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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.?
 

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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. 

The first moments of the Thursday meeting, however, were devoted to City Councilmember Darryl Moore’s tribute to his predecessor Margaret Breland, who had died earlier in the day. 

Following his tribute, Moore addressed the issue at hand—formulating plans for the future of the 10 buildings on six-plus acres the school district owns along University Avenue between Bonar and Curtis streets. 

“It’s going to be complicated, and it’s important that we work together,” Moore said. 

And, within minutes, things got more complicated. 

The first issue was David C. Early, the consultant hired by BUSD to conduct the community planning process for the site, and his dual roles as head of Design, Community & Environment—the firm awarded the consulting contract—and as the chair of Livable Berkeley, an advocacy organization that is currently formulating its own plans for the site. 

Rachel Boyce, a Curtis Street resident, was the first to raise the issue of a conflict with Early’s role, noting that a Livable Berkeley meeting in Early’s offices two days earlier had conducted its own session to propose alternatives for the site to present at Thursday’s meeting. 

“I was out of the country,” Early said when asked about the meeting in his office. “The agenda had a workshop about what members wanted to do, but I was not in attendance and I don’t know about the results.” 

“What stake does Livable Berkeley have?” Boyce asked. 

“There’s a question about your role because of your involvement in Livable Berkeley,” said Kristin Leimkuhler. 

“I hope the people who are unhappy will let this proceed,” said developer Ali Kashani, who had come to participate as a project area resident. 

A Daily Planet reporter who has been evicted from the evening meeting at Early’s Walnut Street office asked if the planning consultant saw any conflict between his role as a district consultant and the fact that he was offering office space to a meeting called by an activist group to formulate a policy on the project. 

“Livable Berkeley has not taken a position yet,” Early said. “There are members here this evening, but I know absolutely nothing about what may have happened at the meeting, and as a citizen of Berkeley I have as much right as anyone else to join an organization. I would say that in this case, there is no conflict of interest.” 

BUSD Board Member John Selawsky later said he was unaware of Early’s connection with both groups and said he would look into the issue of potential conflicts of interest. 

Others said they were angry that a 52-page needs assessment report on the site Early had prepared for BUSD wasn’t posted on the district’s web site until the day before the meeting. Early acknowledged that the report had been prepared about a week earlier and apologized for the late web posting. 

Others said they were concerned at the speed at which the project was moving forward. 

“This is a very fast-track process,” Early acknowledged. “The school board meets only during the academic year, and Superintendent Michelle Lawrence has made a commitment to the staff to get them out of two incredibly unsafe buildings.” 

The structures in question are Old City Hall and those at the district-owned complex at 172O Oregon St. The district hopes to move district officers and other uses from those sites to West Campus, which already hosts some programs in its largely vacant buildings. 

“Part of what offends me is that this is the largest single parcel in Central Berkeley, and you’re asking people to participate without briefing them on the University Avenue Strategic Plan,” said Leimkuhler. “I feel you’re asking people to make enormous decisions that are sort of pie-in-the-sky.” 

Thursday’s was the second of four public participation sessions Early’s company is running. The first session was held March 17, and additional meetings are scheduled for April 21 and May 12. 

Once the opening dustup had settled, participants split into groups to formulate their own plans for the site, starting with printed maps and multicolor sheets featuring cut-along-the-non-dotted-line representations of the district’s mandatory and optional uses for the site. 

Six groups retired to separate tables to talk, cut and tape, emerging at the end with reports presented to the meeting. 

One mandatory use for the site was rejected by a large majority, the presence on the site of BUSD’s Community Day School, which provides education for students who have been expelled, put on probation or referred by the School Attendance Review Board and who are now currently being home-schooled. Many of the Day School pupils have been sent to the program for violence and other behavioral problems, prompting great concern from participants that the program would be on the site. 

Most of the groups favored the option of daylighting Strawberry Creek’s course through the property, a program strongly endorsed by Livable Berkeley. Most also favored the option of including residential housing over ground-level commercial space and parking along University Avenue. One group favored arts programs to augment the majority-approved recommendation to transform the current auditorium at the site into a community theater. 

All groups favored keeping the swimming pools now on the site as well as the 12,000-square-foot boys’ gymnasium. 

The groups divided on preserving the three-story, 39,000-square-foot three-story classroom building, which was built without a now-mandatory elevator. While some wanted to preserve the seismically sound structure, Planning Commissioner David Stoloff favored demolition, noting that rehabilitating an existing building costs as much as a structure. 

District requirements for the site include: 

• 31,200 square feet of administrative offices plus 4,500 square feet for a board room and ancillary quarters. 

• 8,800 square feet for a teacher and staff development center, 4,000 square feet each for the district’s independent study and Community Day School programs, and 2,800-square feet for a child care program. 

• 6,000 square feet for buildings and grounds shops. 

• A 6,000-square-foot district-wide kitchen, a 1,700-square foot print center, a 1,500-square-foot district warehouse and 800 square feet for document storage. 

• 75,500 square feet for parking. 

Optional uses included: 

• The existing 26,500-square-foot softball and soccer field on the west of the property 

• 30,000-square feet of housing along with 9,000 square feet of parking and a 1,600-square-foot child development center for residents, and 

• 30,000 square feet of retail space with 3,000 square feet of parking. 

One big question raised by the audience was who would oversee the site. Under state law, a school site where instruction occurs falls under the Office of the State Architect rather than under local agencies, while an administrative-only site is overseen by local building, planning and zoning agencies. 

Because the site includes a mix of uses, including possible retail and residential uses, Early said he couldn’t predict which agencies would assume ultimate jurisdiction. 

“It has never been an issue in Berkeley before,” he said. 

At the meeting’s end, Early promised to post photos on the school district’s website of the plans formulated at Thursday night’s gathering. The presentations will be boiled down to three alternative schemes, including a preferred alternative, and brought back to the next community workshop on April 21. The final recommendation will be presented as a West Campus Draft Master Plan to be hashed out at the final public workshop of May. 12.


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. 

The contract is on the consent agenda of the trustee board’s regular meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the College of Alameda Student Center, 555 Atlantic Ave. in Alameda. 

Chancellor Elihu Harris is asking trustees to ratify the contract he has already awarded to Meehleis Modular Builders of Lodi. 

The issue of piggyback contacts in modular building has attracted the attention of labor unions because they could be used to evade the prevailing wage laws which keep wages high on public work projects in cities such as Oakland. 

Matt Bender, spokesperson for the state Department of General Services, said it was “fair to say that labor organizations are concerned about whether the piggyback contracts for modular construction violate prevailing wage law.” 

The 26,000-square-foot one-story art building at Laney—which is planning to include three modular buildings under a common roof united by covered walkways—is scheduled for completion by January 2006 on the East 10th Street site now occupied by the campus tennis courts. 

The new art building will replace the existing Laney College Art Annex Building along Interstate 880, which stands on property that CalTrans needs for highway retrofitting and construction. CalTrans is financing the new building. 

In the board agenda description of the item to be presented by Peralta General Services Director Sadiq Ikharo, district officials say that the Meehleis contract was awarded after the district solicited three proposals from modular builders. The narrative says that the contract was awarded “under a ‘piggyback’ contract” between Meehleis and the Gustine Unified School District in Merced County. 

“Under this arrangement,” the board agenda narrative continues, “the formal public bidding process is not required. Because the piggyback agreement expired on March 28, and the March 22 Board meeting was canceled, it was necessary for the Chancellor to approve the contract with Meehleis.” 

While Meehleis lists no community college construction on its website, it lists completed and ongoing modular construction in public school districts throughout Northern and Central California. The company’s local modular projects include John Muir School in San Leandro, Coleman and Galinas elementaries in San Rafael, Eagle Peak Elementary in Concord, and Valley View in Pleasanton. 

Chancellor Harris declined to comment for this article. Peralta Community Colleges Director of Communications Jeff Heyman said that the district “will have a response at the board meeting. We’ll be answering trustees’ questions, and Sadiq will explain thoroughly what we are doing and why we are doing it.” 

The so-called “piggyback” contract practice comes from Section 20652 of the Public Contract Code, which allows community college districts to circumvent the normal bidding process by leasing or purchasing “data-processing equipment, materials, supplies, equipment, automotive vehicles, tractors, and other personal property” through other public agencies. Public school districts have a similar provision in their contract code. 

However recently school districts have begun using the provision to authorize, without bid, the construction of an entire modular-built school campus by attaching it to the construction of a school in a different district by the same company. 

The practice has become so controversial that the State Allocation Board, at its Feb. 23 meeting, directed its staff to request an opinion from the California Attorney General on the legality of “one school district piggybacking on another school district’s modular construction contract.” 

The Allocation Board consists of the state Finance Director, the Director of the Department of General Services, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and several members of the state legislature. 

In its bid proposal to MSE and Peralta, Meehleis said that some of the art building construction would be done at the company’s factory and some would be done on site in Oakland. Calling itself “a non-union company,” Meehleis said that prevailing wage labor rates in the contract would only apply “for work not performed at [the company’s] plant.” 

Earlier this year, the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California criticized construction piggybacking on its website, saying the practice “locks all the school construction projects with the original contractor and prevents other reputable, local contractors from submitting a bid.” 

Kellé Lynch-McMahon, project manager for the Oakland-based engineering consultants MSE Group which is managing the art building construction project, said that the concept for the new arts building “has always been modular because of the budget and the timeline.” 

Noting that “as usual, the state government wants Cadillac construction on a Volkswagen budget,” Lynch-McMahon said, “CalTrans requires the existing annex building to be demolished by June of 2005, and modular construction provides the most expedient and cost-effective way to replace it in the time required.” 

Demolition of the tennis court site where the new art building will be constructed began last week, with construction of the buildings themselves scheduled to begin in mid May.ª


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. 

Food Service Director Karen Candito has already left the district for another job, while principals Alex Palau of the Berkeley Alternative High, Nancy D. Waters of John Muir Elementary, Kathleen Lewis of Oxford Elementary, Shirley Herrera of Rosa Parks Elementary, and Michele Patterson of Willard Middle have resigned their positions and will leave at the end of the school year. 

While there is a possibility that the principals of Oxford, Willard, and Rosa Parks may be reassigned to non-principal positions within the district, Palau says that he is leaving the district to “stay home for a year with my 8-month-old daughter” and Waters is returning to her native Florida. 

At least three of the positions are being vacated following some controversy. 

Last spring, more than three quarters of Rosa Parks’ teachers signed a letter of no confidence to Superintendent Michele Lawrence asking that Principal Herrera be transferred from the school for what they called “unreliable leadership” and “inequitable treatment of students, teachers, and staff.” 

Stating that the principal was “working in the best interest of that school and the children that she serves,” Lawrence left Herrera in place, transferring four teachers from the school instead. Three other teachers transferred out on their own. 

Last January, Berkeley Alternative students, parents, and staff protested to district officials after alternative school students were barred from participation in Berkeley High’s homecoming, junior and senior prom, and cheerleading activities. After Palau and BHS principal Jim Slemp traded accusations through the newspaper, the superintendent convened meetings between representatives of the two schools, and the ban was eventually lifted. 

Candito also leaves the district’s food program after mixed results. While Berkeley Unified’s food service department has received such national honors as the Golden Carrot Award (given by the Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for food service facilities that offer innovative programs that help improve child health and reduce obesity), the department has received regular complaints at board meetings and within the district for losing money. Last winter, a collection of 26 Berkeley residents—including Berkeley High PTA President Lee Berry—requested that the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury investigate financial mismanagement at Berkeley Unified School District’s Food Services Department. 

Candito said she was leaving the district voluntarily “because I got another opportunity.” 

She said she has been hired as the director of food services for a county correctional department “in a location I’d rather not publicize.” She said it is a position that will allow her to “work to improve health issues on a larger scale. Unfortunately, jails have more funding than schools in the present state budget climate. But I hope what I’ll be able to do in corrections is going to come back and help school nutrition. I’ll have more leeway; at least I will, in my dreams. I hope it turns out to be a reality.” 

Candito said her biggest accomplishment in her four years at Berkeley Unified was “building a strong foundation and infrastructure for the school services department. I’m leaving the department fully integrated into the school system and platform.” 

Candito added that she wanted to “thank the Berkeley School Board and the Superintendent for their support in school nutrition. I’ve never seen any board or administration more committed to healthy children. They’ve been wonderful. While it’s really exciting to move on to another challenge, I’m sad to be leaving. The Berkeley community is wonderful, and my staff was great.” 

While BUSD Public Information Officer Mark Coplan called the principal turnover “higher than usual,” he said that “part of the fact is that we only had one principal hiring in the last two years—Jim Slemp at the high school. Things are just catching up.” 

Coplan said the district anticipates no problem in filling the positions because “Berkeley is a district everybody wants to come to.” He said that the district expects “a few dozen applications from outside the district, and we may have some teachers moving up who have been working on their principal credentials.” 

Coplan said his office is currently putting together a recruitment brochure to send out to school districts across the state, as well as to credentialling graduate programs for school administrators. Cutoff date for response to the principal jobs is the end of April. 

Board director Shirley Issel called the outgoing principals “highly valued members of our staff. I hope they continue their careers here.” 

Issel said that moving back from an administrative position to teaching may actually be preferable to some of the principals. 

“People enter the profession because they want to help kids,” she said. “Returning to the classroom might end up being an attractive option for them.” 

Meanwhile, 20 of the 60 new teacher hirings will fill the spots of teachers who are retiring or leaving the district for other reasons, while the remaining 40 are new positions made possible by Measure B class-size reduction funds.ª


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. 

To dissuade landlords from forming tenancies in common, a form of ownership some fear could displace tenants, the council will consider capping city fees for condo conversions at $50,000, less than half the average current conversion fee. 

Condo supporters on the council want to further lower the conversion price, while tenant backers said $50,000 is too low and want more safeguards for renters.  

The head of the city’s small landlord organization wondered if lower conversion fees were designed to help them or big developers. 

“There’s concern that this would be a bailout for large scale developers sitting on empty units so they can auction them off and save their investment,” said Michael Wilson of the Berkeley Property Owners Association. 

The future of condos in Berkeley is just one of the items on the council’s packed agenda that could have lasting consequences for the cityscape. Others are town relations with UC Berkeley, tenants facing eviction at a West Berkeley warehouse, developers seeking larger buildings, and residents hoping to avoid parking tickets. 

The drive to ease restrictions on condo conversions stems from a state appeals court ruling last year striking down a San Francisco law prohibiting tenancies in common. Berkeley officials say the ruling, which the state supreme court declined to hear, requires the city to end its prohibition on tenancies in common. Berkeley banned that form of home ownership for buildings with more than three units 13 years ago after roughly 700 property owners employed it during the ‘80s and early ‘90s to avoid rent control. 

Tenancies in common, a way for two or more people to own property together, is often thought to be a less desirable form of ownership than condos. Owners can have more trouble obtaining financing if TICs are considered a risky investment because shareholders do not hold title to specific units as they do for condominiums. Only owners with a fifty percent stake in a TIC can pursue owner occupancy evictions.  

However, TICs have one big advantage over condos for landlords eager to rid themselves of tenants in rent controlled units paying below market rents. Under California’s Ellis Act, passed in 1986, a landlord can choose to leave the rental business, evict his tenants, and then sell the building as a tenancy in common, all free from city regulation. By comparison, Berkeley law requires a landlord to wait ten years after employing the Ellis Act to convert a rental property into condos. 

“Things are much more dangerous [for tenants] now,” said Berkeley Housing Director Steve Barton. “Owners can use the Ellis Act to kick out tenants and sell a property as TIC shares. Since the city can no longer stop TICs, we need to offer a carrot to open up condo conversion and make it profitable for the owner.” 

Barton said that currently Berkeley charges an owner seeking to convert to condos between $100,000 and $150,000 per unit, which he said explains why Berkeley hasn’t had any condo conversions in recent years. Under the city plan, property owners would pay no more than $50,000 per unit and the fee would go to the city’s housing trust fund to build more affordable housing. City law would continue to limit condo conversions to no more than 100 per year. 

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak said he approves of the concept, but wants the city to explore lowering the cap to between $30,000 and $40,000. 

“I’d like to see some intermediate priced home opportunities in Berkeley and condos are more affordable for people interested in home ownership,” said Wozniak, explaining his support for expanding the condo market. 

For Councilmember Dona Spring, whose district comprises mainly tenants, the city’s first response to the return of TICs should be to figure out how to protect long-term renters from being evicted by landlords converting to condos or TICs. “I want to make sure that we don’t liberalize condo conversion so much that it will be an inducement for property owners to evict tenants,” she said.  

Al Sukoff, an Oakland-based developer, said he didn’t know if a $50,000 conversion fee would be enough to make condo conversions attractive to landlords. 

“It really depends on the building and the owner,” he said. “Personally I would probably go to my grave before I give the city $50,000.” 

Sukoff added that Oakland charges a replacement housing fee for condo conversions that is usually around $5,000 per unit. 

“For me $50,000 would still be too high,” said Wilson, of the Berkeley Property Owners Association. 

 

 

Foothill bridge, sewer fees 

The council will also hold a public hearing on UC Berkeley’s proposed Foothill Bridge. The university is seeking city permission to build a pedestrian bridge over Hearst Avenue to connect the two halves of the Foothill Residential Complex.  

UC Berkeley has argued that the bridge is necessary to solve pedestrian safety concerns and open up the La Loma dormitory to students who use wheelchairs. Opponents say the bridge would damage views and that wheelchair-using students still wouldn’t reside at the dorm because it is near the top of a steep hill. Typically, after a public hearing, the council delays a vote for a week or two. 

In a separate issue, the council is scheduled to vote on whether to charge UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Unified School District for use of the sewer system. The new sewer fees, which go into effect in July, will cost the university $2.18 million and the BUSD $157,503. UC Berkeley officials have said they believe as a state entity they are exempt from the fee and will not pay the bill, setting up a potential court case. 

Glenston Thompson, the BUSD’s deputy superintendent of business and operations, said the school district plans to pay its fee, but isn’t thrilled about it. “We have no capacity to absorb increased costs at this time,” he said. 

 

Drayage deadline 

For the more than two dozen residents of the Drayage Warehouse in West Berkeley facing an April 15 evacuation order, Tuesday’s council meeting is perhaps their last chance for a reprieve. City staff is preparing a report regarding the building which the fire department has labeled “an extreme fire hazard.” Councimember Spring has hinted that she would push the council to take some action aimed at looking for ways to keep tenants in their homes. 

Spring has also written a proposal asking the council for a clearer definition of how to apply a state law that grants extra building space for projects that include low income units. Spring contends city staff opted against clearly applying the law so they could have added flexibility to grant developers more space. 

Also, the Police Department is recommending that the city hire three new parking enforcement officers and one new supervisor to boost parking ticket revenue. According to the city’s calculations each new parking enforcer will net an additional $25,000 in the next fiscal year. 


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. 

The German pharmaceutical giant announced last week that it had transferred the division’s headquarters to its Berkeley facility from Research Triangle Park, NC. 

The move coincides with the construction of a $50 million clinical manufacturing facility that will allow the company to test new and existing drugs at Bayer’s West Berkeley campus. 

“This shows Berkeley that we are committed to the city and that we’re here to stay,” said Bayer Communications Manager Sheri Alterman. 

In 2003 Bayer moved nearly 200 jobs from its Berkeley campus to Germany and Connecticut. 

Alterman said Bayer currently employs about 1,400 people at its Berkeley site. According to city officials, Bayer has estimated that the move will bring between 30 and 50 additional jobs to Berkeley this year and as many as 100 jobs over the next couple of years. About 30 employees will be transferred from North Carolina to Berkeley. 

The Berkeley campus, which had already specialized in hemophilia and hematology drug research, will now be the hub for the division’s administrative, marketing and research work. 

Bayer opted to move its division from North Carolina after divesting itself of its plasma protein business, also centered at Research Triangle Park. 

Rumors circulating last week that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would attend last Friday’s press conference to announce the company’s move drew a devoted band of protesters braving a strong rain. But the governor was a no-show and city officials said they had learned days prior that he would not attend.


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. 


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. 

Meeting in Martinez on Tuesday, Contra Costa Supervisors voted 4-0 to oppose new or expanded casinos anywhere in the county. The Orinda City Council voted their own opposition that evening, joining the Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito and San Leandro city councils. 

But the biggest action that day was in Washington, where East Bay Assemblymember Loni Hancock was one of the four witnesses to testify before Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his fellow members of his Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. 

The Senate panel is considering legislation by Sen. Diane Feinstein of California that would strip the Lytton Rancheria of Pomos of the special status granted when they acquired the Casino San Pablo card room. 

Rep. George Miller (D-East Bay) wrote special legislation that backdated the tribe’s acquisition of the card room, exempting it from the review required of other tribes with newly acquired land which must undergo extensive public review before gaming is approved. 

“It was a fascinating experience,” said Hancock, an ardent opponent of urban gambling. “Senator McCain seemed very interested in the legislation.” 

Marjorie Mejia, the Lytton tribal chair, defended her band’s right to gambling and the legitimacy of the Miller measure. 

However, Mark Maccoro, a Native American who appeared in advertisements supporting Proposition 1A, an unsuccessful measure defeated by California voters last November, testified in support of Feinstein’s bill. Maccoro’s opposition was based on the unfair disadvantages faced by other tribes in comparison with the Lytton’s, Hancock said. 

Joining Mejia in supporting Miller’s measure was San Pablo Councilmember Sharon Brow, who praised the tribe. Miller has stated that he never intended that his amendment would give rise to plans for the 5,000-slot-machine gaming operation jointly proposed by the tribe and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

That plan was later reduced to 2,500 machines when legislators and the public came down solidly against the original plan. Mejia later abandoned that plan too in the face of ongoing opposition. The tribe now plans to offer a 1,000 coin-operated bingo machines, which can be installed under the current law. 

Sen. Feinstein told the panel that if her law is enacted, it “would simply return the Lytton tribe to the same status as all other tribes seeking to game on newly acquired lands.”ª


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. 

Simeon has partnered with Cherokee Investment Partners of Cherokee Simeon Ventures, a firm created to develop toxic waste sites in the Bay Area. The joint venture is no stranger to controversy. 

An ongoing battle in Richmond has pitted some residents, nearby property owners and environmental groups against the firm’s plans for a 1,330-unit housing complex along a toxic waste dump at Campus Bay. 

Protests have prompted a change in toxic cleanup oversight at most of the property to a stricter state regulatory agency. The activists are calling for a similar oversight switch at the adjacent UC Berkeley Field Station.  

Cherokee Simeon has also been selected by the university to transform their Field Station into an academic/corporate research park renamed as Bayside Research Campus. The UC site features many of the same pollutants as Campus Bay. 

Organized by the Wal-Mart Metroport Coalition, Thursday’s demonstration targets the firm’s plans to bring a 150,000-square-foot Super Wal-Mart to the Hegenberger Gateway site. The pickets at Simeon Properties offices at 655 Montgomery St. in San Francisco are scheduled from 1:45 to 4 p.m. this afternoon, while coalition members attempt to meet with company officials. 

The coalition is composed of a variety of organizations including the Sierra Club, ACORN, the Central Committee of Conscientious Objectors, the East Bay Community Law Center, Just Cause Oakland, the Green Party, the Urban Strategies Council and the Wilson Riles-Oakland Community Action Network. 

Demonstrators are asking the company for youth scholarships along health care and job training funds, said Sierra Club organizer Anna Oursler. 

“We also organized a town hall meeting with over 200 attending last week in which we educated the community and sent a strong message to our city council that Wal-Mart is not welcome in Oakland,” Oursler said. 

“Today’s meeting is to demand that the developer sit down with the community to address mitigation and community benefits in East Oakland,” she said. 

Oursler said the coalition was formed after the Port of Oakland awarded Cherokee Simeon the right to develop the project on the basis of plans that called for office space, a BART station and a full-service hotel on the 23-acre site, then allowed the firm to drop the hotel and office space and retarget the site for commercial outlets. 

Representatives of Simeon Properties were unavailable for comment Monday afternoon.ª


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. 

Namkung’s last day in Berkeley will be June 4. 

“I feel good going on to a bigger challenge,” Namkung said. “I’ll have an entire county with its own health care system.” 

In Berkeley, Namkung gained a reputation for obtaining state grants to expand the city’s public health programs. She inherited a budget just under $5 million and is leaving with a budget now over $12 million, 80 percent of which comes from outside grants, she said. 

Namkung developed state-funded programs for nursing case management, domestic violence prevention, tobacco prevention, HIV prevention and African American infant health care. 

“Our loss is Santa Cruz’s gain,” said Tom Kelly, chairman of the Community Health Commission. “She’ll be really difficult to replace.” 

Health officers are medical doctors; the only other licensed physician on Berkeley’s staff is Vicki Alexander, the city’s director of maternal, child and adolescent health. 

Namkung said her top priority in Berkeley was connecting public health resources to schools. School officials said she was instrumental in the development of the Berkeley High School health center, which has been transformed from a tiny clinic to a full service facility that offers internists from children’s hospital, mental health case workers and peer support programs. The center was credited for Berkeley’s distinction last year as having the lowest teen birth rate in the state. 

Recently Namkung has worked with the district to secure $210,000 in state funds to return nurses to Berkeley schools. She has also helped the district request money for mental health workers. 

“Poki was the key [to getting school nurses],” said School Board Director Shirley Issel. “She saw the need and now we’re going to have three nurses.” 

Namkung is the president of the Health Officers Association of California and vice president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. 


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.  

On Monday, Berkeley rolled out 31 parking stations to replace the once vaunted Rhyno parking stations that too often fell victim to vandals. Not only do the new stations, which cost the city $332,460, run on solar power, accept credit and debit cards, display messages in different languages, and send warnings for attempted theft, but they accept payment for any parking space. 

So when a driver finds that a pay station is broken, instead of ignoring the parking fee, he must pay at a nearby station within one block in either direction, said Karen Moore, the city’s parking services manager.  

To operate the machines, motorists insert coins or a credit/debit card for the desired length of stay, print a ticket, and stick the ticket on the side window facing the street when parallel parking and on the driver’s side when parking diagonally so the expiration time and date are visible from the outside. 

Cars that don’t display receipts will be ticketed. Parking fees will remain 75 cents per hour. 

The pay stations, known as ParkEZ Stations, will encompass Shattuck Avenue from Allston Streets to the vicinity of Parker Street; Center Street between Shattuck and Oxford Street; and Kittredge Street, in front of the central library. If they prove successful, the city intends to buy more of them. 

City officials estimate the new meters will generate $10,000 more in parking revenues every month than the old meters, which took in a monthly average of $25,000. The cause of the lagging parking meter revenues, according to a city report, is rampant meter vandalism. 

In the past two months, city repair crews have had to fix approximately 5,000 broken meters, many of them more than once, according to Berkeley Police Public Information Officer Joe Okies. Earlier this month, the BPD issued a warning that it would begin actively targeting and arresting meter vandals. Breaking or tampering with a meter is a misdemeanor. 

Rhyno meters were touted as a solution to Berkeley’s chronic meter vandalism when they debuted around 1998. The ParkEZ stations are also billed as being more vandal-resistant than their predecessors. They contain an automatic coin shutter that will open only for coins, not plastic, wood, cloth and other non-metal objects used to disable meters. When they are disabled or running low on power, they transmit a signal to a remote communications center.ª


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.  

Members of the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) face a far fuller agenda for Thursday, though only one item ranks high on the potential inflammatory scale. 

When planners meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave., they’ll confront a report and recommendations for the Creeks Task Force Work Plan, budget and timelines and a subcommittee’s recommendations on proposed revisions to the city Landmarks Preservation Ordinance and accompanying zoning codes. 

The hot potato when ZAB gathers at 7 p.m. Thursday in council chambers at Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, is the Urban Housing Group’s plans for a mixed-use residential and commercial project at 700 University Ave., a site that houses two city landmarks. 

The Creeks Task Force, formed by the city to deal with legal and other issues arising from the multitude of waterways flowing under the city in aging concrete culverts, is scheduled to begin considering issues starting with its May 2 meeting—pending approval of its format, schedule and proposed $100,000 city funding allocation by planning commissioners and the city council. 

The other and more immediate issue is the planners’ response to the landmarks ordinance, which members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) recently submitted after more than four years of deliberations. 

A four-member planning subcommittee headed by Commission Chair Harry Pollack and Sara Shumer discussed the proposed ordinances over four meetings starting Feb. 9. 

The panel failed to reach consensus on the controversial “structure of merit” designation, which acknowledges buildings that have undergone modifications to an extent that they don’t merit the greater “landmark” designation. 

While the LPC sought equal status with ZAB on demolitions of designated buildings, the majority voted to leave the process in ZAB’s hands, but allowed the LPC to issue recommendations that ZAB would have to issue specific findings to overturn. The panel could reach no agreement on what process to follow if ZAB overruled the LPC’s no-demolition recommendation. 

Similarly, the subcommittee agreed that LPC shouldn’t be allowed to determine the level of environmental review on applications to alter or demolish landmarks, but they agreed that ZAB would have to set out specific reasons to override LPC recommendations against the applications. 

The panel made no finding on whether the LPC should review projects involving all residential and non-residential buildings over 50 years old. Currently, landmarks members review referrals of demolitions of all non-residential buildings over 40 years old. 

ZAB’s meeting will focus on hearings for seven projects, but the 700 University Ave. project is the most controversial. 

Preservationists recently tried to landmark two structures on the site, in addition to the already landmarked 1913 Southern Pacific Railroad Station. 

While the LPC declined to landmark the popular Brennan’s Irish Pub on the northeast corner of the block, the commission designated the Celia’s building to the south as a structure of merit. 

While Urban Housing’s Dan Deibel said he’ll reserve the station as a new home for Brennan’s, he said his plans call for demolition of Celia’s, a move certain to provoke spirited opposition. 

Also on the ZAB agenda are hearings on legitimizing the illegally altered seating on the bakery and cafe at 1250 Addison St.—originally The Bread Workshop and soon to be the Zest Cafe; adding a small upper story to a home at 2644 Ellsworth St., a redesign of the internal space of a building at 1700 Fifth St., plans for a new home at 2615 Marin Ave., additions to an apartment building at 2901 Otis St. and a storefront addition to an apartment at 1043 Virginia St.ª


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. 

Pennell has never contended that his house was designed by renowned Berkeley architect Bernarda Maybeck. It was loosely based on a sketch by Maybeck and contains a chimney which Pennell remembers was designed by Maybeck. The coast redwood on the property would not be impacted by adjacent development.


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.  

For the first time in five years, the junior varsity boys from Berkeley High School had advanced to the grand finals at the San Diego Crew Classic Regatta over the weekend of April 2 and 3—and then gone on to beat two crews and finish a solid fourth.  

Jeff Wong, who had rowed the bow position in the JV boat, was among the more than two dozen BHS men and women packing up in preparation for the flight home. He paused amidst the sweaty clothes and empty food containers to reflect on the past two days.  

“I arrived nervous, unsure about so much. But all we had to do was trust each other—and ourselves,” Wong said. “I leave feeling really accomplished.”  

Some might wonder where the victory lies in a fourth place finish. But not these kids. And not when the venue is the largest West Coast rowing event as you represent the only public high school amidst 3,400 rowers.  

Welcome aboard the Berkeley High School crew, where the life lessons come in exhausting seven-minute marathons (the approximate time it took to row each 2,000-meter race) and the emotional finish line moves with each boat’s goals—some with success, some not.  

Some 100 students go out for crew at Berkeley, which founded the program in 1967. The school ponies up the transportation to local races, but almost all the $197,000 annual budget for the non-profit organization is raised by parents and friends. 

A few of the shells sport duct tape. Not all the oars match. But in an arena where the competition hails from private schools and clubs that can recruit or select from a large field of prospects, Berkeley’s longevity is nothing short of remarkable, according to Brett Johnson, a spokesman for US Rowing (the national governing body for the sport).  

“The expansion of public school participation in rowing has been in the east. For Berkeley to have lasted so long with all the school budget cuts is definitely a rarity, and testament to the parents who keep the program running,” Johnson said during a telephone interview.  

Mary Glaeser, one of the rowing parents, is co-president of the high school crew’s Board of Directors. For the board, meeting expenses apparently can resemble some of the patch work adorning the older boats. What keeps her going?  

“I love this sport, I love the movement together,” Glaeser said. “It reminds me of music.”  

Music was no doubt the farthest thing on rowers’ minds during final practice in Oakland before the regatta the week before. The varsity and JV boats had just sparred for 2,000 meters down the crew training ground in the Oakland Estuary, a waterway shared with the Cal crews. Rowing has no time outs, no pauses for huddles, no breathers during foul shots. Physiologically, a race reputedly makes the same aerobic demand as two back-to-back basketball games.  

So it was no surprise that at the end of this scrimmage, the rowers in both boats resembled dogs in the Iditarod. 

“So how did it feel? And how are we doing—other than hurting, of course?” asked Chris Dadd, the 47-year old head coach. He had watched from a launch trailing the contest. 

No one in either boat appeared ready to talk. Finally Zander Bice, who rows the stern “stroke” oar, summoned up the energy to signal “thumbs up.” Good enough, Dadd concluded, and directed Rachel Rudy, the boat coxswain, to steer for home at the Jack London Aquatic Center.  

Crew is not a spectator sport, coaches would explain during the launch ride in. There are no individual heroes, no shot clocks to add excitement, no thumping body checks. There’s not even tolerance for exhibitionism. 

“It’s an athlete’s sport, incredibly designed to help you break through one barrier then the next,” said Colin Arnold, the JV coach. Back at the boathouse, Gabriel Bronson, a senior on the varsity boat, elaborated. 

“It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s hard,” he said. “But I know that if I can handle three hours of hell during practice, I can handle one hour of anything, anywhere else in my life.” 

The next stop: San Diego.  

The San Diego Crew Classic turns the shores of Mission Bay into a veritable Camelot of exhibition tents. Almost 400 pencil-thin shells lie in state, oriented as if magnetized toward the water in slings as they await the call to launch and race. T-shirts celebrate the rowing culture: “God is a coxswain,” “A woman’s place is on the water,” “We’re the fast girls your mother warned you about,” “Gay but rowing straight.”  

Saturday, April 2, was mostly filled with preliminary races. The top few finishers in each heat would move on to Sunday’s grand finals or qualify for a consolation round.  

Saturday was not a good day for the Berkeley varsity men and women. Neither crew advanced. “Gloomy” might be too chipper a description of the men during the post-race race boat wash. 

“There’s nothing I can say to take away the disappointment,” Dadd told his boys. “I’m not inside your heads. You’ve got to decide whether or not you are going to re-focus and get it together.” Every coach has to deal with early season illnesses; apparently there were times when Dadd had little to deal at all.  

By contrast, the mood was ebullient among the JV rowers. The girls had qualified for a consolation race; better still, the boys had advanced to the grand finals. 

“Try not to wash tonight,” one of the boys advised his mates after the race. “It’s bad luck.”  

In Sunday’s consolation finals, the girls placed third, beating three southern California rowing clubs. In the grand finals, the boys placed fourth, finishing ahead of a prep school from Sammamish, WA., and the Oakland Strokes Rowing Club—their own boathouse neighbors.  

In the boy’s post-race debriefing, their coach talked about the rewards of staying relaxed, staying focused, and having fun. “You accomplished everything you set out to attain. Some of them were far from easy,” Arnold said. “What you did today, you did for yourselves.” 

This combination of JV oarsmen had only been together for a week. With the climactic Northwest Regional Junior Championships slated to take place in Sacramento at the end of the school year, the horizon seemed limitless, a point not lost on Jeff Wong. 

“I am sure this boat can go faster,” he said.  

On second thought, it would appear that the race is far from over.  

 

As the father of a Berkeley High crew coach, David Arnold, a freelance journalist from Boston, struggled for objectivity writing this story. 





Letters to the Editor

Tuesday April 12, 2005

• 

PAPER TRAIL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Great! Berkeley has new parking meters that have a paper trail, but our Diebold voting machines still do not. 

Anne Wagley 

 

• 

STYLE OFFENSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Does Richard Brenneman own the Daily Planet, or just know where the proverbial body is buried? Why else, after numerous reader complaints is he allowed to continue to report serious crime in his “Snidely Whiplash/Dastardly Deed” style? 

As the victim of a violent assault and robbery, and as a citizen deeply concerned with the quality of life these crimes jeopardize, it is offensive to me to read of any crime reported in such a manner. Mr. Brenneman’s reporting style is beneath your otherwise intelligent standards. He should indulge himself in a creative writing class ASAP and leave the crime reporting to a more professional journalist. 

C. Hooper 

 

• 

PARKING PROPOSAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

While I live in Oakland, I enjoy shopping the Saturday Farmers’ Market. Having gotten a ticket in a white zone, I would suggest a Saturday exemption. The school and government offices served by the white curb aren’t open during market hours and parking is tight.  

Roger Radius  

 

• 

SPIRAL GARDENS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m shocked that any “Religious Society” would destroy a valuable neighborhood asset such as the Spiral Community Gardens. Now, if they had bought the lot and then offered to help raise food there, I could have imagined Buddha’s principles in action. Besides, the extra organic produce could then have been included in the Temple’s Sunday Brunch or given where it was needed most.  

Karl Reeh 

 

• 

LIBRARY WEEDING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was interested to see the article about the incompetent library weeding recently conducted at the Berkeley Library because I have already written two letters to Library Director Jackie Griffin. Of course, she did not reply. 

My first letter was to Mayor Bates, complaining that it was impossible to communicate with Ms. Griffin and outlining my concerns. Apparently, his office forwarded my message to Ms. Griffin, since she did send me an e-mail saying that all I had to do was contact her directly and she would reply—copying the mayor, of course. I did this in December, but received no reply. In January, I sent Ms. Griffin a second message, but have as yet heard nothing from her. 

Of course all libraries have to discard books, but the recent weeding was not handled in an intelligent and informed way using the American Library Association guidelines for discarding books. It is clear that the librarians making the decisions about which books to discard were not subject experts. 

Just one example of several possibilities that I know about: All three volumes of the Pax Britanica Trilogy—a major historical work by the great British historian and travel writer Jan/James Morris—were in the catalogue and on the shelves last fall. When I returned the first volume and tried to check out the second, I discovered that (although it was listed in the catalogue and supposedly on the shelf) it was missing. At the reference desk, the librarian looked up the trilogy and told me that it was being discarded. She told me that she would tell the librarian weeding that section that this was an important set of books by a major writer and that it was still being used by patrons, but also suggested to me that this particular librarian had no background in the subject area she was weeding. Apparently, the staff was under pressure to simply get rid of as many books as possible. Of course, the three volumes now are no longer part of the library collection—and are not available at either the Alameda County system or the Contra Costa County system . 

I do not believe that the weeding practice “mostly targets books that are out of date or so worn that they are no longer of value.” The weeding at Berkeley’s library seems to have been erratic, at best, and incompetent at worst. 

Bruce Reeves 

 

• 

TORTURE TACTICS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Shocked and surprised by our use of terror tactics on prisoners in Iraq? You shouldn’t be. Torture while interrogating prisoners is standard government policy and its procedures are spelled out. 

How do I know this? Two years ago, on Dec. 26, 2002, the Washington Post ran an article which detailed the torture methods that were used. 

They quoted security officials who defended “the use of violence against captives as just and necessary.” 

The newspaper article, written by Dana Priest and Barton Gellman, was written because of a photograph that embarrassed our government. It was taken in Afghanistan. 

Remember the picture of a naked and shackled prisoner of war in a metal tube who was being transported to our base in Cuba? 

When that picture was published, there was no apology. Just the promise to find and punish the person who released the photograph. 

Quoting from the article on the use of terror on prisoners of was in Afghanistan, it was reported that prisoners are “kept standing or kneeling for hours in black hoods” and are “at times held in awkward positions and deprived of sleep with a 48 hour bombardment of lights —subject to what are known as ‘stress and duress’ techniques.” 

Had enough? It gets worse. Read on. “Some who do not cooperate are turned over, rendered, in official parlance, to foreign intelligence services whose practice of torture has been documented by the U.S. government and human rights organizations.” 

There are three more columns which end with, “according to one official who has been directly involved in rendering captives into foreign hands,” that the understanding is that “we don’t kick the (expletive) out of them. We send them to other countries so they can kick the (expletive) out of them.” 

So, when our government claims torture “is not official policy, not systematic,” the government is lying. 

The press talks of “cruel American captors. And they are being held accountable.” Rightly so. 

But they were trained in methods of torture. And they were not the major culprits. Punishing them will not keep terror tactics from being used again. 

I can only hope that the exposure of the real culprits (those who established torture as acceptable policy) will help change that policy. 

Should not the originators of that policy be charged and punished for what President Bush has accurately labeled “reprehensible” and “outrageous” behavior? 

Bernice Turoff 

Stockton 

 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Marguerite Hughes is a very misguided and uninformed individual and so are the people of Berkeley. Please tell her that if it was not for Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the founding fathers she would not have the right of freedom of speech. I do not think she is fully informed on the impact that Thomas Jefferson had on this country. If they do not want Thomas Jefferson’s name on the school maybe they should rename it after Abraham Lincoln. Oh, that’s right you all already renamed a school that once was named after President Lincoln to Malcolm X Elementary. What a contrast in views of human rights. Lincoln held this union together during its darkest hours and Malcolm X wanted to ‘by any means necessary’ kill the white man. What a wonderful place to live Berkeley must be to have such a skewed out look on American history.  

David W. Craig, SSgt, USAF  

 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m very curious about developments in the story of the Oakland girl who slashed the elderly woman’s throat as she was walking in the Berkeley hills. It appears that the suspect was in the company of an adult county social worker. And that the suspect and the county worker fled the scene of the attempted murder together without giving aid to the victim or even calling the police. 

The police will not give the press the county worker’s name or place her under arrest. 

This strikes me as highly suspicious, and an even more compelling story than the horrible attack.  

Is anyone reporting this case?  

Tom Murray 

San Francisco  

 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Hello, my name is Cody Newcomb. I go to school at West Ridge Elementary. I am in fifth grade. In our Social Studies class we are studying our country. I got California for my state. I would appreciate if you could give me some information about your state, so I can learn some things about California. I would like to have a car license plate if possible. I would appreciate your time and effort. Thank you! 

(Please send letters, postcards, or historical information to West Ridge Elementary, 1401 19th Street, Harlan, IA 51537) 

Cody Newcomb 

 

• 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

I truly appreciated Joe Eaton’s article “Endangered Opposums Really Do Play Dead” (Daily Planet, Feb. 1-3). For years I have been volleyed between neurologists and psychiatrists and neuropsychiatrists and psychopharmocologists because I “display” seizure-like behaviors and experiences. I have experienced grand mal seizures, absense seizures, partial complex seizures, and depression. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on EEGs, video EEGs, and neuropsych evaluations. All indications suggest I have epilepsy, except for the EEGs. Because the EEGs do not pick up the spiking brainwaves indicative of epilepsy, the epileptologist sent me to the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist successfully treated my depression, but I have yet to have successful treatment for my seizures! The most recent study you refer to was an EEG performed at the Children’s Hospital in the mid-1960s. Your article suggests that the possum is experiencing a psychiatric reaction to an adverse stimuli rather than a neurological reaction? Such is my lot in life...and I have yet to have adequate treatment for my seizures. I propose finding a research facility that will perform a SPECT on a critter...I hear UCLA has a high resolution SPECT that is being used on mice and monkeys for medical research. Hmmmm... 

Patricia K. Stinner 

Rockwall, TX 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

While I suppose I should be pleased to be labeled a “preservation activist” (”Developer Will Move Forward”, Daily Planet, April 1-4), I would emphasize the importance of preservation planning in the case of this large block (700 University Avenue) that includes Celia’s, Brennan’s and the “Train Station”.  

In particular, the Train Station is a well documented City of Berkeley Landmark as well as being on the State Historic Resources Inventory. The Train Station (built around 1913 by Southern Pacific, after an extended public battle to secure better passenger service for Berkeley) is the incredible resource on the site, and should be the focus of whatever development is proposed. The 700 University Avenue property is large, being bounded by Fourth, Addison, & Third Streets; it could easily accommodate a public plaza, with traffic circulation for the project, in front of the Station. Furthermore, to the north on University Avenue, the City of Berkeley, through its Redevelopment Agency, is spending a considerable sum to develop a transit hub linking AC Transit to the Capitol Corridor Rail. 

As a member (and now Chair) of the West Berkeley Project Area Commission (advisory to the Redevelopment Agency), I have seen the work put 

in by my fellow commissioners and City staff on this transit project over the last eight years. At the very least, this development needs to link up with those efforts. So, in this case, preservation planning is really just another and critical facet of good urban and transportation planning. 

John McBride 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet::  

In response to the anti-Al Gore comment by letter writer James K. Sayre in the Planet (April 8-11), I’ve been studying this peculiar Anti-Gore subculture since before the 2000 Selection. These kinds of personal taunts against Gore were echoed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and other Rapture Right sympathizing journalists in print and on T.V. during the 2000 campaign. This has been well documented by the distinguished media critic for The Nation, Eric Alterman in his book “What Liberal Media”. In fact Al Gore was the first victim of the propaganda machine we’ve come to see now, starkly, in the likes of the Affaire Guckert-Gannon. 

During the 2000 Selection the Anti Al Gore chorus was joined by “progressives” who picked up the banner of the Bushies, repeating the lies, even repeating the trivia about his weight and his looks, despite somber team players asking them not to. Later, contrary to the facts, they blamed Gore for “losing” the Election. Who needs the Right Wing? This “jumping gene” of lies seems like a classic example of the pitiful brainwashing Air America is trying to address. 

Despite this horrible media distortion, Gore was the first person to vehemently speak out against the War in Iraq on Sept. 23, 2002 in San Francisco. Gore’s series of Move-On lectures leading up to the ‘04 Election were a great contribution to trying to stop Bush in ‘04. John Judis, a distinguished Democratic theorist writing in a post-election analysis in the American Prospect, said that Al Gore would have been a better candidate than John Kerry. There certainly would have been closer scrutiny of the Bushies stealing votes in Ohio. Al Gore has been teaching college students to be discerning consumers of media since he left office and his legendary lectures concerning the perils of Global Warming are memorable experiences to those who have been lucky enough to attend. 

So, when Al Gore is collaborating with Google to re-frame aspects of media, tired old put-downs of Gore seem “retro”. He is one of the Democratic Party’s leaders for the future, and Howard Dean knows that. The Gore’s have been one of the greatest American political progressive families. Like Al Gore says: “Politics is a team sport.” I hope Mr. Sayre can re-examine his thinking and quit validating the Right and join the team. 

Instead of calling Al Gore’s “Current” venture a mere “brainstorm”, Sayre should go to the Current website htt://www.current.tv/, and watch some of the award winning short videos. They are great politics. I’m still thinking about one I watched about young people in Iran. 

Maureen L. Farrell 

 

• 

HIGH CRIMES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The 2004 Budget proposed by the Governor and passed by over 2/3 of the Legislature of the great State of California was unconstitutional. 

In 1988 the electorate amended the Constitution of the State of California guaranteeing that the State of California will contribute no less than 48 percent of the total budget in any year to public education. The 2004 budget did not implement this requirement. It was two billion dollars short. 

The unconstitutional budget proposed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, approved by the State of California Legislature, accepted so far by the Secretary of State, the Attorney General of the State, and the State Supreme Court, has caused a public education disaster. 

It seems that under the current California State Government (as well as the current United States Government) a constitution is not worth the blood spilled for it. 

Fellow citizens, this must stop! Every person who becomes a public servant in California is made to swear to do only one thing: “To protect and defend the California State Constitution as well as the United States Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.” Apparently they are too busy ignoring the Constitution to defend it. 

Please, gently, remind your public officials of their duty. If they can’t be bothered to do that one simple and critical thing, they really can’t be trusted to do anything positive for the state.  

Harry Wiener 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was very troubled by Judith Clancy’s attack letter printed in your April 1 edition, and I appreciate the chance to reply. I honestly cannot tell if Ms. Clancy completely misunderstands (and thus misrepresents) my position, or if she is engaged in deliberate character assassination. 

If she is in good faith, I will again attempt an explanation through analogy: Let us say there is a murder in Berkeley. This is a horrible thing and a great tragedy for the family and friends of the victim. Should, say, the City of Los Angeles respond by reporting Berkeley and Mayor Bates to the United Nations for violating the victim’s human rights? If a member of the Los Angeles City Council did not favor such an action would she/he be supporting murder? No, crimes by individuals against individuals, no matter how heinous, are not human rights violations by the governing body of the place in which the crime occurred. Otherwise, since human crime exists everywhere, all governments—local, regional, national—would be guilty of human rights violations. 

The proper response to the crime is for the Berkeley Police Department to apprehend the culprit and for the justice system of the State of California to convict the culprit. Does this mean that only murderers in Berkeley or California should be caught and convicted? No, just that these are the appropriate agencies to deal with this particular crime, and the United Nations really has no part in this, since it is not a human rights violation. 

Now what if murder is committed by militants against civilians as a deliberate tactic of combat? That is a human rights violation, which should be reported to the United Nations and eventually prosecuted as a war crime by the World Court. Both the hypothetical individual crime in Berkeley and the deliberate military policy of killing civilians are murders, they are both horrible and leave a wake of pain and suffering, but only one is a human rights violation under the jurisdiction of the United Nations. It is the nature of the perpetrator, not the nature of the crime that determines this. I hope this clarifies any misunderstanding Ms. Clancy might have. 

If instead Ms. Clancy is engaged in character assassination, I can only say that I think it is very sad when public discourse descends to this Swift Boat Veterans kind of disinformation. When I was the chair of the Southern California Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights, I was subjected to numerous personal attacks by anti-choice militants. When I was the rabbi of a gay outreach synagogue, I was no stranger to hateful personal tirades by anti-gay extremists. It may be that Ms. Clancy merely misunderstood my position and I hope that she now understands it correctly. However, if she is attacking my “decency” as a cynical way of discrediting my politics, then she is in very poor company indeed. 

Jane Litman 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A lot of people in Berkeley are hurting because of the cuts in spending, but none more than those of us who depend on the city’s swimming pools. The announcement that all of the pools are to be closed this winter is a shock, especially to those of us who have fought to keep at least some of them open all year, raising money, and volunteering to clean up and rehabilitate the most neglected pools.  

For many of us, swimming is more than recreation; we are people who for various reasons can’t jog or do most other kinds of beneficial exercise, for whom swimming at affordable prices is a lifeline. We need to have one pool, at least, open year-round. 

Tonight’s City Council meeting will consider a one-time expenditure to save one program or asset from extinction. Some have proposed that the fountain in City Hall Plaza be the lucky winner; well, nobody can swim in a fountain. It’s been dry for decades, and can stay that way while we save a pool for those who badly need it. Please come to the council meeting tonight and show your support for swimming, the best hope for health for many of our citizens. 

John Spier 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Pope who chose to live and die on TV and the 200 world leaders who appeared for the final show deserve more criticism than praise. 

The Pope was correct in seeing abortion as the murder of a living organism and to condemn the loose, pleasure-oriented sexual behavior of our time, as aberrant. But much suffering was caused by his dogmatic inflexibility forbidding all abortions, including those where reason and compassion would command their execution, and his prohibition of the use of contraceptives. To forbid all sexual intercourse between men and women when they have no intention to create offspring, was, in our instant gratification culture, too steep a hill to climb. The defective and unwanted children resulting from this dogmatic inflexibility are a sad burden on our community. 

The Pope engaged in Revisionism when he pushed the historic support of Nazi-Germany from the Catholic Church and the historic hostility between Christianity and Judaism under the rug. By doing that he put the Church in the political arena on the side of America and Israel in their conflict with the Muslims. New American language usage, also surreptitiously rewriting history, today is calling Western Civilization a “Judeo-Christian Civilization” instead of what it is correctly: a “Greco-Christian Civilization.” Let us be very clear about this. There never was a Judeo-Christian Civilization. Jews, who have not converted to Christianity, are not Christians. 

The 200 world leaders at the funeral are all hypocrites and philistines, monkeys dancing on the stage of the circus of the century. They have no business being there. Are they not all leaders of secular states founded on the separation of (a rational) State and (an irrational) Church, commercial cultures where the material body lives separately from the spiritual soul? 

May he rest in peace now. He was a simple man of faith, unenlightened and unprepared for the role that Fate bestowed on him. 

Jan Visser 

Kensington 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Robert Birgeneau, the new UC Berkeley Chancellor, considers diversity on campus to be in crisis and places it at the top of his Things To Do list. He thinks the people of California who followed Ward Connerly and rejected Affirmative Action may now be willing to correct the unintended consequences and stop “underserving” a large and important part of the state’s multicultural population. 

I am no admirer of Connerly but I thought at the time he had a point: Eliminating race will lead to a racially blind society just as eliminating gender will achieve a gender blind society. He has now risen up against the new chancellor with typically self-serving ferocity (but being now retired with less bite) and again I think he has a point. 

Granted that diversity is loaded with political value it can hardly be a substantive matter for one of the world’s great universities for it is at best superficial, rooted in appearances, and at worse illusory, based on race, a societal construct of fraudulent intent. Universities are supposed to be places where young minds grow and each mind is by nature endowed with its own uniqueness, like fingerprints or DNA. No two are alike; all student communities are therefore comprised of diverse minds. Thumping for diversity is nonsense.  

It is no surprise that in addition to race Birgeneau includes gender in his perceived crisis for he thereby rides the political tsunami initiated by his Harvard counterpart, Lawrence H. Summers. 

Such gaffs are natural because all university presidents come from the professoriate with no training whatsoever in the administration of large corporations. The great Columbia University scholar Jacque Barzun concluded, after a short stint on the job, that only two professions may be entered with no prior training—training must be acquired on the job—one profession is that of the university administrator and the other is “the world’s oldest profession”. Certification in both is achieved only as long as one is able to maintain one’s position, so to speak. 

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo 

 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Your recent article about worker overtime by Matthew Artz shows how glamorous it is to print W2’s, but why should anyone care? People working in private companies don’t have to share their W2’s.  

City employees working overtime are not wrong. They are just picking up hours that could be worked by their fellow employees. In the private sector overtime is used due to a labor shortage or to complete a job due to time constraints. No manager likes to pay it; they do it for business needs. Many workers I know stay away from overtime. They just like to put in their work week and go home. Others work OT whenever they can. I know many people on salary who put in 60 hour weeks. They don’t get overtime, they do a job.  

Next time instead of publishing dirty laundry why not do a more in depth examination of city management. Are the staffing requirements the city has really necessary? PERS is a great pension plan. Does its cost reflect an over extension of public money, or a realistic plan in an unreal world? How many managers does the city have per employee?  

Examination of issues like these might get more savings than publishing officer Jones’ overtime and salary.  

James Mullesch  

 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Are we really talking about the firefighter overtime issue again? Ho-hum. I'll try not to bore you with the fact that firefighters regularly die in the course of doing their duty. I'll also not go too deeply into the fact that firefighters have life expectancies decades shorter than their civilian counterparts. 

Instead I'll stick to the money issue and lay it out as cleanly as I can. OVERTIME SAVES MONEY. A firefighter's total compensation package is equal to 

about 65 percent on top of his base salary. An overtime firefighter gets paid time and a half. So if a firefighter gets paid one hundred dollars a day for regular time, then letting him work overtime costs 150 dollars. Hiring a person to permanently fill that vacancy costs 165, not just on a day when there is a 

vacancy, but every day until he retires. 

"Overtime" is an ugly word; chiefs and managers stake their reputations on bringing down the OT budget. But often overtime is a cheaper way to fill 

temporary gaps than hiring permanent replacements. 

I think the real issue is the fact that firefighters are one of the few public servants to be justly compensated for their labors. They don't deserve less; others deserve more. The unpleasant truth is that people don't like to see blue collar men and women, many with no education beyond high school, earning $100,000 a year. 

Is it just chance or some sort of editorial statement that you followed a front page story on spiralling overtime with a front page story on a three-fire day? 

There's no doubt about it: A great way to save a pile of money would be to eliminate the fire department entirely. Of course, then the fires wouldn't go out, but for many people that seems to be a totally irrelevant issue. 

Zac Unger 


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. 

Two weeks ago I received news that my friend Elaine’s son, Brad, had died in his sleep. A husband and father of two small toddlers, his death was an unexpected shock to all who knew him. Vibrant and happy, he’d been in a minor car accident in February and subsequently experienced dizziness and mild head pain. But an otherwise healthy 35-year-old man thinks, as most of us do, that he’s invincible. He’d just completed his MBA, and he’d moved with his young family to a new city to start a new job. One evening he went to bed early, complaining of a headache. The next day he was dead. 

A week later I learned that my friend Karen’s sister had died in an avalanche in the Eastern Sierra. An extreme skier and kayaker, (she’d paddled Siberia’s north coast as well as Baffin Island and Ellesmere), 57-year-old Christina Seashore was the victim of a massive slide on the slopes of Mt. Tom. Karen and Christina were closer than twins. Only a year apart in age, they had lived, worked, traveled and played together. Kayaking, knitting, games of Royalty and Scrabble—they were constantly busy, always gabbing, continually laughing. 

Strolling along 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue last Tuesday, I ran into my friend Panzy, who sits most weekday mornings on the hard, cold cement wall in front of Walgreens, handing out The Watchtower and other literature for the Jehovah Witnesses. Panzy and her husband of 45 years, Nevil, have been stationed on that corner for over ten years, but on Tuesday, Nevil wasn’t there. Panzy told me he’d passed on. “Six months of hospice,” she said softly. “In the end he suffered greatly, but the people from the hospice were there for him, and they are still there for me. They’ll be stopping by the house sometime this afternoon to check in and chat. They’re a wonderful help.” 

How do we comfort those who are left behind? What do we say and do for friends who experience a death or tragic accident?  

Although I’d sent them both cards, I knew I had to call Elaine and Karen. But what was I going to say and how was I going to say it? I thought back to 11 years ago, when my husband Ralph had a near fatal accident. We were comforted by friends and acquaintances with cards, letters, and phone calls; visits to the hospital and rehab, deliveries of meals and groceries, and most importantly, follow-up calls and visits six month, ten months, eight years later.  

What didn’t help were the clichés and unwanted advice. Comments such as “It must be God’s will,” “At least he was doing something he loved,” and “What goes around comes around,” were not comforting. Stories about the callers own trials and tribulations weren’t often appreciated even though they were said with the best of intentions. I thought about this as I dialed Elaine’s and Karen’s phone numbers, half hoping they wouldn’t be home and that I could leave messages on their answering machines. But both picked up on the first ring, and just the sound of their voices made me realize I’d done the right thing. I didn’t have to say much. They spoke of their grief and pain, anger and frustrations. I was a sounding board and silent therapist.  

Last Tuesday Panzy and I held hands and sat quietly in front of Walgreens. The number 40 bus roared by, shoppers came and went, a jetliner circled overhead. Even though our butts were cold, the sun shone brightly, reminding us that it was spring and that life goes on.ª


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 12, 2005

Whole Foods Stick-up 

A man with a knife walked into an employees-only area of the 3000 Telegraph Ave. Whole Foods Market at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and brandished a knife at a worker. 

After loading himself up with groceries and other items, the bandit departed. He was last seen fleeing westbound on Ashby Avenue, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

 

Gunmen Grab Cell, Computer, Cash 

A pair of robbers confronted a 19-year-old Berkeley pedestrian in the 2100 block of Parker Street just after 11:30 p.m. Thursday, flashed a pistol, and robbed him of his computer, his cell phone and his cash. 

 

Violates Rule Number One 

“I don’t know why anybody attempts to steal from Andronico’s,” said Officer Okies. “They’ve got the world’s best security.” 

Said fact was presumably unknown to the doubly dumb booster who Berkeley Police arrested shortly after noon Friday after he was apprehended by store security. 

Not only did the would-be thief get caught with the goods, but a search of his person also turned up narcotics paraphernalia. 

His little sojourn include ended up costing him charges of attempted larceny, parole violation and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

 

Troubles At Prospect and Channing 

Berkeley Police are investigating two non-lethal shooting incidents about four hours apart near the corner of Channing Way and Prospect Street Saturday, said office Okies. 

The first call was at 6:09 p.m. when a nurse at a local emergency room called to report a young male patient who’d been shot with a BB gun. The 19-year-old identified his assailant to officers, who are continuing to investigate. 

The second call, at 11:27 p.m., came from a man who told police he was walking along Prospect when a red Isuzu Trooper with three or male occupants passed by. 

The next thing he felt was a sting on his neck as a backseat member of the Trooper troupe fired a paintball at him. The Trooper and passengers were last seen departing the area. 

The paint-balled pedestrian required no medical treatment for his pain in the neck, said Officer Okies. ª


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.”  

But by the end of the meeting, staff had been asked to undertake a major policy initiative—rezoning Gilman Street and Ashby Avenue west of San Pablo Avenue out of manufacturing and into retail. There was no discussion of the proposal, much less a vote. Instead, there was a not-so-subtle directive from Mayor Bates.  

Addressing the stated theme of the evening—how to increase business revenues to make up for the $8 million–$10 million shortfall the city faces in 2006-10?—the mayor asked, “Where are some assets that are not being fully utilized?” His answer, in part: They’re on Ashby and Gilman between the freeway and San Pablo, areas that are now zoned for light industry.  

In the mayor’s mind, American industry is history. “We can no longer sit back and say we have to have manufacturing here, when manufacturing is closing,” he opined. “They’re going offshore….I told people [of these views] when I was running for office, and they voted for me.”  

Really? Where in his campaign did Tom Bates allude to de-industrialization or West Berkeley industry? Not on his campaign website (still online at www/tombates.org/issues) or in his campaign literature (on file at the Berkeley Public Library).  

Shades of our nation’s current president and his own fantasied mandates for things he never mentioned when he was running for office!  

And just as George W. Bush’s imperious rule has been countenanced by the generally feckless Democrats in Congress, so Tom Bates’ peremptory style of governance has been abetted by a generally tranquilized City Council. The mayor constantly trumpets his “victory over bickering.” But what he’s failed to achieve—indeed, what he’s actively suppressed—is the sort of substantial public deliberation essential to democratic policymaking.  

On March 8, after having made clear what he wanted, Mayor Bates concluded by coyly “asking [staff] what we should do.” City Manager Kamlarz took the cue: “I think we have some consensus about what to do, especially in West Berkeley.”  

Consensus among whom, exactly? Nobody but the mayor had said anything about Gilman and Ashby.  

The only councilmember who’d even referred to West Berkeley was Betty Olds. Concerned that the city’s remaining, sales-tax rich auto dealers might follow McKevitt Volvo and leave town, Councilmember Olds had asked whether light manufacturing zoning might prevent a car dealer from relocating to Frontage Road. (The mayor had mentioned another site, the Berkeley Unified School District property at 6th and Gilman—the same spot, he didn’t say, once coveted by the Animal Shelter for its voter-funded, still-unbuilt new facility).  

That was the full extent of City Council commentary on West Berkeley—hardly a basis for taking action, especially at a “work session” where no action was supposed to be taken.  

Nevertheless, on March 31, Planning Director Dan Marks informed the West Berkeley Redevelopment PAC that at the council’s regular April 19 meeting he will present strategies for incrementally rezoning West Berkeley, starting with Gilman and Ashby. He subsequently told me that he was acting at the behest of the city manager. Mr. Marks’ memo to the PAC cited “the Council’s recent ‘vote’ about its FY 06 priorities.” The planning director had the wit to enclose the word vote in quotation marks; he was referring to the results of a poll that staff had administered to the City Council and the mayor.  

If the council is going to decide Berkeley’s future by filling out questionnaires, its members might as well stay at home and just mail in their surveys, let staff tabulate the results and then do the mayor’s bidding—which is very nearly how the city’s priorities for Fiscal Year 2006 are being set.  

Policymaking by polls and mayoral fiat is particularly offensive with respect to land use in West Berkeley, whose zoning came out of an intensive public planning process that involved scores of people for nearly a decade. The result was the West Berkeley Plan, unanimously approved by the council in 1993. Thanks to the plan, our town still has an industrial district, with the lowest vacancy rate (1.7 percent) in the East Bay, the highest rents and several hundred manufacturers, wholesalers, artists and artisans, including Scharffen Berger Chocolate, Inkworks, Urban Ore, Alliance Graphics, Pyramid Brewery, Sun Light & Power, Meyer Sound and Berkeley Mills. Tom Bates’ city website reports that just last Friday (a month after he declared that “manufacturing is closing”), the mayor joined other officials in announcing that Bayer is moving its Biological Products Global Headquarters from North Carolina to Berkeley, even as the company has begun construction of a new, $50 million Clinical Manufacturing Facility at its Berkeley campus.  

Before city officials begin to dismantle the zoning that supports Berkeley’s industrial sector, they need to remind themselves that the purpose of government is to benefit the community, not the other way around.  

They need to stop using the city’s fiscal problems as an excuse to destroy the qualities that make Berkeley a special place to live and work. Their top priority ought to be reining in municipal expenses. At the same time, keeping auto dealers and their $1.5 million revenue in town should be high on the agenda, with relocation to Frontage Road one possibility.  

That possibility, like all others, including rezoning west Gilman and Ashby for retail, needs to be vetted in a manner befitting Berkeley’s official commitment to democratic process. The mayor and the City Council could use a work session on the Citizen Participation Element of the city’s new General Plan—the sooner, the better.  

 

 

Zelda Bronstein, former chair of the City Planning Commission, is still active in Berkeley politics.


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. 

I am a very active senior and do not own a car so I am a frequent rider and I can tell you the overwhelming majority of riders and operators hate them. I hear seniors, in particular, saying, “We pray for an old bus.” They are better because once you get up a couple of steps (and the bus is not going to start moving as you are getting up the steps) you are home free. You can sit down quickly in a nearby seat or any other seat without having to negotiate steps while the bus is moving. 

I was on a Van Hool bus with the AC Transit boardmember who has been the chief advocate for these buses, when a passenger with two canes had to get to one of the few no-step seats that are not near the door. It took some time as it was crowded and people had to help him while shouting at the driver to not start moving before he got seated. In talking to the boardmember afterwards, I pointed out this example of how cumbersome they are and he replied, “but you see people do manage.” 

Yes, “people do manage” to overcome many obstacles. But why should they have to because of bad design. But since AC Transit primarily has a captive audience, people who have no other choices, they have to keep on riding buses that ignore their comfort and safety. 

These buses are built in Belgium, but Belgium is not to be blamed for the interior configuration. That very awkward, cumbersome, if not hazardous, seating arrangement was dreamed up in AC Transit’s ivory tower without any consumer testing. 

Here is the Van Hool experience as designed by AC Transit: You enter through a narrow door that cannot accommodate passengers getting on and off simultaneously. Then you encounter a bottleneck that will not accommodate baby carriages or shopping carts. This narrow aisle between seats with a 12” high step is often crowded with people. You look for one of the few seats that will not be too difficult to navigate. If you want to get to seats in the rear, you have to negotiate an area between these seats and the front bottleneck with nothing to hang onto with the bus moving. And if you want to sit looking forward you may be out of luck because almost half of the seats face to the rear. These are very disorienting since, unlike on BART, you have to watch the passing scene to know when to push the stop button, a button that you may not be able to reach easily. 

Then there is the rarely used third door. The whole rationale for going to Belgium for these low-floor buses instead of continuing with the two-door low-floor NABI buses assembled in Alabama (the green #72 buses on San Pablo Ave.) is that third door. It was thought to be absolutely necessary to enable people to get off and on Rapid Transit buses quickly without presenting a ticket —a system called proof of payment (POP). It is an honor system backed up by a lot of inspectors randomly checking tickets. It works for some train systems but when an AC Transit staff person was asked if it has worked for buses anyplace in America, he replied, “they tried it in Paris but gave it up because they were losing too much money.” So it is not going to happen anytime soon, certainly not within the lifetime of the buses that have been purchased to implement POP. So the whole rational for them is out the window. But that doesn’t keep AC Transit from continuing to purchase them for every line. 

And even the new 30-foot buses with only two doors that have been ordered, will have the same awkward seating.  

In fact, there are four ways that Van Hool buses make bus operation less efficient than the low-floor NABI buses:  

1) Drivers are not supposed to start moving until everyone is seated and it takes people longer to get seated. 2) People cannot enter at the same time people are exiting from the front door. 3) With wheelchair accessibility in the middle of the bus instead of at the front door it takes time to maneuver the bus to an accessible location. 4) Riders who face backwards are apt to push the stop button for the wrong stop. 

If you want to know what I am talking about ride one of the Rapid Transit Van Hool buses on San Pablo then get off and transfer to one of the green buses on the same route. Some low-floor NABIs are on other routes. You can spot them because their windows are low in front of the exit door and higher behind it because the seats are on a higher level.  

AC Transit is the nation’s only bus agency with an elected board. Years ago when AC Transit took over from the Key System, it was decided that the board should be elected so it would be more responsive to the needs of riders. Well, it didn’t work. Riders feel they have no say and probably not enough are loud mouths. You would not be able to foist these buses on cities like San Francisco that have a large number of articulate middle and upper class riders.  

Seniors were used in ads promoting Measure BB, the parcel tax for AC Transit, before last November’s election. They were shown getting onto a Van Hool bus but their struggle to get into one of the high-step seats reserved for them, once inside, was not shown. The design of these buses belies AC Transit’s concern for the needs of seniors and the mobility impaired. 

The Van Hool buses violate the spirit, and perhaps, the letter, of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). The seats near doors are supposed to be reserved for seniors and people with disabilities and words to that affect are placed over the front seats with the 12” high steps that make them virtually inaccessible to those with mobility problems. They are only suitable for the young and agile who like a physical challenge or those who have passed Rock Climbing 101. 

By the way, I have said practically everything I have said in this letter in person to the Board of AC Transit to no avail.


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.” 

—Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things 

Kathakali, the great classical dance-drama of South India, will be given a rare American performance by 10 noted senior artists from the major theater institutes of Kerala state, India, one night only, 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 at Martin Luther King Middle School. 

The touring company will present a play from the ancient epic The Ramayana, “Baali Vadhom, The Vanquishing of Baali”—as well as “Poothana Moksham, The Salvation of Poothana,” from The Bhagavatham. 

Kathakali has inspired modern European and American performing artists from choreographer Martha Graham to stage director Jerzy Grotowski, who adapted Kathakali exercises for his Polish Laboratory Theatre in the 1960s. 

Unlike Kathak (which shares the same Sanskrit root word for “story”) and other Indian dances, Kathakali is fully theatrical (its name literally meaning “story-theater”). It dramatizes rather than accompanies or illustrates a story or poem, utilizing an elaborately stylized language of spectacle, mimetic gesture and movement. It is taken from ancient folk dances, ritual, martial arts and Sanskrit theater (Kuttyattam), all of which are still performed in Kerala. 

The stories and techniques for telling these stories seem to have been spread throughout Asia by Buddhist monks, even influencing the far-flung classical theaters of Japan, Noh and Kabuki. Putting on the spectacular costumes and make-up—recognized as an art in itself—“takes hours before a performance to transform the actors” into mythical gods, heroes and beasts, according to Katherine Kunhiraman of Kalanjali-Dances Of India, the Berkeley performing company and school that is co-sponsoring the Kathakali performance along with the Malayalee Association of Northern California and the local producers, Kathakali By The Bay. The American tour is produced by Anamica. 

Katherine Kunhiraman’s husband, K. P. Kunhiraman, who founded Kalanjali with her here in 1975, is himself a Kathakali principal actor, one of a handful to live in America. Kalanjali has performed scenes and dances from Kathakali, but full-scale performances in America by Indian companies are rare. There have been only a few in the Bay Area over the past 30 years. 

“Baali Vadhom” follows the story of The Ramayana, which tells of the split between brothers Sugriva and Baali, ruler of the kingdom of monkey men, a pact between Sri Rama and Sugriva, and the rescue of Sri Rama’s wife, Sita, from her abductor, Ravana, king of Sri Lanka, by an army of monkey men. K. P. Kunhiraman chose the story for the show. He said that it shows a range of the character types of Kathakali, as well as the characters and story line of The Ramayana. “Poothana Moksham” features the performance of Margi Vijayakumar, who specializes in female roles (all Kathakali actors are male), as Poothana, sent to kill Krishna, who becomes enraptured by the divine baby. There are elements to the tale reminiscent of Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents from the Christian Gospels, as well as medieval miracle plays. 

Dancer and UC Berkeley alumna Barbara Framm, longtime associate of Kalanjali and filmmaker of The Golden Thread, which documents the Kunhiramans’ journey to America 30 years ago and their return to his village in Kerala to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2002, recalled the scene when a Kathakali troupe came to perform all night in Kunhiraman’s honor. 

“Beginning with a parade to announce the show, it was amazing to see the excitement it generated, involving the whole village, from the oldest down to little children, as well as people coming from surrounding vilages—maybe a thousand people,” she said. “In a famous fight scene, they were performing on a crude cement platform with broken steps up to it. Suddenly, oblivious to any danger, they flew down the steps in full costume and those heavy crowns, running right into the audience, doing the whole fight scene with their special yelling right in front of me and around the crowd. It was amazing, the way they engaged us.” 

This intensity is a mark of the lifelong training and dedication of the actors. 

“Kathakali is completely a way of life,” Katherine Kunhiraman said. “The performers are wholly committed to what is for them a devotional practice. Kunhiraman tells people who ask him when he’ll retire, ‘I will do this until I drop.’ It’s more than an artistic exercise. But it’s the unearthly visual experience that first attracts Western people to it. The actors, in costumes designed to lift them above the human level—they perform on the ground or on a low stage—wearing those golden crowns that make them look as though they’re dancing in the sky.” 

Kathakali will perform “Baali Vadhom, The Vanquishing of Baali” and “Poothana Moksham, The Salvation of Poothana” at Martin Luther King Middle School, 1781 Rose St., 6 p.m., Saturday April 16. Supertitles will be provided. Tickets are $25 and up, $12 for students.  

For details, call (925) 784-6718 or see kathakalibythebay.com, or anamica.org. 

 

 




Arts Calendar

Tuesday April 12, 2005

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 

CHILDREN 

Storytelling Performance with Randel McGee protraying Hans Christian Anderson at 6:30 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

EXHIBITIONS 

40th Annual Student Art Show featuring artwork by middle and high school students from the West Contra Costa Unified School District at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: Devotional Cinema Screening and reading by Nathaniel Dorsky at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Marc Ian Barasch introduces “Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness” at 7:30 p.m. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Suggested donation $10. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Sandy Boucher discusses her biography of Buddhist teacher Ruth Denison, “Dancing in Dharma”at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Mutabaruka, reggae dub poet, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oslo, The Girlfriend Experience, Harold Lies, indie rock, punk, alternative, at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

Dead Meadow, Jennifer Gentle at 8:30 p.m. at Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. 

The Movement Spring 2005 Showcase at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $7 at the door.  

John Mackay Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Swingin’ Doors, The Shut-Ins, Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands, hulabilly, at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174.  

Hiromi, piano, at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200.  

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 

THEATER 

“Bright River” A hip-hop retelling of Dante’s Inferno, at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Tickets are $12-$35. 415-256-8499. www.inhousetickets.com 

FILM 

Cine Contemporaneo: “La Cienaga” at 7 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

Best of Banff Mountain Film Festival at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $12-$15 available at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

History of Cinema: “The Day I Became a Woman” at 3 p.m. and Marina Goldovskaya “Solvoky Power” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Polhemus talks about “Lot’s Daughters: Sex, Redemption, and a Woman’s Quest for Authority” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Alice Carey reads from her memoir “I’ll Know It When I See It: A Daughter’s Search for a Home in Ireland” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. 

Café Poetry with Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Janet Stickman introduces “Crushing Soft Rubies” at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. www.belladonna.ws 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Ting Chin, cello, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean on the Rosales Organ at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555.  

Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $28-$48. 642-9988.  

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Bernard Anderson and the Old School Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson with Nick & Shanna at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Los Rumberos, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Enion Pelta and Jamie Stillway Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babatunde Lea with Steve Turre at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 

EXHIBTITIONS 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Best of Banff Mountain Film Festival at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $12-$15 available at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Marina Goldovskaya: “The Shattered Mirror” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Panoramic Hill’s Sierra Club Legacy” A lecture on the architecture and environs of this Berkeley neighborhood at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Tickets are $10, available from Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

“Learning History from Sheet Music” with Mary Kay Duggan, UC Dept. of Music, at 1 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Charles Wilkinson discusses “Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Sonja Franeta reads from her new book, “Pink Flamingoes: Ten Siberian Interviews” at 7:30 p.m. in the Forum building at Laney College, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. 464-3156.  

Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards read from “Grassroots: A Field Guide to Feminist Activism” at 7 p.m. at Changemakers, 6536 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. RSVP to 655-2405.  

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Garrett Murphy and Mark States at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Vincent Spaulding, solo guitar, at 12:15 p.m. at the Art and Music Room, Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

The Movement Spring 2005 Showcase at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Tickets are $7 at the door.  

Natural Vibrations, Hawaiian reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

South Austin Jug Band at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Hyim & The Fat Foakland Orchestra at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Bart Davenport, Pillows, Beam at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

Anton Schwartz & Art Hirahara at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

John Pizzarelli at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, APRIL 15 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “Working,” inspired by Studs Terkel, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Through May 7. Tickets are $13-$15. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Albany High School Theater “Wit” and “Benefactor” Thurs. at 7 p.m., Fri. at 8 p.m. and Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m. through April 16, at Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd., Albany. Tickets are $5-$10. 558-2500, ext. 2579.  

Aurora Theatre, “Blue/Orange” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m., 2081 Addison St. through May 15. Tickets are $28-$45. 843-4822. www.aurora.theatre.org 

BareStage Productions “She Loves Me!” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through April 24 at Choral Rehearsal Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. http://tickets.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “For Better or Worse” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. and runs through April 24. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “The People’s Temple” opens at the Roda Theater and runs through May 29. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Black Repertory Group “Bubbling Brown Sugar” the musical Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2:30 and 8 p.m. to May 14 at 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $7-$15. 652-2120.   

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 21. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Laney College Theater, “Legacy for LoEshe” in memory of a girl slain in West Oakland, Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m., through April 21, at 900 Fallon St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$9. 464-3544. 

“Proof” by David Auburn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through May 7 at The Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $13. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“La Causa” Photographs of the Farmworkers’ Movement at The Free Speech Movement Cafe, Moffitt Library, UC Campus, through Oct. 482-3336. 

“A Bahl Beemsh” featuring the art of seven artists working from ceramic sculpture to oil portraiture. Reception at 7:30 p.m. at Boontling Gallery, 4224 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. boontlinggallery@hotmail.com 

Native American Jeweler Ken Romero, at 7 p.m. at Gathering Tribes Gallery, 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038. 

FILM 

Marina Goldovskaya: “Lucky to be Born in Russia” at 7:30 p.m. and “The House on Arbat Street” at 9:15 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Friends of African Film meets at 7:30 p.m. at 464 Van Buren, next to the Resurrection Lutheran Church, Oakland. Parking in Church parking lot. Donation requested. FOAF@bigfoot.com. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High Jazz Lab Band at 7 p.m. at Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Berkeley High School. 

Rafael Manriquez, Chilean singer and guitarist, at 7:30 p.m. at at the Fellowship Café, Cedar & Bonita Sts. Donation $5-$10. 841-4824. 

University Dance Theater 2005, with new works by Carol Murota, Lisa Wymore and Ellis Wood, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$14. 642-9925. http://theater.berkeley.edu 

Aphrodesia and Otis Goodnight, Afro-beat, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Voco and the Toids, folksinging and Balkan music, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donations $10-$20. 701-1787 www.hillsideclub.org/concerts  

Lua at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Anger/Marshall Duo & Vasen at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Solari, Thriving Ivory, Keith Varon rock, at 9:30 at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

So Funny I Forgot to Laugh at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Rhonda Benin Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Kirk Keeler, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Joe Gilman Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Lae with Ranch Hound Brown, funk, hip hop, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Slydini at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Bananas, Onion Flavored Rings, Ashtray 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. 

Kenny Washington at 7 p.m. at Maxwell’s, 341 13th St., Oakland. 839-6169. 

John Pizzarelli at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 16 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Gayle Schmidt & the Toodala Ramblers at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Elissa Haden-Guest, creator of the Walter and Iris series, will read from and discuss her books at noon, at the Cal Student Store. 642-9000, ext. 661. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Sculpture by Bruce Beasley: A 45-Year Retrospective” opens at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

THEATER 

Kathakali Classical Dance Drama from South India at 6 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1781 Rose. Tickets are $12-$25. 925-784-6718. www.kathakalibythebay.com  

FILM 

Crying in Color: Some Came Running” at 12:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Reza Aslan describes “No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com  

“Sculpture by Bruce Beasley: A 45-Year Retrospective” A slide lecture by the sculptor at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Harvey Helfand, author of “Campus Guide, UC-Berkeley” will discuss the history and traditions of the University at 2 p.m., at the Cal Student Store, 642-9000, ext. 661. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Trinity Chamber Concert “Solstice” at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Cost is $8-$12. 549-3864. http://trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Festival of Cultures with international dance, music, theater from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at International house, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Admission $3-$6. Children under 18 free. 642-9461. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu 

Il Giardino Armonico at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Holy Names University, “Opera Scenes” at 8 p.m. at Regents Theater, Valley Center for the Performing Arts, 3500 Mountain Blvd, Oakland. Tickets are $7-$10. 436-1330. www.hnu.edu/academics/MusicEvents.html 

Samba Ngo in a benefit for Doctors Without Borders at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$25, sliding scale. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jackeline Rago and the Venezuelan Music Project with La Familia at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Val Esway’s Acoustic Onslaught Series at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Hip Hop Awakening at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

The Ravines at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Sarah Manning Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Anger/Marshall Duo & Vasen at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Drunken Spacemen, Bad Habitz, Abominable Flowmen, rap, hip hop, at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Michael Manring, an evening of extreme bass, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com  

Spark, CD release party, at 8:30 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento. Tickets are $10-$15 from www.eileenhazel.com 

Tarbox Ramblers, The Cowlicks at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Meli at 7 and 9 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $5. 597-0795. 

Marcus Shelby Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Eileen Hazel at 8:30 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Cost is $10-$15. www.belladonna.ws 

Second Coming, All Bets Off, Doomsday Device at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926.ª


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. 

There are some public plantings of Fremontodendron californicum, F. mexicanum, or flannelbush, around: one by the tennis courts at Martin Luther King and Russell, one in Oakland, along the green stretch of 51st Street between Telegraph Avenue and Broadway. They also peek over fences from people’s gardens; I know a few right in my neighborhood, at Sacramento Street near Dwight Way, on Allston Way west of Sacramento—and that monster, hidden from public view in our friends’ back yard, except for the lucky residents of the apartment house next door. 

This shrub is best known for its flowers—big surprise—but its genus name is a matter of interest too. Like that city to our south, it’s named for John C. Fremont, aka “The Pathfinder,” the 19th-century explorer and promo genius who had a prominent role in the Bear Flag Rising. That event is one of the more comical in California’s history, and left us with a few souvenirs including our state flag, the original of which bears a critter that looks more like an agouti. As we currently have no more grizzlies in the state than we have agoutis—and all of either species must be in zoos—perhaps a revision of emblem, flag, or name would be in order. 

We could fly a flannelbush flag; what would be homier? And there’s even a “Don’t Tread On Me” note to it: The plant’s endearingly furry leaves aren’t meant for stroking, as the fuzz can irritate skin. If you plant one, keep it away from paths—it’s tall enough for a good backdrop plant. 

Certainly the University ought to be emulating Cambridge and adding a home touch by planting blue ceanothus and gold flannelbush together at every opportunity. As both are famously drought-tolerant, it would be water-thrifty, and the pair are spectacular together. 

Fremont’s fate was as oddly hobbled as Prince Charles’ love life. Bernard de Voto wrote of him: “God and events were against Fremont. He tried to be a great man, but something always happened.” 

Fremont apparently found the type specimen of flannelbush in Spring of 1846, somewhere north of Sutter’s Fort. This bit of plant survived to make it to the then-brand-new Smithsonian, unlike the bales of specimens that went over a precipice with the mule carrying them in the Sierra, or the ones lost in a flood on the Kansas River, or the others lost in what the publisher of his discoveries, John Torrey, called “the numerous and unavoidable mishaps of such a hazardous journey.” 

The genus itself is a northward extension of a mostly tropical family, Sterculiaciae, the same family that gives us the kola nut in Coke and Pepsi. Flannelbush has more benefits, aside from its beauty, to ants, moths and bees than directly to us. Its flower buds support at least three moth species in one location studied—Pine Hill—and give bees a homing signal with ultraviolet-colored nectar. Bees can see ultraviolet, and a flower that still has nectar is a multicolored beacon to them. 

It feeds native ants (which are lately imperiled by invasive Argentine ants, the ones most likely in your kitchen) by growing a food structure called an eliasome on each seed. Ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the nutritious eliasomes, and handily distribute and plant the seeds. In a working ecosystem, everybody pays their way. 

Most of the ones in nurseries are varieties of F. mexicanum, from southern California; F. californicum and several varieties (one is even prostrate) are more easily found at native plant sales and more specialized nurseries. 

You can get a Fremontodendron of your own at the Tilden Botanic Garden’s annual sale on Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the garden—and have a stroll around the grounds some time before that, to get a taste of our home plants. See www.nativeplants.org for a map and directions. 

ª


Berkeley This Week

Staff
Tuesday April 12, 2005

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7 a.m. at the end of Rifle Range Road, in Wildcat Canyon to look for birds of the woods and willows. 525-2233. 

Bird Walk along the Martin Luther King Shoreline to see marsh birds at 3:30 p.m. for information call 525-2233. 

“Wanderlust of a Sierra Rock Climber” a slide presentation with Heidi Pesterfield of Alpine Skills International at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $85-$100. 527-4140. 

“The Art of Music” Berkeley Symphony Orchestra’s Spring Gala at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Tickets are $250. For information call 841-2800. 

“The New Americans” Episode 1, at 7 p.m. at Albany High School, 603 Key Route Blvd. in Albany. Sponsored by Embracing Diversity Films and Albany High School PTA. 

“Islam, Religious Pluralism, and Interreligious Dialogue” with Imam Warith Deen Mohammad at 5:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Free but reservations requested. Reception to follow. 649-2426. 

“Good People in an Evil Time” with Dr. Svetlana Borz, granddaughter of the former Yugoslavia’s Marshall Tito at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, 2304 McKinley Ave. www.ahimsaberkeley.org  

Water Resources Center Lecture “The Influence of ENSO Phase on Floods & Sediment Transport in California Coastal Streams” with Edmund Andrews of U.S. Geological Survey at 5:30 p.m. in 105 North Gate Hall, UC Campus. 642-2666. 

“Supermarket Savvy: Shopping for a Healthier Planet” at 7 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

Introductory Buddhist Meditation Class at 7 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, in Berkeley. Suggested donation $7-$10. For directions call 559-8183. www.kadampas.org 

An Evening with Rabbi Steven Greenberg at 7 p.m. at Badé Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8206. www.clgs.org 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Sing-A-Long every Tues. from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic. All ages welcome. 524-9122. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Blood pressure screening at 10:30 a.m. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 

AIDS Town Hall Meeting to discuss the future of care, treatment and prevention, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Oakland Marriott CIty Center, 1001 Broadway. Sponsored by the American Foundation for AIDS Research. www.amfar.org 

“The Blunt Truth About the Drug War and Racial Justice” with the Berkeley ACLU Drug Policy and Racial Justice divisions at 6:15 p.m. at FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus. fsm-info@library.berkeley.edu 

“Unprecedented” and “Votergate” two documentaries at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. 393-5685. 

ACTransit Public Meeting on proposed expansion and changes to Transbay Bus Service at 7:30 p.m. at the North Berkley Senior Center. 891-4854. www.actransit.org 

Introduction to Judaism with Sarah Gershman, at 7:30 p.m., April 13, 20 and May 4, at the BRJCC. Cost is $40. 848-0237. 

New Jewish Literature with Laura Bernell at 11:30 a.m. at BRJCC. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

AARP Free Tax Assistance for taxpayers with middle and low incomes, with special attention to those 60 years and older. From 12:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. This service will continue through April. Appointments must be made in advance. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets at 7:15 a.m. at Au Cocolait, 200 University Ave. at Milvia. For information call Robert Flammia 524-3765. 

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Seevak at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

“Know Thyself…and the World You Live In” a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. at New Acropolis Cultural Center, 1700 Dwight Way. Call to register 665-3740. www.acropolis.org 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Sing-Along every Wed. at 4:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Camp Gan Israel Information Night at 8 p.m. at Chabad of the East Bay, 2643 College Ave. 540-5824. 

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 

“Panoramic Hill’s Sierra Club Legacy” at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Cost is $10, available from Berkeley Architectural Heritage at 841-2241. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

No War Tax Day Event A desert potluck at 7 p.m. and granting of resisted tax dollars at 7:30 p.m. at 2220 Sacramento St. 843-9877. www.nowartax.org 

Older People United A discussion group for elders over 75 at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. 

Ocean View Neighbors Meeting with Mayor Bates and representatives from Pacific Steel and the Air Quality Resources Board at 7 p.m. at James Kenney Park, 1720 Eighth St., between Virginia and Delaware. 981-7100. 

“The Commercialization of Childhood” with Allen D. Kanner, Ph.D. at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley High Library. Sponsored by the Berkeley High PTSA. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Skills Fair with demonstrations of casting, fly tying, knots and insect identification at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave. in Kensington. 547-8629. 

“French Anti-Semitism” with journalist Marie Brenner at 5:30 p.m. with dinner. Cost is $75 plus donation to the Jewish Community Federation. For reservations see www.jfed.org/choices2005 

“Driving & Aging” panel discussion at 4 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. 558-7800. 

“To Dust You Will Return” Jewish Perspecties on Dying, Death and an Afterlife with Rachel Brodie at 7:30 p.m. at BRJCC. Cost is $5-$8. 848-0237. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 15 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Sidra Stich, “Enhancing Italian Art Appreication” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020.  

Five Star Night Fundraiser for Alameda County Meals at 6:30 p.m. at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland Tickets are $250 available from 577-3581. www.feedingseniors.org 

“Violence in the Americas” conference, Fri. and Sat. at Stephens Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

World Space Summit and Party for Yuri’s Night at 6 p.m. at the Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$75. www.chabotspace.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 16 

Regional Parks Botanic Garden Annual Native Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring cardboard boxes to carry your purchases. Refreshments will be available. Located at Tilden Regional Park at intersection of Wildcat Canyon and South Park Drive. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org. 

Annual California Wildflower Show, Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

41st Annual Iris Show and Sale from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Sponsored by the Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society. 277-4200. 

Compost Critters Learn which animals do the dirty work of turning leftovers into rich soil. For ages 5 and up at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Kids Garden Club For children 7-12 years old to explore the world of gardening. We plant, harvest, build, make crafts, cook and get dirty! From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

Learn to Grow Your Own Food from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UC Berkeley Organic Garden, Walnut and Virginia. Cost is $10-$15. To register call 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Spring Blooming Perennials with Aerin Moore at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of the Glass Block Buildings of West Berkeley led by Bill Goodell, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/ 

Russian Festival from noon to 6 p.m. at 1821 Catalina Ave., corner of Colusa. Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Berkeley Russian School. 526-8892. 

Community Budget Workshop with City staff on the two-year City budget cycle which begins July 1, at 10 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Co-sponsred by the League of Women Voters. 981-7004.  

Historical and Botanical Tour of Chapel of the Chimes, a Julia Morgan landmark, at 10 a.m. at 4499 Piedmont Ave. at Pleasant Valley. Reservations required 228-3207.  

Astronomy Day with activities from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $9-$13. 336-7373. www.chabotspace.org 

Museum Exhibition Catalog Sale at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

California Writers Club with Beth Proudfoot, Director, East of Eden Writers Conference, speaking on "Making the Most of Writers Conferences and Literary Contests” at 10 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square. www.berkeleywritersclub.org 

East Bay Atheists meets from 2 to 5 p.m. with Richard Carrier, on “Ethicology: Proposing a New Science of Moral Imperatives” at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., 3rd floor Meeting Room. 222-7580. eastbayatheists.org 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class in Basic Personal Preparedness from 9 to 11 a.m. at 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. To sign up call 981-5605. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

fire/oes.html 

“Chain Breakin” Workshops in Capoeira and Maculelê from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. Cost is $12-$25. Hosted by BAKA Cultural Arts Center. 205-1799. 

Festival of Cultures with international dance, music, theater from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at International house, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Admission $3-$6. Children under 18 free. 642-9461. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu 

By the Light of the Moon Open mic and salon for women at 7:30 p.m. at Changemakers, 6536 Telegraph Ave. Sliding scale $3-$7. 482-1315. www. 

changemakersforwomen.com  

California College of Arts Spring Fair with ceramics, glass, jewelry, clothing, textiles, paintings and more. Proceeds go to individual artists. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5212 Broadway at College Ave. 594-3666. 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Sproul Conference Room, 1st Floor, 2727 College Ave. www.berkeleycna.com  

Sistaz N Motion Membership Drive and Mixer at noon at the Richmond Public Library, Community Room, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. 925-439-1612. 

Brown Bag Lunch Practicum for Writers at 11 a.m. Sat. and Sun. in Berkeley. For details call the Creative Project Institute 415-816-5640. www.creativeprojectinstitute.com 

Remodeling Workshop for Homeowners from 9 a.m. to noon at Truitt and White Conference Center, 1817 2nd St. Cost is $25-$30. Registration reaquired. 558-8030. 

“Lights, Camera Fashion” Charity fashion show by UC students at 4 and 8 p.m. in the Pauley Ballroom, UC Campus. Tickets are $5-$10 from http://fashion.berkeley.edu 

Quit Smoking Class from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for six Saturdays at Alta Bates Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave., first floor auditorium. To register call 981-5330. quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Exploring the Awakening World” personal coaching with Leza Danly from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Claremont, 41 Tunnel Rd. Cost is $5-$15. www.sfcoaches.com 

“Destination Studies: Nevada, So. CA, Arizona” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Vista Community College. 2020 Milvia St. Cost is $13. RSVP to 981-2931. 

“How to Buy a Home in This Crazy Market” from 10 a.m. to noon at First American Title, 2089 Rose, near Shattuck. to RSVP call 981-3063. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 17 

Annual California Wildflower Show noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Activities for children and families. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

41st Annual Iris Show and Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Sponsored by the Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society. 277-4200. 

Spring Wildflower Hike Meet at 10 a.m. at the bulletin board at the Big Springs pullout on South Park Drive, Tilden Park. We’ll learn to recognize the eight major families of California wildflowers on this hike. Wear sturdy shoes for a rocky trail. 525-2233. 

The Pond is a Nursery Learn aquatic entomology for the larval point of view, see dragonfly babies, phantom midges and learn their history and future at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Huckleberry-Sibley Scramble in the Oakland Hills with Greenbelt Alliance. Reservations required. 415-255-3233. www.greenbelt.org 

A Child’s Container Garden a family workshop from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $14-$18. Registration required. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at the Willard Community Peace Labyrinth on blacktop next to the gardens at Willard Middle School. Enter by the dirt road on Derby. Free and wheelchair accessible. Sponsored by the East Bay Labyrinth Project. 526-7377. 

Earth Day at the Oakland Zoo Learn how to support animals around the world with activities, performers, displays and more from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 632-9525, ext. 202. www.oaklandzoo.org 

Soap Making Workshop Learn the chemistry of soap as we use olive, coconut and palm oils to make natural soap. Bring a pair of rubber gloves. For ages 12 and up. Cost is $10-$12. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Hands-on Bicycle Clinic: Flat Repair at 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf Walkathon Fundraiser at 9 p.m. at the Moraga Commons Park, Moraga.Registration is $100. For information call 848-4800, ext. 318. www.ceid.org 

The Peace Alliance Foundation East Bay Kickoff for the US Dept. of Peace at 7 p.m. at the First Church of Religious Science, 5000 Clarewood Dr, off Broadway Terrace, Oakland. 547-1979. www.ThePeaceAlliance.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Joyful Mind” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., April 12, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., April 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/disability 

Homeless Commission meets Wed., April 13, 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. April 13, at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/library 

Planning Commission meets Wed., April 13, at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., April 13 at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/policereview 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., April 13, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti, 644-6376 ext. 224. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/waterfront 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs, April 14, at 6:45 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.ber 

keley.ca.us/commissions/health 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., April 14, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., April 14, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/zoningª


Taggers Stage Costly Raids On Telegraph,College Avenue By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 08, 2005

Graffiti vandals armed with glass-etching acid struck hundreds of windows along College and Telegraph avenues on two consecutive nights this past week, inflicting hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. 

“They went at least 20 blocks along College, w ell into Oakland,” said John Moriarty, president of the College Avenue Merchants Association. “It was wanton destruction.” 

“It’s really a horrible instance of vandalism,” said Karoline de Martini, president of the Telegraph Avenue Association. “It’s awfu l, and it’s not funny in any way.” 

The taggers also used paint along both streets. 

The vandals appear to be the same gang who have left a photographic record of their earlier works on the Internet at haywardgraffiti.com. The signature “Bely” that appear s in the Berkeley attacks is present on many of the website photos. 

Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies said the were reports of “60 to 70 cases of vandalism involving etching” during the two-day spree now under investigation by the Property C rimes detail. 

“The investigation is being coordinated with the patrol officers, and we have notified local merchants in hopes they can take steps to prevent further incidents,” he said. 

Okies declined to provide further specifics, “because it could jeop ardize our ability to put together a successful case and prosecution,” he said. “We are doing everything we can to make arrests and we are coordinating with other agencies.” 

City Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Gordon Wozniak both said that they had been told that two suspects had been arrested very early Wednesday morning, but Okies said no suspects had been arrested in the acid-etching incidents. 

“There’s a lot of frustration on the part of business owners, because this is going to cost them a lo t,” Worthington said. “Very few people have insurance on their windows, because it’s very expensive—about half the cost of the windows themselves.” 

Wozniak said he had heard that two suspects were arrested on Durant Avenue about 4 a.m. Wednesday with spr ay paint. 

Damage estimates were hard to come by Thursday. Moriarty said that costs to owners along College Avenue in the Elmwood district were going to be steep. “It’s going to be in the tens of thousands at the very least,” he said. 

Another merchant wh o asked not to be quoted by name said police had estimated that the combined costs could be high as a million dollars. 

While police had told the councilmembers and several merchants about the connection to the Hayward website, Okies declined to comment on the matter. Both councilmembers said they were told by police that the department was seeking stay-away orders against suspects. 

Graffiti vandalism is a recurring problem in Berkeley, and Worthington said he has asked police to do targeted enforcement along Telegraph Avenue. 

The vandals hit two buildings owned by Rasputin Music owner Kenneth Sarachan, the music store at 2403 Telegraph and the glass-fronted Bear Basics building at southwest corner of Telegraph and Durant avenues. 

Sarachan said he carr ied no insurance on his windows. He said replacement of the twelve-foot-high curved glass windows at the front of his building would cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace. “They’re made in Montreal,” he said. 

The Telegraph Avenue merchant was angr y at police. “If there was vandalism on College the night before, they should have been out in force the next night,” Sarachan said. “They could have caught them if they had.” 

Roland Peterson, executive director of the Telegraph Avenue Business Improveme nt District, counted 12 etched windows on the west side of Telegraph in just the one block stretch from Dwight Way to Haste Street, which he estimated would cost $15,000 to $20,000 to replace. 

“When the acid graffiti first appeared a few years ago, I con tacted a South Bay glass company that specializes in repairs, and they said that in every instance, buffing out the damage weakens the glass to where it becomes unsafe. We’re telling merchants to replace the glass,” he said. 

Tad Laird, owner of Bolfing’s Elmwood Hardware at 2951 College Ave., said a glass buffing specialist has been telling Elmwood merchants that he could safely buff their windows for about a fourth or less of the cost of replacement. 

“Even that is going to be hard for some of the struggling business,” he said. 

Laird said Elmwood merchants have had a hard time getting police to respond to tagging complaints. Usually they don’t come out at all, and when they do, they tell us ‘Well, that’s life in the big city,’” he said. “But right now there’s a cop car parked in front of the store waiting to tag cars turning left from Ashby. Of course that’s a revenue generator. But at least this time they actually came out and took photos.” 

Laird said that police told him they had arrested a pair of suspects early Wednesday. 

“I’d like to see the city take this more seriously and devote some of its computer expertise to documenting where and when the attacks happen and then grouping the incidents by their content and design,” he said. “Maybe that way they could predict when attacks might happen.” 

“We’ve been hit by graffiti before, but this is the first time they used acid,” said Oliver Wise, a supervisor at A.G. Ferrari Foods at 2905 College Ave. 

Laird said awnings were also hit, and he has repeat edly urged fellow merchants to eliminate the painted tags as soon as possible. “If they don’t, within days you’ll find two or three more at the same place,” he said. 

Police told several merchants that they suspect the same group of taggers hit businesses in Oakland a week ago. Multiple calls to the Oakland Police department went unanswered Thursday. 

Sarachan suggested that police recruit the homeless to keep watch for taggers. “They make pretty good undercover people,” he said. “I have a friend who’s homeless who has kept an eye on my businesses.”?e


Margaret Breland Dies at 69 By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

Margaret Breland, one of Berkeley’s toughest political fighters, has succumbed to her long struggle with cancer. She died in her sleep at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley Thursday morning. She was 69.  

Breland, who represented West Berkeley on the City Council from 1996 through 2004, had a reputation for fighting tooth and nail for programs to serve her district and for putting her faith first on a council that often resorted to partisan bickering. 

Breland batted breast cancer throughout her second term in office. For several months in 2003 and 2004 she called into council meetings from her home while recovering from surgery. Breland looked strong as she finished up her term last year, but her health quickly declined this year, her daughter Mary Breland said. 

Breland had been hospitalized at Alta Bates for the past three weeks due to complications from cancer, her daughter said. 

“Margaret was a strong, courageous woman,” said her pastor Rev. Marvis Peoples of the Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church. “She came from humble beginnings, the odds were against her, but she overcame all of that, and she was always a giving person.” 

Born in Beaumont, Tex. in 1935, Breland came to Berkeley as a young girl. The oldest of four children, to divorced parents, Breland was counted on to help her mother run the household. “She always had a lot of responsibility,” said her daughter. 

Breland graduated from Berkeley High School and worked 27 years as a licensed vocational nurse. She took early retirement in the late 1980s to care for her mother, who suffered from multiple strokes. 

Her first forays into public life came through her church work. As chairperson of Liberty Hill’s scholarship committee, Breland, who didn’t attend college, raised thousands of dollars every year to guarantee that every church member attending university received at least $1,000, according to Peoples. 

Breland also chaired the congregation’s Christian Social Concern Committee that kept the church informed on community issues. In one of her first forays on the city stage, she led a successful drive to install a traffic light at Ninth Street and University Avenue, where she said children going to and from Liberty Hill Church, located near the intersection, faced unsafe crossing conditions. 

Breland also chaired the city’s Human Welfare Action Committee and the West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation. Her friend Willie Philips remembers first meeting Breland when he accidentally walked in on a development corporation meeting, thinking it was the Peace and Justice Commission. “She signed me up for the commission on the spot,” Philips said. “You couldn’t tell her no.” 

After losing her first bid to for the City Council in 1994, she won office two years later, in an election that gave the more progressive side of the council a majority that they have not relinquished since.  

“Her election signified that the city had moved left,” said Mel Martynn, her former legislative aide. “It was really important to have a progressive force in West Berkeley and that is what she represented.” 

In her first term, Breland set out to garner funding for her district, which she believed the city had long neglected. She helped secure $500,000 for the West Campus Pool, $450,000 for facade improvements for San Pablo Avenue shops and $400,000 for the Over 60 Health Clinic in her district.  

“She got more money for her district in her first term than any councilmember I’ve seen,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. 

“She was a woman committed to her responsibility as a public servant,” said Chuck Robinson, who lived in Breland’s district. “Whenever we brought a need to her attention she always followed up.” 

Even while Breland was ailing, Martynn said she demanded daily briefings and made efforts to go to City Hall and give a voice to the concerns of her constituents. 

“She loved being a councilmember,” Mary Breland said. “She loved doing things for other people and making people’s lives a lot better.” 

Her faith was at the heart of her commitment to public service, Martynn said. “She took from it a Christian sense of helping people and caring for people,” he said. 

Rev. Peoples said, “She would seek faith to guide her in decisions and rely on her faith to guide her to do things she knew wouldn’t be popular.” 

Although Breland was a consistent progressive vote on the council, on some matters of fate she diverged from the Berkeley mainstream. Last year Breland was the only councilmember not to endorse a resolution supporting same sex marriage. 

Like her mother, Breland was divorced and raised her children on her own. “She always told us we could do whatever we wanted to and to always stand up for whatever we believed was right,” Mary Breland said. 

Breland is survived by three children, Mary, Rosetta and Alphonzo, three siblings, Robert Lee Parker Jr., Alvin Lee Parker and Yvette Ladd, nine grandchildren, Alphonzo Breland Jr., Nickalas Breland, Brandy McMurry, Frederick Hives II, Danielle Breland, Jonathan Breland, Franklin Crim, Reshenda Coleman-Smith and Renisha Coleman-Smith, three great grandchildren, Areyana Hay, Ke’Shawn Smith and Ke’Oni Smith and two sisters-in-law Classie Parker and Mary Parker. Her daughter Willa Mae Hives died in 1997 of a blood clot near her heart. No memorial services have yet been planned. 


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

Friday April 08, 2005

Berkeley teachers took their increasingly rancorous contract dispute back to the Berkeley Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, filling the Old City Hall Council chambers with union members and supporters chanting “Fair Contract Now!” 

Berkeley Federation of Teachers President Barry Fike admonished board directors to “put down that draconian contract proposal you are holding over your head and threatening to impose on us.” 

He said that BFT members “of course don’t want to strike, but if you leave us with no other choice we will certainly have to.” 

Several demonstrators balled up leaflets outlining the district contract position that had been laid out on the seats in the council chamber for the public, derisively tossing them into the center aisle toward the directors. 

Berkeley teachers and Berkeley Unified officials are in the midst of state-mediated contract talks, with teachers demanding compensation increases and the district insisting that such increases are not possible without harming educational programs. 

The next mediation session is scheduled for April 21.  

In biting remarks during Wednesday night’s public comment period, Cynthia Allman, a first-grade teacher at Malcolm X Elementary, compared the district administration and board members to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been under fire from teachers for cutting support to education. 

“To us, you look like Arnold,” Allman said. “You look like his local surrogates. Like him, you go after retirees. You attack our benefits. You minimize our value.” 

The two sides in the contract dispute sparred over how much—if any—district money is available for teacher raises in next year’s budget. Fike said that the district is expected to receive a 4 percent increase in state money next year. 

“How the board chooses to spend that 4 percent increase is at the heart of this dispute,” he said. Fike said that after district-identified expenses are deducted from this expected increase, “the district will still have roughly $2 million in new money. That’s money that can go to cost of living increases to teachers.” 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence agreed that the district will receive increased state money next year, but she said that “increased expenses will eat up those revenues overnight.” 

Lawrence added that a teacher pay raise is “well-deserved, but we have to look for alternative and creative ways to balance the budget while compensating our employees.” 

All six board directors commented on the union charges. 

Director Shirley Issel criticized the teachers for “staying outside and chanting while we’re being told the fiscal situation of the district. You don’t want to know the facts. We’re being portrayed as a bad guy in a movie, but there aren’t any bad guys here. It’s just a bad situation.” 

Director Joaquin Rivera said that fiscal responsibility had to come first, before any possible raises. 

“We’re on the brink of being taken over by the state if we don’t balance the budget,” he said. “One of my top priorities is to make sure this district doesn’t go bankrupt.” 

And calling comparisons of the board and superintendent to Schwarzenegger “deplorable,” Lawrence told teachers that “if you don’t believe the district’s budget figures, look at the reports of our auditor, or the state controller’s office, or [the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team], or the county office of education. Cuts are inevitable, whether or not we give compensation increases. It can’t be ‘don’t cut here, and give us this.’” 

Most of the union demonstrators left the meeting before the board directors’ and superintendent’s remarks. 

Berkeley PTA Council President Roia Ferrazares told meeting participants she was “urging both sides to please come to a conclusion because the children are suffering. A strike would be very bad for this district.” 

Earlier, some 250 teachers and their supporters rallied in front of Old City Hall, carrying banners reading “We Support Our Teachers,” “Hands Off Our Health Care,” and “Give Us Our Fair Chair.” To the sounds of drivers passing by on Martin Luther King Jr. Way honking their horns in solidarity, demonstrators spoke in support of the ongoing teacher “work to rule” action which has ended homework and paralyzed after-school activities in some schools. 

Willard sixth grade teacher Sharon Arthur told the crowd, “I love my job and I love to do it, but I refuse to be trampled on by my district and by my state.” 

While teachers used Wednesday’s meeting to rally support for raises, the district administration spent the time highlighting BUSD’s ongoing financial challenges. After submitting a budget ruled “positive” by the county education office for the first time in several years, BUSD quickly slipped back to a “qualified” status in its first interim budget report this year after expected state revenue did not come through. A “qualified” status means that while the budget is balanced this year, a deficit has been projected for the following years. 

At Board President Nancy Riddle’s request, Alameda County School Superintendent Sheila Jordan and Associate Superintendent Carlene Naylor spoke on BUSD’s budget situation in light of tightening state fiscal reporting requirements. 

BUSD “definitely has a deficit spending pattern that needs to be addressed,” Naylor said. She added that while Berkeley has been operating for the past year under state law that relaxed the reserve requirement, “you must restore your reserve to 3 percent when you submit your budget for 2005-06.” 

And in a notice that the district needs to be careful in its contract negotiations, Jordan said that last year’s school administration law AB2756 “compels the county office to enter the situation earlier to ensure any significant revenue expenditure called for in a new contract can be afforded.” 

Board members also considered the superintendent’s proposed list of budget cuts for the 2005-06 budget, approving further study without committing themselves one way or the other. Included in the proposed list was reduction in the high school athletic program, closing the Community Theater to outside use while a year-long financial study is done, expanding the walk-to-school zone beyond its present one mile, and reducing the number of high school campus security officers and classroom instructional assistants. 

Lawrence called all of the proposed cuts “intolerable,” and Board Vice President Terry Doran said he wanted to “caution the public that these are just suggestions. Nothing has been decided. We just want staff to cost these things out to see if any of them are cost effective.”›


Thai Temple Doesn’t Hesitate to Tear Down Garden By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

For urban gardeners and several neighbors of the Thai Buddhist Temple, it was the Berkeley chainsaw massacre. For the temple it was a new beginning.  

And for the few who bore witness last month to more than a half-dozen Buddhist monks, dressed in saffron robes and sandals, chopping down trees and otherwise leveling what for 17 years was the South Berkeley Community Garden, it was almost surreal. 

“It was beautiful in that it was so incongruous. The combination of saffron robes and the chainsaws,” said Adam Broner of the Berkeley Tool Lending Library, which abuts the former garden. 

“It freaked me out,” said one neighbor on an adjoining property, who declined to give his name. 

Last year, the temple bought the 11,000-square-foot L-shaped lot at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Oregon Street for approximately $500,000 from the trust of Weston Havens, the last of an old Berkeley moneyed family. 

The temple intends to plant new trees, said Head Monk Manat Suk. 

“We will try to do a new landscape so everything will be nice and new,” he said, adding that he planned to consult a landscape architect. He did not say why the temple was unsatisfied with the previous landscaping. 

Gardeners said temple leaders graciously gave them plenty of time to take what they could from the plot, but were shocked by how quickly after the temple’s March 1 deadline for their departure that the monks arrived with their chainsaws. 

“They gave the impression that they would have a minimum impact on the garden,” said Daniel Miller, executive director of Spiral Gardens, which had run the plot. Miller said gardeners were broken hearted at seeing the once lush plot reduced to dirt and tree stumps. 

“It’s not about whether they had the legal right to do it, it’s about the fundamental understanding of what was there,” said Lisa Stephens, a Spiral Gardens volunteer. 

Where last month 13 fruit trees and four coastal live oaks once stood, just one oak remains, Miller said. Chainsawing the oak trees remains a bone of contention since city law prohibits the removal of healthy oaks whose trunks are greater than one foot in diameter. Miller said two of the fallen trees were around the size where the prohibition would take effect. 

Head Monk Suk said temple leaders had not decided what to ultimately build on the plot, which sits just behind its sanctuary on Russell Street. Neighbors and gardeners said that they have gotten conflicting reports about what might become of the lot, including reports that it will be a site for a dormitory for monks, a second temple, a garden, and a parking lot for worshippers and patrons of the temple’s Sunday brunch. 

Neighbors, meanwhile, have contacted city offices to complain about the clear cutting. 

“We’re all shocked and appalled,” said Rosemary Vimont, who lives beside the plot and contacted the city’s forestry office about the fallen oak trees. “It has really made us antagonistic towards the Buddhists.”  

Vimont, a supporter of the last November’s failed tree initiative, said she now has more reason to lament its defeat. 

“If that was law, they would have had to have asked permission before they cut down those trees,” she said.n


Staff Charges Library Dumped Too Many Books By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

Several Berkeley library employees contend that a stepped-up effort to thin the library’s collection in the past year has been so rushed that valuable books were carted off in dumpsters. 

“There was pressure to do it quickly,” said Anne-Marie Miller, a 34-year library veteran, who added that management had a stronger than normal role in going through the collection. “In all my years working there I had never seen a book weeding project done that way.” 

Book weeding is a continuous process to keep collections current and relevant. In Berkeley, library officials said there had been minimal weeding in recent years since the central library returned to its larger main building in 2002. However, this past year has been an opportune time to eliminate outdated and unwanted books because the library has had to remove every volume from its shelves to tag them with palm-sized radio antennas, which this July is scheduled to replace bar codes as the library’s book tracking system. 

According to librarians, unlike past rounds of weeding when librarians scoured shelfs looking for damaged or irrelevant books, the latest round forced librarians to make quick decisions on truckloads of books that staff members responsible for tagging books with the radio devices pulled aside for being in bad condition.  

Andrea Segall, a librarian in the art and music department, said she was overwhelmed with trucks of books to consider removing from the collection, which she said didn’t give her enough time to properly inspect them. 

“I couldn’t leave truckloads lying around,” she said. “I had to make snap decisions. It was much too hasty a process.” 

The radio devices and a reorganization plan that includes staff layoffs have sapped morale at the library and contributed to a growing labor-management divide that Library Director Jackie Griffin thinks might be behind the criticisms over weeding. 

“Some people at this point are trying to create negative feelings about library management in any way they can,” she said. 

Several of the library staff interviewed said although there wasn’t a quota they felt pressure to remove more books from the collection this year than in past years. One of their most pressing concerns, they said, was the condition of the social science collection, which faced the most severe reductions.  

But Francisca Goldsmith, the library’s collection manager, countered that librarians have had amble time to thin out their sections, faced no pressure to remove more books than usual, and that the final tallies showed minimum upheaval to the library’s roughly 500,000 volume collection. 

Over the past year the library removed about 2 percent of its collection and about 4 percent of its social science collection, she said. About one-third of those books have been replaced, she added. While the final tally this year shows more book removals than in recent years, Goldsmith said it is less than the 8 to 10 percent the library averaged ten years ago. 

Goldsmith said she expected the library’s collection, despite the recent weeding would remain consistent at around 500,000 volumes and that the library had the capacity to add more volumes. 

For Patrick Regan, a library aide, his concerns about book weeding and management are interconnected. “It’s a big deal to people like me who think the people in charge are making so many bad decision so why should they be trusted with weeding,” he said. 

Regan said he has taken six undamaged books off the weeding pile, including a book about anarchist Emma Goldman and books by children’s author Daniel Pinkwater. “It bugged me to see his books there, because he’s great.” 

Regan said there is a perception among library employees that aggressive weeding may be motivated by the library wanting to save money on radio tags that cost around 50 cents apiece. Library management said that was not the case. 

Book weeding has sparked controversies at other libraries. In 1996, the San Francisco Public Library set off a firestorm when it moved into its new building with fewer books than it had previously. The issue is at the core of a larger debate over the mission of public libraries. 

Alan Bern, a reference and teen librarian at the Berkeley Library, said he saw nothing wrong with the recent weeding process, and said he favors the practice. 

“It’s not our mission to give people anything and everything,” Bern said. “That is the job of a research library. We have to balance the needs of the community and what they want to read.” 

The weeding practice mostly targets books that are either out of date or so worn that they are no longer of value. Moldy books are instantly removed, Goldsmith said, because mold spores could spread throughout the shelf.  

Older reference books must also be removed because they may contain information that is no longer relevant or factual, Goldsmith said. She added that the social science section, which lost the greatest number of books, is home to numerous reference guides like Nolo Press, a self-help guide to the law, and investment manuals, that all needed to be updated.  

“An investment guide from the 1980s isn’t going to be helpful because the market has changed considerably,” she said. 

Goldsmith added that weeded books are typically recycled because Friends of the Library rejects rejects them for sale in their store because the books are either out of date or in no condition to be sold. Typically the store accepts extra copies of former best sellers that no longer have widespread appeal. 

Goldsmith also said library management started pressing librarians to pay more attention to weeding last January—eight months before the library started removing books from the shelf to tag with radio devices. 

“This process was not more hurried,” she said. 

Goldsmith added that the Children’s Department, for example, weed books consistently so they could proceed more slowly. Other departments, she said, hadn’t weeded books in the three years so they had one year to do three years worth of work. 

Library protocols, she said, call for a team of two to three librarians to go through shelves and discuss which books should be removed. Their selections are then passed through managers for final approval. 

Library rules call for each librarian to spend one hour a week weeding and three hours a week selecting new books. Librarians interviewed said the recent urgency of installing the radio devices and chronic staff shortages have made it difficult to adhere to all of their tasks.  

Reference Librarian Jane Scantlebury said, “We’re so understaffed now that none of us is doing our job particularly well.”


Firefighters Fired Upon by Pellet Gun While on Drayage Patrol By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

Firefighters withdrew from their round-the-clock watch outside the Drayage warehouse Tuesday evening, one day after being fired upon from the warehouse by a pellet gun. 

The complex at Third and Addison streets is the scene of a dispute between about two dozen residents, many of which are artisans, who want to remain and city officials who have ordered them to vacate by April 15. 

On April 1, Deputy Fire Chief David Orth dispatched the fire company to watch over the West Berkeley live/work complex, which he had declared “an extreme fire hazard.” 

“The owner of the building didn’t want the fire company there, and now for the safety impact on my people, I don’t want them their either,” Orth said. 

No one was injured from the single shot fired, but Orth said the incident was enough to pull out the fire company. “A pellet can break the skin, it can destroy an eye and it can be deadly,” he said. 

Orth added that police believed they knew which resident fired the shot, but did not have enough evidence to make an arrest. 

Instead of the fire company, Orth has ordered the building owner, Lawrence White, to post two security guards with fire suppression training inside the Drayage. Orth said the new measure would cost White less than the fire company, for which the city had been billing him more than $5,000 a day. 

White called the pellet gun incident “unfortunate” and said he didn’t know how much money he would save by the fire company’s departure. 

The shooting didn’t reflect the attitude of most Drayage residents, said Maresa Danielsen, who nevertheless said she didn’t understand why they were stationed outside her home. 

“Having the truck just across the street was unnecessary considering the fire station is just five or six blocks away,” she said. “They seemed bored too.”  

Danielsen said tenants were continuing to work with the Northern California Land Trust to possibly buy the warehouse and with politicians to give them more time to get the building up to code. The issue is expected to be debated at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.›


County Worker Surrenders In Rose Garden Slasher Case By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

The Alameda County mental health worker who was accompanying a 16-year-old girl at the time the teen slashed the throat of a Berkeley woman last month was arraigned and charged as an accessory to the attack Thursday, Berkeley police said.  

According to the district attorney’s office, Hamaseh Kianfar, 30, gave surrendered herself to Oakland Police Wednesday and was released on $15,000 bail. Kianfar, who works in the guidance center at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, was walking with the 16-year-old outside the Rose Garden at the time of the attack. 

The victim, a 75-year-old Berkeley woman, did not suffer life-threatening injuries. 

After the slashing, police say, Kianfar and the girl left the woman bleeding on the ground and fled in a BMW M3. Kianfar did not contact police about the incident and later issued an initial statement claiming to be a passerby, Assistant District Attorney Wendell Jackson has confirmed. 

Kianfar was placed on paid administrative leave two weeks ago after county officials learned she was under investigation in the attack. 

The 16-year-old remains in custody at Juvenile Hall awaiting the results of a psychiatric exam. 


Creeks Task Force Asks for $100,000 to Begin Work By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

The Creeks Task Force unanimously approved a work plan Monday asking the city for $100,000 as it begins work to recommend a new creeks ordinance. 

Berkeley’s current creek law has been criticized both by creek advocates, who don’t think it offers enough protections to creek watersheds, and homeowners who argue that it unfairly infringes on property rights. 

The present law forbids the construction of roofed structures within 30 feet of an above or below ground creek that runs along its natural course.  

Initially, the task force had considered asking the City Council for $200,000 for consultant to study creek conditions, but several task force members feared the council, struggling with an $8.9 million budget shortfall, would deny the request. The task force plan is scheduled for review by the Planning Commission on Wednesday and then will go to the council. 

At the request of Planning Director Dan Marks, who said city brass opposed hiring more staff, the task force dropped a suggestion to use $100,000 to hire a Creeks Coordinator to gather data and implement the new law. 

The work plan calls for the task force to begin by determining which waterways will be regulated as creeks, how far new construction should be set aside from the waterways, and what type of structures should be permitted. After a consensus is reached on those issues, the task force will consider opportunities for unearthing creeks that have been driven underground in concrete culverts and establishing policies to manage creek watersheds. 

“It’s a working plan, not a recipe that we have to follow step by step,” said Diane Crowley, member of the task force. “As work proceeds we can make changes.”  

The task force is scheduled to reconvene May 2. It has until May 2006 to recommend a new ordinance.


Special Council Meeting for Foothill Bridge By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 08, 2005

The City Council will meet Monday, April 11 at UC Berkeley’s foothill dorms to discuss the university’s proposal to suspend a pedestrian bridge over Hearst Avenue to connect the two halves of the residential community. 

The meeting, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at 2700 Hearst Ave., will include a public comment period. The council is then scheduled to vote on the proposal at its regular Tuesday meeting. 

UC Berkeley contends that the bridge is necessary to safeguard dorm residents from the hazardous pedestrian intersections at Hearst and La Loma and Hearst and Highland Place and open the La Loma Dormitory on the north side of Hearst to wheelchair-using students. 

But the university needs city permission for such a change. In the face of neighborhood opposition university officials have aborted three previous attempts to win a variance from the City Council. As an incentive to approve the plan, UC Berkeley has offered the city $200,000 towards infrastructure improvements around Hearst Avenue. 

Bridge opponents argue that the bridge would be an eyesore and that the university has failed to consider less obtrusive solutions, such as a pedestrian tunnel or street-side improvements. They also contend that the dorm’s steep surroundings would still render it unpopular with disabled students. 

Additionally, New Education Development Systems, Inc., the owners of 2717 Hearst Ave.—listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places—have come out against the bridge. They say it would obstruct their bay views. 

Should the council grant the university a permit, the company will file suit to stop the project, according to a letter from its attorney Alan Seher.


Spirited Landmarks Meeting Focuses On Maybecks, Preservation Ordinance By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 08, 2005

In one of its more rancorous sessions, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was attacked by citizens accusing it of obstructionism, and in turn assailed Planning Commissioners with the same allegation. 

The attacks on the LPC stemmed from the Battle of the Maybecks, triggered by a Buena Vista Way homeowner’s March 3 request that the commission begin the process of evaluating whether three houses on Buena Vista, his own and two neighboring houses, should be designated as historic resources. 

Some of the neighbors objected and turned out in force with friends and allies at the March 7 LPC meeting, only to have the hearing delayed another month after the session reached the midnight hour and the commission was forced to leave because the North Berkeley Senior Center requires it to vacate at that time. 

Several speakers did get in a few angry words during the public comment session at the opening of the March meeting and left angrier when the commission postponed the hearing. 

They were back in force Monday, determined to be heard. 

Robert Pennell, owner of the residence at 2730 Buena Vista, initiated the landmarking process for his own home and the houses at 2750 and 2760 Buena Vista after architect Thad Kusmierski, the owner of 2750, filed plans for an addition to his home, which was designed by legendary Berkeley architect Bernard Maybeck. The home at 2760 is another Maybeck 

Pennell said Kusmierski’s proposal would overshadow his own home and possibly endanger redwoods near the property line. Kusmierski denied the allegations and in turn challenged the Maybeckian credentials of Pennell’s house. 

Evelyn Rantzman, who lives at 2753 Buena Vista, was the first to comment Monday, and her target was the LPC itself. 

“This commission should not allow itself to be used to block projects. We’ve seen this over and over again. Once a project is approved, the Landmarks Commission is used as a last-ditch effort,” she said, decrying a process “when you reach a point where everything in the city seems to deserve landmarking.”  

Kusmierski presented commissioners with copies of a March 17 San Francisco Chronicle column by architectural critic John King in which the writer blasted the commission for designating Celia’s Restaurant at 2040 Fourth St. a structure of merit, the lesser of two historic resource designations the panel can award. 

King wrote that in doing so, the LPC had created “a symbol of why the historic preservation movement is in danger of losing its credibility.” 

Pennell’s contention that his own home was also a Maybeck had triggered a strong response from Kusmierski and others who charged that there was no proof that the architect had done anything more than design the fireplace. 

“There should be more work by the commission to make sure that a structure is designed by the architect in question,” said Anna Berger, Kusmierski’s wife. She adding that, in any event, landmarking should be left in the hands of the property owner. 

Pennell withdrew his application for designation of his own home after the March meeting, because, he said, it “has created some antagonism and hostility in our neighborhood that we did not anticipate.” 

Because no one had yet filed a complete application to designate the other two houses, the next step following initiation, commissioners voted to withdraw their initiations, with only new member Ted Gartner—appointed by Councilmember Darryl Moore to replace Aran Kaufer—abstaining because he hadn’t had time to listen to the tape of the March meeting. 

Commissioners then took up Pennell’s application for his home, giving critics their second shot at Pennell and the LPC. 

“The Pennell application is a sham, there’s no substantiation” that Maybeck designed it, Kusmierski said. “I like preservation. I just wish it were done in a good way.” 

Berger added, “Pennell told me one occasion that Maybeck designed the fireplace but that [his parents] were too poor to have him design the house.” 

John Edginton, owner of 2733 Buena Vista, rose to speak in defense of Pennell, who, he said, had left the March meeting “a very disillusioned man because of the personal nature of the attacks,” citing “one person who followed him to his car, shouting abuse. This is not a good guy/bad guy thing. What you have to decide is what are the merits, and the merits of all three buildings are beyond dispute.” 

Robert and Norah Brower of 2701 Buena Vista were the last to speak.  

“I’m bothered by the divisiveness caused by the landmarking process,” said Norah Brower. “I don’t think the landmarking commission is the appropriate process. I think the zoning board is the proper venue.” 

Robert Brower faulted the Pennells. 

“There were many attempts to see if they could adjust” to Kusmierski’s plans, he said, adding that “it should be quite clear that Maybeck did not design that house.” 

Commissioner Carrie Olson proposed delaying any final decision on Pennell’s home for a month to allow further research on its architectural credentials, but when it came time for a final vote she sided with the commission majority in voting to withdraw the initiation altogether. Only Leslie Emmington voted no and Gartner abstained. 

By voting for withdrawal “without prejudice” in all three cases, the commission left the door open to future landmarking applications. 

 

Landmark Ordinance Revisions 

Commissioners then shifted their focus to the status of the Planning Commission’s handling of the LPC’s proposed revisions to the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. 

At issue are conflicts between the California Permit Streamlining Act (PSA) and Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, which now allows the LPC to postpone demolition of a designated landmark for a year to allow time for possible compromise, after which the city’s Zoning Adjustment Board can grant or deny the demolition permit. The PSA mandates that cities must under normal circumstances give permit applicants, including demolition applicants, a yes or no within six months or less after an application is complete. The LPC worked for more than three years with City Attorney Zach Cowan and Planning Department staff on the revised LPO draft, which would deal with the PSA-LPO conflict by allowing the LPC itself to approve or deny the demolition application within the PSA’s period, instead of waiting for ZAB to act. The revised draft is now before the Planning Commission for an advisory review before it is presented to the Berkeley City Council.  

Planning Manager Mark Rhoades said on Monday that a Planning Commissioon subcommittee will present recommendations to the full Planning Commission on April 13, with a hearing on the proposed revisions to follow on April 27. 

“We anticipate that the ordinance will go to the City Council for action in July,” he said. 

At Monday’s meeting, Landmarks Commissioners criticized the Planning Commission’s handling of the ordinance to date. 

“I just feel like talking to the Planning Commission is like talking to a brick wall,” LPC member Olson said. “I don’t feel the staff is supportive of our position, and I don’t know what staff will recommend in the end.” 

“There’s certainly a lack of appreciation for the landmark process here in Berkeley,” said commissioner Lesley Emmington. “Every landmark has raised the city’s economic base.” 

“There are huge amounts of developer pressures and all kinds of spin-doctoring, and it’s all so that we lie down in front of the developers,” said Patricia Dacey, a commissioner. “There is a tremendous drumbeat, and I am stunned by the sheer loudness and it’s been very successful. We need to fight back.” 

“Celia’s is an example where the perception is that this commission is being used to stop development,” said James Samuels, a commissioner who had voted against the designation. “It certainly gives the public that impression. What we were faced with is a site with three derelict restaurants.” The commission voted not to designate Brennan’s, the second restaurant on a proposed West Berkeley development site. The third restaurant on the site, now closed, was located in the previously designated Southern Pacific station. 

“I almost feel like this is a reaction to this commission and the way it votes rather than to focus on historic preservation,” said Jill Korte, commission chair. 


Two Berkeley Landmarks Singled Out for Honors By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 08, 2005

Two Berkeley landmarks have been singled out recently for recognition, one a Craftsman creation and the other the embodiment of Art Deco. 

In its March issue, Gentleman’s Quarterly—aka GQ—listed Bernard Maybeck’s First Church of Christ, Scientist, at 2619 Dwight Way, as number six out of 25 of “the most beautiful and important structures in America.” 

Maybeck’s 1910 building was the first landmark recognized by the city (December 1975) and was declared a National Landmark a year later. 

The second honor was bestowed by the Art Deco Society of California on the J.W. Harris house at 2300 Le Conte Ave. The effusive monument to the Art Deco style remains largely as it was designed in 1936 by architect John B. Anthony. The structure was declared a Berkeley landmark in 1976. 

The Art Deco Society will present its award at the society’s 20th annual Art Deco Preservation Ball on April 30. The event will be held at Sweet’s Ballroom in Oakland, which the society honored with a similar award five years ago.


Feds Launch Corruption Probe of New Bay Bridge By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 08, 2005

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a major public corruption investigation of alleged misconduct involving welds in the construction of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge. 

“The complaints consistently allege a pattern of substandard welds affecting a number of (concrete) pilings intended to support the new Eastern span,” said San Francisco FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Mershon in a written statement. 

The investigation is being jointly conducted with the Inspector Generals’ offices of the Departments of Labor and Transportation. 

Mershon said the Oakland Tribune, which first published the story earlier this week, had held off publication at the FBI’s request to allow the bureau to pursue “sensitive and sophisticated investigative techniques” before the story broke. 

Assemblymember Loni Hancock said she is closely following the investigation. 

“This raises a lot of questions, and my concerns are the physical safety of the people who will be using the new span, the enormous additional expenses that come with more construction delays and the integrity of the public works process,” she said. 

Costs of the project have escalated enormously, with the current figure set at $6.2 billion. 

CalTRANS awarded a $1.4 billion contract to KFM Joint Venture for the first phase of the project, which included the concrete pylons now suspected of housing faulty welds that could jeopardize the seismic safety of the structure. 

KFM, CalTRANS and the Cal-OSHA have all stated that the welds were properly done, but welders on the project told the Oakland Tribune that they were told to cover up numerous inadequate welds rather than repair them. 

“This raises questions about the competence of CalTRANS to oversee the project and the integrity of a major corporate contractor,” Hancock said. 

“I feel confident in the FBI investigation, but the Legislature needs to evaluate the public safety issues and the implications for the immediate construction project,” she said. “How many faulty welds are there, and can they be inspected? What about the ones buried under water?”  

The Bay Bridge is the largest public works project in California history.


Negroponte Film Coincides With Nomination to New Post By JAKOB SCHILLER

Friday April 08, 2005

In the film The Ambassador, human rights workers and former victims of torture in Central America sometimes look straight into the camera when they talk about former American ambassador to Honduras John Negroponte. 

“I want to use every possible medium to make Negroponte tell hundreds of families of dead and disappeared in Honduras where they are,” says Bertha Olivia, sitting beside pictures of those who were killed or disappeared under Negroponte’s watch. 

This scene and several others are an attempt by Norwegian filmmaker Eriling Borgen to retell the history of what he suggests is Negroponte’s involvement in many of the events that tore Central America apart during the 1980s. 

Using interviews with victims of the violence, community activists and another American ambassador to Honduras, Erling tries to tie Negroponte to events such as the training and harboring of the Contra Army that overthrew the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. In Honduras, he follows many of the people who accuse Negroponte of cracking down on them for speaking out against the Contra war. 

Released last December, the film was meant to coincide with Negroponte’s appointment as ambassador to Iraq. This weekend, the film will be screened in Berkeley to coincide with another move by Negroponte. Nominated by President Bush to be the director of national intelligence, a position that oversees the United State’s 15 security organizations, Negroponte could be confirmed during Senate hearings next week. 

“I’m amazed by the lack of uproar and indignation that his appointment [to director of intelligence] has engendered,” said Bonnie Hughes, the director of the Berkeley Arts Festival, which is organizing the screening.  

“Here is a person who presided over years of nefarious schemes that the government was carrying out in Central America and now he is going to be the head of all our national and international intelligence,” she said. “I don’t think those are particularly good qualifications for that job.” 

There will be a panel discussion following the showing, featuring Iain Boal, a social historian at UC Berkeley’s Institute of International Studies, and Mary Jo McConahay, Latin America editor at Pacific News Service, who has lived in and written about the area for more than 20 years. 

 

The Ambassador will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at King Middle School, 1781 Rose St. The event is free, but donations are suggested. 


Laurette Goldberg, 1932-2005 By ROBERT P. COMMANDAY

Special to the Planet
Friday April 08, 2005

Laurette Goldberg, pioneer, prime mover and doyenne of early music in the Bay Area, died of heart failure Sunday morning in Alta Bates Hospital where she was undergoing treatment for other conditions. She was 73.  

If one woman were to be chosen as outstanding contributor to the Bay Area’s musical life over the past 50 years, it would have to be Laurette Goldberg. Prominent among her achievements was her founding the Philharmonia Baroque in 1981 and guiding America’s first full-time professional and leading early instrument orchestra through its first five seasons. At that point, in 1986, she gave birth to another original inspiration, MusicSources, a center for historical performance in Berkeley that contains a museum of early keyboard instruments, a library of historical performance practice documents and a school focusing on historically informed performance.  

Her viewpoint embraced all aspects of the art of early music, with one dominant, overriding idea that these elements be brought together. Mrs. Goldberg insisted that the five ingredients—the devoted listeners, the scholars, the instrument builders, teachers and performers—were essential to an early music community. A founding member of the San Francisco Early Music Society, she was an activist, a magnet drawing the prominent harpsichord builders here, drawing aspiring harpsichordists to her studio at home and of course, through Philharmonia Baroque, creating the institution that made it possible for a corpus of skilled players to come her to work and stay.  

Nicolas McGegan, whom she selected to take over the Philharmonia’s podium (it played without a conductor for its first four years), said that Laurette Goldberg “was the only reason why I am in the Bay Area. It was she who invited me to come. I have everything to thank her for. She was the mother of us all in the sense that, along with Alan Curtis, she began the big early music activity here which has flourished so it is one of the two big centers, along with Boston. It was Alan for his scholarship and Laurette through her boundless energy, founding Philharmonia and teaching at the Conservatory, generations of students, and then MusicSources. Her non-stop enthusiasm practically single-handedly created the conditions for early music here. She planted the garden and the flowers have produced a particularly fascinating show. Of Laurette, the most incredible quality was that she could found something like Philharmonia and sort of like a good mother, let it grow up and find its own way.”  

Peter Strykers, a Berkeley physician and pianist who became a harpsichordist studying with her, recalled the first inklings of Laurette Goldberg’s Philharmonia Baroque idea. “‘Peter,’ she said, ‘have you ever heard a baroque orchestra live? You know I haven’t either.’” And so just like that, she started it with Strykers as its first president and a board that included the architect Peter Winkelstein and the Honorable Marie Collins, Superior Court judge. “In the beginning all these people (the musicians) came from Holland and we started basically with a Dutch orchestra,” Strykers said, a native of Holland himself. “Her enthusiasm was one thing, her feel for style another. She had a sticker on her car that said ‘Articulate.’ I’ve never forgotten that.”  

Gilbert Martinez, artistic director designate of MusicSources, knew the woman he is to succeed since he was 13. Recalling his studies with her at the San Francisco Conservatory, he described yesterday her greatness in “challenging students’ intuitions about pieces. It was all about documenting our intuition, not accepting someone’s word about music.” Just last month, MusicSources produced an event designed to re-create Zimmerman’s coffee house in Leipzig where Bach held his Collegium and its performances. Intended as a fund-raising event, it became in effect the last celebration of Mrs. Goldberg by her friends and colleagues.  

Born Laurette Kushner-Cantor in Chicago, she began musical studies at four, made her debut at 12 playing Beethoven’s C major Concerto with a college orchestra. Her first great teacher was Rudolf Ganz at the Chicago Musical College, and later she was to study at Mills College with Egon Petri. Inspired by Wanda Landowska, she took up the harpsichord and by the 1960s, was teaching harpsichord on the instrument the Oakland Symphony’s conductor, Gerhard Samuel, encouraged her to purchase. She was performing with the Oakland Symphony as its keyboard artist and accompanying the Oakland Symphony Chorus. Her next inspiring teacher was Alice Ehlers, then Ralph Kirkpatrick, America’s first scholar/virtuoso harpsichordist.  

The most critical influence was probably Gustav Leonhardt, with whom Mrs. Goldberg was to work at length in Holland, and through whom she developed close ties to the other Dutch leaders in early music performance, Franz Brueggen, Anne Bylsma and Jaap Schroeder, relationships that were to shape the nature and style of the early music circle that formed around her. The soprano Anna Carol Dudley recalled Mrs. Goldberg’s passion about Bach during her Oakland Symphony days as a pianist, “learning to play the harpsichord because of that passion. It was wonderful to see the transformation of her keyboard technique when she came back from studying with Gustav Leonhardt." She was an accomplished player, but increasingly turned her attention and energy to teaching and promoting the cause of Baroque music performance. She wrote her own edition of J.S. Bach’s preludes and fugues, J.S. Bach Open Score, The Well-Tempered Clavier.  

Through all of her careers, she remained devoted to the audience and to youth. It was only natural then that she served as president of the Junior Bach Festival for several years. In later years she served the American Bach Soloists as advisor, and was still a board member at the time of her death. A former board member of Early Music America, she was awarded the Howard Mayer Award for lifetime achievement in the field of early music by that organization.  

Laurette Kushner-Cantor married Solomon Goldberg in February 1954 and they had three children before separating. She is survived by these three children, Daniel, Ron and Raquel, and her second husband, Alan Compher. Members of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra are working with MusicSources, the San Francisco Early Music Society, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to present a tribute and concert in her memory.  

 

This article was first published on the San Francisco Classical Voice website (www.sfcv.org).?


Letters to the Editor

Friday April 08, 2005

BORDER PATROL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

White guys with guns, volunteers patrolling the Arizona-Mexico border, smacks of the rebirth of old west vigilantes. Extremists with guns patrolling our southern border—since when did this become law? It sounds like immigrant hunters being allowed to act out their racism. Where are their white robes? President Bush called this one right by saying “I’m against vigilantes in the United States of America.” 

Ron Lowe 

Nevada City 

 

• 

DUE PROCESS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If I were to ask you, Becky O’Malley, or you, Russ Mitchell, if you believe in due process, I am sure that your answer would be, “Of Course!” Yet both of you seem to support it for everyone except for teachers, the individuals who need to impart an understanding of this very important right to the next generation. Public school teachers have no due process rights during their first two years in a district. At that point, they gain what is popularly called tenure but is, in fact, the right to due process (university tenure is substantially different). Tenured teachers can be (and are) fired. The Education Code of the State of California lists some fourteen reasons for firing a tenured teacher; these include incompetence, unprofessional conduct, and failure to obey reasonable administrative directives. Tenured teachers are, however, entitled to a hearing at which the charges against them must be substantiated. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers is legally required to defend the right of a member to due process; it does this. It does not defend the actions (or inactions) of a teacher who has been charged under any of the 14 listed causes. Furthermore, the BFT works with the district (under BPAR) to help teachers who are having problems to either improve or, failing that, to understand that perhaps a quiet resignation would be in their interest. Finally, action against a tenured teacher must be filed by the district; it is not within the legal power of the union to initiate charges. Unfortunately, the district does not always act in situations in which a teacher should be fired. We all suffer as a result. 

Judith Bodenhausen 

BHS teacher 

Past president, BFT 

 

• 

TERRY SCHIAVO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

One perspective of the Terry Schiavo incident that has not been addressed by the media nor the disabled community is whether the government or the individual has the right to make family health care decisions. No matter how well intended government, religion or society may be, the right to decide whether you or your family members are immunized, given chemotherapy or force fed through a tube is a personal responsibility and birthright. Have we become so irresponsible, so ignorant, so fearful that we are ready to allow others make these important decisions for us?  

Michael Bauce 

 

• 

TEACHERS’ UNION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Russ Mitchell is dead wrong in suggesting, in his recent letter to the editor, that the Berkeley Federation of Teachers is somehow an obstacle in dealing with the very serious issue of teacher quality.  

In fact, the BFT was the driving force in the establishment of a peer assistance and review program in our district. This program provides struggling teachers with a year of coaching and assistance. At the end of this year a panel made up of both union and district representatives makes recommendations to the Superintendent as to what further steps, if any, are needed to assist the referred teacher. The panel can also recommend to the superintendent that the teacher be dismissed.  

This panel of eight people takes its responsibilities very seriously, and an incredible amount of effort has been put forth in the last five years to create a program with integrity and substance, even in the face of very limited resources. The BFT is committed, as is the district, to directly confront the need to hold all teachers to very high standards of performance. To do any less is a disservice to our common mission.  

In addition, as was pointed out by another commentator in last week’s Daily Planet, the BFT has argued for more evaluations by principals of teachers, while the district has argued for fewer. Clearly, it is unfair to say that the teachers of Berkeley have a union that “stubbornly resists” efforts to hold all teachers to high standards.  

Cathy Campbell  

 

• 

DEATH WITH DIGNITY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Many of the disabled oppose AB 654 which would give Californians the same right to die with dignity that mentally competent, terminally people have in Oregon. They believe that such a law would enable HMOs to pressure handicapped people into suicide. 

There is no evidence that anything of the kind has happened in Oregon. In the several years since the bill was passed about 130 people have actually been helped to die, but many others have said that knowing that they had that option was a great comfort. 

One thing we should all be able to agree on is the need for durable power of attorney for health care.  

Nancy Ward 

 

• 

IMMIGRATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

What’s wrong with this picture? We already have millions of American citizens who are already homeless, and yet at the same time, we’re inviting millions of mostly poverty-level immigrants to make their homes here. But don’t expect any of these liberal “homeless activists” to address this obvious issue. Likewise, we’re paving endless miles of open land to try and provide housing for these endless immigrants, its the biggest single threat to what’s left of America’s environment. But don’t expect any of these liberal Sierra Club “environmental activists” to address this obvious issue. These liberals are so hilarious. They’ve got it completely backwards: They put their pea-brained liberal rhetoric ahead of the actual reality. And then they wonder why their end-result is so useless. i.e. more homeless and less of our natural environment every year. Liberalism truly is a mental disorder. Followed by conservativism, which may be even crazier. Surely there’s a third way.  

Peter Labriola 

 

• 

GORE TV 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Al Gore’s latest brainstorm, the coming “Current” cable television news/culture network, which is scheduled to debut on Aug. 1, may turn out to be just another bump in the road in the increasingly irrelevant corporate mainstream media. The Gore plan is to take over and eviscerate the Newsworld International channel offerings broadcast from Canada, which is the best and the most thoughtful of the corporate news channels, and to replace it with a hip MTV-like version of cable news with snippets and “pods” of short and oh-so-hip news clips.  

Al Gore freely admits that he is not trying to create a television version of the brilliantly successful progressive liberal Air America radio network. No, the chronically unhip Al Gore is trying to create a nebulous new hip youth-oriented cable network show modeled after MTV. Well, thanks, but no thanks. MTV and its imitators such as VH-1 and BET have almost single-handedly destroyed whatever political relevance that rock-and-roll music ever had in the late 1960s and early 1970s and have replaced it with vile vulgar voyeuristic entertainment along the lines of “hip-grinding” for corporate greed.  

What we do need is a national progressive liberal cable news network that would be a television version of the brilliant successful Air America Radio Network, which is growing by leaps and bounds, recently completed its first year of operation and which currently broadcasts to a majority of the country’s major media markets. I fail to understand the motivation of Al Gore and his financial backers with their “Current” cable television project in its plan to ape the vulgar MTV music video format. Like Al Gore’s short and lame attempt to grow and sport a gray beard, this “Current” project may also come over as lame and ill-fitting.  

Al Gore is a brilliant progressive thinker, writer and speaker; he would undoubtedly do very well at hosting a cable news discussion program that would focus on recent events. It is too bad that he and his backers seem to be going off on a tangent with MTV-style programming adventure. 

There certainly is a crying need to create a progressive liberal cable television news network to act as an antidote and as an alternative to the present awful mainstream corporate cable television lineup of Fox (faux), CNN (the second-most distrusted name (after faux)) and MSNBC (Microsoft monopoly filters information to keep you safe from reality), which almost always parrot the reactionary bush regime line. 

Maybe Air America will take the plunge into producing a progressive cable television news network in the near future. Here’s hoping.  

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

 

• 

RFID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Knowing that the Berkeley Public Library is implementing an RFID tracking system, I found it useful to read Robert O. Harrow’s book No Place to Hide. It documents the growing reliance on high tech surveillance methods and potentials for abuse, including RFIDs. More specific to libraries is the new blog website: www.libraryrfid.net, a resource of current published material on the use of RFIDs in libraries.  

Josephine Arasteh 

 

• 

TEACHER PAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On April 6 at the Berkeley School Board meeting, Berkeley teachers, parents, and community severely criticized the school board and the superintendent on their proposal to cut teacher pay and their refusal to honor maximum class sizes. I find it ironic that the board members were upset that many of the parents and teachers left before they could respond to the criticism when: 

1) The school board has been unilaterally mailing and e-mailing district propaganda and preventing any response from the community that is in support of the teacher positions. 

2) The district has stonewalled any positive communication by stalling negotiations for over two years with its employees. 

I would urge the school board members to listen to their own words and compare them to the rhetoric given by any large corporation exploiting its workers. “We’d love to compensate you properly but we have to cut your pay because we don’t have enough money,” “the workers have the numbers wrong” and “It’s not fair to threaten to strike even if we aren’t paying you properly!” 

If the board is so sincere and is committed to equitable compensation, as they vehemently claim, why do they not address the request that the pay cut for teachers would only be suspended if increased funding actually materializes?  

Berkeley teachers work hard and don’t deserve a pay cut as the board proposes. I understand that money is tight, but it seems reasonable that if increased funding actually comes from the state, some of the money is used to offset increased healthcare premiums the teachers will be paying over the next several years. 

I would like to thank the many parents and community members who came out to support the teacher protests and actions against the proposed pay cut. Teachers are doing everything they can to avoid a strike, which would be devastating for students and teachers alike, but ultimately, teachers have families to support and will not work if the district insists on cutting their pay even as the cost of living in the Bay Area continues to rise every day. I invite the board to drop their polemics and really address the issue—are they willing to drop the pay cut if increased money materializes from Sacramento. 

Gen Kogure 

Berkeley teacher 

 

• 

CUTTING DOWN TREES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After buying two lots facing both Oregon and M.L.K, the Thai Buddhists, like Pacific Lumber, have clear cut their land, taking down trees, bushes, plants and three Coastal Live Oaks. Where there was once green beauty, producing much needed oxygen for our neighbors, habitat for small creatures, and food for urban farmers, there is now a flat, ugly plain. It’s said they plan to landscape, but if their other lots are any indication, that means rose bushes in wine barrels which will hardly hide the parking lot and temple they apparently plan. 

Oregon Street is zoned residential and an enlargement of their restaurant, parking and another temple hardly seem residential. One wonders where their plans are—in the Planning Department, floating around the Zoning Department, still with the architects? 

The neighbors are dismayed both about what has happened and what may happen and want some answers from those in charge at the Temple. 

Jeanne Burdette 

 

• 

JEFFERSON SCHOOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am shocked regarding the renaming of schools bearing the name of Thomas Jefferson who was probably our greatest American patriot. 

Out third president’s literary skills created the Declaration of Independence. Her was a proponent of freedom of worship, public education, reform of the penal code, and civil rights. Yes, he was a slave owner as were most wealthy land owners of that era, including George Washington. (Will the names of those schools also be considered for change?) Jefferson was one of the first to propose the emancipation of slaves. His greatest accomplishments as president were the Louisiana Purchase and support of the Lewis and Clark expedition which brought about national expansion. He was a true intellectual, a fine musician and architect who promoted those causes. He was committed to peaceful diplomacy, education and belief in the rights of man. 

It is a disgrace that this great man’s reputation is being questioned. Haven’t the parents and student been taught about his great accomplishment and devotion to his country and its people? 

Bonnie McPherson Killip 

Oakland 

 

• 

POPE’S DENVER VISIT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

With world attention focused on the pope, I thought your readers might possibly be interested in my own personal papal experience. My big chance came in 1993 when I had an opportunity to be blessed by the pope in Denver. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.  

Although the pope would manage to arrive on my birthday, I felt obliged to miss the occasion because I was too emotionally torn up by what I perceived to be a Serious Gopher Situation prior his arrival.  

It was decided that the best location to accommodate the crowds would be an area out near Chatfield Dam. The only disadvantage to this choice was a huge colony of gophers which had lived there peacefully for years. The city fathers gave up any idea of exterminating the gophers, fearing demonstrations by animal rights groups and environmentalists might mar the solemnity of the papal visit. 

Accordingly, somebody located a specially qualified gopher expert who assured the city that he could deal with the gophers in a humane manner that didn’t require extermination. 

Sitting at the breakfast table reading the morning paper, I was amazed at the gopher expert’s plan. It seems that he owned a special gopher vacuum cleaner which would suck all the gophers out of their tunnels. The gophers would then be caged and transported to a less holy place where they would be released. 

Then, after the pope departed and the gophers meanwhile had become fairly comfortable and adjusted to the new location, this same humane gopher expert would once again suck his little friends out of their new homes and return them to the heavily trampled field near Chatfield Dam. There, presumably, he would attach the hose to the other end of the vacuum cleaner and blast them all back into their former tunnels. 

I completely lost my appetite for breakfast. All I could think of was those poor innocent gophers. Undoubtedly, many of them would develop BGS (Battered Gopher Syndrome). I could visualize their little bodies all aching and wracked with pain—known in the vernacular as “gopher broke.”  

I wondered how this self-styled “humane” gopher expert could avoid blowing them all into the wrong burrows. Mothers might be cut off from their helpless little ones, devoted couples could be separated forever, and innocent young gopher females might accidentally be blown into a tunnel of dirty old male gophers.  

No matter how helpful being blessed by the pope might be for the sinful person that I am, I could not see myself standing in that field to make it happen. 

Anne Folsom 

?



Jerry Brown Gives Us the Aging Rock Star Tour J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Undercurrents
Friday April 08, 2005

It appears that with a full two years still left in his term, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown is going the aging rock star route, giving us a sort of nostalgic farewell tour, complete with “the best of Jerry” retrospectives by local media as he waves his way out the City Hall door. Our friends at the San Francisco Chronicle have been leading the pack, absolutely gushing over Mr. Brown as they describe the “success” of the mayor’s promise to bring 10,000 new residents to downtown Oakland (“Downtown Brown,” March 20), his increasingly law-and-order stances as he bucks up his credentials for California Attorney General (“Tough Penalties For ‘Sideshows’—Mayor Proposes Curfews For Those Convicted Of Reckless Driving,” March 30), or his wedding to Anne Gust (too numerous to mention in one column). 

You have to read deep into the Chronicle’s “Downtown Brown” article before you get what we used to call “critical analysis”: “But experts say that Oakland’s urban core won’t gain critical mass until new stores and restaurants arrive in meaningful numbers,” reporter Dan Levy writes. “The lack of a true urban buzz has been the main shortcoming of Brown’s 10k vision. Major retailers have so far shunned downtown Oakland, preferring the big- box stores and shopping centers of neighboring Emeryville, commercial real estate brokers say. The tomb-like Sears department store at 20th and Broadway is a conspicuous example of downtown’s retail failure.” 

Even when they are (slightly) critical of Mr. Brown, local journalists—who should know better—miss the point. In a March 11 column on “Brown Looks To Life After Oakland,” Chronicle columnist Chip Johnson writes: “Reviewing [Mayor Brown’s online] calendar from May through last week shows why some critics would contend that Brown has reduced his mayoral presence for a law-and-order campaign that would vault him to his next position as the state’s attorney general. … Nearly two-thirds of all of Brown’s scheduled appearances—106 of the total—were consumed by trips outside of Oakland, radio talk shows in Los Angeles and the Bay Area or media interviews with national magazines, newspapers or television news shows.” The problem is, some of us have been reviewing Mr. Brown’s online calendar for years (and even written columns about them), and it is difficult to see much change from the beginning to the middle to the beginning-of-the-end of his administration. Mr. Brown has never been as interested in Oakland as he is in the rest of the world, if you judge by the public time he says he puts in our town. 

The further you get from Oakland, the gushier it gets. “A Match Made In Oakland” in the Sacramento Bee this week starts out with “Anne Gust must be one heck of a woman,” and fills space at the end with speculation as to whether or not Mr. Brown’s old girlfriend Linda Rondstadt will be at the wedding (Ms. Gust says Mr. Brown has invited her, and she approves), and whether or not there will be a wedding waltz to one of Ms. Rondstadt’s tunes. For Oaklanders who think all of this free publicity is good for our city, they might want to think again. In its only description of Oakland, the Bee article notes that Brown and Gust currently “cohabitate in a loft on a gritty street in downtown Oakland.” (Note to Cynthia Hubert at the Bee: there are many areas in Oakland that one might describe as “gritty.” However, the corner where Mr. Brown and Ms. Gust live is not one of them.) 

And when there have been articles about Oakland’s problems, at least recently, they manage to put Mr. Brown in the position of the exasperated father who cannot understand why the teenagers have not gone to sleep after he has repeatedly gone up to their room and urged them to do so. In an article this week on reports of Oakland’s 52 percent public school dropout rate, reporter Nanette Asimov of the Chronicle writes: “It’s astounding and unconscionable,” said Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. “It’s a crisis that’s been going on for decades. Oakland is trying hard. They need money. They need leadership. It’s quite daunting, and it’s going to require a lot more truth-telling and honesty than has been forthcoming in recent decades.” 

They? 

What Ms. Asimov appears to have missed is that for the past five years, since Oakland voters passed Measure D, Mr. Brown has had the privilege of appointing three members to join the seven elected members of the board of directors of the Oakland Unified School District, making him by far the most powerful individual shareholder of that institution (if OUSD were a football team, Mr. Brown would be Al Davis). A fair reading of recent Oakland history might be that before Mr. Brown came on the scene, Oakland schools were solvent and making slow, but steady, progress. After Mr. Brown won the right to make 30 percent of the school board appointments in 2000, the Oakland school system virtually collapsed, went into state receivership, and students and parents are streaming out by the busload. Unconscionable? Yes, indeed. There is an irony there that, apparently, most of our news outlets have not caught. 

Other low points of the Brown administration? 

If you’re talking development, you might look at the fact that while obsessing with downtown for six years, Mr. Brown has failed to understand where Oakland’s commercial potential actually lies. Oakland has a series of marvelously successful local commercial districts that could have used the “star power” and push that Brown gave to his 10k plan: Piedmont and College Avenues, Grand Avenue and Lakeshore, Montclair Village, Fruitvale, the Laurel District, and Chinatown come immediately to mind (we’ll return to Chinatown in a moment). Meantime, commercial centers like the Jack London Gateway Shopping Center (formerly the Acorn Shopping Center) in West Oakland and the Foothill Center in East Oakland are hanging on, but suffering from neglect (Foothill just announced its losing its anchor supermarket, Albertsons). 

Even if you’re talking about downtown development, Mr. Brown’s vision appears to have looked the wrong way. He has focused on uptown, helping to win city subsidies for the Forest City project which is (again) slated to attract a lot of “new” residents into Oakland. Meanwhile Chinatown, which long ago figured out a way to successfully mix commercial and residential in downtown Oakland, gets little official attention or notice. A better plan for the last six years than the uptown dream might have been a project to link lower downtown past the Civic Center with Chinatown and the Jack London Square area, figuring out a way to move the depressed and depressing public buildings (jail, police station, coroner’s office, et. al) in between to another location nearer to the judicial center around the Alameda County Courthouse on Fallon. 

There’s more, of course, but we’ve run out of room, just as the administration of Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown is slowly running out its time. 


Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 08, 2005

Buena Vista Blaze 

Firefighters rushed to a home at 3075 Buena Vista Way at 5:06 p.m. Wednesday and arrived to find flames pouring out of the second floor windows. 

The main part of the blaze was quickly extinguished, said Deputy Fire Chief David Orth. The fire did considerable damage to the roof as well as the second floor. Orth said the fire apparently resulted from wiring in the first floor which quickly spread to the upper floor. 

Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the flames. 

The structural damage is estimated at $500,000. The fire also destroyed an estimated $50,000 worth or property in the house. Among the personal belongings firefighters were able to save was the urn with the ashes of the owner’s deceased husband.  

$70,000 Blaze 

A fire that began shortly after 8 p.m. the same evening did an estimated $70,000 in damage to a residence at 1779 Sonoma Ave. 

Fire crews arrived to find a rear bedroom ablaze, with the flames rolling over the ceiling. Once the blaze was extinguished, Deputy Chief Orth and another investigator determined that the blaze started at an electrical outlet. 

 

Apartment Fire 

After a 7:01 a.m. call Thursday, firefighters rushed to an apartment at 2819 McGee Ave., where a cooking fire spread from the kitchenette to a shared living room. 

Though the flames were quickly quenched, the fire managed to inflict $20,000 in damages to the building and an equal amount to the contents.  


RFID: Many Problems, Little Public Discussion By PETER WARFIELD and LEE TIEN

Commentary
Friday April 08, 2005

Decisions about public libraries should be made publicly. But just as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in library books can be secretly read and tracked, the Berkeley Public Library (BPL) installed RFID technology with little public awareness or discussion. Indeed, it appears that BPL did not tell the library’s governing body about known problems with RFID at other libraries before RFID was approved in April 2004. We think this gives the Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) ample reason to reconsider and reject RFID in Berkeley. 

Our review of documents the library provided in response to our information request, and three years of BOLT agendas and minutes at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/library, shows the following: 

1. RFID never appeared on any BOLT agenda for discussion or action in the three years before BOLT discussed and approved selection of the RFID vendor in 

March and April 2004.  

2. The issue of RFID privacy concerns appeared only once in three years of minutes. No other problems of RFID were discussed, according to the minutes.  

3. There is no evidence that BOLT was told about the potential health risks of RFID, which have been raised by the EMR Policy Institute, San Francisco Neighborhood Antenna Free Union (SNAFU), and others. By contrast, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors took the potential health risks seriously in July 2004 when it refused to unconditionally fund RFID at San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) and instead required SFPL to come back in six months to explain how it would handle privacy threats and potential health risks. 

4. There is no evidence that BOLT was told about RFID’s huge security weakness: that books can be taken from the library, undetected by the RFID system, if a person uses household aluminum foil to block the radio signal. 

5. There is no evidence that BOLT was told about the ongoing costs of RFID-tags cost far more than bar codes and magnetic strips now in use, especially for certain non-book materials like CDs and videos. 

 

RFID Problems Elsewhere 

The library documents we obtained also show that BPL staff researched other libraries’ experience with RFID and found a host of problems. The Eugene (Ore.) Public Library reported “collision” problems on very thin materials and on videos as well as “false readings” from the RFID security gates. (Collision problems mean that two or more tags are close enough to “cancel the signals,” according to an American Library Association publication, making them undetectable by the RFID checkout and security systems.) 

Many libraries reported problems with so-called “donut” RFID tags, which are flat labels with a hole in the middle for use on CDs. Three libraries said, “Donuts don’t work.” Another library said, “Many CDs have metal in them; this is a problem since RFID will not work.” Libraries also reported that donut tags did not stick to the CD and could not be read easily.  

These problems with donut tags undermine one of the supposed benefits of RFID in libraries: that patron self-service check-out of CDs and videos will relieve staff of the need to remove the security cases often used with magnetic-strip security systems. Indeed, one library that implemented RFID reported that the self-service check-out rate declined from 20 percent to 15 percent—contrary to repeated claims that RFID implementation would dramatically increase self-service check-out rates. 

BPL’s staff report described a multi-part problem with RFID tags at a Checkpoint Systems installation, writing that the library “is finding the metallic inks in book jackets to be a serious problem for checkout/checkin/security. Ironically, the book tagged for me in TS as a demo had metallic inks and would not self check out or set off the security gates....” 

Some libraries criticized Checkpoint Systems, which is supplying Berkeley’s RFID system. One library noted, “Items added cannot be recognized by Checkpoint system for check-out/security until nightly synchronization between III [the library’s computer system] and Checkpoint.” Another library said, “Checkpoint system needs a totally separate server that must be synchronized at night. This is a bad idea.” A delay in matching the server’s records to the library’s own computer records could make it very hard to enforce borrowing limits that help make library materials available to more patrons. We have heard informally from staff that borrowing limits will not be enforced once RFID is implemented.  

Did the Board of Library Trustees know about these problems? Unfortunately, the agendas and minutes do not show that RFID problems were presented or discussed in any meaningful way, or that the public had advance public notice that RFID was being considered. We therefore question the library administration’s claim that the decision to adopt RFID was a truly public process.  

Finally, we note that the library’s contract with Checkpoint Systems can be canceled on 30 days’ notice for any reason or none, and with no penalty. Section 3.d. of the contract states: “If city terminates this contract for convenience before Contractor completes the services in Exhibit A, Contractor shall then be entitled to recover its costs expended up to that point plus a reasonable profit, but no other loss, cost, damage, expense or liability may be claimed, requested, or recovered.” 

We think the library should cancel this RFID implementation and stick with a system that has worked well and cheaply for many years. The many issues associated with RFID—serious privacy threats, potential health risks, a big security hole, many technical problems, lack of interoperability among vendors, and potentially high operational costs—make the use of RFID at BPL a very bad idea. 

 

Peter Warfield is executive director and co-founder of the Library Users Association. Lee Tien is a senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a long-time Berkeley resident. 

 


Firefighter Compensation a Complicated Issue By DAVID SPRAGUE-LIVINGSTON

Commentary
Friday April 08, 2005

I would like to pose several questions and also state a couple of facts that were left out of your article discussing public safety overtime in the City of Berkeley.  

Why did the Daily Planet feel the necessity to publish individual names in the April 5 article? It appears that the Daily Planet has a specific agenda rather than a desire to include all the facts and produce an objective report. If the people listed in the article were offenders of a crime, or there was any benefit to their names being published, I would understand. But in this case, I cannot think of one reason why the article would not have been just as effective if written in a non-specific fashion, simply stating rank and salary earned. These employees are now fearful of harassment and retaliatory actions by angered readers that have been given a biased view of the current overtime situation in our department.  

Would this story have been worded differently if the majority of the overtime had been split more evenly amongst more than three of our members? The numbers would not have been so impressive; I wonder if the story would have even been published? Remember that these individuals spent more than 1200-plus hours each (in addition to their normal 56-hour work schedule) during that year earning overtime; it didn’t just get handed to them! 

When discussing public safety overtime you have to keep several things in mind: First, we are mandated to keep a certain level of service available to the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That means that whenever someone is on vacation, off on sick leave, injured or retires and creates a vacancy that takes time to fill, it creates an open position that has to be backfilled by an employee, who will receive overtime pay. This is not an option for us. If there are no volunteers for the open position(s), then we get what is called a mandatory overtime assignment. When this occurs, we (firefighters) have no choice but to stay and work….no matter what other personal obligations we might have at home. The frequency of this occurrence in 2004 was at an all time high—as a direct result of understaffing, combined with our regular vacation and sick leaves. 

A firefighter works 24-hour shifts compared to the normal 8-hour day. Let’s compare the numbers: A 40-hour employee works eight hours a day, 160 hours a month and 1920 hours a year (not including vacation or holidays). A 24-hour employee works 24 hours a day, 212 hours a month and 2,912 hours a year (again, with no vacation or holidays). So, a firefighter works a minimum of 992 (24.8 weeks) MORE than a 40-hour worker, not including any overtime hours! 

The Fire Department has become a multi-discipline profession. We are who you call when don’t know what to do, when city offices are closed, when you don’t have the resources at home to deal with a situation. We are trained in firefighting operations, paramedicine, hazardous materials response, basic water rescue, structural collapse rescue operations, tactical emergency medicine and act as liaisons from citizens to available city/county services. Many of us have the knowledge of two to three entirely separate professions (each of which would pay 50-60K in the private sector); we train hard, put many volunteer hours in to career development and deserve what we earn in salary and benefits! Not to mention that a significant number of us retire and pass away within two to six years from job related illnesses, mainly cancer. 

The city has been aware of the increase in our PERS (firefighter retirement plan) costs. The spike was projected some time ago by the state organization that manages our plan (CalPERS). The article states the police overtime budget was projected at 2.4 million, the Fire Department budget was projected by our administration (apparently at a lower number), is there a possibility that the numbers were simply projected incorrectly? 

We are here to protect and serve this community, period. All Berkeley citizens should be aware of that fact. Yes, we might require a large budget when retirement costs temporarily rise, but I live in this city, and I am more than willing to pay for that protection! Firefighters and police officers are the people that you never want to see pulling up in front of your house. But when you need us, we can’t get there fast enough! When you need us, wouldn’t you want us fully staffed, to have all our stations open 24/7 and for us to be trained and equipped with the latest technology!! Before making any judgments about the firefighters or police officers in your city, please investigate and gather all the facts. Don’t take the opinion of one side —this is a complicated issue. 

 

David Sprague-Livingston is a Berkeley resident and firefighter.  


Maria King Memorial

Friday April 08, 2005

A memorial service for Maria King scheduled for Saturday, April 9, has been postponed. The memorial will now be held at 4 p.m. May 15 at St. Joseph The Worker Church. King, a homeless woman, was stomped to death earlier this year.?


Arts Calendar

Friday April 08, 2005

FRIDAY, APRIL 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Between Dimensions” Large sculptural paintings of the atmosphere by Ruth von Jahnke Waters. Reception at 5 p.m. Gallery 940, 940 Dwight Way at Ninth St. 

“Color-Full” works by Jane Norling, Renata Gray, Aiko Kobayashi Gray, and others. Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at WCRC Gallery, 5741 Telegraph Ave. 601-4040. 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “Working,” inspired by Studs Terkel, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Through May 7. Tickets are $13-$15. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Albany High School Theater “Wit” and “Benefactor” Thurs. at 7 p.m., Fri. at 8 p.m. and Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m. through April 16, at Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd., Albany. Tickets are $5-$10. 558-2500, ext. 2579.  

Aurora Theatre, “Blue/Orange” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m., 2081 Addison St. through May 15. Tickets are $28-$45. 843-4822. www.aurora.theatre.org 

BareStage Productions “She Loves Me!” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through April 24 at Choral Rehearsal Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. http://tickets.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “For Better or Worse” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. and runs through April 24. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Laney College Theater, “Legacy for LoEshe” in memory of a girl slain in West Oakland, Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m., through April 21, at 900 Fallon St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$9. 464-3544. 

“Proof” by David Auburn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through May 7 at The Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $13. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “The Just” by Albert Camus. Thurs.- Sun. at 8 p.m. at 1901 Ashby Ave. through April 10. Tickets are $10-$30. 841-6500.  

“Side-By-Side by Sondheim” by Theater on the Hill, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. Reservations required. Tickets are $20-$40. 525-0302.  

FILM 

An Evening with Frederick Wiseman: “Central Park” at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Oriah Mountain Dreamer describes “What We Ache For” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Free. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Sweet Honey in the Rock at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$46. 642-9988.  

UC Jazz Spring Concert at 8 p.m. at International House, Piedmont Ave. at Bancroft. Tickets are $5-$10. 642-5062. 

Bustin’ Out, the best of hip hop, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $17-$20 at the door. www.juliamorgan.org  

Bobby N. Barrett Night of Music at St. Mary’s College High School, 1294 Albina Ave. Reception at 6:30 p.m., performance at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. 526-9242.  

Rythms in Reason A collaboration with Naked Souls Artist Alliance at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$10. 849-2568.  

Samba Da and Universal Language, Latin dance groove at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Uday Bhawalker with Manik Munde at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Jill Knight at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

The Cheat, Foreign Telegram, Barefoot Bride, rock, at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

Rock Lotto at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Kevin Seconds and his Ghetto Moments at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Sasha Dobson Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

DJ & Brook, jazz trio, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Blowfly at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$10. 548-1159.  

Will Bernard & Motherbug at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Light’s Out, Our Turn, The First Step, Right On at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Dave Holland Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Fri. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Bonnie Lockhart at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Plant Portraits: The California Legacy of A. R. Valentien” An exhibition of watercolors at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts.  

“Memories of Southeast Asia” by Andrea Fumagalli, at 4 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717D Fourth St. 527-0600.  

THEATER 

Cuentos: Voices for (Our) Stories: “Poch@” with Madmedia at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Tickets are $7-$10. 849-2568.  

FILM 

Crying in Color: “Moulin Rouge” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Oriah Mountain Dreamer discusses her book “What We Ache For” at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St.  

“Julia Morgan: The Paris Years” with Ph.D. candidate Karen McNeill at 4 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Kirov Orchestra “Russian Spectacular” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$72. 642-9988.  

Trinity Chamber Concert “Three Trapped Tigers” recorder music at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Cost is $8-$12. 549-3864.  

Philharmonia Baroque “Cathedral of Toledo” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $28-$62. 415-392-4400. 

Pacific Boychoir Academy Spring Concert at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $20. 452-4722.  

Piedmont Choirs, early music concert at 8 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. 547-4441.  

Bustin’ Out, the best of hip hop, at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $17-$20 at the door.  

Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Shiftless Rounders, Naked Barbies at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

Sister I-Live, Razorblade, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Jaime Wyatt, West Grand, Abandon Theory, rock, pop, alt at 9:30 at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Angel Magik at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159.  

Brindl, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Fred Zimmerman at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Rio Thing at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473.  

Gospel Extravaganza at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373.  

Helen Chaya at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Flaming Fire, Faun Fable, Sevenly Virtues at 9 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway at 2nd St. Cost is $10. 763-1146.  

Meli at 7 and 9 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $5. 597-0795. 

Peter Barshay’s Pit of Fashion Orchestra at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Kill Your Idols, Forward to Death, All or Nothing at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Andy Bey Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $15-$18. 238-9200.  

SUNDAY, APRIL 10 

CHILDREN  

Charity Kahn and the JamJamJam Band at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054.  

“The World in My Neighborhood: Asian Cultures” family day from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Phoebe Hearst Museum, Bancroft Way at College Ave. Cost is $3-$4. 642-7648. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Narrating Moral Models” Lecture at 2 p.m., guided tour at 3:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808.  

“Berkeley Police Department: A Century of Innovation” reception at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181.  

“Space is the Place” Installations by Sarah Cain, Christian Maycheck and others. Reception from 2 to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893.  

FILM 

“For the Love of It” Annual Festival of Amateur FIlmmaking at 8:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642- 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Alan Williamson and Jeanne Foster at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Berkeley Literary Women’s Revolution at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Volkert-Walther Trio at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. Preconcert lecture at 1:30 p.m. 444-3555.  

Philharmonia Baroque “Cathedral of Toledo” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $28-$62. 415-392-4400.  

Tekla Cummingham and Jonathan Rhodes Lee perform music by J.S. Bach and sons at 2 p.m. at Music Sources, 1000 The Alameda. Tickets are $10-$15. 

Organ Recital with Jason Abel at 6:10 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellsworth. 845-0888. 

Wayne Shorter Acoutic Quartet at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$46. 642-9988.  

Four Seasons Concerts, Mauricio Nader, piano, at 4 p.m. at Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35. 601-7919.  

East Bay School for Girls Concert “Inspiration” at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$25. 849-9444.  

Jyota Kala Mandir at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10-$15.  

Sara Ayala & Los Flamenquitos at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Horacio Salinas at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

Faye Carol at 6 and 8 p.m. at Black Rep, 3201 Adeline St. Donation $20 benefits Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors. 465-1617. 

Noxa, Lowki, Maxwell Adams at 4 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. All ages show. 848-0886.  

Jazzschool Big Band at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373.  

Vance Gilbert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Acoustic Singers-Songwriters at 7:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Champion, Blue Monday at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, APRIL 11 

EXHIBITIONS 

Annual Quilt Show opens at the North Berkeley Public Library, 1170 The Alameda, at Hopkins, and runs through May 21. 981-6250. 

FILM 

The 5th Annual United Nations Association Film Festival “Values of Tolerance” with two documentaries “In Rwanda We Say” and “talk Mogadishu: Media Under Fire.” Reception at 6:30 p.m., films at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Tickets are $8-$10 at the door. 849-1752. www.unausaeastbay.org, www.unaff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“The Lost Kingdom of Siam: The Art of Central Thailand, 1350-1800” a slide lecture with Asian Art Museum docent Jo Anne Erickson at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

The Cross Gender Caravan cutting edge fiction and poetry at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Poetry Express, featuring Gypsy the Acid Drama Queen from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Gift Horse, traditional fiddle music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Brubeck Institute Jazz Sextet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 

CHILDREN 

Storytelling Performance with Randel McGee protraying Hans Christian Anderson at 6:30 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

EXHIBITIONS 

40th Annual Student Art Show featuring artwork by middle and high school students from the West Contra Costa Unified School District at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: Devotional Cinema Screening and reading by Nathaniel Dorsky at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Marc Ian Barasch introduces “Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness” at 7:30 p.m. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Suggested donation $10. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Sandy Boucher discusses her biography of Buddhist teacher Ruth Denison, “Dancing in Dharma”at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Mutabaruka, reggae dub poet, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oslo, The Girlfriend Experience, Harold Lies, indie rock, punk, alternative, at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

Dead Meadow, Jennifer Gentle at 8:30 p.m. at Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. 

The Movement Spring 2005 Showcase at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $7 at the door.  

John Mackay Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Swingin’ Doors, The Shut-Ins, Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands, hulabilly, at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174.  

Hiromi, piano, at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200.  

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 

THEATER 

“Bright River” A hip-hop retelling of Dante’s Inferno, at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Tickets are $12-$35. 415-256-8499. www.inhousetickets.com 

FILM 

Cine Contemporaneo: “La Cienaga” at 7 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

Best of Banff Mountain Film Festival at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $12-$15 available at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

History of Cinema: “The Day I Became a Woman” at 3 p.m. and Marina Goldovskaya “Solvoky Power” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Polhemus talks about “Lot’s Daughters: Sex, Redemption, and a Woman’s Quest for Authority” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Alice Carey reads from her memoir “I’ll Know It When I See It: A Daughter’s Search for a Home in Ireland” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. 

Café Poetry with Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Janet Stickman introduces “Crushing Soft Rubies” at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. www.belladonna.ws 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Ting Chin, cello, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean on the Rosales Organ at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555.  

Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $28-$48. 642-9988.  

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Bernard Anderson and the Old School Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson with Nick & Shanna at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Los Rumberos, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Enion Pelta and Jamie Stillway Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babatunde Lea with Steve Turre at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com


Extraordinary Encounters with Insects in Gardens and Houses By SHIRLEY BARKER

Special to the Planet
Friday April 08, 2005

Several years ago on a visit to Los Angeles I passed a woman who seemed to me quintessentially Californian. She wore immaculately tailored jeans, a crisp shirt, her burnished hair flowed luxuriantly, her complexion glowed, she was the very picture of health and elegance. And she was swinging along on rollerblades.  

Some time after that I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of another southern Californian, a woman who on entering a room made her northern counterparts feel just plain dowdy. She too had an insouciant disregard for her own elegance. With a passion for photography, she thought nothing of grovelling through muddy swamps and thorny thickets to capture on film her prey. Unusual attribute though this seemed to me, it was as nothing compared with her ability to achieve her goal. 

For just as it did for Henri Fabre, the great French entomologist, nature positively leapt into her orbit wherever she was. While adjusting her camera to focus on a grass seed, butterflies—not just one, but flocks—would flutter out of nowhere and settle on her hat. Once she invited me to go with her to visit a certain pond, I forget why. On arrival, we found the pond crammed with frogs. There was no space at all between them, a thousand eyes bulging out to greet her. On another occasion she casually turned over a leaf. Beneath was a spotted lizard, so rare that it has barely been described. It was with mixed feelings that I said goodbye when she left the area. She was a little too eldritch for comfort. 

She did however leave a legacy in that I tried to be more scientific in the garden I had at that time. The passion vine for example that smothered a chainlink fence may have been an infertile species, but it hosted a veritable soap opera of insects. Conspicuous was the gulf fritillary butterfly, whose burnt orange and silver wings gloriously complemented Passiflora jamesonii’s coral-pink flowers. I felt a trifle silly measuring the fritillary caterpillars that feed on the vine, yet it added a dimension to the spectacle to discover that on reaching a precise length, they pupate. Furthermore, they do so dramatically, hanging from their hind quarters and swinging violently from side to side before splitting and shedding their skins. At their most vulnerable at this time, naturally they attracted attention, and wasps constantly patrolled the vine, often snatching chunks of caterpillar presumably for their own children. 

The most extraordinary encounter I had with an insect was, however, indoors. One morning I noticed a large thread-waisted black and yellow wasp wobbling through the open bedroom window, like a husband returning from a night on the tiles. Tracking it, I discovered it had started to build a cluster of mud cells on a corner of a picture frame. Each cell was a perfect clay pot, laid down coil by laborious coil, journey by laborious journey to and from the duck pond below the window. I left this open until the day came when each pot had a lid, and a coating of mud had been smoothed over all. Only she and I knew what was hidden inside, that each pot contained an egg, with food added to nourish the larva when the egg hatched. 

After a little research (it is useful to live in a university town) I learned that the wasp was the well-named mud dauber, Sceliphron caementarium, and was able to calculate when the first offspring would emerge. Mindful of my southern Californian friend, I was determined to photograph the event. 

The great day arrived and I was in time to capture on film what was resting on the picture frame near an open cell. I was so surprised by what I saw that I nearly dropped the camera. For, instead of the black and yellow mud dauber I had anticipated, here was a chunky fly of brilliant metallic blue. I later learned that it was a large blue cuckoo wasp, Chrysis coerulans, and its parent had indeed played cuckoo, imitating the European bird which lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. Several more of these interlopers emerged, and also, I was thankful to see, a sufficient proportion of mud daubers. 

I’ve always felt that Fabre had the right idea when he bought a plot of land and spent his life observing the interplay of insects therein. Edwin Way Teale, in his The Insect World of J Henri Fabre, described Fabre as poor, subsisting on raw vegetables and potages, writing up his daytime observations each night. Provided he had enough, and health, I’d call him rich.  

 


Berkeley This Week

Friday April 08, 2005

FRIDAY, APRIL 8 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Toru Kumimatsu on “The Current Japanese Economy and Culture” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020.  

Communities of Color and New Models of Organizing Labor A Symposium, sponsored by the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law & Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. To register, see http://boalt.org/BJELL/activities.html 

Bay Area African-American Health Summit from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Downs Memorial Church, 6026 Idaho St., near 60th & San Pablo, Oakland. Cost is $10. 654 5858 ext. 10. 

“So How’d You Become an Activist?” with Matt Gonzalez and Steve Jacobson at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., at Bonita. Suggested donation $5. 528-5403. 

“Forces of Nature: Earthquakes in Turkey” a lecture and film screening with Ross Stein, geophysicist, at 7:30 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $12-$15. 336-7373. www.chabotspace.org 

Helmet Safety Day for Toddlers with helmet decorating and fitting at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $5-$6. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

Radio Camp Build an FM trasmitter and learn the fundamentals of micropower broadcasting in this 4-day workshop in Oakland. Class runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 8-11. Cost is $150-$200 sliding scale. For information and to register call 625-0314. www.freeradio.org 

“Remaking Economic Strengths in East Asia” a two-day conference at the Lipman Room, Barrows Hall, UC Campus. For details see http://ieas. 

berkeley.edu/events/eac2005 

Ministry as a Vocation A conference at Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Senic Ave. To register call 800-999-0528, ext. 1253. 

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

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 

Spring Ponds We’ll learn about srping life cycles and capture and release naiads and nymphs, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Gardening with East Bay Native Plants, with Lyn Talkovsky, landscape gardener, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $15-$25. Registration required. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

“Gardening from the Ground Up” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bay-Friendly Demonstration Garden, 3589 Pacific Ave., Oakland. To register call 444-7645. www.bayfriendly.org 

Rhododendron Flower Show and Plant Sale by American Rhododenron Society. Sat. from nooon to 5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave, Lake Merritt Park, Oakland. Free. www.CalChapterARS.org 

Spring Veggies and the Edible Landscape at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Transportation and Land Use Summit Strategy and training sessions on a wide range of topics, including promoting transit villages, bicycle and pedestrian issues, and stopping unjust fare hikes and service cuts. From 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Laney College Forum, 900 Fallon St. at 9th. Cost is $10, includes breakfast, lunch and materials. Register at www.transcoalition.org  

“The Ambassador” A documentary film account of the nefarious career of John Dimitri Negroponte as Ambassador to Honduras, 1981-85. At 7:30 p.m., at King Middle School, 1781 Rose St. Discussion follows with Iain Boal, social historian from the Institute of International Studies, UCB and Mary Jo McConahay, Central American editor for the Pacific News Service. Donations accepted. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com 

Eggster Hunt and Learning Festival with arts and crafts, learning booths and entertainment. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Strawberry Creek Lawn in front of Valley Life Sciences Bldg., UC Campus. Free and open to all families and children. www.eggster.org 

“Qi, Feng Shui & Life” with Professor Lin-Yun of the Yun-Lin Temple at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, Community Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6136. 

Women of Wisdom Health Walk at 11 a.m. at Cesar Chavez shoreline parking lot, Berkeley Marina. 704-0565. 

Philosophers Forum on “Humble Greatness: Neo-Existentialist Zen” with UCB lecturer Americ Azevedo at 2 to 5 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. Free. http://philosophersforum.net/ 

“Hotel/Hospitality Overview” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Vista Community College. 2020 Milvia St. Cost is $13. RSVP to 981-2931. 

Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College Open House from noon to 6 p.m. at 2550 Shattuck Ave. RSVP to 666-8248, ext. 106. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

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, APRIL 10 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center to learn about what is new in the science of birdsong. 525-2233. 

Life Underground Meet at 1 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park to learn about what goes on below the soil surface. 525-2233. 

Thank You Party for Senator Barbara Boxer for her courageous leadership on the election challenge, ANWR fight and more from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Montclair Women’s Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Hosted by NWPC, Wellstone Club, EB for Democracy. All welcome, $50 benefits Senator Boxer’s PAC. www.nwpcan.org, ncskinner@earthlink.net 

Green Sunday: The Climate Change Crisis and You with Tom and Jane Kelly from KyotoUSA and Danielle Fugere of Blue Water Network at 5 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th. 

Free Sailboat Rides between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring warm waterproof clothes. www.cal-sailing.org 

Hands-on Bicycle Maintenance Class from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $85-$100. 527-4140. 

“The World in My Neighborhood: Celebrating the Diversity of Asian Cultures” in a program created for all ages. Activities from 1 to 3 p.m. at Phoebe A. Hearst Museum, Bancroft at College. Cost is $1-$4. 643-7648. http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu  

“Thinking of Becoming a Doula?” at 2 p.m. at Change Makers, 6536 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.changemakersforwomen.com 

“The Children of Chabannes” a film about a village in France that saved the lives of 400 Jewish refugee children, at 2 p.m. at the BRJCC. 848-0237. 

“A Taste of Judaism: Are You Curious?” Learn about Jewish spirituality, Jewish ethics, and Jewish community. Held in Richmond. Free, but registration required. 839-2900, ext. 347. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Donna Morgan on “Tibetan Yoga Outdoors” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 11 

Tea and Hike at Four Taste some of the finest teas from the Pacific Rim and South Asia and learn their natural and cultural history, followed by a short nature walk. At 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

The 5th Annual United Nations Association Film Festival “Values of Tolerance” with two documentaries “In Rwanda We Say” and “Talk Mogadishu: Media Under Fire.” Reception at 6:30 p.m., films at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft. Tickets are $8-$10 at the door. 849-1752 www.unausaeastbay.org, www.unaff.org 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping in Berkeley Public Schools at 5 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Student Homeownership A forum from 3 to 5 p.m. at Laney College, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. Presented by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. To register email ljones@peralta.edu 

West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation “Get Down to Business” an evening of panel discussions and presentations for entrepreneurs and artists, at 6 p.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 845-4106. www.westberkley.com 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60 years and over. New session begins today at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Join at any time. Cost is $2.50 with refreshments. 524-9122. 

“Neo-Liberal Economic Policies in Latin America” with Prof. Beatriz Magaloni, Stanford Univ., at 1:15 p.m. at CLAS conference room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7 a.m. at the end of Rifle Range Road, in Wildcat Canyon to look for birds of the woods and willows. 525-2233. 

Bird Walk along the Martin Luther King Shoreline to see marsh birds at 3:30 p.m. for information call 525-2233. 

“Wanderlust of a Sierra Rock Climber” a slide presentation with Heidi Pesterfield of Alpine Skills International at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $85-$100. 527-4140. 

“The Art of Music” Berkeley Symphony Orchestra’s Spring Gala at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Tickets are $250. For information call 841-2800. 

“The New Americans” Episode 1, at 7 p.m. at Albany High School, 603 Key Route Blvd. in Albany. Sponsored by Embracing Diversity Films and Albany High School PTA. 

“Islam, Religious Pluralism, and Interreligious Dialogue” with Imam Warith Deen Mohammad at 5:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Free but reservations requested. Reception to follow. 649-2426. 

“Good People in an Evil Time” with Dr. Svetlana Borz, granddaughter of the former Yugoslavia’s Marshall Tito at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, 2304 McKinley Ave. www.ahimsaberkeley.org  

Water Resources Center Lecture “The Influence of ENSO Phase on Floods & Sediment Transport in California Coastal Streams” with Edmund Andrews of U.S. Geological Survey at 5:30 p.m. in 105 North Gate Hall, UC Campus. 642-2666. 

“Supermarket Savvy: Shopping for a Healthier Planet” at 7 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

Introductory Buddhist Meditation Class at 7 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, in Berkeley. Suggested donation $7-$10. For directions call 559-8183.www.kadampas.org 

An Evening with Rabbi Steven Greenberg at 7 p.m. at Badé Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8206. www.clgs.org 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Sing-A-Long every Tues. from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic. All ages welcome. 524-9122. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Blood pressure screening at 10:30 a.m. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 

AIDS Town Hall Meeting to discuss the future of care, treatment and prevention, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Oakland Marriott CIty Center, 1001 Broadway. Sponsored by the American Foundation for AIDS Research. www.amfar.org 

“From Hot-Boxing to the Slammer: The Blunt Truth About the Drug War and Racial Justice” with the Berkeley ACLU Drug Policy and Racial Justice divisions at 6:15 p.m. at FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus. fsm-info@ 

library.berkeley.edu 

“Unprecedented” and “Votergate” two documentaries at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. 393-5685. 

ACTransit Public Meeting on proposed expansion and changes to Transbay Bus Service at 7:30 p.m. at the North Berkley Senior Center. 891-4854. www.actransit.org 

Introduction to Judaism with Sarah Gershman, at 7:30 p.m., April 13, 20 and May 4, at the BRJCC. Cost is $40. 848-0237. 

New Jewish Literature with Laura Bernell at 11:30 a.m. at BRJCC. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

AARP Free Tax Assistance for taxpayers with middle and low incomes, with special attention to those 60 years and older. From 12:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. This service will continue through April. Appointments must be made in advance. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets at 7:15 a.m. at Au Cocolait, 200 University Ave. at Milvia. For information call Robert Flammia 524-3765. 

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Seevak at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

“Know Thyself…and the World You Live In” a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. at New Acropolis Cultural Center, 1700 Dwight Way. Call to register 665-3740. www.acropolis.org 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Sing-Along every Wed. at 4:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Camp Gan Israel Information Night at 8 p.m. at Chabad of the East Bay, 2643 College Ave. 540-5824. 

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 

“Panoramic Hill’s Sierra Club Legacy” at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Cost is $10, available from Berkeley Architectural Heritage at 841-2241. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

No War Tax Day Event A desert potluck at 7 p.m. and granting of resisted tax dollars at 7:30 p.m. at 2220 Sacramento St. 843-9877. www.nowartax.org 

Older People United A discussion group for elders over 75 at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. 

Ocean View Neighbors Meeting with Mayor Bates and representatives from Pacific Steel and the Air Quality Resources Board at 7 p.m. at James Kenney Park, 1720 Eighth St., between Virginia and Delaware. 981-7100. 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Skills Fair with demonstrations of casting, fly tying, knots and insect identification at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave. in Kensington. 547-8629. 

“French Anti-Semitism” with journalist Marie Brenner at 5:30 p.m. with dinner. Cost is $75 plus donation to the Jewish Community Federation. For reservations see www.jfed.org/choices2005 

“Driving & Aging” panel discussion at 4 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. 558-7800. 

“To Dust You Will Return” Jewish Perspecties on Dying, Death and an Afterlife with Rachel Brodie at 7:30 p.m. at BRJCC. Cost is $5-$8. 848-0237. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., April 11, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

City Council meets Tues., April 12, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., April 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/disability 

Homeless Commission meets Wed., April 13, 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. April 13, at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/library 

Planning Commission meets Wed., April 13, at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., April 13 at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/policereview 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., April 13, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti, 644-6376 ext. 224. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/waterfront 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs, April 14, at 6:45 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.ber 

keley.ca.us/commissions/health 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., April 14, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., April 14, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/zoning  ?


Opinion

Editorials

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.  

Businesses move around the state in order to grab the tax benefits where they can, but in the long run not much happens to help disadvantaged workers. The story quotes critics as saying “state taxpayers should not subsidize a costly game of musical chairs.” These commentators instead advocate cutting taxes for all businesses which hire workers in target groups, regardless of where they are located.  

In a particularly gutsy move, the CoCo Times editors illustrated the San Jose enterprise zone with a picture of the Knight-Ridder building, headquarters of the paper’s own distant parent corporation and of the flagship San Jose Mercury. The Merc, of course, needs to be in San Jose with or without tax breaks, but Knight-Ridder gladly took the subsidy, and why shouldn’t they? Stockholders have the right to insist that corporations use all the tax breaks they can get, but government doesn’t need to subsidize their profits.  

Keeping track of government largesse to favored corporate constituencies is a classic assignment for newspapers. If it’s not enterprise zones, it’s sports arenas (see Raiders, Oakland) or hotel-conference centers (just defeated—or perhaps just stalled—in Santa Cruz, but still on tap for Berkeley.) But more and more papers seem to be going after the little guy instead of documenting the big-time tax expenditures on behalf of the already privileged. Welfare mothers are a much easier target. The CoCo Times team deserves to win a major award for this piece, which keeps the spotlight where it belongs. 

Our whole news staff at the Planet is smaller than the team which worked just on this story, but in our own way we also try to keep track of what’s going on in government. An example: In Berkeley officials are now trying to play revenue catch-up by a variety of small schemes, including increasing fines for traffic offenses. A citizen acquaintance buttonholed me on the street on Sunday with his tale of woe: He got a $381 fine for “interfering with firefighters”. Sounds serious, right? What actually happened is that he couldn’t hear an oncoming siren and didn’t pull over in time. Could happen to anyone, right? There was no bad outcome, no accident or anything, just his word against that of the officer who gave him the ticket. He appealed, but the traffic commissioner allocates less than two minutes to each appeal—case closed. Four hundred dollars is real money for many people. A letter writer complained about a big fine for parking facing in the wrong direction, a common and harmless local custom in Berkeley in the last thirty years, but now evidently the target of a new “enforcement” effort cynically calculated to raise revenues by any means necessary.  

What’s the connection to enterprise zones? Well, if the state gives away money big-time, localities must look for small-time ways to tax the long-suffering working stiff even more. And often, local pols make lousy choices. Local voters don’t necessarily make the connection between national, state and local policies—they just know that they’re unhappy. 

In order to help us keep track of what’s going on, we’ve decided to offer regular slots in the Planet to two of our most zealous citizen watchdogs. Bob Burnett and Zelda Bronstein have both been active on political fronts themselves, and at the same time have been supplying the Planet with regular lively and literate critiques of what they’ve been seeing as they participate. We think readers will appreciate the opportunity to expect to find their comments in the paper on a regular basis, so we’ve asked them to take responsibility for alternate Tuesday columns. Bob will generally comment on national and sometimes international issues, and Zelda will concentrate on local and sometimes state topics, starting today. As always, their opinions will be strictly their own, not those of the Planet, its owners, management or staff.  

We would welcome more citizen commentators on what’s going on in the other cities we serve up and down the East Bay shore. Planet readership is increasing in many areas, and our staff manages to cover a good part of the news from several cities, but we can’t be everywhere all the time. You can help us get the word out. 

 

 

 


Public is Watching School Dispute By BECKY O'MALLEY

Editorial
Friday April 08, 2005

It seems that the suggestion in this space and in a letter or two that some teachers somewhere might be less than optimum touched a nerve. We’ve received and printed a number of very defensive letters from teachers, many of them zeroing in on one sentence in a long editorial which was generally supportive of teachers’ demands for better pay and smaller classes. This is the offending sentence: 

Sometimes seriously inadequate teachers who really should move on to another profession are protected by the union for much too long. 

From a math teacher, one whom I remember as having an excellent reputation when my children were at Berkeley High, now more that 20 years ago: 

If I were to ask you, Becky O’Malley, … if you believe in due process, I am sure that your answer would be, “Of Course!” Yet … you seem to support it for everyone except for teachers, the individuals who need to impart an understanding of this very important right to the next generation.  

From a union official and junior high teacher: 

Becky O’Malley’s latest editorial demonstrated a surprisingly shallow understanding of the current contract negotiations between teachers and the Berkeley Unified School District and the realities of teaching in Berkeley. Ms. O’Malley suggests that teachers’ unions are protecting “seriously inadequate teachers,” though she doesn’t make it clear whether she thinks this applies to Berkeley. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) does not want the teaching profession to be undermined by people who do not have the capacity to meet the challenges of the job. The BFT initiated and is working diligently to implement a Peer Assistance and Review program, which is a nationally recognized approach for dealing with ineffective teachers. 

Several other letters spelled out details of this program, which sounds admirable if it works as planned. One or two teachers suggested that it wasn’t working as well as hoped, but that the fault for its lack of success lay with the school administration, not with the union.  

Did the Planet come out in favor of summary firing without due process for any teacher about whom complaints have been received? Of course not. But school children are very vulnerable to teachers’ performance lapses, and if a student misses out on, for example, all of seventh grade math, it’s hard to catch up. I’m not talking here about the teacher who can’t control a large class, or the one who lacks good knowledge of the subject matter he or she is supposed to be teaching. Such problems can be handled by peer assistance over a period of years. The union official I referred to as a bad teacher didn’t show up for weeks at a time, leaving the class to substitutes, and didn’t read any of the homework until the end of the year. By the time a Peer Assistance and Review Program is able to respond to this kind of serious failure, the year’s over, and the student has missed it.  

We’ve heard from a number of parents and students who believe that the teachers’ work-to-rule campaign which is now underway is having the same kind of irreparable effect on many children. We’ve printed some of the letters, but some correspondents say they’re afraid to let their names be used for fear of reprisals against their kids. There are two ways to analyze the work-to-rule tactic. One is that the kids won’t be hurt because they don’t really need the services that they’re missing out on. The other is that they will be hurt, because the services the teachers are withholding are essential. The truth lies somewhere between the two extremes. But you don’t have to be a public relations genius to determine that work-to-rule has the potential for PR pitfalls.  

We haven’t heard that either side in the contract dispute is polling the public to see how they’re reacting to the news that’s come out of the negotiations. The unfortunate probability is that the first poll on the performance of BUSD’s administration and its teachers will be the election less than two years hence when taxpayers will once again be asked to support the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP), a supplementary local school tax started in 1986. BSEP funds have provided nearly 10% of the Berkeley school district's total budget. The BSEP tax Measure B was one of the few winners in the last election, but if either teachers or administrators or both come out of the current negotiations looking bad, that could change.