Jakob Schiller:  
              Debra Pryor, Berkeley’s new fire chief, was the guest of honor at the Berkeley Black Property Owners Association’s holiday party at the South Berkeley Community Church on Thursday. She jokes with association boardmember James Sweeney and the Rev. M. Gayle Dickson. u
Jakob Schiller: Debra Pryor, Berkeley’s new fire chief, was the guest of honor at the Berkeley Black Property Owners Association’s holiday party at the South Berkeley Community Church on Thursday. She jokes with association boardmember James Sweeney and the Rev. M. Gayle Dickson. u

Page One

Critics Assail Proposed West Berkeley Bowl By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 17, 2004

West Berkeley home and business owners told planning commissioners Thursday that when they endorsed the notion of a new Berkeley Bowl on their turf, they weren’t reckoning on a heavily trafficked super-store. -more-



Controversial Laney College Contract Put on Hold By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday December 17, 2004

Peralta Chancellor Elihu Harris revealed Tuesday that he has halted negotiations on a plan to develop commercial uses for Laney College properties because of a perceived conflict of interest for one of the participants. -more-



Challenge to Point Molate Casino Filed by Open Space Advocates By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 17, 2004

Eastshore State Park supporters Wednesday filed legal papers in an attempt to block the casino and resort complex planned for Point Molate. -more-



Oakland Village Offers a Glimpse of the Past By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 17, 2004

There’s a time warp in Oakland, nestled on the gentle slopes at the base of Dunsmuir Ridge, overlooking San Leandro to the west. -more-



Council Postpones Marin Avenue Plan, Approves Expansion For Elmwood Clothier By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday December 17, 2004

The City Council Tuesday opted to postpone a vote to reduce traffic lanes on lower Marin Avenue until after residents get a second chance to chime in. -more-



Features

Council Calls for Presidential Vote Investigation By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday December 17, 2004

As a recount proceeds in Ohio, Berkeley has become the first city to add its voice to the chorus of skeptics demanding an investigation into alleged voting irregularities in last month’s presidential elections. -more-


Around Town

Jakob Schiller
Friday December 17, 2004

Tony McNair takes a break from panhandling outside the Walgreens in downtown Berkeley Monday morning.. -more-


New City Fire Chief Ready for the Challenge By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday December 17, 2004

Berkeley’s new fire chief Debra Pryor was greeted with more hugs than handshakes as she took the reins of the Fire Department this week. -more-


Interim Report Says School Budget is Back on Track By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday December 17, 2004

The board of directors of the Berkeley Unified School District received a guardedly optimistic first interim budget report at this week’s board meeting, showing that the assumptions in the district’s 2004-05 budget are on track. -more-


Locals Open Wallets for Berkeley Public Library By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday December 17, 2004

Boosters of the Berkeley Public Library have raised $100,000 to help the cash strapped institution buy more books. -more-


Independent Study Program Offers Model for State By ANNIE KASSOF

Special to the Planet
Friday December 17, 2004

On a balmy December morning, a student with dreadlocks and headphones sits in a sun-dappled courtyard, reading a book. Another student, with a green backpack and hair to match, strolls into a nearby classroom where a handful of kids sit at computers. Others work at round tables or talk quietly with teachers. -more-


Let’s Name All the Bridges By GAR SMITH

Special to the Planet
Friday December 17, 2004

San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Phil Frank recently used his pen to draw attention to a sad fact: When it comes to naming our bridges, the Bay Area has responded with an uncharacteristic lack of panache. The Golden Gate stands alone as the one span with a memorably gilded moniker. Can you imagine how diminished that epic stretch of steel would be were it known simply as the San Francisco-Marin Bridge? -more-


Cody’s Workers Approve Contract By JAKOB SCHILLER

Friday December 17, 2004

Employees at Cody’s bookstore voted unanimously, 41-0, to approve a new union contract earlier this week. The vote comes after almost three months of heated contract negotiations. -more-


Homefinders Bankrupt By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday December 17, 2004

After 34 years of service, mounting debt and a sudden illness plummeted Berkeley’s longest running rental referral service into bankruptcy. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday December 17, 2004

GIVING THANKS -more-



The Battle for Control of Oakland’s Public Schools By J.DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

UNDERCURRENTS OF THE EAST BAY AND BEYOND
Friday December 17, 2004

The great abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass once cautioned us that “power concedes nothing without a demand, it never has, and it never will.” While this may be small comfort to Oaklanders agonizing over the present state of their public schools, one of my old ministers used to say that “if you want to get yourself up out of your bed of affliction, children, you must first pull off the covers.” -more-


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 17, 2004

Gunman Foiled -more-


They Say Kofi Annan is Scandalous? By NICHOLAS SMITH Commentary

Friday December 17, 2004

OK, as an early aside, I feel like I really need someone, anyone, to dedicate this letter to. I’ll just call my fictional recipient “Andy D. Quinio.” Sounds good. -more-


Rent Control is Fully Constitutional And Good Public Policy By PAUL HOGARTH Commentary

Friday December 17, 2004

I normally don’t waste my time responding to anti-rent-control hit pieces by Berkeley landlord and former BPOA President Robert Cabrera, but his latest attack on rent control (“Berkeley’s Rent Control Violates the U.S. Constitution,” Daily Planet, Dec. 7-9) contained so many lies and inaccuracies that even a second-year law student can easily refute them. So I’ve decided to take time out of studying for final exams to write a response. -more-


Election Section

Holiday Gift Ideas From Two Berkeley Neighborhoods, and Then Some By ZELDA BRONSTEIN

Special to the Planet
Friday December 17, 2004

Elmwood District -more-


Local Merchants Promote ‘Green’ Holiday Gifts By PATRICK GALVIN

Special to the Planet
Friday December 17, 2004

For many people, the thought of shopping at a crowded shopping mall or big-box store fills them with dread. In addition, many Bay Area shoppers are concerned about the state of our local landfills in this age of consumer excess. -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday December 17, 2004

FRIDAY, DEC. 17 -more-


Literature of the Plant Hunters in the Giving Season By SHIRLEY BARKER

Special to the Planet
Friday December 17, 2004

As the season for exchanging gifts approaches, presenting something to read to an experienced gardener is a challenge. How-to books for beginners must surely number in the thousands. What book would most please the expert who has long gone beyond the double-digging and the companion planting, who requests a gardening book with humorous or scientific clout, who wants, in short, reading matter that rises above the mundane? -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday December 17, 2004

FRIDAY, DEC. 17 -more-


Editorial

The Market Speaks: Can Berkeley Hear? By BECKY O'MALLEY

EDITORIAL
Friday December 17, 2004

It’s official. The apartment shortage is over, the apartment glut begins. The end of Homefinders, a worthwhile enterprise which served a lot of needy customers in its heyday, is the final nail in the coffin of Berkeley’s haphazard building boom. While it lasted, it lined the pockets of a few already well-fixed investors, notably UC’s B-School Prof. Teece. Its legacy is demolished landmarks (the Doyle House, the Fine Arts Theater), crumbling buildings (the Gaia Building) and vanished institutions (the Gaia Bookstore, Anna’s Café on University). In its wake are promises: Anna’s really will re-open sometime in the Gaia Building; the fake marquee on the Fine Arts apartment building touts shows which will never play there. (Red Diaper Baby Josh Kornbluth shouldn’t let his good name be used for this particular scam.) -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

The Market Speaks: Can Berkeley Hear? By BECKY O'MALLEY 12-17-2004

Bernie Kerik: The Opera? By BECKY O'MALLEY 12-14-2004

News

Critics Assail Proposed West Berkeley Bowl By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-17-2004

Controversial Laney College Contract Put on Hold By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 12-17-2004

Challenge to Point Molate Casino Filed by Open Space Advocates By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-17-2004

Oakland Village Offers a Glimpse of the Past By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-17-2004

Council Postpones Marin Avenue Plan, Approves Expansion For Elmwood Clothier By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-17-2004

Council Calls for Presidential Vote Investigation By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-17-2004

Around Town Jakob Schiller 12-17-2004

New City Fire Chief Ready for the Challenge By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-17-2004

Interim Report Says School Budget is Back on Track By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 12-17-2004

Locals Open Wallets for Berkeley Public Library By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-17-2004

Independent Study Program Offers Model for State By ANNIE KASSOF Special to the Planet 12-17-2004

Let’s Name All the Bridges By GAR SMITH Special to the Planet 12-17-2004

Cody’s Workers Approve Contract By JAKOB SCHILLER 12-17-2004

Homefinders Bankrupt By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-17-2004

Letters to the Editor 12-17-2004

Editorial Cartoons By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 12-17-2004

The Battle for Control of Oakland’s Public Schools By J.DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR UNDERCURRENTS OF THE EAST BAY AND BEYOND 12-17-2004

Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-17-2004

They Say Kofi Annan is Scandalous? By NICHOLAS SMITH Commentary 12-17-2004

Rent Control is Fully Constitutional And Good Public Policy By PAUL HOGARTH Commentary 12-17-2004

Holiday Gift Ideas From Two Berkeley Neighborhoods, and Then Some By ZELDA BRONSTEIN Special to the Planet 12-17-2004

Local Merchants Promote ‘Green’ Holiday Gifts By PATRICK GALVIN Special to the Planet 12-17-2004

Arts Calendar 12-17-2004

Literature of the Plant Hunters in the Giving Season By SHIRLEY BARKER Special to the Planet 12-17-2004

Berkeley This Week 12-17-2004

ZAB Approves San Pablo Condos By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-14-2004

Fundraiser Won’t Get Mayor Out Of The Red By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-14-2004

Homefinders Apparently on the Brink By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-14-2004

Marin Avenue Plan, Paratransit Changes on City Council Agenda By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-14-2004

Bates Opposes Governor On Bay Bridge Redesign By MATTHEW ARTZ 12-14-2004

Positions Left Vacant on BUSD Oversight Committee By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 12-14-2004

Measure R Recount Begins, Could Cost Backers $20,000 By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 12-14-2004

Planners to Consider West Bowl, Landmark Changes By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-14-2004

Feds Release Comments on North Richmond Casino By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-14-2004

Europeans Learning to Love the Super-Euro By PAOLO PONTONIERE Pacific News Service 12-14-2004

Letters to the Editor 12-14-2004

Editorial Cartoons By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 12-14-2004

Teaching Others Not to Cry: Zoloft and Strong Martinis By SUSAN PARKER COLUMN 12-14-2004

Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-14-2004

Why Appeal ZAB’s Roberts Campus Decisions? By ROBERT LAURISTON COMMENTARY 12-14-2004

Two Lanes on Marin Avenue? A Design for Road Rage! By RAYMOND A. CHAMBERLIN 12-14-2004

Berkeley High Jazz Alumni Home for the Holidays By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 12-14-2004

Rancho Siempre Verde Supplies Christmas Trees And a Family Outing By BECKY O’MALLEY 12-14-2004

Arts Calendar 12-14-2004

Redwoods, Our Natural Christmas Trees in the City By RON SULLIVAN Special to the Planet 12-14-2004

Berkeley This Week 12-14-2004