollment is open through Jan. 24. Register on-line at www.peralta.cc.ca.us or at 2020 Milvia St., or call 981-2863. 

Creating Economic Opportunities for Women offers training programs for immigrant and refugee women. Orientations held during January, at 655 International Blvd., 2nd flr. Call 879-2949. 

Acting and Storytelling Classes for Seniors, offered by Stagebridge. Wednesdays and Fridays, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., close to BART and AC Transit. 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

Acting and Improv Classes for Adults begin Sun. Jan. 25. Cost is $125 for 8 wks. On- 

going classes for children and teens. Verna Winter Studio, 1312 Bonita Ave. 524-1601. 

Tae-Bo, a cardiovascular workout composed of kick punches and stretches will be offered at Frances Albrier Recreation Center, 2800 Park St., on Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Jan. 13. Cost is $20 per month or $4 drop-in. For information call 981-6640.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Tues. Jan. 20, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St., Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/city 

council/agenda-committee 

City Council meets Tues., Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Jan. 21, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Jan. 21, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Lisa Ploss, 981-5200. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m., at Berkeley Work-Source, 1950 Addison St., Suite 105. Delfina M. Geiken, 644-6085. www.ci.-berkeley.ca.us/commissions/labor 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs. Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/housing

QUALITY OF LIFE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I would like to thank Fred Dodsworth for the fine article he wrote on Healing Muses, our nonprofit organization which brings healing music to Bay area hospitals, hospices and convalescent homes “Musician’s Cancer Struggle Inspires Hospital Programs,” Daily Planet, Jan. 9-12). Not only did his story introduce the readers of the Daily Planet to our project, but it gave exposure to our upcoming weekend fund-raising concerts, and drew new audience members who had read the article. 

Fred was a very skilled interviewer, and it was a pleasure working with him. I hope the Berkeley Daily Planet will continue to feature stories on people who are involved in service projects which bring quality of life to our community. 

Eileen Hadidian 

Director, Healing Muses 

• 

MALCOLM X FLOOD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It was no surprise that there was an expensive flood at Malcolm X, due in part to the district’s failure to do simple preventive maintenance such as to remove leaves clogging drains.  

Despite three years of funding of almost $12 million since 2000 from our parcel tax, Measure BB, the maintenance department has been unable to move from putting out fires to doing the real job of maintenance, which is preventive maintenance. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The cure for flooding at Malcolm X is estimated to be at least $44,000, while a simple half hour of raking leaves would probably have prevented the flooding.  

Last fall, no one on the existing maintenance oversight committee volunteered to be the chair. The existing co-chairs resigned. The “unofficial minutes” states some of the reasons for the resignation are: “The committee seems to have made little progress...the committee is still talking about cleaning bathrooms, pulling weeds and fixing irrigation systems; the department is still struggling with...manpower and hiring; the facilities departments are politicized, protect their own interests and bank accounts or funds, and do not work together as a unit to perform in our schools the way the district should. Construction standards seem to be no one’s bailiwick.”  

Three years ago, the superintendent set out on a course to stifle and limit citizen oversight, throwing out a plan which took three years to develop, stating that she knew how to run maintenance. Well, $12 million later, the superintendent’s plan is a mess. Plus, BUSD has conducted no audits as required by Measure BB.  

We in Berkeley are generous, especially when the specter of little children are raised. We have been told that Berkeleyans never turn down a school spending measure. Therefore, BUSD has now turned into a cash cow for administrators, who keep giving themselves large raises while laying off teachers and closing school libraries. These school administrators have never had to be effective, efficient, or even accountable. BUSD school board members received a 30 percent raise last year.  

If after $12 million they can’t even clean bathrooms and rake the leaves, it’s time to cut off the money supply.  

Yolanda Huang 

• 

GUTTING EDUCATION 

To Gov. Schwarzenegger: 

In the same week we read (1) Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina insisting that Silicon Valley will continue sending jobs overseas until California schools can turn out properly educated workers, and (2) our great University of California is, in the words of Chancellor Robert Berdahl, “now over a billion dollars short of the ‘partnership’ we had with previous gubernatorial administrations,” with “more and more, phrases like ‘restricting enrollment,’ ‘massive fee increases,’ and even ‘privatization’ in the air.” 

We simply must not allow budget cuts that would gut our education system, from preschool through the nation’s best public university. 

Our institutions of higher education drive our economy, and they define—they deliver—on the promise of California as the land of opportunity. To stand by and let them be gutted now would be like toppling the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. 

The founders of the University of California chose their motto well: fiat lux. Let there be light! 

Trina Ostrander 

Executive Director,  

Berkeley Public Education Foundation 

• 

DEVELOPMENT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was happy to see Victor Herbert’s response to my commentary on the development task force (Letters, Daily Planet, Jan 9-12), because he brought up issues I didn’t have space to cover in my commentary. 

First, Mr. Herbert is completely correct in saying that the planning staff treats small applicants (homeowners) differently than it treats large developers. Homeowner applicants who want to make relatively harmless improvements to their property find themselves in a bureaucratic obstacle course, due as much to staff as to “grumpy neighbors,” while staff routinely gives away the store to large developers—especially the city’s “favorites” on both the for-profit and non-profit side. (In explanation of this, one long-time planning observer commented simply: “They facilitate projects that increase density.”) In any case, the task force cited this homeowner frustration and tried to address it. I myself recommended easing their burden by eliminating their hefty public hearing fee—while maintaining the safety net of public review in most cases—and I was happy to see that the task force recommended exploring this possibility. But it seems that many people, including a majority of the ZAB, sometimes forget that zoning was created to protect the public interest—and neighbor’s rights—by limiting private property rights. 

As to Polly Armstrong’s role, Mr. Herbert is wrong. Ms. Armstrong had the power to eviscerate the task force’s statement on staff culture precisely because the recommendations had to be virtually unanimous. I wrote it the way it happened. However, though I disagree with many of Ms. Armstrong’s ideas, I thank her and all others for their volunteer work on the task force. In fact, while the task force was considering ways to help commercial developers, Ms. Armstrong was the only member who provided this reality check: Residents close to commercial districts may not appreciate the intensification of commercial parking demand at the expense of neighborhood parking! 

Mr. Herbert is also wrong in describing observers as “de facto members” of the task force. Real members of such groups have the official right to “sit at the table,” to speak, and to affect group output, as Ms. Armstrong did. Luckily, Mr. Herbert displayed a much better understanding of power when on the task force than he did in his letter. 

Sharon Hudson 

• 

NO SAFETY FOR WALKERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When we think about our concern with public safety, we think of crime and fire, but rarely about traffic safety. To increase public safety, Berkeley spends a majority of its budget on crime and fire prevention. Fire and crime deaths have been significantly reduced, and in some years stand at zero. With an appropriate investment, it’s proven that we can effectively reduce a public danger. 

There are well-documented but overlooked public dangers—notably to pedestrians. Although more than 20 pedestrians have died in the last decade, we have yet to make a comparable investment in reducing traffic dangers.  

The very idea of pedestrian safety has been absent from our thinking. Even though we know the walker is the mineshaft canary for our street livability, we never think about protecting the walker or the walking environment.  

North Shattuck, with four fatalities in the past decade, got a plan but no improvements. In Central Berkeley, with its rapidly developing transit corridors, it’s entirely unsafe to walk. Not only are the most dangerous intersections in the East Bay right here in the downtown area, but the most dangerous residential streets in the city (Addison and Allston) are here too. Won’t it get worse as thousands of new residents and hundreds of new businesses locate along our developing transit corridors?  

As a community, we need to start considering pedestrian needs. There is much we could do that many other communities have already been doing: Prosecute the deliberate or reckless miscreants, invest in infrastructure danger prevention and raise the public’s awareness of dangers—creating risk reduction for all of us. It’s a proven public safety strategy. Berkeley can spend an adequate share increasing the public safety for all of us on city streets. 

Please join us in making Berkeley safer for all—safe enough for walking. 

Wendy Alfsen,  

Walk & Roll Berkeley 

• 

INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gordon Woznick’s Dec. 26 commentary critical of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) was filled with misrepresentations and factual errors.  

Mr. Wozniak opposes an upcoming March, 2004 Berkeley ballot measure—Measure I—that will allow Berkeley citizens the opportunity to vote yes or no on approving an IRV voting procedure (ranking candidates by first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. on a ballot) for future city candidate elections. 

IRV is a very simple, straightforward voting process has been used successfully in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland for decades. Ireland’s president is selected using IRV voting. The City of London uses IRV voting to select its mayor and city council offices. IRV voting is currently an election option in Santa Clara County, the City of San Leandro and for special elections in Oakland. 

After citizens voted overwhelmingly to pass a ballot measure mandating its use, San Francisco’s voters are set to use IRV voting in the November, 2004 general election. Berkeley’s upcoming March, 2004 IRV ballot measure is directly modeled on San Francisco’s successful IRV initiative. 

In his article, Mr. Wozniak erroneously states that “no voting machine can handle mixed traditional and IRV voting” on the same election day. Mr. Wozinak’s remarkable claim is directly contradicted by the fact that San Francisco—with hundreds of thousands of voters—is set to conduct its November, 2004 election using traditional and IRV voting procedures simultaneously.  

This dual voting technology already exists and is set to be operational for San Francisco’s November, 2004 Board of Supervisors elections. The company Election Software and Services (ESS) is the provider of San Francisco’s IRV voting machine technology.  

What is extremely disconcerting—and cynical—about Mr. Wozniak’s opposition to Berkeley’s Measure I is that Mr. Wozniak originally voted against giving Berkeley citizens themselves the right to vote yes or no on the IRV ballot measure. 

As a City Councilmember, Mr. Wozniak voted against placing Measure I on the ballot—in effect, pre-empting the ability of Berkeley’s voters to decide the merits of the issue for themselves. 

Given the political dynamics of Mr. Wozniak’s own 2002 City Council District 8 election—when he was one of four District 8 candidates—it is possible to conclude that Mr. Wozniak’s personal opposition to IRV may stem from the concern that he could be vulnerable if IRV voting was used in a future District 8 election.  

In his November, 2002 City Council election, as one of four candidates, Mr. Wozniak received less than a majority of all votes cast, and only managed to win his office during a low turnout, runoff election one month later in December.  

Under Measure I, IRV voting will avoid the need for a second, low turnout election which typically costs the City of Berkeley hundreds of thousands of dollars. IRV voting insures that elected representatives have majority voter support (50 percent or more) in an election once votes are tabulated.  

Chris Kavanagh 

• 

SPRINT ANTENNAE 

Dear Mayor Bates and City Councilmember, 

It’s important to stay focused on the real issue here. Sprint has requested a use permit for an entirely new installation on a thriving commercial street surrounded by houses, apartments, and businesses. This application is for a use permit, and is therefore a : zoning decision. Deciding whether to grant the use permit is a political, social, and environmental decision, not a technical one. It doesn’t matter whether Sprint has correctly gone through the required steps to request a use permit. What matters is whether the residents and merchants in the area want this entirely new operation in the middle of their neighborhood.  

The cell phone companies have been very skillful in promoting these requests for use permits as though they have some protected or special status due to FCC regulations, but this is simply not true. Berkeley is already in full compliance with all FCC regulations and requirements because of the number and widespread location of transmitting antennas throughout the city. 

This is the first test of Berkeley’s Transmitting Antenna Ordinance, which was created so that the city could manage and control the placement of these installations, with essential input from residents and merchants. If you grant this permit against the virulent opposition of those living and working nearby, it will be a signal to the industry that they can build these antennas anywhere, with no control by either city staff or City Council. It will be clear that the ordinance you passed was a sham, intended only to mislead the citizens into believing that you cared. 

This request for a use permit should be treated like any other, with deciding weight given to the residents and businesses that already exist in this very successful neighborhood. Sprint is asking you to alienate your own constituents to approve this installation. You know that the neighbors and merchants are united in their opposition, and there will be in an uproar if you grant this permit. And for what? Simply so that Sprint can have yet another installation in an area where they already have three nearby. 

There are many other sites available throughout Berkeley that would not be so controversial, and the ordinance was specifically designed to encourage companies to build their installations in areas that are acceptable to the citizens of Berkeley. You can send a clear signal to the cell phone companies that they must work with the citizens instead of against them by denying this permit. 

Kevin Sutton  

• 

FOUNDRY PROJECT 

Dear Mayor Bates and City Councilmembers:, 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the UC have announced that site preparation for the construction of the Molecular Foundry will begin this week.  

How is it possible that this project can go forward without the entire LBNL expansion project first going through an Environmental Impact Review process? How is it possible that this project can go forward before we have solid scientific proof that there are no harmful environmental impacts or health effects from the research that will be conducted at the Foundry? How is it possible that this project can go forward when the Lab site has existing buildings that can no longer be used because they have been contaminated by previous research activities? 

Why do we allow the LBNL and UC to continue to devour the landscape within our city limits and its fragile watershed? Why does the financial burden of supporting the university (fire, infrastructure, police, etc.) fall on the shoulders of the city while the lab and UC enter into profitable licensing agreements with industry while we cut public health services for the poor and contemplate reducing fire and public safety budgets? 

The UC and LBNL continue to encroach further into our diminishing natural environment and into our downtown, draining our city’s coffers of resources we desperately need, and we seem only able to shrug our shoulders and to hope for the best. It’s time we did more. 

Tom Kelly  

• 

DOWNTOWN PARKING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

While riding a bus to downtown, I read the barrage of pro-parking letters in the Jan. 13-15 edition of the Daily Planet. One of them assured me “the simple truth is people drive their cars when want to shop, eat or have a good time.” Another stated that parking is a “fundamental use facility.” None of them mentioned buses. 

I got off my bus, and while waiting to cross Shattuck, watched the cars crawl along. Some of them were probably circling in search of a parking space. I didn’t need a parking space. 

Sure, if all these people insist on driving, each alone in his personal vehicle, they’ll each need a parking place. But is there really no alternative to coming downtown in a car? Having just gotten off a bus, the answer seemed obvious to me. 

Major cities in Europe have discovered that a boom in downtown business results when parking is replaced with shops and public spaces to walk and sit. Berkeley’s BART Plaza gives a hint of this pedestrian ambiance. Across the street, I could see the tables of the sidewalk cafes on Center. 

Shopping is a pedestrian activity. Even at the big suburban malls, people park their cars and stroll among the shops. People might need a car to haul packages. Instead of parking, how about delivery services? Delivery might be a lot more profitable than parking. 

On my way back, while waiting for my bus, I watched all the other buses pass through downtown Berkeley, bound for various destinations. I counted cars carrying more people than the driver—less than 10 percent of them. A single bus can carry 40 people, seated. 

Back on the bus, I read another Planet letter. This one complained that unless there are more parking spaces, the homeless will dominate downtown in the evenings. Well, there sure are a lot of homeless, but they aren’t filling the parking spaces. In fact, in the evenings, with the all-day parkers gone, I’m told that there are plenty of parking spaces. 

I was riding one of the new Van Hool buses, very nice. I’m told that all new buses are purchased entirely from Federal grants. Evidently Federal grants don’t take care of the homeless. 

Should buses be relegated to people too poor or disabled to drive a car? Do developers have an obligation to provide the city with parking? Should we build parking garages towering into the sky and burrowed into the earth? 

Why such fixation on cars and parking? We can live so much better. Do we care about housing, about congestion, about getting sick from polluted air? The herds of cars are a major contribution to global warming. 

As the bus rolled along, I read another letter, bemoaning the loss of parking due to the Library Gardens housing project. It described parking as part of our “civic heart.” I thought housing was the heart of any city. 

Steve Geller 

• 

TECHNICOLOR SECURITY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The war on terror has grown color conscious. Three of the five colors (green, white, yellow, orange and red) used by the Department of Homeland Security to put the public on security alert are now used to assign a “risk score” to people boarding airplanes: green = low, yellow = unknown, red = high.  

I wonder if Secretary Ridge and his minions take into account the very real problems and ambiguities that may result from mixing the colors on their security risk palette. For instance, a green coded air passenger traveling on a red day produces a brown risk. Likewise, a red passenger traveling on a green day produces a brown risk. 

Furthermore, if days and people can be assessed for risk why not places. For instance the Golden Gate Bridge would be red but the local golf course white. 

And why stop there? The seriousness and complexity of the situation requires more subtle, nuanced treatment. Ought not age, gender, religion - in short, all those attributes about which discrimination is prohibited—contribute to the procedure for evaluating risk? Surely a teenage girl merits a spring-like green while her grandmother boarding the plane with her deserves a dark hued, forest green.  

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo 

• 

FOCUS ON ME 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

An advertisement from the YMCA has the headline “This year, I resolve to take care of ME—in mind, body and spirit.” Then, after explaining how nice it is to be a member of the YMCA so you can exercise, do Yoga, or soak in the Jacuzzi, the ad concludes: “This year, there’s one thing that’s not falling off my priority list—ME!” (Daily Planet, Jan. 9).  

I guess this ad explains the YMCA’s attitude toward downtown parking. I don’t care how much damage I do to the environment. I don’t care how much damage I do to the city. I just care how convenient it is for ME! 

This attitude may help you take care of your body, but I doubt if it does much good for your mind or spirit.  

Charles Siegel 

Christmas shoppers on Fourth Street this past month who caught the mellifluous strains of Miles Davis wafting through the air were surprised to find that they did not come from a store playing a CD a little too loud but instead from the golden horn of 13-year-old Nate Schneider, performing his renditions of the late, great trumpeter’s tunes.  

Nate, a seventh-grader at Martin Luther King Middle School, left many a shopper smiling as he sat outside in the cold on four December days to raise money for the Berkeley Unified School district music programs, victims of a $138,000 budget cut this year that left a district well-known for its music programs scrambling to make do.  

The concerts, which helped raise $325.26, were part of Nate’s obligatory community service in preparation for his upcoming bar mitzvah when he turns 13 in June. All of the money collected will be donated to the Berkeley Public Education Fund, which will in turn route the money to the district’s ailing programs. 

“I had to do some kind of project for my bar mitzvah and I didn’t want to do something ordinary,” said Nate. “I also wanted to get some experience as a musician—to throw something out there and see what people thought.” 

Since 1994 Berkeley middle school and elementary students have been the beneficiaries of the Berkeley Schools Excellence Program or BSEP, a parcel tax passed in 1994 to fund district programs including music. 

But with the ensuing inflation, the monies raised from the tax aren’t enough to meet the music program’s needs. Consequently, several of the schools saw their five day-a-week programs diminish to three, two music teachers positions were cut and fourth-graders lost their instruments. 

And while Nate might not pay attention to the numbers, he saw the impact of the cuts at school and decided to do his part to protect the programs. 

“When you see our band room, you see broken down chairs and music stands and worn out instruments. It was something that was also directly affecting me,” he said.  

Nate, who currently plays with the Martin Luther King Middle School Band and the Marty Wehner ensemble at the Berkeley Jazz School, says he eventually aspires to play with the renowned Berkeley High Jazz Band. He’s been interested in music since fourth grade when he started playing the recorder and quickly developed an interest in jazz after seeing performances in New Orleans on a family vacation.  

Afterwards he came back and started tootling around on his own recorder, teaching himself how to improvise in an effort to copy what he’d heard. 

“I’d like to think I was the first jazz recorder player,” said Nate. “I must have sounded pretty funny then.” 

In fifth grade, he was able to choose a larger instrument and quickly picked the trumpet after writing a report on Louis Armstrong for Black History Month. He says he had also been reading a lot about Miles Davis in the A-Z Jazz History book and it wasn’t long before he discovered his parent’s copy of Kind of Blue, quickly falling in love. 

“I was hooked on him immediately,” he said. 

His dad says that ever since, all Nate’s done is read about and play Miles Davis. “It’s been all Miles all the time,” he said. “He’s become the foremost authority on him.”  

Nate is scheduled to play several more times in a continued effort to raise more money and his parents have also scheduled a jam session of sorts for this coming weekend, inviting parents and some of Nate’s friends who are quickly becoming jazz aficionados. 

In the meantime, Nate has captured the hearts of others who are struggling alongside him to try and save the Berkeley music programs. 

“I think it’s a great effort,” said Trina Ostrander, executive director of the Berkeley Public Education Foundation and also one of the shoppers down on Fourth Street who happened to wander into Nate’s performance. And while it’s not $138,000 she said “it’s enough to really make a difference.” 

Those interested in contributing to Nate’s efforts can mail donations to the Nate Schneider Bar Mitzvah Project, 1233 1/2 Henry Street, Berkeley, CA, 94709. Checks should be made payable to the Berkeley Public Education Foundation/Music Program.

FRIDAY, JAN. 16 

CHILDREN 

Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration at 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-3635. 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Elizabeth Valoma, paintings, at North Berkeley Frame and Gallery, 1744 Shattuck Ave. Reception 5:30 to 8 p.m. Exhibition runs to March 13. 549-0428. 

THEATER 

“Dido and Aeneas,” a fusion of opera and fire arts, presented by The Crucible, with artists from San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists, with hors d’oeuvres and silent auction at 6:30 p.m., performance at 8 p.m. 1260 7th St. Oakland. Tickets are $125 and are available from 444-0919. 

FILM 

“Boondock Saints,” about two Irish brothers in South Boston who take justice into their own hands, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Victor Sjostrom: “The Phantom Chariot” at 7 p.m. and “The Wild Strawberries” at 9:25 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston reads from her new book, “The Legend of Fire-Horse Woman” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

Gavin Menzies introduces his historical narrative, “1421: The Year China Discovered America,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. www.codysbooks.com 

Dennis Bernstein will read his poetry at the Fellowship Café & Open Mic, 7:30 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, Cedar and Bonita Sts. A donation of $5-$10 is requested.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High’s Dance Production at 8 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Allston and MLK. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults, available at the door. Come early, shows sell out! 644-6120. 

Benefit for the Interfaith Pagan Celebration with Tempest and Avalon Rising at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10-$15. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. A special lecture by Frankie Manning, the Ambassador of Lindy Hop at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Omeyocan Urban Fusion at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Under the Radar, a night of poetry and electronic pop at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$10, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

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

Jackie Ryan at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Velvet Teen, Plus Ones, Addicted to Fiction, Squab, Four Days Late 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. 

Nathan Clevenger, Group West and The Lost Trio perform modern jazz at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Silding scale donation of $8-$15 requested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

André Sumelius at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Skin Divers at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 17 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Gerry Tenney at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Kids on the Block Puppet Show, promoting acceptance and understanding of physical and cultural differences at 2 p.m. at the Hall of Health, 2230 Shattuck Ave., lower level. Sug- 

gested donation $3. Children under 3 free. 549-1564. 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

THEATER 

“Dido and Aeneas,” a fusion of opera and fire arts, presented by The Crucible, with artists from San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists, at 8 p.m. 1260 7th St. Oakland. Tickets are $25 and are available from 444-0919. 

FILM 

Mann’s World: “Desperate” at 6 p.m., “T-Men” at 7:35 p.m. and “Raw Deal” at 9:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High’s Dance Production at 8 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Allston and MLK. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults, available at the door. Come early, shows sell out! 644-6120. 

Hip Hop Forever, presented by Youth Movement Records, at 8 p.m., at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Samba Ngo and the Ngoma Players, perform African-rock-funk-jazz fusion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Flamenco Spirit with Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos at 6 and 9 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $35-$40 and includes dinner. For reservations call 843-0662. www.cafedelapaz.net 

Spezza Rotto, the Mass, Three Piece Combo at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com  

Darryl Henriques, satire and social commentary at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. 

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Pat Carroll, contemporary jazz, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-$12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Pick Pocket Ensemble performs European café music at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Eileen Hazel, with special guests Helen Chaya and Sumir Rawal, at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Libby Kirkpatrick and Erika Luckett at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Roy Henderson Quartet at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Nicole McRory at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Scott Amendola at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Wrangler Brutes, Jewdriver, Shemps, Orphans, Onion Flavored Rings 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, JAN. 18 

FILM 

Screenagers: 6th Annual Bay Area High School Film and Video Festival at 2:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Al Franken, Paul Krugman, Kevin Phillips and Amy Goodman present “Unraveling the Lying Liars of the Bush Dynasty” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Community Theater on the Berkeley High Campus. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and are available at Cody’s Books or www.cityboxoffice.com 

Poetry Flash with Eve Wood and Rafaella Del Bourgo at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Mary Tolman Kent remembers her eighty years in Berkeley in her family memoire, “The Closing Circle” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Itzhak Perlman, violin, at 3 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$86, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

California Revels, “Freedom’s Journey and the Song” Wendell Brooks, Thena Berry, and Kent Overshown explore the theme of freedom as expressed in African American folk songs from slavery through ragtime and the Civil Rights Movement. At 2 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, available from 925-798-1300. 

“In the Name of Love” a musical tribute to Martin Luther King with the Oakland Jazz Choir at 7:30 p.m. at the Calvin Simmons Theater, Oakland. 287-8880. www.oaklandjazzchoir.com 

Organ Recital with David Dahl on the Brombaugh pipe organ performing Bach, Mendelssohn, Clerambault, Dahl, Vivaldi/Walther at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. http://stjohns.presbychurch.net/Music/organ 

Elizabeth Caballero, soprano with Leesa Dahl, piano, perform arias by Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi and songs by Fauré and Turina, at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church; 2727 College Ave. 658-3298. 845-6830. www.caballerorecital.tk  

Domingo de Rumba Community participatory event for those who want to play, sing or dance, at 3:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Israeli Golden Oldies Folk Dance from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. Bring potluck drinks and snacks. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Flamenco Open Stage featuring Grupo Andnaza at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series presents Vorticella and Three Trapped Tigers at 8:15 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations accepted. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

M-Pact, rockin’ a cappella 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 

Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Over My Dead Body, Find Him and Kill Him, The Mistake, Lights Out at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, JAN. 19 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kevin Phillips discusses “American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Francis D. Adams and Barry Sanders discuss “Alienable Rights: The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man’s Land, 1619-2000” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Wild Fermentation Book Tour with SandorKraut Learn how to make healthy fermented foods such as miso, sauerkraut, and wine at 7 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Donation of $3-$5 requested, no one turned away. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Poetry Express, theme night: Other People’s Poems, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

TUESDAY, JAN. 20 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players, “The Death of Meyerhold,” through Jan. 23 at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Thurs. - Sat. performances at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12-$18, available from 925-798-1300. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: Animation and Anti-Animation at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Molly Ness, a Teach for America alumna, discusses “Lesson to Learn: Voices from the Front Lines of Teach for America” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poets Gone Wild an evening of open mic poetry at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney and Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8 p.m. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Claus Bossier-Ferrari & Teja Gerken, acoustic guitar, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Dayna Stephens House Jam at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21 

CHILDREN 

Preschool Storytime, a program introducing books and music to promote early literacy skills, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library West Branch, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

EXIBITION OPENINGS 

Ant Farm 1968-1978, an exhibition exploring the renegade and radical vision of the ‘70s art and design group, at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Exhibition runs to April 26. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Film 50: “Introduction to Film Language” at 3 p.m. and Ant Farm: Vidoeo Screening at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Travel Book Series Harry Pariser introduces “Explore Costa Rica” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.  

The Whole Note Poetry Series with Jesse Beagle at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

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.starryplough.com 

Rabbi Michael Lerner introduces his new book, “Healing Isreal/Palestine: A Path of Peace and Reconciliation“ at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. Co-sponsored with the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Symphony, “21st Century Guitars,” at 8 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Pre-concert talk at 7:10 p.m. at the Haas Pavilion. Tickets are $21-$45, available from 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphonyorg.  

Wisdom, Hip Hop/Conscious Roots, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Whiskey Brothers perform old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Mark Wright Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 22 

FILM 

Victor Sjostrom: “Terje Vigen” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Vijay Vaitheswaran, energy and environment correspondent for The Economist, describes “Power to the People: How the Coming Energy Revolution Will Transform and Industry, Change Our Lives, and Maybe Even Change the Planet,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Carla Blank introduces “Rediscovering America: The Making of Multicultural America, 1900-2000” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Curator’s Talk: Ant Farm with Constance Lewallen at 12:15 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 

Lisa Lenard-Cook reads from her novel “Dissonance” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Word Beat Reading Series with Anna Mae Stanley and Tim Donnelly at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. 526-5985, 205-1749.  

Guy T. Saperstein introduces his memoir, “Civil Warrior: Memoires of a Civil Rights Attorney” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Sam Bevan Band, The Saul Kaye Band, Pat Jordan at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryplough.com 

Mas Cabeza at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Irish music violin and guitar duo at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $19.50 in advance, $20.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Moore Brothers, folk singers at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Berkeley schools will take home a $700,000 windfall from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s education budget, district officials said Wednesday. 

“It was more than we expected, but certainly not a cure-all,” said Deputy Superintendent Eric Smith, adding that the district would still need to make further cuts to erase an estimated $2.4 million operating deficit and balance next year’s budget. 

Smith, who is working on a fiscal recovery plan to get the district out of the red and back in the good graces of the county office of education, declined to speculate on future cuts, but said that even if they balanced this year’s budget, additional cuts would be needed next year to offset rising labor and health care costs. 

Last year, facing a $6.5 million deficit, the district cut over 50 teaching positions, and increased class size for fourth, fifth and ninth graders. 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence said the district probably won’t need to temporally pink-slip hundreds of teachers this March—as they had the previous two years—but added this would “not be a year without pain.” 

Schwarzenegger announced his $59 billion education budget last week after striking a deal with education lobbyists to increase K-12 spending by $1.9 billion—$2 billion less than schools were scheduled to receive under Proposition 98, a ballot measure passed in 1988 that guaranteed public schools a large portion of the state budget.  

Aware that the state faced a $14 billion budget shortfall, however, Smith said he never counted on receiving an extra dime from Sacramento. “I was basically bracing myself for more mid-year cuts,” he said. 

Berkeley is hardly the big winner in the school budget equation. Just under one-third of all new funding is set aside to pay for enrollment growth—off limits to Berkeley, which has seen enrollment declines in recent years. 

On the positive side, Berkeley will be in line for new books after Schwarzenegger proposed restoring $188 million in instructional material cuts made last year by former Gov. Gray Davis. 

The budget is hardly set in stone. New funding would unravel if voters reject two March ballot initiatives authorizing a $14 billion state bond and requiring the state run balanced budgets and maintain cash reserves in future years. 

The legislature will also get a chance to weigh in, though Assemblymember Loni Hancock said she didn’t expect her colleagues to fight for more K-12 funding since education activists had already compromised with the governor. 

Schools will not be repaid the $2 billion lost this year, but Schwarzenegger’s budget proposes restoring education funding to levels mandated by Proposition 98 within a few years. 

Hancock, though, cautioned against those proclaiming education as the big winner in the budget shakedown, fearing schools would never get the money their still owed if Republicans didn’t yield on taxes. 

“We’re still talking about a $2 billion cut,” she said. “If people think this is only a deferral I’d say ‘dream on.’”  

Kevin Gordon, executive director of the California Association of School Business Officials, praised the compromise as necessary to protect education from legislators who would have wanted steeper cuts. 

“Considering the devastating cuts on the health and human services side, it would have been an impossible choice for a lot of Democrats in the legislature and some may have opted for fewer cuts on the other side and more to education,” he said. 

Berkeley could win slightly more control of its finances if the legislature approves the governor’s plan to hand over $2 billion in funding currently dedicated to 22 programs, mostly for bus service and teacher development. 

But Robert Manwaring, K-12 director for the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, said such reforms often die as legislators fight to save their pet programs. “We’ve proposed this reform four or five times,” he said. “In that time period the number of programs went from about 20 to almost 100.

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was pleased to read your editorial lauding the arts in Berkeley public schools (“Local Arts Deserve Support,” Daily Planet, Jan. 9-12). Several upcoming events will showcase Berkeley students as part of a countywide “Art IS Education” celebration. The Performing Arts Showcase on Sunday, March 28 from 1-4:15 p.m. in the Community Theater will feature music, dance, and theater performances by students from all Berkeley schools, and an exhibit of visual art by Berkeley High students will be on display in the lobby. The citywide Youth Arts Festival taking place at the Berkeley Art Center March 3 through April 3 will feature an exhibit of visual art by Berkeley students in kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as a number of live student performances. An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, March 3 from 5-7 p.m. All these events are free and open to the public. More details will be available soon on the BUSD website. 

Readers may wonder how arts education has survived in Berkeley schools in these hard economic times. The people of Berkeley have been ahead of the curve in recognizing that the arts are an important part of a well-rounded, high-quality public education, and they’ve been willing to make a financial commitment in support of these ideals. When voters overwhelming approved renewal of the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) tax measure in 1994, a portion of the funding was specifically earmarked for elementary school instrumental music instruction, which was on the brink of extinction. Beyond the money earmarked for music, other BSEP funds have helped keep the visual and performing arts alive in Berkeley schools. 

Berkeley High School continues to have a strong arts program—though it no longer has the three choirs that alumna Lorraine Hunt Lieberson remembers so fondly—but arts offerings at the elementary and middle schools vary widely from site to site. Hardworking teachers and part-time specialists do what they can to expose children to the arts, but funding has not supported the implementation of an articulated arts curriculum based on the Visual and Performing Arts Standards set by the Department of Education. Offering solid, sequential arts instruction has become even more important now that the UC system has added a visual and performing arts component to its admissions requirements. 

Soon BSEP will be up for renewal, and Berkeley voters will once again have an opportunity to demonstrate their support for arts education at the ballot box. Members of the community are gathering in coming months to re-write BSEP, and the Berkeley Arts Education Steering Committee and other arts advocacy groups will be working to make sure that it provides needed support for all the visual and performing arts. If readers are interested in learning more, I encourage them to contact Suzanne McCollough, the BUSD Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator (itself a hard-fought-for and still tentatively funded position) at 644-8772. 

I attended Berkeley public schools, and the outstanding arts programs to which I had access led me directly to my college education and professional career, as they did for a number of my peers. While only a few students find their vocations through the arts, all are given an outlet for creative expression, gain new knowledge and abilities, and build crucial communication and problem-solving skills that can improve their scholastic performance—benefits that last a lifetime. I hope that forward-thinking Berkeley voters will preserve and improve arts education in our public schools through their continued support of BSEP. 

Michele Rabkin 

Member, Berkeley Arts Education Steering Committee 

“Virgil struck the chord of modern passions, and it vibrated more powerfully then the minstrel himself expected.” 

John Conington 

The Aeneid was a blockbuster in its day. Virgil wanted it burned at his death, as he hadn’t completed all 12 volumes, but nobody listened. Embraced as the essential epic of the Roman people, The Aeneid resurfaced during the Enlightenment, when it became a hit for the second time. 

There have been more than 60 operas to date inspired by the lover’s tale that twines through the book, but Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is the one that’s still here. Who knows if it will match the original text for staying power (2000 years is setting the bar pretty high) but The Crucible, with the assistance of the San Francisco Opera and their gifted Adler Fellows, will stage Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas this weekend here in Oakland. Don’t I keep saying you don’t have to leave home? 

The Crucible is a metal shop and sculpture studio—a foundry, to use the old-fashioned term, and a nonprofit, to use a newer one. They offer classes in metal work. This might seem an odd place to put up an opera, and it is. But there’s a connection to Virgil’s story. Dido is queen of Carthage, invested in making the city as productive as she can. In The Crucible’s version, sparks fly in Carthage, and hot metal runs in all directions, a metaphor for Dido’s passion for Aeneas, and the general emotional pitch of things. 

Director Roy Rallo and producer Sturtz have worked hard to make this a compelling production, and the union of their two enterprises promises to be a provocative one. Rallo has done a lot of innovative work as a director with Long Beach Opera, and ruffled some feathers locally with a show he did at the Magic Theater last year (also with SFO’s Adler Fellows). He’s not afraid to take chances, and neither, apparently are his protégés, as there will be cauldrons of boiling metal on hand as the lovers and their entourage let fly with endearments and fury. 

By the way, just to put to rest an obvious concern, I’m told the pyrotechnics take place under a 75-foot ventilation hood: a backdrop for the action.  

Can we digress for just a moment? I’d like to know if you go to the opera. And, if not, why not. There was commentary in the New York Times last week about the astronomical price of tickets to the Metropolitan. Our own San Francisco Opera is not geared to those surviving on a bike messenger’s salary. But somehow I don’t think this gets to the heart of the matter. After all, Rolling Stones tickets get scalped for four figures. 

It seems to me what is more germane is that John Q. Public has almost no exposure to the tradition that is opera, or to our classical music tradition in general (I say “our” tradition because, despite popular misconceptions, there are plenty of American operas). The argument is that if there’s no one around you who is conversant in a particular tongue, there’s not much chance you’ll learn to delight in it. Locally, other than Sarah Cahill’s Sunday night show on KALW, there is a complete vacuum as regards contemporary classical music on the radio dial. And you won’t find out anything by reading People Magazine or watching TV.  

It seems to me that the rise of Clear Channel, Viacom, and Disney has led to what we could call the Diaspora of Western Classical music—a virtual erasing of this cultural legacy. 

This is not dismaying in some abstract, ideological way. It means that hours, days, weeks worth of beautiful, unique music by hundreds of brilliant composers is unavailable except to those that have somehow lucked onto an initiation. For young people, whose notions of hip are often tied to the herd mentality, the problem would seem unassailable (and problem it is: SFO cut its budget by a third last year). Yet the success of Michael Tilson Thomas’ “Mavericks” series with the San Francisco Symphony demonstrates that it doesn’t take a lot of spin to portray composers of modern music as hip. They are. 

Meantime, against all odds, the Oakland Metro and the Berkeley Opera seem to be drawing those with an eye for spectacle and an ear for the new. It will be ironic, and more than a little wonderful, if the East Bay is shaping up to be a haven for this battered art. 

Purcell’s opera is not young, but it is held in high regard, considered the best of Purcell’s stage works, and—by some—the best opera to come out of the 17th century. You can make up your own mind this weekend at The Crucible. 

There’s an opening night Gala on Friday, Jan. 16 (with art auction, champagne, after-show performances by Mark Growden and others), festivities to begin at 6:30 p.m. On Jan. 17 the ticket prices come down, and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. All of this at The Crucible’s 48,000 foot warehouse space in Oakland at 1260 Seventh St. 444-0919. 

Clark Suprynowicz is an opera composer.

Hoping to revive condominium construction in Berkeley, City Council approved amendments to the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance at Tuesday night’s Council meeting. The fractious and often-confusing debate on the housing laws included two last-minute amendments by Mayor Tom Bates that, if they had been adopted, might have taken condominiums out of the reach of moderate income Berkeley residents altogether. 

At the same meeting, under fire from residents from across the city, Council backed off a controversial proposal that would have set aside 21 new on-street parking spaces for the exclusive—and free—use of the city’s parking enforcement employees. 

Berkeley’s inclusionary housing law, one of the first in the country when it was originally passed, requires any new residential construction of five or more units to set aside 20 percent of those units to be either rented or sold at prices that make them affordable to what is described as low-income families. The approved amendments would allow modest increases in the price developers can charge for the subsidized units, as well as the price low-income owners are allowed to ask for when they want to sell their units. Low income as defined in the ordinance is 80 percent of the Area Median Income, or roughly $64,000 for a family of four. In instances where an inclusionary unit is bought by a qualifying family, Berkeley’s ordinance also limits the price such owners can ask if they decide to sell their homes. Resale of such low-income units is restricted to buyers who qualify under the city’s income guidelines.  

City leaders had hoped that the original inclusionary ordinance would, among other things, promote condominium ownership by Berkeley residents. Developers contend that the ordinance has made condominium development economically unfeasible in Berkeley because the below-market price of the low-income units are subsidized by the sale of the market-rate units. Berkeley Housing Director offered Council an example of the problem that stymies condo development when he noted that under the old rules developers might spend $200,000 to $250,000 to build inclusionary units that can only be sold for $150,000 to a qualified, moderate-income buyer. The remaining $50,000 to $100,000 in costs would have to be recouped through the sale of the non-inclusionary units. Berkeley’s Housing Department reports that since 1995, no condominiums have been built in Berkeley without city loans. Tuesday night’s proposed amendments were designed to correct that problem.  

Housing Director Barton said that several developers had expressed interest in building condominiums in Berkeley if the proposed changes went into effect. “Developers are happy with the ordinance,” Barton said. “They believe this will be the difference between going forward with condominium projects in Berkeley and not going forward.”  

In a telephone interview a day after the Council meeting, Councilmember Linda Maio said that under the new ordinance “the homebuyer gets more appreciation for their unit, so that they can, in fact, step up to the next level of real estate ownership when they sell their unit. It’s also more of an incentive to the developer to build condominiums, because they have fewer restrictions.” 

The amendments seemed destined to win quick approval until Mayor Bates threw in two suggested amendments. The first Bates amendment would have raised the allowable income of an inclusionary unit buyer from 80 percent of the Area Median Income to 100 percent, and the second proposed allowing allowing the buyers of such inclusionary units to be able to turn around and sell the units to anyone they wanted, even if the buyer was not of moderate income. 

“I don’t like those kinds of constraints, I’m sorry, ” Bates said. “Maybe I’m a free-market person, but when it comes to this, I just don’t think it works.” 

But raising the buyers’ income limit from 80 percent to 100 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) would probably mean that the lower-income buyers would not be able to compete for the units, in effect undercutting the intended effect of the inclusionary ordinance. When the mayor proposed removing the 80 percent of median requirement for initial buyers, Maio said “that was when we got a little concerned and looked over at [City Attorney] Manuela [Albuquerque].” 

Commenting on the mounting confusion, the city attorney said that, “unfortunately, the Councilmembers are talking about three separate issues interchangeably.” Albuquerque eventually ruled that the mayor’s proposed change was so substantial that it could not be decided upon by Council without proper notice to the public, killing consideration for Tuesday night. Asked if the elimination of the 80 percent requirement was a good thing or a bad, Maio said, “I was one of the people who was alarmed by that.” 

The meeting was punctuated by intense consultations between Councilmembers, Albuquerque, and Barton.  

And after the meeting, Councilmember Kriss Worthington said that the practical effect of the mayor’s proposal eliminating restrictions on resale of the inclusionary units “would set up a speculation market; if the low-income buyers were able to turn around and sell their inclusionary units to high-income buyers, we would probably eventually end up with no inclusionary units being owned by low-income people.” 

After a long debate that moved continuously between Bates’ proposals and several questions by Councilmembers about interest rates and market prices, the original ordinance as proposed passed 5-3, with Councilmembers Hawley, Olds, and Wozniak voting against the amendments. The three Councilmembers indicated that their disagreement was not with the ordinance itself, but with the sunset provision that mandated that Council must come back in two years and approve the ordinance all over again if it wants it to continue; Hawley, Olds, and Wozniak wanted a less restrictive review of the law in two years. Bates’ proposed amendments, as well as proposed amendments to market inclusionary condominium units to public employees and to make them better accessible to disabled citizens, will go first to the Housing Advisory Commission, then to the Planning Commission, for discussion. 

Meanwhile, a proposed city plan to create 21 new on-street parking spaces near the Ashby BART staion—and then set them aside exclusively for the use of the city’s parking enforcement employees—crashed and burned at Tuesday night’s meeting. 

In background material signed by Assistant Transportation Manager Peter Hillier, the rationale for the free street parking set-aside for parking enforcement officers was that “because the city has provided [free] parking to these employees in the past, we agreed to find alternative parking sites in the vicinity” of the parking enforcement facility on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. In addition, Hillier wrote that “continuing [dedicated free parking] will improve employee morale and promote on-time arrival at work.” 

Nearby residents were incensed, pointing out the irony that the city employees charged with giving out tickets to illegal parkers were getting a no-ticket on-street parking deal for themselves. 

“I don’t think city agencies should be taking common property of the public to provide parking spaces for their employees,” neighborhood activist Robert Lauriston told Council. And Pamela Speich, a member of both the LeConte Neighborhood Association and the Residential Parking Permit Advisory Committee, added that “it’s unconscionable that the city should provide free parking for its parking enforcement officers.” 

Council unanimously pulled the item from the consent calendar and formed a three-member Council subcommittee to study the matter and come back with recommendations. 

With cheers and chants, 21 Californian “Deaniacs” boarded the eastbound 9:35 a.m. Amtrak train in Emeryville last Tuesday. They were headed for Iowa, where they will be doing volunteer work for Howard Dean through Monday evening, when Iowa Democrats will gather at 1,993 precinct caucuses around the state to choose their candidate for president.  

As the first chance to pick up delegates to the party conventions that will be held this summer, the hotly contested Iowa caucuses are being scrutinized around the nation. Other campaigns are also bringing in supporters from out of state. On Jan. 7 a delegation of Iowa-bound Californians for Kucinich caught the same Amtrak train in Emeryville.  

The Dean organization says it has 3,500 volunteers working in Iowa as part of an effort called “The Perfect Storm.” Each of the 21 travelers at the Emeryville station sported a big red-white-and-blue button that bore the wearer’s first name and the words “California Gets on Board for the Perfect Storm—Helping Dean in 2004.” Many of the 40 or so Dean supporters waiting for the train were wearing the campaign’s signature dark blue sweatshirts, their backs emblazoned with slogans such as “Want Your Country Back?” and “You Have the Power.”  

Also present was “Flat Howard,” a life-size, black-and-white photograph of the candidate mounted on foam core board and strategically displayed high above the crowd or posed next to supporters. He, too, got on board the train.  

According to the trip coordinator, Vicki Cosgrove, 50, a resident of Castro Valley, the 21 Californians riding the rails to Iowa range from 18 to 62 years in age and come from places as varied as Arcata, Tehachapi, Livermore and San Jose. Three of her fellow passengers are from Berkeley—Gene Tanke, Renee Manrique and Lynn Davidson. Two other Berkeleyans, Paul Spitz and Mal Burnstein, are flying to Iowa on Thursday.  

The train is scheduled to arrive in Osceola, Iowa, at 8:06 a.m. on Thursday morning. The Dean volunteers will be met at the station by four vans that will take them into Des Moines for induction and training. From there they will be dispersed throughout the state to walk door-to-door, make phone calls or whatever else suits the campaign’s needs and their skills.  

It’s going to be cold: The weather forecast for Des Moines for this weekend puts the highs in the 30s, and parkas and snow boots were in evidence at the Emeryville train station. So were sleeping bags and pillows. Some people will be staying in motels, others in private homes, and still others at one of fifteen “Dean camps”—winterized YMCA camps. The application form on the Dean for America website asks prospective Perfect Storm participants if they’re willing to sleep on the floor.  

Conversations with some of the Iowa-bound train riders suggested that these people would be willing to sleep just about anywhere. Their motivation consists of equal parts fury at the Bush administration and commitment to Dean. “We’ve got to get rid of Bush,” said Lynn Davidson, 55, from Berkeley. Praising Dean, others spoke of his candor, his intellect, his responsiveness and his positions on the war in Iraq, health care and other major issues.  

But what’s striking about these Dean supporters, beyond their disgust with the current administration in Washington and their enthusiasm for their candidate, is their relative newness to politics. There are exceptions: Mal Burnstein is a lifelong activist. But until recently, most of the others did little more than vote. Michael Goble, 18, was too young to do even do that in the last presidential election. Since joining the Dean campaign, Goble and others have hosted teleconferencing house parties, attended the public get-togethers known as meetups, blogged the burgeoning Dean websites and decided to donate a week of lives to full-time, out-of-state politicking.  

After the train pulled out of the station, I spoke briefly with Paul Spitz, the coordinator of East Bay for Dean. Describing a groundswell of support, Spitz cited last weekend’s sixteen Meetups in the East Bay involving 300 people. Over 80 showed up at Saysethea Restaurant in Berkeley alone. “This shows that anybody who thinks Dean is just about the Internet or anger isn’t paying attention,” he said. Spitz pointed out that except for Gephardt, the other contenders all have websites and blogs—and, in some cases, better-looking ones at that. “Their campaigns aren’t taking off like Dean’s,” he said, “because they don’t have the candidate.” 

After the train pulled out of the station, Paul Spitz, the coordinator of East Bay for Dean, described a groundswell of support. He cited last weekend’s sixteen Meetups in the East Bay involving 300 people. More than 80 showed up at Saysethea Restaurant in Berkeley alone. “This shows that anybody who thinks Dean is just about the Internet or anger isn’t paying attention,” he said. Spitz pointed out that except for Gephardt, the other contenders all have websites and blogs—and, in some cases, better-looking ones at that. “Their campaigns aren’t taking off like Dean’s,” he said, “because they don’t have the candidate.” 

Despite requests from a host of elected officials and one community religious leader, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Dean Tom Campbell refused to honor the long standing boycott of the Claremont Resort and Spa, positioning the school as the last large business to patronize the resort.  

The requests were formally delivered to the dean last Friday by Berkeley Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, former assemblywoman and now legislator in residence at UC Berkeley Dion Aroner, and Pastor Ron Pickel from the Berkeley Seventh Day Adventist Church during a meeting organized by the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) Local 2850.  

The Claremont, which has been ensnared in an almost two-year battle over two expired union contracts and a new organizing effort by Spa employees , recently suffered large business losses when both the Cal football team and Kaiser Permanente, the HMO giant, shifted their business to other union hotels in the area. 

“Our aim was to get [Campbell] to join us in sending a message to the [Claremont owners] that they need to treat the employees fairly,” said Councilmember Maio.  

According to Maio and the others present at the meeting, while Dean Campbell seemed receptive, he declined to move forward on their request.  

“I’ve thought all along that they should not be aiding and abetting a labor dispute,” said Aroner. “They’re supposed to be an example of good labor practices.” 

Efforts to contact Campbell were unsuccessful but the business school’s Chief Operating Officer Teresa Constantinidas released the following statement about the meeting: 

“It is the Haas Business School’s position that it is best for the school not to take sides in the union dispute with the Claremont Hotel. As a result, the school has not changed its business with the hotel, neither increasing nor decreasing as a matter of policy. Dean Campbell has met with students, religious leaders, union leaders and public officials and continues to communicate with them to foster a better understanding of both sides of this issue.” 

According to HERE Local 2850, the boycott, which is going into its twenty-second month, has resulted in large business losses. Claire Darby, an organizer with HERE Local 2850 said the union has seen reports that say business is down 75 percent from last year, a number the Claremont refused to comment on. She also said the resort suffered large losses over the holidays booking only 250 reservations; down from 1200 last year. 

The union and the Claremont are set to re-enter negotiations on Jan. 19 and 20.  

The union also reported that the Claremont found itself in trouble over the holidays when the National Labor Relations Board served the resort with an Unfair Labor Practice violation for issuing a memo to Spa workers which prevented them from talking badly about management or other workers on the job. 

Four days after the NLRB ruling, spa worker Kathryn Fairbanks was suspended for speaking with a supervisor about what she thought was unfair treatment by her manager. She was then fired over another incident involving a mistaken identity, prompting a delegation of union representatives, concerned students and elected officials to convene at the resort and demand that she be reinstated. According to the union a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle also called about Fairbank’s termination and the following day she was reinstated.  

Councilmember Worthington said he was disappointed with the way the Claremont treated the delegation, requesting they meet outside in the rain. When he refused and went inside, security told him he would be arrested and proceeded to call the cops, who came but did not arrest him. 

“If they treat elected officials that way it’s no wonder they have problems with their employees,” said Worthington. “I was astounded they would expect us to stand outside.” 

Claremont representatives refused comment on the incident concerning Fairbanks but eventually released a statement, saying “It would be inappropriate and disrespectful of their privacy for us to discuss the disposition of any disciplinary action...we respect [the rights of employees] to be involved in union activities and to voice their opinions.” 

Attorneys for the Berkeley Unified School District last week asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit that threatens to end racial balance in its elementary schools. 

The preliminary motion to dismiss is a long shot, acknowledged Jon Streeter, the attorney defending the district free of charge against a suit brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation. 

The well-heeled conservative group has charged the district’s student assignment policy, which tries to balance elementary schools by race, violates Proposition 209—a 1996 voter initiative precluding racial preferences in public education. 

In 2002 they won a similar case forcing Huntington Beach to scrap a student transfer program based on race, which they argue should hold for Berkeley as well.  

Judge James Richmond could rule on the motion as early as a hearing scheduled for Feb. 20. If he opts to deny, both sides will present written expert testimony before possibly heading to trial. 

In his brief, Streeter argues the California Fourth District Court of Appeals Judge erred in the Huntington Beach decision when he held that Proposition 209 overruled an earlier amendment to the state constitution that gave districts express permission to integrate schools. 

A court is bound to harmonize conflicting constitutional provisions instead of choosing a line of authority, he said. 

In a more novel argument, Streeter wrote that a law signed by former Gov. Gray Davis just before he was removed from office safeguards BUSD policy. He contends that the statute binds Proposition 209 to the definition of “discrimination by race” contained in a 1994 treaty signed by the U.S. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination upholds laws protectng minority groups which otherwise could lose fundamental rights.  

The PLF would likely argue that the legislature has no power to override a state constitutional amendment, Streeter said, but he maintains that since the state constitution has conflicting views on school desegregation, an international treaty, like a supreme court ruling, would be the trump card. 

“This issue has been lurking under the radar screen,” Streeter said. “If the judge rules the argument is correct it will blow a bigger hole in 209.” 

Berkeley school officials are scheduled to unveil a new school assignment policy at Wednesday’s board meeting. Streeter would only say he consulted on the new policy which is expected to add socio-economic factors to race in determining elementary school placements.

Let’s say you are a Hispanic female. You have an account at a local bank. You walk into the bank to deposit a check made out to you by your stockbroker. The bank teller suspects that the check is phony. It is a large check and the fact that you are Hispanic makes the teller suspicious. Also there is a smudge on the check. The teller calls the broker and is told that the check is phony. The manager then calls the broker back and is told the check is valid. Still, nobody calls the police and tells them not to come. The police come and detain you. 

In front of other customers, the police spreadeagle you, pat you down, handcuff you and ask questions such as, “Did you come here in a stolen car?” and, “Are you carrying weapons?” This is all after the broker has told the bank that it has made a mistake and that the check is good. After an investigation of about 20 minutes the police release you. 

You are deeply humiliated by the experience, you feel that you have been slandered, arrested on a false report and treated like a criminal in front of bank employees, other customers, and the public. You believe that this treatment was engendered, in part at least, by your Hispanic background, that the bank would not have done this to an Anglo customer who came in with a stockbroker’s check. You sue and are prepared to prove this in court. What can you collect from the bank for having put you through this treatment? 

Surprisingly, the answer is absolutely nothing. 

On Jan. 5, the California Supreme Court decided a case with the above facts, Hagberg v. California Federal Bank, and came to the sweeping conclusion that all reports to the police are absolutely privileged. That means that anyone reporting any criminal activity to a police department cannot be sued for it, no matter how false and defamatory that report is. Apparently, if the person is prosecuted in court, he or she can sue for malicious prosecution. But Hagberg was not prosecuted. She was arrested, handcuffed, then let go. Even the fact that she claimed that she was denied her civil rights under the California Unruh Civil Rights Act did not allow her to sue the bank. Chief Justice George was of the opinion that the absolute privilege to make a police report would foster free communication between citizens and law enforcement authorities whose responsibility it is to investigate wrongdoing, and this outweighed the aggrieved citizen’s interest in being compensated. 

Although it would not be possible for the aggrieved customer to sue, someone making a knowingly false police report can be criminally prosecuted under the Penal Code section 148.5. The fact that this is a crime should deter most such false reports, according to the California Supremes, which, in any event did not see that false reports “present a widespread problem.” However, it is up to the District Attorney to charge someone with making a false police report, and, unless it was very serious and public (such as falsely reporting a missing winning lottery ticket) the District Attorney well might let such a report ride. 

Because the court announced that the privilege and the immunity from a lawsuit was absolute, we can take the facts a little farther down the slippery slope the court built in Hagberg. Suppose an African-American entered a convenience store at Haystack Corners, California. He is driving somewhere else, and his intent is to buy a soda and a bag of potato chips and go on his way. Unknown to him, the manager of the convenience store is the leader of the local Ku Klux Klan and hates African-Americans. The manager calls the police, and knowing that the customer is simply trying to buy some soda and chips, makes a false report that the customer has tried to rob the store. The police come and, shotguns out, arrest the customer, take him to jail and hold him there over a weekend before he is arraigned to face charges in court. Just before the arraignment he is let go and no charges are brought. According to the California Supreme Court in the Hagberg case, there would be no lawsuit possible in this instance either. 

One matter the court did not consider, probably because it was not brought up by the parties, was whether such a false report, based in part on race, would violate Federal Civil Rights act of 1964 which provides equal access on the basis of race to places of public accommodation. The federal civil rights laws would trump state law immunities because of what is known as the “supremacy clause” of the United States Constitution. If the false report did violate the federal laws, the California Supreme Court could not prevent someone from suing under those laws. In Hagberg, the plaintiff did not choose to file her lawsuit under federal law. 

Surprising to some observers was the fact that the dissent in this 4-3 decision was written by Justice Janice Rogers Brown, who is viewed as a far right wing justice, who is on the short list of those who might be nominated to the United States Supreme Court by President Bush when a vacancy arises, and whose nomination to a federal court of appeal has thus far been derided and blocked by Democratic senators. She is viewed, with some justification, as a judicial extremist out to enact the conservative agenda of the current administration. Be that as it may, Brown wrote regarding this decision: “The ramifications of an intentionally false report of suspected criminal activity to police are enormous. Citizens arrested pursuant to such a report will be stigmatized, and forever thereafter have to note the arrest on job, credit, and housing applications. Assertions that the charges were dropped, and of ones actual innocence, will likely fall on deaf ears. Under the majority’s conclusion today, such falsely accused individuals will have no opportunity to clear their name, or seek compensation for economic loss in defending the charges or loss to their reputation.” 

Score one for the far right wing. 

Paul Glusman is a Berkeley lawyer practicing primarily in the areas of employment and insurance. 

Beyond the political posturing on all sides about President Bush’s proposed immigration reform, the long lines and anguished waiting of would-be immigrants in the system shows that the process of granting documentation to newcomers has ground to a virtual halt.  

Bush’s proposal, if implemented, would send millions of additional applications into a blocked pipeline.  

The paralysis that has gripped the immigration system after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is mind-boggling: a report by the GAO (the investigative arm of Congress), released the day after Bush’s proposed temporary worker program, showed that the backlog of applications pending before immigration authorities grew from 2.3 to 6.3 million in the last two years.  

Immigration attorneys call it the “No” mentality: procedures take twice as long to process since the process came to a virtual halt, and applicants for visas, legal residency, work permits or citizenship are more likely to be rejected. Lines are growing longer by the minute, they say, even after Congress raised the fees on immigration processes and invested $160 million during the last two years to chip away at the backlog.  

Before 9/11, Bush had promised to bring the time spent processing applications for permanent residency down to a maximum of six months, or 30 days for temporary visas. After that, “everything came to a dead halt,” says Los Angeles immigration attorney and former immigration prosecutor Carl Shusterman. “We’re waiting two to three years for green cards and seven or eight months for temporary petitions. They’re looking for any reason to deny applications.”  

Part of the problem was the dismantling of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the creation of the new Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BICE) under the banner of a huge new bureaucracy: the new Department of Homeland Security.  

The immigration authorities’ new focus as a key part of the “fight against terror” took its toll on the processing of immigration benefits and created increased suspicion of foreigners.  

The president proposed a temporary worker program that would grant three-year permits to work and travel in the United States with one opportunity to renew. If a worker wants to apply for legal residency, according to the president, he could do so by normal channels, meaning he will have to apply for residency through a family member who is already a citizen or resident, or through a labor-certification process.  

According to experts, with the current backlogs and even with some increase in the ceiling of annual visas allowed for immigrants, the process can take many years, especially for nationals of countries like Mexico, who face an even longer line. By that time, the temporary worker’s permit could expire, requiring him or her to leave the country.  

“We’re concerned people are getting confused they can get a green card out of this,” says Cecilia Muñoz, Vice President for policy of the National Council of La Raza, a national Latino civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C.  

Muñoz notes there are approximately 5,000 visas available each year for unskilled workers, while there are about 8 million undocumented workers in the country.  

“They haven’t said they will dramatically increase the number of visas available, and that’s the only way (Bush’s proposal) could work,” Muñoz says.  

The president has promised a “reasonable” increase in the annual limit of legal immigrants, but experts argue that, to accommodate the demand, the increase would have to be dramatic.  

“It would have to be a huge, significant increase to make this a positive program,” says Jean Butterfield, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).  

“The whole system needs to be revamped. It’s got to be comprehensive reform. We need more numbers, more flexibility and higher visa quotas for certain countries like Mexico, India and Philippines,” says immigration expert Dan Kowalski. “We need a new attitude, a new view.”  

Many question whether, in an election year, Bush will push Congress to pass real, effective immigration reform. His proposal has been criticized both by the conservatives of his party and by the Democrats, who deem it insufficient.  

Democrats, according to insiders, are “shocked” that the president threatens to take yet one more issue from them with a bold political move designed to win the hearts of Latino voters.  

Many immigration experts now recognize that Bush’s statements praising the undocumented immigrants as workers who come to the United States primarily to make an honest living, as well as his condemnation of the current immigration system, are important steps in the right direction.  

“We couldn’t invest $20 million in a pro-immigrant campaign that could do what he just did for the image of the undocumented worker,” says Frank Sharry, executive director of National Immigration Forum, an organization that initially was critical of the plan and now has shifted position and will work to improve the proposal. “The principles are lousy, but the megaphone is amazing.”  

All immigrant advocates agree on one point: Real reform of the system means a clearer path to permanent residency and citizenship for the millions of workers who want not just a chance to make a living, but also a new life in the United States.  

PNS contributor Pilar Marrero is political editor and columnist for La Opinion newspaper in Los Angeles.

Cyclist Shot 

A 20-year-old man was shot in the leg and robbed while riding his bicycle to a relative’s house just after midnight Wednesday on Martin Luther King Junior Way and 62nd Street. 

The victim, whose name is being withheld, was taken to Highland Hospital and didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries, Berkeley Police spokesperson Kevin Schofield said. 

At 12:13 a.m. the gunman jumped at the victim from nearby bushes and tried to pull him off his bike, The victim broke free, at which point the assailant shot him in the leg knocking him to the ground. 

The man then took the victim’s wallet and drove off in a gold four door sedan. He is described as a light skinned African American male, 5-foot-10, approximately 150 pounds, with a slight build, gold teeth and four-inch dreads. 

Angry Man Busts Couple’s Front Door 

A drunk man saw a woman park in front of her house on the 2100 block of Tenth Street Sunday evening and followed her up the stairs to her apartment. 

The woman hurried inside and closed the door, while the man demanded to be allowed inside. According to the woman’s husband, the man began kicking their door so hard he broke the lock, locking the couple inside. 

Eight police officers arrived and arrested Dale Norris, 36, of Oakland. Since the couple remained trapped inside, they positively identified Norris by poking their heads out of their daughter’s bedroom.  

Residents Nab Burglar 

Roommates at a house on the 2700 block of Hillegass Avenue overwhelmed a burglar they found with two bags full of their belongings Wednesday afternoon. They detained him until police came and arrested Austin Patten, 23, of Berkeley.

The Bush-Cheney political operation is working with business groups to help President Bush overcome the impact of pro-labor coalitions that have sprung up since the enactment of campaign finance reform legislation.  

The business groups have devised an ambitious plan to counteract the anti-Bush forces that have already mustered a $10 million dollar pledge from Wall Street financier George Soros.  

Ken Mehlman, who left his post as White House political advisor last year to oversee the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, is playing an important role in organizing the new effort.  

Now that the law bars the use of most forms of so-called soft money in election campaigns, a large segment of the business community appears to be turning more and more to a labor union model that entails direct advocacy among employees, some of whom also could be union members.  

The campaign finance laws require the group to maintain at least a semblance of nonpartisan independence, but there is no question that it favors Bush’s re-election in November.  

For the last several months, trade associations have been working on collaborative plans to influence employees within their respective industries and to get them to the polls in the hope of electing pro-business candidates. They plan to hold a “summit meeting” soon to formalize their respective roles.  

But it is already evident that there are two prongs to the plan to boost the political impact of business in this election year. The first calls for informing employees about pro-business issues that affect them and encouraging them to vote for pro-business candidates.  

The second calls for rounding up endorsements from the heads of non-partisan trade and business associations for Bush.  

In addition to advancing the presumed benefits of the administration’s economic policies to their workers, the effort will be bolstered by endorsements from a separate group of industry leaders supporting the Bush-Cheney ticket. They plan to communicate their political preferences through a group that one Bush ally called “[business] association CEOs for Bush.”  

Although business groups have been begun to focus more on voter mobilization in recent years, the current efforts reflect a higher level of sophistication and urgency—in large part because of the passage of campaign finance reform. This is likely why Mehlman is personally involved in the effort.  

Mehlman has met with the organizers of the business voter-mobilization effort. To demonstrate their nonpartisan colors, they have also offered to meet with Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe.  

For their part, Democrats are suspicious of the group’s motives and ultimate allegiances.  

DNC Communications Director Debra DeShong said that after inquiring on the subject she could find no one at the committee who had been contacted by the coalition.  

“Our researchers said all these people are big Bush supporters and definitely right-leaning,” said DeShong.  

Mehlman has pushed the heads of nonpartisan trade associations to join the pro-Bush group.  

Thomas Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, said Mehlman is playing a key role in organizing “association CEOs for Bush.” Kuhn, a 1968 Yale classmate of Bush, is also a so-called GOP “Pioneer” who has raised more than $100,000 in hard money for Bush-Cheney campaign.  

Kuhn noted his trade association would not endorse Bush. It will, however, join in the large get-out-the-vote effort that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already launched with other groups.  

Kuhn acknowledged that by personally endorsing Bush, he could influence how employees in member companies vote.  

Another trade association head close to Bush who asked not to be identified by name noted the obstacles that now prevent business and trade groups from openly supporting Bush.  

“The overwhelming majority of [business] executives and association CEOs are not in a position to deliver their institution as an endorsing entity,” said the lobbyist. “Many groups will not even do candidate comparisons. They will only encourage their people to be informed, be registered, and actually vote.”  

The lobbyist added that a group such as “association CEOs for Bush” did not exist in 2000, a campaign that billed itself as an outside-the-Beltway insurgency.  

David Rehr, president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, is yet another trade association head who has personally done a lot to support Bush. His group will also forgo making an official endorsement. However, Rehr said he would likely join association CEOs for Bush.  

“I don’t think there is any trade association that is going to say to its members, ‘Vote for the president’ because it triggers all the campaign finance laws,” said Rehr, also a “Pioneer” fundraiser who has raised over $100,000 in individual contributions for the Bush-Cheney reelection drive. “But [associations] have a constitutional right to say to their members how [candidates’] positions will affect them.”  

During the beer wholesalers’ annual convention in Las Vegas, Rehr addressed 3,600 members on policy issues. Behind him and the speaker’s podium, Bush’s picture was projected on a large screen.  

The voter mobilization effort has been spearheaded by seven major trade associations: the Associated General Contractors, The Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  

Jade West, with the wholesaler-distributors, who is helping to organize the effort, said that between 60 and 65 trade groups have joined the effort, which will allow member groups to exchange ideas on how best to inform their business employees on issues related to their industry, encourage employees to register to vote, and show them how to obtain absentee ballots.  

West said Mehlman is not directing the group.  

“It’s more of a testament to Ken Mehlman’s smarts that he recognizes that this is something that can be helpful to them without being a part of them because we have to be independent.”  

This article originally ran in The Hill. 

Come November Berkeley voters could be asked to start the ball rolling on the legalization of prostitution in California. 

On Thursday a Berkeley-based sex worker advocacy group filed papers to place a non-binding resolution on the city’s November ballot calling on the state legislature to repeal laws against selling sex. 

Supporters have 180 days to collect 3,000 signatures for the resolution to go before Berkeley voters. 

The Berkeley initiative is part of a statewide drive by the Sex Workers Outreach Project to drum up popular support for an overhaul for the state’s prostitution laws, which they say unfairly target women, instead of pimps and johns. 

“We know we won’t get Sacramento’s attention unless we show we have the support of the communities,” said SWOP Director Robyn Few. 

Similar ballot drives are planned for Oakland and Los Angeles. Few also expected the resolution to pass the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. 

—Matthew Artz

State-appointed Oakland School Administrator Randolph Ward says that when he first got to California some years ago, he intended to register to vote as an independent. Instead, he says that by mistake, he ended up checking the box on the California Voter Registration Form for the American Independent Party, the party originally formed in 1968 to advance the presidential candidacy of the anti-black segregationist George Wallace. “Who the hell knows what that means?” Mr. Ward told the Oakland Tribune this week, the “that” referring, presumably, to the American Independent Party. Well, actually, a lot of us who were around in the ‘60s know what that means. Let’s hope that during Mr. Ward’s several years as a schoolteacher he was not called upon to instruct in modern American history. 

In any event, the other night Oakland School Board Member Gary Yee asked Mr. Ward to give a guarantee to the Oakland community, and got an interesting response. What Mr. Yee asked Mr. Ward to do was to guarantee that Mr. Ward will not sell any of the five Oakland public schools he (Mr. Ward) is proposing to close down at the end of the school year. 

Mr. Yee’s request came at the end of the end of that public hearing at the Paul Robeson Administration Building at which Mr. Ward invited parents, students, teachers, and administrators from 11 Oakland elementary schools to come out and say why their particular school should not be one of the five he wants to close down.  

Predictably, more than a thousand Oakland citizens showed up, so many that most of them had to wait on the sidewalk outside, since the Board Room only allows about 150 people at a time. Angry at the way they were being treated but determined to speak, the Oakland folks filed into the Board Room and took their turn at the podium and made their cases, many of them giving detailed information about test scores and innovative programs and community support. Hour after hour they came, long into the night. The next day, Dr. Ward released the list of the five elementary schools he was proposing to close (Burbank, Foster, John Swett, Longfellow, and Toler Heights), which is a really short time to do an intelligent job of paring down a closure list from 11 to five, which leads one to believe that either Mr. Ward already knew which schools he was going to try to close, and it didn’t really matter what those hundreds of people came out to say, or else he just sat around the next morning and pulled names out of a hat. You choose which one you think happened. Mr. Ward has not yet supplied us with the details of his final selection process. 

Equally murky is Mr. Ward’s publicly-stated reasons as to why it is necessary to close any Oakland public schools at all. 

We are told that it is a cost-cutting measure, though exactly how much money it will save us, and in what ways, seems to be a moving target. Mr. Yee says that when Mr. Ward first came up with the school closure idea, Mr. Ward gave no cost-saving figure at all, so Mr. Yee figured up the potential savings himself at $1.5 million, which he said he got from adding up the administrative costs to run five schools. Last week, however, the Chronicle put the potential cost-saving figure at $2 million, based upon Mr. Ward’s report of a $400,000 cost to run each school. The Bay City News reported the potential cost savings at “an estimated $2.8 million annually,” without saying who did the estimating. But, of course, the cost of running a school is not necessarily the cost one will save by closing it. Does Mr. Ward’s estimates, for one example, include the salaries of the teachers? If they are not going to be fired (and presumably Mr. Ward can’t fire the teachers at the closing schools because they’ll have to be transferred over to the schools where the students from the closed schools are moving), then those salaries can’t be included as part of the savings. 

In the absence of any detailed analysis of the financial aspect of these proposed school closures—and if there is such an analysis, Mr. Ward hasn’t released it to the public—we are left with such open questions, and widely varying estimations of what, if anything, might be saved. 

Good luck, too, at figuring out why these particular five schools ended up on the final hit list. Is it declining test scores, or declining enrollment? At different times, in recent days, Mr. Ward has said one or the other. If declining enrollment is the problem, one might speculate that the steep drop in enrollment in Oakland’s schools this year came in part because the turmoil over the school takeover last year, and, if that is the case, then the turmoil over Mr. Ward’s proposed school closure plan is most likely to cause more parents to take their children to other school districts, leading to more reasons to close schools. This might go on merrily in a dwindling downward spiral, until only Mr. Ward remains as the only school employee around to cut himself a last check, at our expense, and then turn off the lights at the Paul Robeson Administration Building. Which would then be sold. 

Which leads us to speculation going around Oakland that these school closures are part of a plan by developers to buy up these newly-vacant school properties for their own profit, and, therefore, Mr. Yee’s request that Mr. Ward ward off such rumors by publicly guaranteeing that the school properties will not be sold. “I have said it many times before, but I’ll say it again,” Mr. Ward replied. “I have no intention of selling any school properties.” Having learned of other odd things resulting from Mr. Ward’s intentions (see the first paragraph, above), Oakland is not reassured. 

Residents spoke out Wednesday against a police proposal to return German Shepherds to the force more than a quarter century after they were banned. 

“This is the wrong time in America for Berkeley to take a step backwards,” said civil rights attorney Osha Neumann, one of 13 people to question the plan’s fiscal and political implications at the first of three forums to be held by the Police Review Commission. Follow-up forums are secheduled for Jan. 28 at the North Berkeley Senior Center and Feb. 11 at the West Berkeley Senior Center, both at 7 p.m. 

Following the final hearing, commissioners will make a non-binding recommendation to City Council, which has the final say. 

BPD Capt. Stephanie Fleming tried to allay fears, saying the dogs would 

be trained to bark, not bite, and would never be used for crowd control or 

demonstrations. 

Berkeley has few open scars from police dog violence since the force did away with them in the early 1950’s as a cost-cutting measure. Various efforts to reintroduce dogs were met with sharp opposition, leading to an outright ban in 1977, modified by City Counci in 1982 to allow use of other cities’ dogs in special circumstances. 

The current proposal was hatched during an election time meeting between Mayor Tom Bates and the Berkeley Police Association—an organization which later endorsed his rival. 

Those opposed to the plan stressed the city’s risk to liability lawsuits during a budget crunch. “These animals are going to take somebody’s job away,” said Berkeley attorney and former PRC Commissioner Jim Chanin who has represented police dog bite victims.  

“If [the police] do this, I’ll be watching and waiting,” he said. “They’ll use them at their peril.” 

—Matthew Artz

Many buyers want to buy a house that needs some work so they can quickly gain “sweat equity.” About half of the buyers I work with say this during our initial consultation, but many soon find that painting the interior walls is what they really meant. 

However, if you have a handy bone, and aren’t afraid of getting dirty, there are some keys to buying a good “fixer.” First you need to find the right kind of ugly. Some houses are just ugly to the core, with all the architectural charm of a box of saltines. This is the wrong kind of ugly. The right kind of ugly is a house that was originally lovely but has suffered the neglect of time, or in some cases, just plain bad taste. 

Certain projects may be too overwhelming to make it worth the sweat, such as replacing a crumbling foundation or 25 aluminum windows. Others are relatively simple like re-roofing, refinishing floors and installing new plumbing and electrical fixtures. (Don’t forget to get permits from the city when required.) 

When choosing an ugly house know your limits, both financial and emotional.  

When looking for a fixer, my motto is always the uglier the better. I love to find a house that hasn’t been painted for 40 years, has hardwood floors hidden beneath old pink carpet, and layers of dusty drapery that must house flocks of bats and moths. It is especially rewarding to find hideous furniture, piles of old newspapers, and a toilet moldy enough to stave off competitive bidding. 

• Look for a house with good bones. Hope to find the original floor plan unaltered. Berkeley is full of old bungalows that were perfectly designed with timeless elegance. Some things just can’t be improved upon! If the house still has single-pane windows, hope to find the original wood sashes. Sometimes you get lucky and there is little to no dry rot, just weathered paint. 

Frequently Berkeley homes have beautiful woodwork hidden beneath coats of paint. I have had so many clients say they want to strip the paint and reveal the original wood. While the result may be stunning, proceed with caution. Old paint almost certainly contains lead and should be handled very carefully. 

If the wood is painted it is not a crime to paint it again, which will brighten any room. (If you are lucky enough to find an ugly house with original wood exposed, please do not paint it!) 

• Get permission to look beneath carpet to see the condition of the floors. Painted wood floors can be easily sanded and refinished, producing a glowing result. Sometimes you find unexpected treasures such as mahogany inlays. Also look out for original hexagonal tile hidden beneath sheet vinyl in kitchens and baths. 

• Try to find an ugly house on a beautiful street. Check to see how the neighbors are maintaining their property, and hope they keep it up after you move in.  

• Go treasure hunting in the yard. Frequently wonderful mature plants are hidden behind walls of weeds and rusting lawn furniture. Almost any plot of earth can be transformed into a sanctuary, but it helps to have some trees and shrubs already settled in. You may also find that missing door knob or fireplace andirons hanging around outside. 

• Arrange inspections. Be sure to have a complete home inspection by a reputable inspector. Trust your agent to recommend a good one and be willing to pay top dollar for your inspection. Get a sewer inspection. Many Berkeley sewer lines are original clay and have cracks and root intrusions. It is also advisable to have the chimney inspected for safety. Chimney repairs can be costly, so it is good to know what you are dealing with. 

• Use the inspection period to get bids for the work you can’t complete on your own. The ugliest houses often need new roofs ($5,000-$7,000), new furnaces and ducts ($5,000-$6,000), new exterior paint ($5,000-$9,000), electrical upgrades ($3,000-$6,000), new pipes ($5,000-$10,000) and new sewer lines ($2,000-$3,000). Also you can start identifying replacement fixtures and appliances that will work with the vintage of the house. 

If you aren’t scared off after you have complied this data, then roll up your sleeves and go for it. Assume everything will cost more than you expected and will take twice as long as you predicted. Also keep in mind that you can always hire help. Good electricians and plumbers can make molehills out of mountains. 

Over time you will have a beautiful new home and the satisfaction of having restored a small piece of history. Your house and your neighbors will be thrilled. 

Heather Sittig is a Berkeley real estate broker.

It all started when my wife Lisa tried to renew her California driver’s license. Easy, you think? Read on. 

Lisa didn’t receive the DMV renewal form in the mail, so she made an appointment at her friendly local office. She arrived on time, waited in the wrong line for a few minutes and in the right line for an hour, and approached the window at last, thinking that the ordeal was almost over.  

In fact, it had barely begun.  

“You can’t renew your license,” said the friendly clerk. “The name on your license is different from the name on your social security number.” 

My wife explained. Her married name—our name—is on her driver’s license. However, 30 years ago or so, she was married to someone else, so she obtained her social security number in that name.  

She asked the clerk why this was a problem now, after years of trouble-free renewals of her driver’s license.  

“Things are different now. September 11.” 

All she had to do to renew her license was to bring in a copy of her divorce decree from her first marriage and her marriage certificate from her second marriage. 

Unfortunately, she doesn’t have either document. 

In that case, the clerk said, she should call Social Security. They would tell her the next step. 

After an hour or so on hold, she finally got someone from the Social Security office on the phone.  

Write to the California Department of Vital Records, he said, enclosing a check for each document, and they would send her what she needed. She wrote as directed. A month later, she received a packet from Vital Records. Ah, she thought, no more driving without a license. No more heart-in-mouth whenever she sees a police cruiser. 

Wrong again. “You should know that our processing time can take up to 2-3 years,” the Department’s letter informed her—not weeks, not months; years. The letter also pointed out that she could get copies of the required documents much faster from the courts that issued them.  

Both the divorce decree and the subsequent marriage certificate were issued in Los Angeles. I’m a lawyer, and I’m used to dealing with court clerks, so I offered to take over the job. I started by calling the family law section of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Torrance. It only took 20 minutes or so of busy signals before I got through, but the news was discouraging. Because the divorce was in 1982 or ‘83 (Lisa wasn’t even sure of the year), the files were no longer active. I would have to call Archives. 

No sweat, I thought, I can do that. It took me 90 minutes or so of determined re-dialing, but I finally got someone in Archives to answer the phone. Yes, he said, they had the records of the divorce. What was the case number? My heart sank. I didn’t know the case number. 

The clerk chuckled. (I tried to chuckle too.) “That’s OK. You’ll have to call the Index Department. They can get it for you. Then you call back here. I’ll give you their phone number.” 

He actually gave me two numbers. The first told me I had reached a number that had been disconnected, and I’ve been calling the second number ever since (I keep pressing the re-dial button as I write this). Every time, I get a busy signal. Every 10 calls or so, just to tease me, I get a ring. It rings, and it rings, and it rings some more. Then it changes to a busy signal again.  

And there the matter stands. Lisa is out just now, driving to Berkeley Bowl without a license. I am at my desk, pressing the redial button. At least we have the consolation of knowing that barriers are in place to foil the would-be terrorists among us—especially 50-ish blondes. We may be frustrated, but we feel ever so much safer.

Despite the unveiling last Friday of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $76 billion 2004-05 budget with its restoration of Vehicle License Fee monies to California’s cities and counties, Berkeley’s top two officials say it’s far too early to tell how big an economic hit this city will take. 

“It’s all subject to the whims of the legislature,” said Mayor Tom Bates. “And after that, the Governor has the ability to reduce items or eliminate items that the Senate and the Assembly put in. So we’re a long way from knowing what we have to deal with.” 

As for City Manager Phil Kamlarz, he is not even counting on $3 million in lost state Vehicle License Fee funds (commonly called the “VLF backfill”), which Schwarzenegger has promised to restore. 

“The legislature has said that the governor overstepped his bounds by authorizing the backfill payment without their approval,” Kamlarz said, “so I’m sure that will be played out when they come back in session.” He said Berkeley expects a check from the state for half a million dollars sometime early this week, representing the city’s full monthly VLF payment. 

“We haven’t gotten it yet. When we do, I told our people to run to the bank as soon as possible and cash that sucker,” Kamlarz added. 

In his first public action following his election last November, Schwarzenegger cut the VLF, depriving cities and counties of a combined total of $4 billion per year in funds. For Berkeley, that meant an immedidate subtraction of $350,000 from December’s VLF payment from the state, with an added notation that the city would have to return similar amounts from both the October and November checks which the city had already received. 

After howls of complaint and threats of a lawsuit by several municipalities and counties, Schwarzenegger unilaterally announced that he would pay the cities and counties their full amount, and make up for the lost VLF money by cuts in other areas of the budget. 

If the governor’s action stands, that lost $350,000 in December monies should be sent to Berkeley sometime in the future, and the city will be allowed to keep the full October and November amounts. 

But that is only if the governor’s action stands. 

“His actions [providing the cities and counties with their full VLF backfill payments] are very questionable as to whether what he did is legal,” Bates said. “Elizabeth Hill (Legislative Analyst for the State of California) has said that they were illegal. So if somebody who that money might have gone to—education or mental health agencies—could sue, and the governor could lose, and that would throw the whole thing into a mess. So the cities have been taken care of, temporarily. But it could fall apart at any minute.” 

Following Schwarzenegger’s VLF restoration announcement, Bates said a lawsuit planned by several California cities and counties (including Berkeley) against Schwarzenegger on the issue is presently on hold, but the option is being kept open. “There’s no sense for us to sue, of course, if we get the [full VLF] money.” 

Bates said that if the full VLF checks arrive, the lawsuit will be dropped, but if they don’t, “I would certainly urge that the lawsuit go forward.” 

As far as the current (2003-04) Berkeley budget is concerned, the uncertainty about the VLF backfill will have no effect. Last December, on City Manager Kamlarz’ recommendation, City Council approved $2.75 million of the projected $3 million loss in VLF funds for this year (Council recommended that the remaining $250,000 be taken out of the fire department budget, with Kamlarz and fire department officials to decide the details). 

Kamlarz said that if the VLF backfill is upheld, those $3 million in 2003-04 cuts will most likely remain in place, with the money put into the city’s reserve fund “until we see what comes up next year.” 

Finally, Mayor Bates believes that Berkeley must brace for more bad news, even if it gets the VLF backfill. “If the governor and the legislature make cuts in health care, mental health, homeless, transportation money—that all impacts us,” Bates said. 

“That all plays out on our streets,” he said. “So even though we don’t get that money directly, we have more expenses, we have more problems, we have more difficulties that we have to deal with. Those problems don’t play out on a state level. They play out locally.” 

Council’s next order of business on the budget front will be to hear—and make decisions on—Kamlarz’ specific fiscal recovery plan at its Jan. 27 meeting. Thereafter, budget discussions will be the subject of the 5 p.m. work session preceding every City Council meeting through March.

TUESDAY, JAN. 13 

Death Penalty Vigil, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the North Berkeley BART station. Sponsored by Berkeley Friends Meeting. 528-7784. 

East Bay Improv Comedy classes begin at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. For information call 964-0571. 

Writers’ Workshop Jack Foley, author, poet, and KPFA radio host will discuss oral presentation of your written work, at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-3635. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Blood pressure checks at 10:30 a.m., and lecture on plants with Dr. Robert Raabi, botanist, at 11 a.m. 845-6830. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 234-4783. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14 

Community Forum on Police Canine Unit at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. The Berkeley Police Review Commission is planning a series of Community Meetings to provide information and a forum to discuss the proposed Berkeley Police Department (BPD) canine program. Additional forums will be held Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center and Feb. 11 at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 

Teens and Drugs a discussion for parents, guardians, caregivers and community members from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Little Theater at Berkeley High School. Sponsored by the BHS Parent Resource Center, Parents of Children of African Descent (PCAD), and the BHS Health Center.  

“Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: The Evolution of the Jewish Community” with Ted Feldman, Executive Director, JFCs. Bring your own lunch; coffee and tea provided. From noon to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5. 848-0237, ext. 112. 

Writers’ Room Coach Training is offered from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for volunteers who would like to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. To attend please call Terry Bloomburgh at 849-4134 or email Bloomburgh@sbcglobal.net 

Fun with Acting class meets at 11 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Free, all are welcome. 985-0373. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. ww.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

Free Marketing Workshops, sponsored by Sisters Headquarters, for women entrepreneurs, every Wed. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 643 17th St. Oakland. For information call 238-1100. 

Prose Writers Workshop Novices welcome. Experienced facilitator. Community sponsored, no fee. Meets 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. For information call 524-3034. 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Drop in to file complaints, assistance available. For information call 548-0425. 

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

Free Feldenkrais ATM Classes for adults 55 and older at 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut at Rose. For information call 848-0237.  

THURSDAY, JAN. 15 

“So How’d You Become an Activist?” with Daniel Ellsberg and Sherry Glasser at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., at Bonita. Suggested donation $5. For more information call 528-5403. 

LeConte Neighborhood Association meeting at 7:30 p.m. at LeConte School, 2241 Russell. Agenda includes the city budget, traffic circles, and new mixed use developments. For more information call 843-2602. 

East Bay Jewish Folk Chorus, led by Achi ben Shalom, meets on Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Audition required. Cost is $120. For more information or to arrange an audition, email shalom@adamamusic.net or call 528-8872. 

Desert Hiking in All Seasons at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

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

FRIDAY, JAN. 16 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Otto J. M. Smith, Prof. Emeritus, Electrical Engineering, UCB, on “There is Still Hope.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $11.50 - $12.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020. 

End the Nightmare; Bring Back the Dream! Participate in continuous readings of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence,” in front of the Oakland Federal Building, 1302 Clay St. near the 12th St. BART station.  

Applying Earth Charter Principles in Daily Life An interactive workshop with Ellis Jones, co-author of “The Better World Handbook,” at 6 p.m. at the Fellowship of Humanity, 390 27th St. Suggested donation $15. 655-8252. 

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. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets every Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. Parking is free and is handicapped accessible. For information call Katherine, 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, JAN. 17 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Sproul Room, St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 587-3257. www.berkeleycna.com 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Basic Personal Preparedness for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Fire Department Training Center, 997 Cedar St. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes or by calling 981-5506. 

Pruning and Winter Care for Healthier Roses, 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

First Annual Crab Feed and Auction presented by Communication, Arts and Sciences Program of Berkeley High School, from 5 to 9 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Cost is $35. Service graciously provided by CAS Students. For ticket reservations and/or Auction donations, please e-mail your request to sstier@acgov.org  

African-American/African Dialog If you consider yourself of African descent and would like to participate in a dialogue between African-American and African immigrants, please join us from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Downs Memorial United Methodist Church, 6026 Idaho St . near San Pablo and 60th, Oakland. Please RSVP to 527-4099. 

California Writers’ Club Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pamada discus how to find an agent at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-3635. 

Yoga for Seniors at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St., on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Open to non-members of the club for $8 per class. For further information and to register, call 848-7800. 

Pet Adoptions, sponsored by Home at Last, from noon to 5 p.m., Hearst and 4th St. 548-9223. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 18 

In the Name of Love, a tribute and 75th birthday celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 7:30 p.m. at the Calvin Simmons Theater, 10 Tenth St. Oakland. Tickets are $12-$20 available from www.ticketweb.com or 866-468-3399. 

“Unraveling the Lying Liars of the Great American Dynasty” with Paul Krugman, Al Franken, Kevin Phillips and Amy Goodman at 7 p.m. in the Berkeley Community Theater, 1930 Allston Way at Milvia. Tickets are available at Global exchange or by calling 415-392-4400. 

Tibetan Buddhism, Erika Rosenberg and Paul Brumbaum on “Engaging the Challenges of Life and Work” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Eckhart Tolle Talks on Video, free gatherings at 7:30 p.m. to hear the words of the author of “The Power of Now” at the Feldenkrais Ctr., 830 Bancroft Way. 547-2024. EdScheuerlein@aol.com  

MONDAY, JAN. 19 

City Office Closed - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

Martin Luther King Jr. Rally Join in a multi-cultural Peace Celebration in honor of the 75th Anniversary of Dr. King’s birth, with Danny Glover, Barbara Lee, and local performers, at 10:30 a.m. at the ILWU Warehouse Union Hall-Local 6, 99 Hegenberger Rd, Oakland. 638-0365. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

Freedom From Tobacco A free quit-smoking class offered by the City of Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program on six Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 22 to Feb. 26, at the Central Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. To enroll please call 981-5330 or e-mail at quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us.  You will receive a confirmation of your registration.   

Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League offers an exciting opportunity for East Bay girls in grades 1-8 to learn softball, make friends and have fun! Registration starts in January; the season runs March 6 through June 5. For information call 869-4277. www.abgsl.org 

Vista Community College Classes in Computer Software begins Jan. 15. Enrollment is open through Jan. 24. Register on-line at www.peralta.cc.ca.us or at 2020 Milvia St., or call 981-2863. 

Creating Economic Opportunities for Women offers training programs for immigrant and refugee women. Orientations held during January, at 655 International Blvd., 2nd flr. Call 879-2949. 

Acting and Storytelling Classes for Seniors, offered by Stagebridge. Wednesdays and Fridays, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., close to BART and AC Transit. 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

Acting and Improv Classes for Adults begin Sun. Jan. 25. Cost is $125 for 8 wks. On- 

going classes for children and teens. Verna Winter Studio, 1312 Bonita Ave. 524-1601. 

Tae-Bo, a cardiovascular workout composed of kick punches and stretches will be offered at Frances Albrier Recreation Center, 2800 Park St., on Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Jan. 13. Cost is $20 per month or $4 drop-in. For information call 981-6640.  

Free Smoke Detectors for City residents and UC Berkeley students who live off-campus. Applications are available from the Environment, Health & Safety office of UC Berkeley, at any Berkeley Fire Station, or at the Fire Admin. Office located at 2100 MLK, Jr. Way. 981-5585.  

Free Energy Bill Payment Assistance The City of Berkeley has money to help low-income households pay their gas and electric bills. For applications contact the Energy Office at 644-8544. TDD: 981-6903. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Jan. 13, 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 Wed., Jan. 14, 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 Wed., Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/homeless 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed., Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. at 2090 Kittredge. Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/library 

Planning Commission meets Wed., Jan. 14, 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 Wed, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Public Forum on proposed Plice Canine Unit. Barbara Attard, 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/policereview 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti, 644-6376 ext. 224. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/waterfront 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Thurs. Jan. 15,  

at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs. Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Anne Burns, 981-7415. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/designreview  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Prasanna Rasaih, 981-6950. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/faircampaign 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/housing 

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 15, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Peter Hillier, 981-7000. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/transportation 

Two-by-Two Meeting of elected City and School officials to dicuss common concerns, Thurs., Jan. 15, at 8:30 a.m., in the Redwood Room, 6th floor, 2180 Milvia St. 644-6147, 981-7000.

• 

IRANIAN PERSPECTIVE 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

I would like to start off this e-mail by first saying I’m a 17-year-old Iranian college student, and a son to two political prisoners who fled Iran more than two decades ago because of the oppressive government. I recently read the article by on the supposed derailment of any chance for improved relations between the U.S. government and Iranian regime (“Bush Remark Derails Iranian Rapprochement,” Daily Planet, Jan. 6-8).  

Although I am by no means a supporter of President Bush and his policies I think this issue should be looked at more closely. I would to refer to several things you said in the article regarding the current regime in Iran. Beeman states, “Most Americans do not realize that Iran has open and fair elections.” This is grossly inaccurate; Iran’s theocratic regime is not democratic by any means. Candidates running have to be completely part of the regime and its system—no deviance from this is allowed, even among pseudo reformists like Khatami. The label put on Khatami is just a label; he has not shown in his actions that he is any different then the hard line clerics.  

Beeman then says that although the constitution is flawed and gives power to conservative clerics, “the nation follows its precepts assiduously.” I am absolutely appalled by the ignorance of this statement. While some Iranian citizens still believe in their theocracy, the majority of Iranians want a sweeping secular transformation, as was evident by the many protests over the summer by Iranian students calling for freedom and true democracy. Iran is a nation with 70 percent of its population under the age of 30, and the majority of which is not happy with the reform government and want immediate changes. Aside from their unfair elections this regime has been condemned by the United Nations 50 times for their severe human rights violations. It has executed over 120,000 political prisoners and uses numerous types of brutal torture in its prisons. Amnesty International in 2003 reported that: “Freedom of expression and association continued to be restricted by the judiciary, and scores of students, journalists and intellectuals were detained. At least 113 people, including long-term political prisoners, were executed, frequently in public and some by stoning, and 84 were flogged, many in public.”  

Beeman next goes on the issue of terrorism and states that the Iranian regime is not a sponsor of terror and “They are utterly opposed to both the Taliban and Al Qaeda on both religious and political grounds.” Beeman lacks any evidence or reason to support any of these claims, disregarding the fact that Al Qaeda and the Taliban share the same right wing Islamic-fundamentalist perspective as the current regime in Iran. All three of them support anti-western and strictly theocratic states. Religiously they are not very far apart. Iran has also been accused of numerous international terrorist acts, including the bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires.  

Beeman also is quick to praise Iran for its quick compliance with its nuclear programs, but it has yet to be seen what inspections will reveal about a dangerous program in the hands of a terrorist regime. I do not support the United States taking military action in Iran nor do I support the policies of the current Bush administration, but I also do not support the current regime of Iran in any way.  

In closing I would like to state that I hope that in the future Mr. Beeman, and especially your readers will take the time to examine and be critical of both countries when discussing American foreign policy. 

Hamid Yazdanpanah 

• 

DOWNTOWN PARKING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Downtown Berkeley has two problems that give consumers pause before shopping there: the homeless and a lack of convenient parking.  

I have been visiting downtown Berkeley regularly since attending high school and working at the old Kress store in the ‘70s. While it is marginally more economically vibrant than it was in the past, it has failed to fulfill its potential as a destination for the vast majority of residents who use their personal vehicles as their primary modes of transportation. 

While residents of Berkeley’s hills snidely comment on the rush of development in Emeryville, they certainly appear to fill the new stores and theaters in that community. 

Few would suggest more big box retailers are needed in Berkeley, but the simple truth is that people drive their cars when they want to shop, eat or have a good time. Until there is more parking in downtown Berkeley, the homeless will continue to outnumber folks enjoying Berkeley’s ambiance after the sun goes down most weekday nights. 

Paul Lecky 

• 

PARKING = SHOPPING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing in response to Jane Scantlebury’s opinion letter about the destruction of the parking garage and its replacement by housing (“Librarian Casts Dubious Eye on Library Gardens,” Daily Planet, Jan. 6-8). I too am outraged by this and would like to voice my opinion as loudly and clearly as she has. 

I am a Berkeley resident. Without sufficient parking for the downtown Shattuck area, I will be forced—let me repeat that, forced—to shop elsewhere. I cannot count how many times I have driven in circles trying to find parking, only to remember that, yes, I can park in the garage by the library. My daughter and I have parked there and gone to movies, shopped, stopped for ice cream, and conducted research at the library on the tree seed that she found in the park for an oral report she gave to her class. I go to the bank, get copies, and even stop by the music store to buy sheet music. 

If this plan goes through, I can say unequivocally that when I think about going to the movies or the bookstores or Christmas shopping, it will not be to go to downtown Berkeley. I will head to Oakland or Emeryville or Pinole. Who wants the hassle of driving in circles and then parking a mile away? 

It is the purpose of municipal government to protect and defend the rights of all city citizens—businesses and general public alike. By requiring businesses to replace (whether on that property or elsewhere) a fundamental use facility which they are destroying, the city is protecting both the rights of the developer to build, and the rights of the citizens to retain a sense of community. ZAB should require all developers to provide a positive community element for all new development, to offset whatever detriments their project inadvertently brings. Simply because it is business, it is not always all good. 

Has there been an environmental assessment report as to the traffic and hazards that will be associated with this development? Where is it and what does it say? If not, why not?  

DeClerq and partners do have a responsibility to provide parking for the public and other businesses—if this is where they want to develop. We are not free to develop without consequences. Yes, we can build. But we must build with forethought and planning, or we will end up with ghost towns for downtown and a maze of traffic congestion near schools and through narrow streets. 

I also am asking ZAB to deny a use permit for Library Gardens. Yes, Berkeley needs housing. But not at such cost to its civic heart. 

Maria Sundeen 

• 

PROPAGANDISTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Recent news coverage in the Daily Planet of pro-Palestinian propagandists bear commentary. In the case of Henry Norr’s firing by the San Francisco Chronicle, such action was clearly merited (“Ousted Writer Settles With Chronicle,” Daily Planet, Jan. 6-9). Membership in an extremist political group such as the ISM and corresponding reportage of the target of said organization in a publication striving for objectivity is collusion deemed unethical in American journalism. Indeed, Mr. Norr boasts he a member of the ISM, a political order which according to Mother Jones Magazine embraces Palestinian terrorists as freedom fighters and has harbored both leaders of Islamic Jihad as well as suicide bombers. That he has also written critically about Israel in a publication which values its impartiality was sufficient reason in itself to give Mr. Norr his well-deserved walking papers. 

Concerning the Daily Planet’s coverage of the recent arrest of local activist Kate Rafael for obstructing the construction of a fence designed to keep homicide bombers from entering Israel, Jakob Schiller’s usual excellent reporting leaves something to be desired (“Israel Frees Jailed Local Activist,” Daily Planet, Jan. 9-12). While interviewing two pro-Palestinian sympathizers of Rafael, Schiller neglected to ask commentary of any local organization, such as the Jewish Federation or Hillel, which supports Israel.  

One of the local individuals interviewed by Schiller is Barbara Lubin and when it comes to Israel, there could hardly be any more biased Berkeley resident. Ms. Lubin, after an encounter with Hezbollah terrorists, said that “Hezbollah are nothing but ordinary schleps like you and me.” When later asked if she worried that some of the money she collected for her Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance would be siphoned off by Palestinian terrorist organizations, Ms. Lubin said, “If it goes to some freedom fighters, it goes to some freedom fighters...” 

As Kate Rafael’s critique of Israeli human rights, the Israeli courts have been internationally praised for their fair-mindedness under the equivalent of a war situation. Indeed, compare the judicial treatment of Palestinians with the American treatment of imprison members of Al Qaeda. Moreover, contrast human rights extended toward dissidents, women and gays in Israel with the Palestinian summary execution of “collaborators,” short jail sentences for “honor murders” of wives and daughters, and imprisonment of homosexuals. Indeed, the latter might give Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism pause before they next demonstrate at the Israeli Consulate. 

Dan Spitzer 

• 

FUNDRAISER TOTALS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The report on fundraising for music in Berkeley public schools (“Music Fundraiser Results,” Daily Planet, Jan. 9-12) didn’t tell the full story. 

To date we have raised nearly $15,000—twice the amount quoted in the story—to restore the $138,000 cut from the school district’s music budget this year. This money should be enough to meet, beginning in the spring semester, the top priority of restoring middle school instrumental instruction. 

Rasputin Music generously spearheaded one element of a broad-based emergency response to music cuts announced last spring. Extreme Pizza, Berkeley’s public libraries, a local student who played weekends on Fourth Street as a good deed in preparation for his bar mitzvah, and many parents and Berkeley residents—have been generous and creative in their efforts to maintain Berkeley’s renowned music curriculum despite debilitating budget cuts. 

As a community we must be grateful to all these dedicated people. And we must realize that this private, crisis-based approach is not the way to keep music—or athletics, or libraries, or at this point even textbooks—in our schools. For that, only a stable and adequate tax base will do. 

Trina Ostrander, Executive Director 

Berkeley Public Education Foundation 

(fiscal sponsor for “Save Music” campaigns this year) 

• 

A SUGGESTION 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

If you don’t like America then move to Iraq. We will all be happy to see you idiots leave. 

Jim Hamel 

• 

GETTING EXERCISE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Perhaps this is emblematic of the obesity epidemic that rages in this country. The YMCA is leading the charge to require more parking downtown. (“Library Gardens Accord Ruptures Over Parking,” Daily Planet, Jan. 6-8). 

Did it ever occur to the YMCA that its patrons could get a little exercise on their way to exercise at the gym by riding their bicycles there? 

Mark Johnson 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It was no surprise that there was an expensive flood at Malcolm X, due in part to the district’s failure to do simple preventive maintenance such as to remove leaves clogging drains.  

Despite three years of funding of almost $12 million dollars since 2000 from our parcel tax, Measure BB, the Maintenance Department has been unable to move from putting out fires to doing the real job of maintenance, which is the preventive maintenance. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The cure for flooding at Malcolm X is estimated to be at least $44,000, while a simple half hour of raking leaves would probably have prevented the flooding.  

Last fall, no one on the existing Maintenance oversight committee volunteered to be the chair. The existing co-chairs resigned. The “unofficial minutes” states some of the reasons for the resignation are: “The committee seems to have made little progress...the committee is still talking about cleaning bathrooms, pulling weeds and fixing irrigation systems; the department is still struggling with...manpower and hiring; the facilities departments are politicized, protect their own interests and bank accounts or funds, and do not work together as a unit to perform in our schools the way the district should. Construction standards seem to be no one’s bailiwick.”  

Three years ago, the superintendent set out on a course to stifle and limit citizen oversight, throwing out a plan which took three years to develop, stating that she knew how to run maintenance. Well, $12 million dollars later, the superintendent’s plan is a mess. Plus, BUSD has conducted no audits as required by Measure BB.  

We in Berkeley are generous, especially when the specter of little children are raised. We have been told, Berkeleyans never turn down a school spending measure.  

Therefore, BUSD has now turned into a cash cow for administrators, who keep giving themselves large raises while laying off teachers and closing school libraries. These school administrators have never had to be effective, efficient, or even accountable. BUSD school board members received a 30 percent raise last year.  

If after $12 million, they can’t even clean bathrooms and rake the leaves, it’s time to cut off the money supply.  

Yolanda Greening 

Nothing pumps an audience more than music with a beat, performers with attitude, and dancers jumping off the stage into the audience! This is exactly how Berkeley High School’s Dance Production 2004 begins.  

This annual production features BHS juniors and seniors who’ve auditioned before a panel of judges and have been admitted to the Dance Production class, performing several student-choreographed dances.  

The show features all kinds of dance, including hip-hop, modern, ballet, jazz, and more. The dancers perform with an enthusiasm and commitment to movement that inspires everyone. One might think it difficult to perform in front of your high school peers; but these dancers are fearless. They obviously love the stage.“Nothing beats being on stage in front of a full house, with all the hooting and hollering!” said Jono Brandel, a BHS senior.  

“This year was really great. There was more dance per square foot than in past years,” said Linda Carr, BHS dance teacher. “The movements were more challenging, big, and full,” she added.  

Each dance on the program has something unique to offer the audience. 

The most physical dance on the program is “Cyclic Photophosphorylation,” choreographed by Brandel. It is full of challenging lifts and balancing acts. Dancers take running leaps onto each other’s backs, shoulders, and waists. 

Brandel said Dance Production has meant a lot to him. He said he never knew how to dance and used to try and imitate MTV music videos before he was convinced to try out. “It has opened up a whole new world for me—there’s so much freedom—you really get the chance to express yourself and explore,” he said. 

Brandel is also an artist and said art has helped him to take risks in dance and not be afraid. “The main thing art has helped me with is guts. I’m not afraid to show who I am,” he said.  

“Lobsters,” choreographed by Carly Boland and Sonja Dale, featured a duet between a bashful couple, Sonja Dale and Colin Epstein, and one between a passionate couple, Jack Nicolaus and Liza Cirolia, and one dancer, Leslie Hyman, longing for a partner. The music choices of “Beauty and the Beast” (Disney) and Lake Louise (Yuki Kuramoto) created a cute, overly dramatic mood. The piece was well staged with two benches as props and partnering that showed off the abilities of the choreographers and the dancers. 

Nicolaus choreographed a high-powered piece called “Revolution,” in which the dancers wore jeans and white-collared shirts. They gave the impression of constantly running towards something, with fast steps and a fixed gaze on something in the audience.  

Nicolaus tried out for Dance Production because a friend dared him to. “I got in, and he didn’t,” he said. Nicolaus is also a football player and thinks that dancing has helped his footwork on the field. “The physicalness of dance and the performance aspect of it, create the perfect art form,” he said.  

For a change of pace, “Gone Spanish,” choreographed by Sara Assadi-nik, featured Spanish music, red and black Spanish style costumes, and Salsa moves. Interspersed throughout the piece are short love-hate relationship stories, which keep it entertaining. During the chorus, all 28 dancers strut back and forth across stage. This piece is a true crowd motivator, with a surprising and funny ending.  

The BHS intermediate and advanced dance classes each showcased a piece in the performance as well.  

Student creativity shone through in the variety of choreography in the show. “This year we had a few exceptionally good choreographers,” said Carr. She said that as the performances approached, she really tried to bring out the choreographer’s original intent. 

“I’ve had so much fun getting to choreograph,” said Annie Goodman, BHS senior and choreographer of “Zeppy.” “It’s like people have been putting away ideas all year and building up this energy. It’s a great chance to express and release feelings from the school year,” she added.  

Clarissa Chan, BHS senior and choreographer of Crudite and An Abyss Between Unconsciousness, said she appreciated the chance to choreograph and has thought about producing shows in the future. “We get to do everything ourselves—decide the lighting, the costumes,” said Chan. She said her ideas for choreography come from the music. “I listen to it, get an image, and go from there.”  

BHS dancers enjoy getting to know other dance enthusiasts in their school. Brandel said, “My favorite part is the every day stuff. Going to classes with people interested in learning your choreography, and learning other choreography, is great.”  

The Dance Production 2004 show is a success and displays a joy of dance and a true community of dancers. “Everyone bonds so quickly in that situation. We are a very tightly knit group,” said Goodman.  

The first two shows were last Friday and Saturday, and Dance Production performs again this weekend—Jan. 16 and 17—with shows starting at 8 p.m. in the Florence Schwimley Little Theater. 

Writer Robyn Gee is a Berkeley High School student.

TUESDAY, JAN. 13 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Anthony Swofford conveys the horrors of war in “Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Donna Rosenthal will discuss “The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Peter Hart exposes “The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly,” co-written with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Kairos Youth Choir Open House at 4:30 p.m., 2401 LeConte at Scenic. The choir is enrolling boys and girls ages 7-15 for the spring musical “The Impossible Dream.” Auditions held throughout January. 849-8271 or info@kairoschoir.org 

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

Edessa and The Toids at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Balkan dance lesson with Nancy Klein at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Dayna Stephens House Jam at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a showcase of ensembles, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14 

CHILDREN 

Preschool Storytime, a program introducing books and music to promote early literacy skills, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library West Branch, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Dyckman and Joseph Cutler discuss “Scapegoats at Work: Taking the Bull’s-Eye Off Your Back” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

David L. Kirp, professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley introduces “Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line: The Marketing of Higher Education” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

The Whole Note Poetry Series, with Albert Wolmer and Sparrow 13, and open mic, at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

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 

Orchestre Révoluntionnaire et Romantique & The Monteverdi Choir, conducted by John Elliot Gardiner, at 8 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$72, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Billy Dunn and Bluesway at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson with Nick and Shanna at 8:00 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Phillips, Grier & Flinner, bluegrass, new grass, jazzgrass, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ragas and Talas, classical Indian music open jam at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. $5 donation. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Nicole and The Soul Sisters at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

The Shots play acoustic old time, bluegrass and cajun at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Taarka, an instrumental acoustic group, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 15 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players, “The Death of Meyerhold,” through Jan. 23 at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Thurs.-Sat. performan- 

ces at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12-$18, available from 925-798-1300. 704-8210.  

www.shotgunplayers.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Scheer, Christopher Scheer and Lakshmi Chaudhry expose “The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. www.codysbooks.com 

Dia North introduces “The Smart Spot” on the creative power of intuition at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-3635. 

Kevin Danaher, co-founder of Global Exchange, and Jason Mark discuss their new book, ”Insurrection: Citizen Challenges to Corporate Power” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with Maggie Morley and Lisa Ann LoBasso, followed by an open mic, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. 526-5985, 205-1749.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Benefit for Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Robert W. Getz, improvisational piano, at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $8-$15 sliding scale. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

Mark Growden at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Ian Moore at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Estero at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Mas Cabeza, salsa, funk, jazz at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

FRIDAY, JAN. 16 

CHILDREN 

Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration at 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-3635. 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Elizabeth Valoma, paintings, at North Berkeley Frame and Gallery, 1744 Shattuck Ave. Reception 5:30 to 8 p.m. Exhibition runs to March 13. 549-0428. 

THEATER 

“Dido and Aeneas,” a fusion of opera and fire arts, presented by The Crucible, with artists from San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists, with hors d’oeuvres and silent auction at 6:30 p.m., performance at 8 p.m. 1260 7th St. Oakland. Tickets are $125 and are available from 444-0919. 

FILM 

“Boondock Saints,” about two Irish brothers in South Boston who take justice into their own hands, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Donation of $3-$5 requested, no one turned away. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Victor Sjostrom: “The Phantom Chariot” at 7 p.m. and “The Wild Strawberries” at 9:25 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston reads from her new book, “The Legend of Fire-Horse Woman” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

Gavin Menzies introduces his historical narrative, “1421: The Year China Discovered America,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. www.codysbooks.com 

Dennis Bernstein will read his poetry at the Fellowship Café & Open Mic, 7:30 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, Cedar and Bonita Sts. A donation of $5-$10 is requested.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High’s Dance Production at 8 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Allston and MLK. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults, available at the door. Come early, shows sell out! 644-6120. 

Benefit for the Interfaith Pagan Celebration with Tempest and Avalon Rising at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10-$15. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. A special lecture by Frankie Manning, the Ambassador of Lindy Hop at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Omeyocan Urban Fusion at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Under the Radar, a night of poetry and electronic pop at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$10, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204.  

www.epicarts.org 

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

Jackie Ryan at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Velvet Teen, Plus Ones, Addicted to Fiction, Squab, Four Days Late 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. 

Nathan Clevenger, Group West and The Lost Trio perform modern jazz at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Silding scale donation of $8-$15 requested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

André Sumelius at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Skin Divers at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 17 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Gerry Tenney at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Kids on the Block Puppet Show, promoting acceptance and understanding of physical and cultural differences at 2 p.m. at the Hall of Health, 2230 Shattuck Ave., lower level. Sug- 

gested donation $3. Children under 3 free. 549-1564. 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

THEATER 

“Dido and Aeneas,” a fusion of opera and fire arts, presented by The Crucible, with artists from San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists, at 8 p.m. 1260 7th St. Oakland. Tickets are $25 and are available from 444-0919. 

FILM 

Mann’s World: “Desperate” at 6 p.m., “T-Men” at 7:35 p.m. and “Raw Deal” at 9:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High’s Dance Production at 8 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Allston and MLK. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults, available at the door. Come early, shows sell out! 644-6120. 

Hip Hop Forever, presented by Youth Movement Records, at 8 p.m., at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Samba Ngo and the Ngoma Players, perform African-rock-funk-jazz fusion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Flamenco Spirit with Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos at 6 and 9 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $35-$40 and includes dinner. For reservations call 843-0662. www.cafedelapaz.net 

Spezza Rotto, the Mass, Three Piece Combo at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com  

Darryl Henriques, satire and social commentary at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. 

www.freightandsalvage.org 

Pat Carroll, contemporary jazz, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-$12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Pick Pocket Ensemble performs European café music at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Eileen Hazel, with special guests Helen Chaya and Sumir Rawal, at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Libby Kirkpatrick and Erika Luckett at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Roy Henderson Quartet at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Nicole McRory at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Scott Amendola at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Wrangler Brutes, Jewdirver, Shemps, Orphans, Onion Flavored Rings 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, JAN. 18 

FILM 

Screenagers: 6th Annual Bay Area High School Film and Video Festival at 2:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Al Franken, Paul Krugman, Kevin Phillips and Amy Goodman present “Unraveling the Lying Liars of the Bush Dynasty” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Community Theater on the Berkeley High Campus. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and are available at Cody’s Books or www.cityboxoffice.com 

Poetry Flash with Eve Wood and Rafaella Del Bourgo at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Mary Tolman Kent remembers her eighty years in Berkeley in her family memoire, “The Closing Circle” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Itzhak Perlman, violin, at 3 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$86, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

California Revels, “Freedom’s Journey and the Song” Wendell Brooks, Thena Berry, and Kent Overshown explore the theme of freedom as expressed in African American folk songs from slavery through ragtime and the Civil Rights Movement. At 2 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, available from 925-798-1300. 

Domingo de Rumba Community participatory event for those who want to play, sing or dance, at 3:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Israeli Golden Oldies Folk Dance from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. Bring potluck drinks and snacks. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Flamenco Open Stage featuring Grupo Andnaza at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance Series presents Vorticella and Three Trapped Tigers at 8:15 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations accepted. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

M-Pact, rockin’ a cappella 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 

Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Over My Dead Body, Find Him and Kill Him, The Mistake, Lights Out at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, JAN. 19 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kevin Phillips discusses “American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Wild Fermentation Book Tour with SandorKraut Learn how to make healthy fermented foods such as miso, sauerkraut, and wine at 7 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Donation of $3-$5 requested, no one turned away. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Poetry Express, theme night: Other People’s Poems, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

Francis D. Adams and Barry Sanders discuss “Alienable Rights: The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man’s Land, 1619-2000” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Just two days after approving a use permit, city planners booted a nonprofit from its office space in one of Berkeley’s most drug-blighted neighborhoods, revoking their permit amid allegations the group’s chief planned to bring a cannabis club to the site. 

City Planner Mark Rhodes said he decided to revoke the Transfer of Use Permit for 2880 Sacramento St. after city officials caught wind that besides providing office space for various nonprofits, the applicant also intended to relocate the Cannabis Buyer’s Network from its home on Shattuck Avenue. 

“Even if it’s just a twinkle in their eye, they need to disclose that when they apply for a permit,” Rhodes said.  

The Berkeley Community Resource Network took over the permit to house office and administrative space previously held by a Building Opportunity for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) psychology clinic. But even before the paperwork was completed Wednesday, word spread through South Berkeley that BCRN head James Church envisioned the building as the future home for the marijuana distribution cooperative he helps run. 

At a Friday meeting of top city brass, Rhodes said he had collected enough evidence from city officials who interact with cannabis clubs and from “conversations with community folks” to revoke the permit. 

His decision infuriated Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who called it another example where “The Planning Department does something illegal.” 

“The city revoked their permit based solely on rumors,” Worthington said. “You can’t punish someone because you think they might do something.” 

In an interview last week, Church insisted that the cannabis club had outgrown its home at Long Haul, a collective of nonprofits across from La Pena, but had not settled on a future home, and added that if they opted for the Sacramento Street site they would first seek city permission and neighborhood approval. 

Rhodes insisted the mere intention to relocate the pot club to Sacramento Street was grounds to revoke the permit. A city ordinance approved by Council in 2001, he said, requires a permit applicant to disclose if he intends to dispense marijuana at the site. He said he expects to meet with Church later this week, and said if Church assures him he has no plans to include the cannabis club, he would reinstate the permit. 

“‘We’re not sure’ isn’t going to be a good enough answer,” Rhodes said. “Either it is or it isn’t.” 

The building in question sits at Sacramento and Russell Streets, one block from the scene of a daylight shoot-out last summer and in the heart of a neighborhood with a tawdry reputation for drugs. 

“It’s one of the areas where we get many complaints of drug dealing,” said Berkeley Police spokesperson Kevin Schofield. The BPD offered no public comment about the controversy, but city sources said top police officials opposed the move, fearing it would lead to more drug crimes in the neighborhood. 

Last year, Berkeley cannabis advocates closed down a pot distribution cooperative on University Avenue and California Street after a string of armed robberies, said Hillary McQuie of the Berkeley-based Cannabis Action Network. And on Christmas Eve, Schofield said, an armed robber stole marijuana and cash from a pot club on Telegraph. 

Most Sacramento Street neighbors interviewed feared that bringing a pot club into the mix would make a bad situation intolerable. 

“That would be the end of South Berkeley,” said Sam Herbert. “To put that in a neighborhood so blighted with drugs is like dropping a lighted match on a pile of gasoline soaked rags.” 

But neighbors of the Cannabis Buyer’s Network—one of three pot clubs in Berkeley licensed to sell marijuana to patients with a doctor’s perscription—said they haven’t had any problems with the club. 

Church said his group provides security escorts for patients, so they aren’t targets when they leave the office, and that he can’t recall a robbery in their seven years of existence. 

Fallout from the city’s action was felt hardest by a prostitute advocacy organization. Robin Few, director of the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA, said she had just finished moving supplies into the group’s first office at the site when Church alerted her Saturday night that the city had revoked the permit. 

“This is pretty devastating for us,” Few said. “We’re so appalled that Berkeley has taken the right-wing stance to attack a healing center.” 

Few said Church had told her he planned to move the cannabis club to the site, but, “that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.” A needle exchange was also in the works, she said. 

The controversy over the cannabis club highlights Berkeley’s haphazard effort to implement Proposition 215, a state ballot measure that in 1996 legalized medical marijuana.  

Rhodes said the first clubs that sprang up after the law passed—including the club on Shattuck—won their permits by claiming to sell T-shirts, mugs or other items. By the time the city realized their true intentions, he said, they were already established, so the city passed the 2001 ordinance to regulate future moves. 

Worthington criticized city policy for not giving clear guidelines where pot clubs are permitted. In 1999 he proposed legislation providing zoning directives for clubs, but said then-City Manager James Keane rebuffed the plan. 

“The club wants to go through the proper channels, but the city isn’t clear what the proper channels are,” Worthington said. 

If the club is ultimately permitted into the Sacramento Street office, it will need to win a new permit and likely face a public hearing. Though most neighbors were leery, a few thought the club could make a contribution. 

“It’s ridiculous to hear some of the community outrage,” said Rev. Mark Wilson of McGee Avenue Baptist Church. “We’re talking about an organization that’s trying to help people, not about a group dealing drugs. Folks in wealthy communities can get it whenever they want, but they’re not going to give you that information at Alta Bates, so you have to bring it to the people.”

The Daily Planet editorial of Dec. 19-22 invited positive ideas for the future of the Holy Land. Following is a summary of a peace plan which I presented 

at a conference on “war and peace” that took place in London in 1991, and which is still relevant today. 

The heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the struggle for territory. The remedy is not just simply to divide the land but to also compensate the party that loses what it regards as its rightful land. Even though the pre-1967 boundary of Israel is an arbitrary cease-fire line which does not reflect the historic claims of either side, in fact there is now an international acceptance of that boundary, including by Arab nations, which has to serve as the de-facto starting line. 

The Holy Land should therefore be divided into Israel within its pre-1967 boundary and a Palestinian state in the Gaza and the whole West bank. The 

Jewish settlers in the Palestinian State should then be able to remain provided they pay rent for the land they are using. The payment of rent would serve three purposes. First, paying rent acknowledges that the land is part of the State of Palestine. Second, the rent provides funds that Palestine needs. Third, the rent creates a price for the Israelis holding that land; they will be less eager to hold land if they have to compensate Palestine by paying rent every year they possess it. While many Palestinians would prefer that the Israelis evacuate the West Bank and Gaza settlements, at least if the Israelis pay rent, there will be some justice,since the Palestinians will be continually compensated for not being able to use that land. 

Because Israel and Palestine are mutually dependent and need to use resources such as water jointly, a peace plan will work much better if there is a confederation between Israel and Palestine. For want of a better name, I will call it the Confederation of the Levant, from the french term for the Middle East. 

Arabs who are in Israel would be free to choose to be citizens of Israel, Palestine, or the Confederation. Jewish settlers in the State of Palestine would also be free to choose their citizenship; most would choose to remain citizens of Israel. The problem demographics would be solved by separating citizenship from territory. Palestinian exiles would be free to return to their old locations in Israel, but they would have to be citizens either of Palestine or the Confederation. Israeli Jews would thus be assured that Israel would continue to have a Jewish citizen and voting majority. The ability to be a citizen of the Confederation rather than of Israel and Palestine would provide an alternative if people were unh ppy under either state. The choice of citizenship would also create an incentive for the Israeli and Palestinian governments to avoid being too oppressive. 

The Confederation government would have a parliament. Some of the members would be elected directly by its citizens, while others would be elected by 

the legislatures of Israel and Palestine. The Confederation would have courts to resolve disputes between Israelis and Palestinians, and also control the corridor between Gaza and the West Bank. The Confederation would best be financed from taxes on the land value in Israel and Palestine. There would be no tariffs or other trade barriers between Israel and Palestine. Internationally, the Confederation of the Levant would operate much like the European Union does now. The Palestinian state would not have an army, and gradually, as trust develops, some security and defense services would be shifted from Israel to the Confederation. 

One of the problems of setting up a Palestinian State is that some religious Jews regard all of British-mandate Palestine as having been given by God to Israel. The answer to this is threefold. First, Jews could continue to be live as citizens of Israel in the territory of the Palestinian state, just as Arabs in Israel could be citizens of Palestine. Second, the agreement could have a religious clause stating that title to the Holy Land belongs ultimately to God, and from God to Jews, Christians, and Muslims jointly, with the confederation as trustee. Because some Jews in Israel converted to Islam and Christianity and are now “Palestinians,” their inheritance rights would also be acknowledged. Third, the payment of rent would not imply lost sovereignty, but would be technically a compensation for the loss of other’s traditional and historic occupancy.  

What has been missing in the peace plans and road maps for the Middle East is the concept of paying rent for occupied land. Rent is essential to justice. Rent allows continued residency, but with compensation for exclusion. The tension between the need for a unified state while also wanting separate homelands is solved with confederation. The freedom to choose citizenship, and with the third option of citizenship with the Confederation, creates a competition for citizens and mitigates potential oppression. The taxing of land value by the Confederation turns land to some extent into common property, further reducing the conflict. 

Extremists of both sides will reject any solution that accommodates both sides, but the evidence is that the majority of both sides have sufficient good will to accept a solution that provides justice and leaves both with what is most essential. Israelis want security, and Palestinians want land and an end to the Israeli governmental occupation. Symbols are as important as substance, and the jurisdiction over the West Bank and Gaza, with rental compensation, should provide Palestinians with sufficient justice, so that the violent elements will lose popular support. Then the Israelis can withdraw their troops and take down their security wall, since they will have the true security and peace that can only come from justice.  

Once we recognize and accept that the key to peace is paying rent for land, peace will follow.  

Fred Foldvary teaches economics at Santa Clara University.

“If somebody was to ask me how I came to be here, I swear b’fore God that I wouldn’t know what to say to ‘em. My whole life, I always wanted to be able to hear stories ‘bout how I came into the world a wanted and special child. But the folks I lived with told stories, ‘bout my mama that wasn’t meant for children’s ears. Truth be told, seemed like nobody could even dig up a idea of how I got inside my mama, let alone what happened afterwards. Since no one was gonna tell me what I wanted to hear, I let myself believe that God had gave me a mouth and mind of my own to do what I seen fit…” 

Thus begins Berkeley writer and resident Regina Louise’s stunning memoir Somebody’s Someone, the story of her harrowing passage from Texas to California through the foster care system. Lucky for us, and for the thousands of foster children she represents, Regina does say what’s on her mind, in a writing and speaking voice that is genuine, colorful, and inspiring.  

At first glance I thought that Regina’s book might be the black female version of David Pelzer’s lurid A Child Named “It.” But thankfully, it’s not anything like the over-the-top sensationalized Pelzer’s series. Although sometimes shocking, Regina’s prose is full of pure, raw lyricism. Foster child Lula Mae is “…more ornery than a tick full of turpentine.” Another foster child, Donna Janine “…could steal you blind faster than you could smell a roadrunner’s fart.” Aunt Carlene got her name because “…her forehead was so big you could lean a car into it…” And half-brother Dennis “…kept a secret like a baby who ate Ex-Lax kept her bowels.” 

When Regina describes, in her child voice, her frustrations at not being wanted, it is gut wrenching. “Miss Matthews said that my well-being was b’tween my daddy and mama; they was the ones that I belonged to. But I knowed better; what was b’tween them was what got me into this mess in the first place… What would make somebody want to throw out they own flesh and blood and not even think two times ‘bout it? Why do folks go round having babies they don’t even have a mind to keep in the first place? What did I do to make this be?” 

I caught up with Regina at Keter, her wildly successful hair salon on Berkeley’s fashionable Fourth Street. As we walked over to O’ Chame for lunch, Regina explained that keter is the Hebrew word describing where the soul enters and leaves the top of the head. It’s a wonderfully metaphoric name for a place of business that is full of energy emanating from its spirited, remarkable owner.  

Over heirloom tomato salad and sea scallops on a bed of radicchio, Regina told me about her extraordinary journey from foster care, to motherhood, entrepreneurship and writing. “What I really want to do,” she said sipping her special—ordered Honeybush tea, “is to talk to people about foster care and make changes. There are over 632,000 kids in the system at any given time and each year 20,000 18-year olds get turned out without a parachute. There’s a 52 percent failure rate. These kids end up back in the system, incarcerated, on welfare, or doin’ drugs out on the street. I know, because I’ve been there.”  

Regina doesn’t just talk the talk. She’s got speaking engagements lined up all over the country, at Big Brother and Big Sister conferences, the National Foster Parent Association convention, the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) organization, and the Celebrity Philanthropic Initiative which includes the Magic Johnson Foundation, the Bruce Willis Foundation, the Rowell Foster Children’s Positive Plan and many others.  

But raising a son, running a business and giving speeches are only part of her big plan. “I’ve got to get moving, girl,” she said to me. “I’ve got a two-book contract and the next one is due soon.” 

“What’s the second book about?” I asked. 

“It’s about finding my momma after 24 years. Not my real momma, but the woman who wanted to adopt me when I was fourteen. She wasn’t able to because she was white and single and back then the authorities didn’t want black children going to anyone who was single or white.” 

“Where is she?” I asked. 

“Alabama,” shouted Regina, “and she wants to adopt me now! Can you believe that? Forty years old and I’ve finally got my momma!” 

“Congratulations,” I said. We beamed at one another. There wasn’t much left to say. Regina has found what she’s been searching for since she was a small child. 

“What should I do about my hair?” I asked. 

Regina didn’t miss a beat. “Cut it all off, honey. You need to start over.”  

Like she says, Regina Louise doesn’t have any trouble speaking her mind. 

Regina Louise has founded The Esther Collins Memorial Children’s Foundation for Literacy. For more information about this program or to learn the locations and dates of her next speaking engagements contact Regina through her website at www.reginalouise.com. 

Somebody’s Someone, A Memoir, by Regina Louise, Warner Books, 367 pages, $23.95.

Following a unanimous rejection by Zoning Adjustment Board commissioners Thursday, the developer of the controversial Library Gardens project says he’s been hammering out a compromise to add public parking spaces to the largest apartment complex ever planned for the city center. 

If approved by the project’s diverse foes, the pact could jump-start the stalled development, according to TransAction Companies Senior Vice President John DeClerq. 

“We’re very close to a deal,” said the developer, who has been negotiating for the past month with the Berkeley-Albany YMCA to jointly build a level of underground parking for use by Y members and the public. 

DeClerq hopes a deal can sway skeptical ZAB commissioners who Thursday—more than two years after giving him a unanimous thumbs up—denied the use permit, pending further analysis, for a plan that threatens to erase one out of every four downtown parking spaces. 

“It feels like we’ve had the effects of a bait and switch,” ZAB commissioner David Blake told a packed house of downtown merchants sharply divided over the project. “This is like someone got a permit to build Manhattan, came back and said sorry we’re not going to do Central Park. It’s not the same project.” 

Library Gardens would replace the 362-space Kittredge Garage with a five-story, 176-unit apartment complex that would house roughly 280 residents and five new retail shops just west of the library. 

The original proposal, approved by the ZAB in October, 2001, would have replaced all of the parking spaces with two levels of underground public parking, but higher than anticipated construction costs forced TransAction to scrap plans for the subterranean lot. 

Instead, TransAction resubmitted the development with just 116 ground-level spaces, all but 11 dedicated to future tenants. That move infuriated many downtown merchants, who feared that an ensuing parking crunch would drive away customers. 

City planners backed the proposal, asserting that it conformed to city guidelines and that, over time, commuters and parking providers would make adjustments to bring the parking supply back to equilibrium. 

ZAB commissioners, however, were unmoved, unanimously voting to postpone any decision until a Feb. 26 meeting, when planners were to offer possible mitigations to increase parking at the development. 

DeClerq hoped a deal to add 124 underground spaces—mostly for Y patrons—could be wrapped up within two weeks. That agreement would effectively end opposition from downtown merchants and could potentially get the development back onto the ZAB calendar and approved before Feb. 26, allowing TransAction to proceed with construction in April, avoiding costly delays. 

The Y had been the garage’s biggest tenant, comprising 43 percent of all customers, until TransAction booted them in November to prepare for construction. 

Negotiations appeared stalled through early last week, with DeClerq proposing the Y contribute $1 million towards the cost of the garage plus a $5,000 monthly rent, and the Y offering to make a one-time $500,000 payment. 

But DeClerq, refusing to divulge details, said both sides have since budged from their original offers and that an agreement was nearly reached before the Thursday ZAB meeting. 

Construction estimates vary for the lot. City officials put the price tag at just over $6.8 million, while DeClerq insists the final cost would be closer to $10.6 million. 

Berkeley-Albany YMCA President Larry Bush refused comment on the negotiations, but expressed optimism, saying, “We’ll work through this and we’ll be alright.”  

The conciliatory talk coming from both camps this weekend contrasted sharply from the combative two-hour hearing that divided downtown businesses at times pitting co-worker against co-worker. 

Speaking as incoming president of the board of directors of the Downtown Berkeley Association, Mechanics Bank Branch Manager Raudel Wilson told ZAB Commissioners the project would harm businesses by keeping shoppers from driving downtown. 

Just minutes earlier, his boss at Mechanics Bank, outgoing DBA Board President Rauly Butler argued for the development on grounds that TransAction shouldn’t be held responsible for the city’s parking issues. 

After Public Library Trustee Jorge Garcia gave tacit approval for the project, noting DeClerq had promised the library 10-15 parking spaces for disabled patrons, Reference Librarian Jane Scantlebury delivered the most extensive case against the project, linking the 57-year-old lot built by the owners of the Hinks Department store to the local businesses along Shattuck. 

When TransAction acquired both the garage and the Shattuck storefronts that housed the former department store in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Scantlebury said their financing arrangement included an easement on the lot for the businesses to ensure their profitability. 

Over time, she added, TransAction sold off the Shattuck buildings and severed their legal ties to the garage, before unveiling its development plan. 

“This is a case of a corporation once again dropping the responsibility onto the tax payer,” she said in an interview after the meeting. 

DeClerq said TransAction had designs on developing the lot long before it sold the neighboring real estate and that the deals were unrelated, yet Scantlebury’s argument seemed to carry the day. 

In explaining his vote, ZAB Chair Laurie Capitelli said that while he “was loath to the idea of imposing a public need on a property owner”…TransAction had an additional obligation because of the “historical link” between downtown businesses and the garage. 

Capitelli also pressed Assistant City Manager for Transportation Peter Hillier about other ramifications from the lossed Kittredge garage. Hillier declined to speculate on whether shoppers would choose Emeryville or El Cerrito, claiming there were too many variables to consider, but said that the 420-space Center Street garage regularly had over 100 available spaces during peak parking times. 

But the Center Street facility is seismically unsafe, and will likely be torn down and rebuilt in the next several years. A new garage could have as many as 800 spaces—enough to fill the gap left by Library Gardens—but Hillier said cost factors would likely result in fewer spaces.

Two weeks ago, national representatives of Eddie Bauer stores announced the closure of its retail outlet at Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way in downtown Berkeley, seven years after Berkeley preservationists fought a pitched and ultimately unsuccessful battle to prevent the city from allowing the demolition of the 1890’s-era Edy’s Ice Creamery building where the Bauer store now stands. 

Excerpts from selected city documents written at that time show how fiercely that battle raged, and how prophetic the preservationists were about the 

likely outcome. 

• “The main building on Shattuck Avenue will have a new storefront at the ground level, however the second story facade will remain the same. ... There will be some additional square footage to this building, however, not enough to trigger any use permit requirement.” 

—Architect Mary Li Wong to Deputy City Attorney Zack Cowan, Jan. 8, 1997. 

• “My office has reviewed the scope of your building remodel project at 2201-17 Shattuck Avenue [also known as the Hulbert Block or the Edy’s Building]...to determine if there are any zoning issues which trigger a Use Permit or Variance per the City’s Zoning Ordinance. The project as proposed does not necessitate a Use Permit or Variance, and therefore does not require review by the Zoning Adjustments Board in a public hearing. The information you have provided concludes that less than 50% of the exterior walls of the Shattuck Building and less than 50% of the exterior walls of the Allston Building will be removed, therefore, the project is not considered a ‘demolition’ ... and no Use Permit is necessary.”  

—Dan Marks, Current Planning Manager, to Marcy Wong Architects, Feb. 21, 1997. 

• “The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association herewith is appealing the decision of the Design Review Board made on March 17, 1997, regarding approval of plans to redesign the facade of 2201-2217 Shattuck Avenue... The proposed plan...appears to fail to meet the fundamental facade criteria as set forth in the ‘Downtown Design Guidelines’: ‘The form, rhythm, and character of Downtown established by its Landmark and significant buildings should be reinforced and enhanced by renovation and new construction.” 

—Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association to Zoning Adjustments Board, March 31, 1997. 

• “It is my opinion that the [Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s] appeal, as presented, is without merit.” 

—Downtown Berkeley Association president Larry Bush to Members of the Zoning Adjustments Board, April 9, 1997. 

• “The Hulbert Block is a prominent site in downtown Berkeley. It plays a central role in helping to define the area’s historic fabric. ... The [Landmark Preservation Commission] feels that the current proposal for the site ignores the structure’s true historical fabric. ... Alternative design proposals incorporating the Hulbert Block’s historic elements should be solicited. ... Under the Zoning Ordinance..., any proposed demolition of a building over 40 years of age shall be forwarded to the LPC for review. The LPC believes that the proposed project (including the removal of the roof structure which is intrinsic to the building’s history) may constitute a demolition...and require that a permit application be filed...” 

—LPC Chairman Robert Kehlmann to the Zoning Adjustments Board, April 9, 1997. 

• “[I]t has come to my attention that BAHA holds several mistaken beliefs about my building at 2201 Shattuck Avenue which I have owned for many years. ... These include the belief that the two existing ‘keyhole’ storefronts are worthy of preservation. ... The two keyhole storefronts that BAHA wishes to preserve, are not only without historic significance, they lack a historic fabric to justify their presence... I am also aware that BAHA believes that the roof currently on the building is historically significant. In fact, the extensive renovation in 1941 resulted in the complete removal of not only the exterior wall components and finishes, but also of the roof tiles and significant portions of the roof framing itself.” 

—Weston Havens to Mayor Shirley Dean, April 16, 1997 

• “When people in Berkeley heard that Eddie Bauer was leasing the [Hulbert Block] building, they were very optimistic. Many of us are customers of your elegant Home Store at Union Square in San Francisco, and fans of the sensitive restoration you did there. ... Imagine, then, my horror at discovering that the building owner had potentially engaged the architect best known in Berkeley for Walgreen’s and BlockBuster Video. ... [Their renovation plan for the Hulbert Block Building] was more like taking a good solid Eddie Bauer shirt, cutting off the collar and the sleeves, and saying that you’d made a ball gown. It just doesn’t work. ... My suggestion to you is that you ask the architect of your San Francisco store to give you a second opinion on what can be done with the very nice building you’ve leased.” 

—Elisabeth Peters O’Malley to Jeff Roberts, Real Estate Department, Eddie Bauer, Inc., April 18. 1997. 

• “I’ve been nursing this project along and I think it would be a major shot in the arm for the downtown. Any delay could jeopardize the project.” 

—Mayor Shirley Dean, quoted in the Berkeley Voice, July 3, 1997, shortly before the Zoning Adjustments Board’s hearing on the appeal to rescind approval of the Hulbert Block Building’s renovation plan. 

• “Guess what! I noticed the other day that I could see through the old Edy’s building which, last I heard, was simply being gussied up on the outside..., getting a new roof and some interior remodeling. As I recall, the owner insisted that nothing more than Design Review was required because they were not changing permitted interior uses, etc., and did not want to have to get a demolition permit. I had foolishly assumed that this meant they were not going to do a demolition. Now, granted, three walls seem to still be standing (barely), but other than piles of rubble, it doesn’t look like there is any interior inside them. Have there been some unanticipated collapses of floors, or did we issue permits for this work? Or, is it, um, unpermitted?” 

—Memo from Deputy City Attorney Zack Cowan to unidentifiable recipients. 

• “When the project at 2201-2217 was brought before the LPC for review last February the commission was presented with a ‘storefront remodel.’ Inspection of the site now reveals demolition of the original historic structure has taken place. I request that the City halt work on the property and refer the project back to the LPC for review.” 

—Landmarks Preservation Commission Chairman Robert Kehlmann to Planning Manager Steve Solomon, Dec. 3, 1997. 

• “Oops. Have architects for the new Eddie Bauer store on Shattuck Avenue torn down one old wall too many? That’s the consensus of some citizens and preservationists who are shocked by the gaping hole that used to house Edy’s Grand Ice Cream and Restaurant.” 

—From the Dec. 11, 1997 Oakland Tribune. 

• “On January 5, 1998, the Berkeley Landmarks Commission appointed commissioners Burton Edwards and myself to review the demolition calculations of 2201-2217 Shattuck Avenue [to] determine [if] a demolition has occurred. We hereby conclude that a demolition has occurred. We request that a stop work order be issued...” 

—Berkeley Landmarks Commission member Timothy Hansen to Acting Current Planning Manager Bob Brown, Jan. 8, 1998. 

• “I believe the percentage of exterior wall area removed exceeds 50%... I will bring the issue of continued construction to the attention of Gil Kelley, Director of Planning and Development, which may result in a Stop Work notice from the City until the question of demolition has been finally resolved.” 

—Current Planning Manager Robert M. Brown to Architect Marcy Li Wong, Jan. 15, 1998. 

• “We worked really hard to bring the Eddie Bauer retail outlet here, and we’re going to work hard to keep them here.” 

—Mayor Shirley Dean, quoted in Chip Johnson’s column in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 17, 1998. 

• “I have reviewed your latest revisions to demolition calculations dated January 20, 1998, and concur with your result that 49.77% of the original exterior wall area has been removed. ... In total, these revisions reduce the proportion of removed exterior wall area once again to below 50%, thereby not constituting demolition of the building.” 

—Current Planning Manager Robert M. Brown to Architect Marcy Li Wong, Jan. 20, 1998. 

• “I am writing to request concern over the procedures being followed by City of Berkeley regarding demolition of the buildings at 2201-2217 Shattuck. ... I request that the City not grant the applicant special favors, that a stop work order be issued, and that the applicant be required to obtain the proper demolition permit, use permit, and other permits required by law.” 

—Landmarks Commissioner Timothy Hansen, writing as an individual and not in his capacity as Commissioner, to Acting Current Planning Manager Bob Brown, Jan. 20, 1998. 

• “[T]he historic Edy’s building...has been demolished to make way for a structure which is more appropriate to a suburban mall than to our historic downtown. ... Tenants in buildings come and go. Developers and architects move on to other projects. Current Planning Managers seem to appear and disappear rather quickly in Berkeley. If you, Mr. Brown, in your powerful role as Planning Manager, allow Berkeley’s historic past to be dismantled without proper control and review, you are forsaking our City’s historic past. Once this is lost, it will be lost forever.” 

—Landmarks Preservation Commission Robert Kehlmann to Current Planning Manager Robert M. Brown, Feb. 9, 1998. 

• “In your letter [of February 17, 1998], you asserted that the City’s acceptance of the applicant’s method of calculation...prevents the City from redefining the means of computing wall retention/removal at this time. This begs the question: shouldn’t compliance with City and State laws take priority over private arrangements that City staff make with individual applicants? BAHA has reviewed notes from a meeting held on 17 December 1996 between City officials and project architect Marcy Wong. These notes confirm that the City assisted the developer in misrepresenting the extent of the project and circumventing public review where one was warranted: ‘If it’s initiated, & LPC says it’s a significant impact under CEQA, LPC can suspend a demolition permit. Therefore—don’t apply for a demolition.’” 

—Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association President Monica Rohrer to City Manager James Keene. 

• “It was with sadness that we viewed the new east wall of what used to be 2108 Allston Way, now the new Eddie Bauer building. ... A little over a year ago, when the bulldozers rolled through the old Edy’s building, we knew that the City’s building laws had been violated. ... A few months ago, the LPC issued a new report on the demolition. It noted that more than 70% f the Allston Way building had been demolished, not the 35% claimed by the applicant and seconded by the Planning & Development Department. ... The battle over Edy’s ... was about the corruption of the Downtown Plan, the Downtown Development Guidelines, and the City’s zoning ordinance. If Edy’s can be demolished without the proper permits, no Berkeley building can be considered safe from destruction.” 

—Berkeley Heritage Association Chairman Carl Wikander to Mayor Shirley Dean and Berkeley City Councilmembers, Sept. 22, 1998.

A light agenda awaits Berkeley City Council schedule for their first meeting of the new year at 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 13)—its first meeting in a month—proving either that the city is exhausted from wrestling with budget deficits throughout the fall, or that it is merely taking a breath before gearing up for the new money battles this winter and spring. 

Or some combination of the two. 

The most contentious item on calendar is likely to be neighbors’ complaints over the Zoning Adjustment Board's approval of a 645-square-foot addition to a Prince Street house. 

Council’s 5 p.m. working session will give Council the (almost certainly) bad news update from staff of the current state and federal fiscal situation and its impact on Berkeley's city budget.

Apparently, the apartment downstairs and one over from mine was broken into last week. One of our neighborhood methamphetamine enthusiasts forced his way through the bathroom window and started rifling through some drawers while the tenant and her boyfriend were, ahem, busy in the back bedroom. 

My wife and I were out of the apartment at the time, but my mother-in-law, in town on a visit from Canada, was home when the squad cars arrived. I have a feeling that she loved every minute of the drama, especially when it was her turn to be interviewed by the boys in blue. Things like this just reaffirm her faith in the frozen tundra of her home, a land where everyone is kind and there is no crime. For her, coming to Berkeley is like visiting the slums of Sao Paolo. Warm weather and the wretched of the earth: Who could imagine a better vacation? 

Naturally, when I heard about the break-in, my first concern was about my plunger. I’d loaned it to the nice people in Apartment D a few weeks ago, and since they hadn’t returned it yet, I worried that it might have been a casualty of theft. Fortunately, meth addicts often don’t think straight and my bejeweled heirloom toilet tool emerged unscathed. 

I’ve been living in this same apartment for almost five years now and my wife has been here for 10. Due to the near-mythic wonderfulness of Berkeley rent-control laws we’ve been holding out in this student pad for as long as we can, figuring that if we can just endure it for a few more decades, then maybe the baby can live here if she gets into Cal. Sure the roof leaks and the windows don’t exactly fit their casements and the places where we’ve spilled red wine on the carpet are indistinguishable from the places where we haven’t, but have you seen the payments I’m making? My poor bastard landlord can only raise the rent five bucks a year, and some years not at all. I don’t feel too sorry for him though; he told me that he bought up Berkeley buildings for a song back in the ‘60s when prices were low on the fear that the city would abolish private property and collectivize all real estate. 

Because we’ve been here so long, we’ve become like den mothers to the other residents, many of whom are scared sophomore kids living on their own for the first time. I loan out my vacuum cleaner and my blender, give recommendations for dentists and auto repair shops. I leave clucking notes when people lock their bikes in the middle of the communal stairways and discard armloads of castoff free AOL disks from the mail slot. Last week the computer science major from across the courtyard sidled up to me in the Safeway with a bottle of tomato juice in one hand, cranberry in the other, and asked me which one went better with vodka. Ah, the wisdom of the ages. 

One of the quirks of apartment living is that the neighbors in their fancy detached houses don’t take me seriously as a resident. They look up at my Hollywood Squares style building and figure I’m not enough of a lifer to be embraced by the neighborhood clique. What they don’t know is that my second story picture window gives me the ultimate vantage point on their world, and whether they want it or not, I am most definitely included. I see the pall of smoke lingering in the air long after the local Green Party bigwig has driven off in his lemon. I’ve watched the sullen teen across the street buy a weightlifting set and then a motorcycle, much to the consternation of his little parents. 

I don’t know a single name, but I’ve done so much watching over the years that I’ve constructed entire life stories for all of these people. I am completely invested, for example, in the unlikely interracial teen romance going on next door. I didn’t see the suitor for a few months and I started to despair…but wait! He’s back again now, playing football in the street with the girl’s brother and all seems right in the world. I still worry about Unnecessary Bike Helmet Man and British Cigarette Woman. They both seem lonely and sad and I wish they’d have an affair, if only to spice up my life a little. Winter is kind of a quiet time around here—Suntan Dude packs up his chaise lounge and his aluminum reflectors and Very Aggressive Yard-Sale Guy spends the cold months collecting crap which he will foist on passersby come spring. 

The angle of the sun and the filthiness of my windows mean that I can see out but nobody can see in. I don’t watch these folks out of voyeurism or snoopiness, but because they’re right there in front of me and I can’t help it. They may not know it, but these people are my community, even if they do look at me like I’m crazy when I wave at them like old friends as we pass on the street.

There are few harvesting thrills for the home vegetable gardener to equal the digging of new potatoes. Disinterring a bed of Jerusalem artichokes is one of them. 

These creamy, crisp globes mature to greater than golf ball size if planted in friable soil, bearing little resemblance to the brownish packaged marbles occasionally seen in local markets at exorbitant prices. 

Jerusalem artichokes do not market well because, like the farmers who grow them, they prefer to stay at home, traveling locally and quietly multiplying. Once harvested, they must be refrigerated promptly or they will become soft and inedible. However, scrubbed free of dirt and bagged in plastic, they will keep crisp for months at 40 degrees. 

These tubers will grow in any kind of soil and accept any amount of neglect, for which reason they are considered a famine crop. Planted in February in a corner of the garden—ideally backed by a sunny fence and surrounded by well-trodden paths to confine (lest they take over your garden)—they will produce clusters of rough dark green leaves in March, shooting up to six feet or more by August and ultimately, if the days be sunny enough, be topped with the bright gold flowers that reveal them as members of the sunflower family, Compositae. 

Cut the blossoms for a vase—as Monet did for a famous still life—so that the energy is directed to the tubers. In late fall when the stalks are brown and dry, the tubers can be dug and harvested as needed, offering a pleasant change from the ubiquitous holiday fare. 

By February, little roots appear on the tuber and the cycle of life starts anew. 

Like potatoes, they must be kept covered, so an occasional mulch and in very hot weather, a weekly light watering is all the care they need. And even if one thinks one has dug out the entire bed, it will soon show a profusion of new leaves and be productive for years. 

Jerusalem artichokes contain inulin, a sugar said to be safe for diabetics. To prepare, cut off the stem and scrape off the thin skin under cold water. They can be sliced raw to add crunch to salads, or added to stews. They make a fine cream soup and are likely to show up on the menu of top restaurants as a puree. An example of their deliciousness and versatility is given in the recipe below. Their delicate, nutty flavor is exchanged with that of the tomato, enhancing both and adding body to the sauce.

“The business part of Berkeley lies west of the campus, the center of the shopping section being enormously wide Shattuck Avenue, which is desolately ugly as it takes its way southward towards Oakland. The few shopping blocks in the center of town have some very good-looking buildings, a few in the modern streamline type that are as successful as any to be found anywhere, but no effort has been made to achieve a harmony. One lone skyscraper sticks up like a sore thumb, increasing the similarity at night, when what is an untidy-looking scaffolding by day transforms itself into a flaming red sign. The decent and considerate skyline of the street is made to suffer, as well as the view from every house on the hills behind. An achievement not only in bad taste but in poor psychology, for many a Berkeley citizen rages against the insult to the city’s beauty.” 

As the French say, plus ça change, plus la même chose—the more things change, the more they remain the same. The above quote is from now out-of-print Romantic Cities of California, written in 1939 by Hildegarde Hawthorne, a Christmas present found for me at the flea market by my daughter. The new candidate for the Insulting Sign award is on the Power Bar building, and the newest Sore Thumb is the Gaia Building (soon to be joined by The Golden Bear Double-Marriott if we aren’t careful), but the principles remain the same. Berkeley citizens still rage at will against insults to the city’s beauty, and other forms of stupidity. 

Current case in point: Eddie Bauer’s departure. We hate to say we told you so, but we told you so. Last issue, the Planet printed excerpts from a remarkable file of contemporary citizen letters which pointed out, step by step, what was going wrong with the Eddie Bauer project. It should be required reading for every first-year planning class, though it probably won’t be.  

Berkeley citizens, all kinds of Berkeley citizens, myself among them, told Mayor Dean and Councilmembers that it was a colossal mistake to allow a popular downtown restaurant, the only one open for the after-movie crowd, to be squeezed out for a mall store which would never succeed in Berkeley. It was a huge error (and We Told Them So) to allow one of the few surviving turn-of-the-century buildings which lent a bit of character to Downtown Berkeley to be demolished by stealth. Even the old building’s 1941-remodelled streamlined façade was more interesting than the bland Walnut Creek faux-moderne ticky-tacky structure which replaced it.  

In that first-year planning class which will never happen, particular study should be given to the role of City of Berkeley employees in perpetrating this outrage to civic sensibilities. When Eddie Bauer closed, the Acting Manager of Economic Development said that “We think it will be easier to do a transition from Eddie Bauer to some other clothing store because of the improvements already made in the building.” Wrong. It would be easier to get a distinctive and successful tenant for a distinctive Berkeley-style building. For examples, look at some of our most successful businesses, located in interesting restored buildings: Rasputin’s, the Cheese Board, the Downtown restaurant, even Orchard Supply Hardware, and of course, par excellence, all of Fourth Street. Tenants like Eddie Bauer who want a mall ambience can and do go to the real malls. 

And then there’s the damage done to the civic fabric by the well-documented irregularities in the Planning Department’s administration of permit rules which turned rehabilitation into demolition. Much of the current citizen anger with the planning process can be traced back to the transparent cynicism with which city employees greased the skids for architect Marcy Wong and Eddie Bauer. It is disheartening to note that newly re-hired Planning Director Dan Marks was the original planner of record for the Bauer project, but perhaps he’s learned something from the experience. 

Public outrage over a series of successive perversions of planning (can you say Gaia?) bubbled to the surface at recent meetings of the Mayor’s Task Force for Permitting and Development. It has taken its toll in the unexpected coalitions which have formed to oppose what might prove to be an unavoidable increase in property taxes. Questions about taxing new developments have made things worse. If citizens feel that they can’t trust government, they don’t want to pay for it—it’s that simple.  

There are many current opportunities for city government to dig itself even deeper into the big muddy. The proposal to demolish the Blood House on Durant for yet another Big Ugly Box for luxury students is one prospective pitfall. More, among many: the University’s downtown hotel scheme, the Ed Roberts Campus, University Avenue developments, including West Campus…it’s a long list. 

On the other hand, elected officials and city staff could choose to show that they’ve learned something from the Eddie Bauer debacle and will pay more attention to citizens in the future. They would be wise to do so, especially if a tax vote is in the offing.  

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

Fired reporter Henry Norr’s offhand snipe that the San Francisco Chronicle “apparently sees no problem in having a Sacramento bureau chief whose wife is Arnold Schwarzenegger's deputy chief of staff and was previously a flack for Maria Shriver” prompted not one but two indignant denials from Chronicle functionaries. They told us that the Chronicle's Sacramento bureau chief, Greg Lucas, has agreed to be reassigned, and is no longer covering the governor, the Legislature or any area of state government.  

That’s not necessarily good news. 

Lucas is an extremely competent newsman with a fine reputation. His former colleague, Rob Gunnison, who now teaches at the UC School of Journalism, says he’s always been “an excellent reporter.” He’s been married to his wife Donna a long time, and she’s been a first-tier flack for Republicans most of that time. She previously worked for Republican Gov. George Deukmejian, and subsequently had her own public relations agency which was acquired by the national PR firm Porter Novelli. (More grist for the conspiracy mill: That firm’s principal, William Novelli, used to be a speechwriter for Newt Gingrich, and he now runs the AARP, which was widely accused of selling out seniors in the debate about the new Medicare bill.) Whew! What does all this have to do with Henry Norr, you might ask? 

There’s a good argument to be made that Henry was wrong if he was intending to suggest that the Chronicle should take Lucas off Sacramento coverage, and that the Chronicle was wrong for doing so. The idea that journalism should be practiced only by the equivalent of Vestal Virgins, people with no experience in or carnal contact with the area they’re reporting on, is a peculiarly American construct that arose sometime around the 1920s, largely at the behest of advertisers. Newspapers in the early days of the Republic were proudly partisan, as most papers in most other parts of the world still are. Even at the end of the twentieth century, some fine folks went back and forth between politics and journalism (John Kennedy, Pierre Salinger and Al Gore are three that come to mind) and the public interest benefited, overall.  

A reporter who has never heard a political campaigner say “you can’t overestimate the laziness of newsies” is a set-up for a cleverly written press release that seems to plug a news hole. A business writer who doesn’t know anyone in business is more likely to swallow Enron-type publicity, as many did before the real story was finally uncovered. In an era of two-career families, extending the concept of conflict of interest to spouses can produce ludicrous results. A business writer of my acquaintance was taken off her beat because her husband was “in business;” i.e. was a minor executive in a company which was very unlikely to be newsworthy.  

As far as the Lucasses are concerned, their relationship has never been a secret: They’ve even used the same name, not common among professional couples these days. They’re not fooling anyone, and there’s no sign Lucas is pulling his punches because his wife might have done some work for the bad guys. A Google search on his name produces a whole web page attacking his reporting, authored by the tobacco industry, big users of political PR. He must be doing something right if he has that kind of enemies. He’s never showed any signs of pro-Republican bias in his reporting. Taking him out of the action in Sacramento does no favor for Chronicle readers who want to find out as much as possible about what’s going on there. 

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