Richard Brenneman:
              David Early, school district consultant and chair of advocacy group Livable Berkeley, discusses proposed plans for the district’s West Campus site at a Thursday night citizen planning session, the second of four planned to gather input on the now largely vacant facility.?
Richard Brenneman: David Early, school district consultant and chair of advocacy group Livable Berkeley, discusses proposed plans for the district’s West Campus site at a Thursday night citizen planning session, the second of four planned to gather input on the now largely vacant facility.?

Page One

Conflict of Interest Charge At West Campus Planning Meeting By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Heated tempers and pointed questions dominated the opening minutes of Thursday’s Berkeley Unified School District’s public planning meeting last week on the West Campus site. -more-



Peralta Board to Vote on No-Bid Contract at Laney By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Peralta Community College District Trustees this week will be asked this week to approve an $8 million no-bid contract to build Laney College’s new art building using a controversial interpretation of the California Public Contract Code. -more-



BUSD to Replace Five Principals, Food Chief By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday April 12, 2005

As if ongoing budget and contract problems and the task of hiring 60 new teachers were not enough, Berkeley Unified School District must replace five of its 16 school principals and the district director of food services this summer. -more-



City Looks to Boost Condo Conversion By MATTHEW ARTZ

Staff
Tuesday April 12, 2005

The City Council Tuesday will consider a proposal that could make the condominium king in Berkeley. -more-



Bayer Moves Division Headquarters to Berkeley By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Berkeley is set to be at the center of hemophilia research as the new headquarters for Bayer’s Biological Products Division. -more-



Features

Margaret Breland Funeral Services

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Funeral services for former Berkeley City Councilmember Margaret Breland will be held at 11 a.m. Friday morning at the Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 997 University Ave. Mourners are also invited to pay respects at a “Quiet Hours” vigil at 7 p.m. Thursday at Fouche’s Hudson Funeral Home, 3665 Telegraph Ave. -more-


Contra Costa County, Orinda Say No to Urban Casinos; Senate May Act By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Contra Costa County and the City of Orinda joined the ranks of East Bay casino foes last week, while a Washington D.C. hearing targeted Casino San Pablo. -more-


East Bay Pickets Target Controversial Developer By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Protesters plan to target the San Francisco offices of Simeon Properties today (Tuesday), challenging the firm’s plan to bring a Super Wal-Mart to the Oakland Metroport, near the Oakland International Airport. -more-


Berkeley Loses Key Health Official Namkung By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Poki Namkung, Berkeley’s health officer for the past ten years, resigned last week to become health officer for Santa Cruz County. -more-


City Hopes New Meters More Intelligent Than Vandals By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Drivers who bank on parking at a broken meter in Downtown Berkeley might have to start riffling through their change. -more-


Weighty Wednesday Agendas for ZAB, Planners By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Berkeley’s planning commissioners will face only two action items Wednesday, each freighted with enough potential controversy to carry a meeting. -more-


CORRECTION

Tuesday April 12, 2005

The Daily Planet incorrectly reported April 8 that Robert Pennell had initiated landmark designation for three homes on Buena Vista Way. All three were initiated by the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission. Pennell supplied documentation only for his own house at 2730 Buena Vista. -more-


Berkeley High Crew Finishes Strong in San Diego By DAVID ARNOLD

Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 12, 2005

SAN DIEGO—The race was over. -more-



Letters to the Editor

Tuesday April 12, 2005

-more-


In Spring, Comforting Others in Time of Loss By SUSAN PARKER

Column
Tuesday April 12, 2005

Spring is a time for renewal, yet the headlines for the past few weeks have been filled with the news of death and dying. As politicians wrestled over the fate of Terri Schiavo, and the world mourned the passing of Pope John Paul II, my own small circle of acquaintances experienced sadness, confusion and loss. -more-


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Whole Foods Stick-up -more-


Governing Berkeley by Questionnaire and Fiat By ZELDA BRONSTEIN

Commentary
Tuesday April 12, 2005

“There’s no action tonight,” said City Manager Phil Kamlarz as he introduced the Berkeley City Council’s March 8 work session on business revenue and the budget. “It’s really just informational and a discussion.” -more-


Election Section

AC Transit’s Van Hools Hated by Riders, Drivers By JOYCE ROY

Commentary
Tuesday April 12, 2005

Jaimie Levin’s letter praising the Van Hool buses (DAILY PLANET, March 8-10) shows how totally out of touch AC Transit is with its riders. When these buses were first introduced, riders’ complaints were so loud and clear, that one could assume they would not continue to order them. But no, they plugged their ears and didn’t even listen to their own Riders Advisory Committee (RAC) which gave the buses their thumbs down. The board then eliminated the RAC to avoid listening to riders’ pesky demands. And soon Van Hools will be invading all the bus lines—AC Transit plans to replace ALL their buses with them. -more-


Kathakali: Ancient Indian Theater at MLK Middle School By KEN BULLOCK

Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 12, 2005

“Kathakali discovered long ago that the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets.” -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday April 12, 2005

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 -more-


Blooming Flannelbush, One of Area’s Showiest Plants By RON SULLIVAN

Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 12, 2005

It’s not quite a tree—except for a specimen belonging to a friend of ours, a monster some twenty-five feet tall, standing, or rather lounging, somewhat angled in the arms of a Hollywood juniper in his back yard. But I can’t resist it; it’s one of Berkeley’s showiest plant citizens, and it’s blooming now, if the rain hasn’t knocked the flowers off between deadline and distribution. It’s even a California native. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Staff
Tuesday April 12, 2005

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 -more-


Editorial

Watchdogging Government By BECKY O'MALLEY

Editorial
Tuesday April 12, 2005

The front page of Sunday’s Contra Costa Times featured an impressive team effort by reporters Jessica Guynn, Lisa Vorderbruggen and John Simerman, documenting, in the words of Guynn’s lead paragraph, that “a state law to help poor people in California has turned into a tax loophole almost as big as the city of Oakland.” Their story, which took up three pages and was copiously illustrated with maps, charts and photos, looked at enterprise zones, where businesses get big tax breaks for locating in supposedly poor areas. A variety of points of view were included in the report, but the clear bottom line is that the enterprise zone strategy has become just another of the many mechanisms by which the rich get richer. Cost to California taxpayers, according to a graph of data supplied by the state’s Franchise Tax Board: $179.4 million in lost revenues, with benefits to citizens which, most charitably, can be described as illusory. -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Watchdogging Government By BECKY O'MALLEY 04-12-2005

Public is Watching School Dispute By BECKY O'MALLEY 04-08-2005

News

Conflict of Interest Charge At West Campus Planning Meeting By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-12-2005

Peralta Board to Vote on No-Bid Contract at Laney By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 04-12-2005

BUSD to Replace Five Principals, Food Chief By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 04-12-2005

City Looks to Boost Condo Conversion By MATTHEW ARTZ Staff 04-12-2005

Bayer Moves Division Headquarters to Berkeley By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-12-2005

Margaret Breland Funeral Services 04-12-2005

Contra Costa County, Orinda Say No to Urban Casinos; Senate May Act By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-12-2005

East Bay Pickets Target Controversial Developer By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-12-2005

Berkeley Loses Key Health Official Namkung By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-12-2005

City Hopes New Meters More Intelligent Than Vandals By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-12-2005

Weighty Wednesday Agendas for ZAB, Planners By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-12-2005

CORRECTION 04-12-2005

Berkeley High Crew Finishes Strong in San Diego By DAVID ARNOLD Special to the Planet 04-12-2005

Editorial Cartoon by JUSTIN DEFREITAS 04-12-2005

Letters to the Editor 04-12-2005

In Spring, Comforting Others in Time of Loss By SUSAN PARKER Column 04-12-2005

Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-12-2005

Governing Berkeley by Questionnaire and Fiat By ZELDA BRONSTEIN Commentary 04-12-2005

AC Transit’s Van Hools Hated by Riders, Drivers By JOYCE ROY Commentary 04-12-2005

Kathakali: Ancient Indian Theater at MLK Middle School By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 04-12-2005

Arts Calendar 04-12-2005

Blooming Flannelbush, One of Area’s Showiest Plants By RON SULLIVAN Special to the Planet 04-12-2005

Berkeley This Week Staff 04-12-2005

Taggers Stage Costly Raids On Telegraph,College Avenue By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-08-2005

Margaret Breland Dies at 69 By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

Teachers Rally at Board Meeting As Contract Dispute Escalates By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 04-08-2005

Thai Temple Doesn’t Hesitate to Tear Down Garden By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

Staff Charges Library Dumped Too Many Books By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

Firefighters Fired Upon by Pellet Gun While on Drayage Patrol By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

County Worker Surrenders In Rose Garden Slasher Case By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

Creeks Task Force Asks for $100,000 to Begin Work By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

Special Council Meeting for Foothill Bridge By MATTHEW ARTZ 04-08-2005

Spirited Landmarks Meeting Focuses On Maybecks, Preservation Ordinance By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-08-2005

Two Berkeley Landmarks Singled Out for Honors By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-08-2005

Feds Launch Corruption Probe of New Bay Bridge By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-08-2005

Negroponte Film Coincides With Nomination to New Post By JAKOB SCHILLER 04-08-2005

Laurette Goldberg, 1932-2005 By ROBERT P. COMMANDAY Special to the Planet 04-08-2005

Letters to the Editor 04-08-2005

Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 04-08-2005

Jerry Brown Gives Us the Aging Rock Star Tour J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR Undercurrents 04-08-2005

Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 04-08-2005

RFID: Many Problems, Little Public Discussion By PETER WARFIELD and LEE TIEN Commentary 04-08-2005

Firefighter Compensation a Complicated Issue By DAVID SPRAGUE-LIVINGSTON Commentary 04-08-2005

Maria King Memorial 04-08-2005

Arts Calendar 04-08-2005

Extraordinary Encounters with Insects in Gardens and Houses By SHIRLEY BARKER Special to the Planet 04-08-2005

Berkeley This Week 04-08-2005