The Week

Richard Brenneman:  
          Preservationists are fighting to save the Brennan’s building, a venerable Berkeley institution for the past 45 years. A San Mateo developer has proposed a four-story residential and commercial complex on the site. Ò
Richard Brenneman: Preservationists are fighting to save the Brennan’s building, a venerable Berkeley institution for the past 45 years. A San Mateo developer has proposed a four-story residential and commercial complex on the site. Ò
 

News

Preservationists Fight to Save Venerable West Berkeley Pub: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 29, 2004

While most of the Tuesday night crowd at Brennan’s were cheering the Red Sox, a half-dozen others huddled at a back table, brainstorming ways to save the venerable West Berkeley tavern. -more-


Tempers Flare Over Campus Bay Project: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 29, 2004

Long simmering anger burst into the open Wednesday night as anxious Richmond residents threw heated questions and charges at state officials and representatives of the firm planning a major residential development atop a Richmond toxic waste site. -more-


Pryor Named New Fire Chief: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 29, 2004

A near life-long Berkeley resident has gotten the nod to become the city’s next fire chief. -more-


Traditional Allies Divided Over Parks Measure CC: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 29, 2004

Spanning 96,000 acres in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the East Bay Regional Park District is the largest local park system in the country. But when its residents go to the polls on Tuesday, only those who live along the bay shore from San Pablo to Alameda will see a new park tax before them. -more-


Tax Measures Spur Opposition From Property Owners: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 29, 2004

Bruce McMurray’s home in the Berkeley hills is a testament to frugality. -more-


Complaint Dismissed Against Anti-Tax Groups: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 29, 2004

Berkeley election monitors effectively dismissed Wednesday a complaint filed against the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA), but failed to address the question of whether the group had violated Berkeley election law by mailing to non-members its newsletter urging the defeat of city tax measures. -more-


Newest West Berkeley Bowl Plans Unveiled to Neighbors: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 29, 2004

Architect Kava Massih unveiled the latest version of the new Berkeley Bowl planned for the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Heinz Avenue in West Berkeley, at a meeting Tuesday night for project neighbors. -more-


Prostitution Opposed, Marijuana and Trees Ignored: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 29, 2004

Last summer members of the City Council seemed ready to fight three citizen-initiated measures on the November ballot that would promote decriminalizing prostitution, liberalize medical pot laws and set up a board to protect trees. -more-


Richmond Candidate Cries Foul Over ‘Hit Pieces’: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday October 29, 2004

A Richmond City Council candidate has condemned two last-minute campaign flyers in that race as “eleventh-hour mudslinging” and “hit pieces” that have become “far too typical of Richmond politics” and “have nothing to do with issues that matter to Richmond residents.” -more-


UC Hotel Project Talks ‘Moving Forward’: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 29, 2004

Plans for a major UC Berkeley-sponsored hotel and convention center at the northeast corner of Shattuck Avenue and Center Street are moving forward, says Kevin Hufferd, UC Capital Projects senior planner. -more-


Bush, Kerry Endorse Return to the Braceros: By DAVID BACON

Pacific News Service
Friday October 29, 2004

“I believe there ought to be a temporary worker card that allows a willing worker and a willing employer to mate up, so long as there’s not an American willing to do that job, to join up in order to be able to fulfill the employers’ needs.” —George Bush, presidential debate, Oct. 14, 2004 -more-


Top Contra Costa Physician Blasts Campus Bay Turf War: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 29, 2004

The physician charged with safeguarding the health of Contra Costa County residents issued a stinging rebuke Thursday of the bureaucratic turf battles he believes are compromising the Campus Bay toxic waste cleanup. -more-


Campaign 2004: Perspective From Colorado: By BOB BURNETT

NEWS ANALYSIS
Friday October 29, 2004

Dreading the notion of sitting around Berkeley, filling the anxious hours until Nov. 3 by reading contradictory polls and phoning undecided voters in swing states, we decided to travel to Colorado and immerse ourselves in get-out-the-vote activities. -more-


Sanctions, Not Pre-Emption Softened Qaddafi’s Libya: By PAOLO PONTONIERE

Pacific News Service, NEWS ANALYSIS
Friday October 29, 2004

Libya’s decision to junk its WMD program confirms that sanctions, not pre-emptive war in Iraq as George Bush claims, worked. Diplomatic pressures punctuated by stiff commercial and military sanctions convinced Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to take stock of Libya’s international isolation and brought him to the negotiating table. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday October 29, 2004

MEASURE Q -more-


Police Blotter: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 29, 2004

Berkeley Police are investigating two shootings and a stabbing attack that took place this week, and are celebrating a raid on a South Berkeley drug house that netted cocaine, heroin, a 9 mm. semiautomatic pistol and three arrests. -more-


Oakland Police Must Work for Neighbor Support: ByJ. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

UNDERCURRENTS OF THE EAST BAY AND BEYOND
Friday October 29, 2004

A reader from a local newsgroup takes issue with the assertion in last week’s column that Chief Richard Word’s tenure as Oakland Police Chief was a failure. Chief Word recently announced that he is resigning from that position. -more-


Berkeley’s Stormwater Property Tax: Where’s the Money?: By L.A. WOOD

COMMENTARY
Friday October 29, 2004

For nearly a hundred years, Berkeley has struggled to maintain its storm system of inlets, culverts and pipes that carry rain and other surface waters to our creeks and into the San Francisco Bay. Historically, our city has always placed a very low priority on the general maintenance and the annual repairs of the storm system. However, in 1992, there was a serious legislative move to fix Berkeley’s beleaguered storm system when voters authorized a new stormwater property assessment. -more-


Yes on Measure B for Berkeley Schools: By NANCY RIDDLE and DAN LINDHEIM

COMMENTARY
Friday October 29, 2004

Why is Measure B so important? -more-


‘Eurydice’ Offers New View of Orpheus Myth: By KEN BULLOCK

Special to the Planet
Friday October 29, 2004

Against a blue-green expanse of tiled stage and backdrop, a young couple, swimming goggles pushed back, dallies at the beach. He’s always thinking about—or hearing—music. She’s talking about the books she’s read, and can’t get the rhythm right when he asks her, “Will you remember my melody underwater?” -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday October 29, 2004

FRIDAY, OCT. 29 -more-


‘Calliope’ Shines Again at Marina Mall: By JAKOB SCHILLER

Friday October 29, 2004

After 22 years of weathering the elements at the Berkeley Marina Mall, Calliope, a sculpture by Berkeley artist Joseph Slusky has received a facelift. The 11-foot steel sculpture recently got a new paint job and had its dent repaired thanks to the money from the city’s Public Arts Program. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday October 29, 2004

FRIDAY, OCT. 29 -more-


Marin Avenue May Cut Lanes: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday October 26, 2004

North Berkeley’s major east-west thoroughfare is one step closer to shrinking in half for motorists. -more-


Campaign Violations Charged Against Anti-Tax Groups: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday October 26, 2004

A backer of the campaign to pass three city tax measures has charged two of Berkeley’s anti-tax groups with violating city election law. -more-


District 3 Changes Reflected in Council Race: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday October 26, 2004

When Max Anderson announced this summer he was challenging Councilmember Maudelle Shirek in District 3, he was prepared for the inevitable charges that he was an ingrate. -more-


Tune-Up Masters Condominiums Top ZAB Agenda: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 26, 2004

Plans for the University Avenue Apartments, a five-story mixed use condominium and commercial project planned for 1698 University Ave., are scheduled to go to the Zoning Adjustments Board Thursday night. -more-


Water Board to Hear Toxic Clean-Up Questions: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 26, 2004

When the Regional Water Quality Control Board opens its Wednesday night informational meeting on the controversial marshland toxic waste cleanup at the site of the proposed Campus Bay shoreline residential project, Richmond workers and residents might well have questions about similar efforts underway at the adjoining UC Berkeley Field Station just to the north. -more-


Soaring Construction Costs Won’t Stall Seagate: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 26, 2004

Though soaring energy costs and overseas demand have driven up the prices of most building materials, the developer of a proposed nine-story apartment complex on Center Street said plans are moving ahead, with construction to commence after the first of the year. -more-


El Cerrito Debates Approving Existing Utility Tax: By JAKOB SCHILLER

Tuesday October 26, 2004

One of the most visible political signs in El Cerrito this year is a placard asking voters to support Measure K. The measure, placed on the ballot by the city, would approve an 8 percent utility tax that the city already charges, which provides $2.2 million, about 12 percent, of the city’s general fund. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday October 26, 2004

PROP 62 -more-


The Neighbors Pitch in to Solve Plumbing Crisis: By SUSAN PARKER

COLUMN
Tuesday October 26, 2004

I came home to find the hot water in the downstairs bathroom running furiously from the spigot. “I can’t turn it off,” explained Hans, the man who lives with us and helps take care of my husband. “It’s been running since this morning when I gave Ralph a shower.” -more-


Nakadegawa Has BART Experience: By ROY NAKADEGAWA

COMMENTARY
Tuesday October 26, 2004

I am the current incumbent to the BART Board and am running on a limited campaign budget where my opponents are probably spending 20 to 30 times more than what I will spend. This will be my last term so I am using my reserve, which I had from former campaigns and am not seeking any contributions for this last campaign. -more-


Support Music in Schools, Measure B: By ARIANNA DELSMAN

COMMENTARY
Tuesday October 26, 2004

Music is vitally important to the healthy development of young people. This artistic expression deserves encouragement and financial support from the community. Unfortunately, music programs in the Berkeley Unified School District suffer low priority in the budget. To stay alive, they require tremendous volunteer work and fundraising on the part of educators, students, and parents. Music is more than a pastime, pure entertainment; it increases a child’s IQ, it broadens his or her knowledge of the outside world, and it encourages positive personal development. These are all reasons why the Berkeley Unified School District music programs should not be thought of as a dessert, but as an essential part of the meal. -more-


Menard is Raising the Real Issues: By KENT BROWN

COMMENTARY
Tuesday October 26, 2004

Stick to the issues please. -more-


Berkeley Firefighters Support Measure M: By GIL DONG

Tuesday October 26, 2004

On Nov. 2, Berkeley voters will be asked to support an array of ballot measures. As a Berkeley Fire Captain, I can tell you that Measure M should be strongly supported by this city and community. -more-


Police Blotter: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 26, 2004

Shooting on Carleton Street -more-


Intimate Gathering of Music, Poetry at Harvest of Song: By DOROTHY BRYANT

Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 26, 2004

When I asked Allen Shearer how he got the idea for an informal concert by local poets, composers, singers, and instrumentalists, I expected to hear the familiar lament: that composers of new music have few opportunities to have their works performed. -more-


Thirty Years of Setting Minds on Fire at UPB: By ELLEN GALVIN

Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 26, 2004

The signage above the door at 2430 Bancroft Way boldly proclaims “Ten Thousand Minds on Fire,” an apt description of what University Press Books/Berkeley set out to do when it opened in November 1974. -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday October 26, 2004

TUESDAY, OCT. 26 -more-


Free-Tailed Bats Fill the Berkeley Autumn Twilight: By JOE EATON

Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 26, 2004

I first saw the bats, as it happens, a few Halloweens ago. I had stopped by the main Berkeley library on the way from work, before heading home to hand out candy to the little extortionists, and it was dusk as I was leaving the building. Something caught my eye: what appeared to be birds—starlings? blackbirds?—flying away from the business school across the street. Birds with an odd flickering flight. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday October 26, 2004

TUESDAY, OCT. 26 -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Fighting Voter Panic: By BECKY O'MALLEY

EDITORIAL
Friday October 29, 2004

In the long ago distant days before the war on Vietnam, older people referred to what they called “the standard liberal position.” This included support for civil rights and a general belief that it was the responsibility of the government, especially the federal government, to make sure that all citizens had a job with a decent wage and a respectable retirement, and were protected by regulations from some of the standard abuses of corporate capitalists like drug companies. The “standard liberal position” concept was mightily fractured by support for the war, by Democrats, labor unions and others, which lasted much too long. “Liberal” became a pejorative term for some on the left, who favored, variously and from time to time, “radical” or “progressive” to describe their own politics. The Old Left used the term “politically correct” to describe positions they espoused, but this term was translated by their irreverent offspring into a form of mockery of their parents’ doctrinaire beliefs. Meanwhile, Rightists, sarcasm-challenged, started attacking the concept of political correctness without realizing that it had already turned into a put-down in Left circles. Are you still with me? -more-


Not Exactly an Endorsement, But In Our Opinion...: By BECKY O'MALLEY

EDITORIAL
Tuesday October 26, 2004

We’ve gotten a number of requests from readers that the Planet endorse ballot proposals and candidates in the upcoming election. Some of these, of course, came from candidates and proponents, but others were from sincere individuals who just wanted a little help in deciding how to vote. Our principal response to this request has been to expand our opinion section as much as we can, to let candidates and advocates speak for themselves. We think we’ve learned a lot by doing that, and we hope readers have too. -more-