News

UC, Workers Reach Tentative Contract By JAKOB SCHILLER

Friday April 22, 2005

The University of California and the union representing its 7,300 low-wage service workers announced Wednesday that they had come to a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract after almost 10 months of negotiations. -more-


State Attorney General Joins Point Molate Casino Fight By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 22, 2005

Opponents of the proposed casino coastal resort at Richmond’s Point Molate gained a powerful ally this week when the state attorney general’s office intervened on their behalf. -more-


Friends Say Oakland Police Denied Aid to Shooting Victim By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday April 22, 2005

The 19-year-old African-American shooting victim in a sideshow-vicinity East Oakland robbery attempt last weekend has charged that Oakland Police officers failed to search for him while he lay bleeding from two gunshot wounds and hiding from his attackers, and prevented friends from searching for him as well. -more-


Camera Company Gets Cut From Red Light Fees By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 22, 2005

Red light runners in Berkeley should prepare to smile as they illegally cross intersections this June when the city implements its new red light camera system. -more-


West Berkeley Redevelopment Project Nearly Complete By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 22, 2005

Berkeley City Councilmembers will meet an hour before their regular Tuesday night meeting to consider the new—and final—five-year-plan for the West Berkeley Redevelopment Area. -more-


State Withdraws Objections To Ed Roberts Center Plans By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 22, 2005

º An agreement between the state and the city housing department cleared a major hurdle this week for the Ed Roberts Center, a planned facility serving Berkeley’s disabled community, when a state agency verbally agreed to withdraw its objections. -more-


Council Rejects Fountain Rehab, Cuts Commissions By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 22, 2005

The fountain at Civic Center Park will stay dry indefinitely after the City Council Tuesday unanimously rejected a proposed $600,000 renovation. -more-


Weekend Conference On Prisoner Torture By JUDITH SCHERR

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

On Sept. 13, 1971, a four-day revolt against abominable prison conditions ended with police and guards storming Attica State Prison, killing 32 inmates and 11 corrections officers. At Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, U.S. military and private prison guards have tortured prisoners. In Dublin, Calif., and other federal prisons around the country, inmates known for political activism have been convicted for alleged criminal acts. Political prisoners—some charged as criminals, many not charged at all—sit in jails in Palestine, the Philippines, Haiti and elsewhere. -more-


Organizers Tread Torturous Road to a Teach-In By JUDITH SCHERR

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

Professor L. Ling-chi Wang’s colleagues across the country tell him he’s lucky to work at UC Berkeley, a bastion of academic freedom. -more-


Ticketed Motorist Claims Rights Violation for Honking at Protest By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday April 22, 2005

Driving home close to midnight after an 11-hour workday last August, Carol Harris never expected to become embroiled in a free speech fight. -more-


Berkeley Bush Interpreter Reveals Political Secrets By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 22, 2005

“Interpreters work best when they’re unnoticed, when you do your job so well no one knows you’re there,” explained Berkeley resident Fred Burks. -more-


Legislation, Protest Target Richmond Sites By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 22, 2005

Three separate bills inspired by the struggles over the polluted site of a proposed housing complex in Richmond are scheduled for hearings Tuesday in Sacramento. -more-


School District Approves New Rules For Selection of Five BHS Principals By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday April 22, 2005

With little discussion and only minor tweaking, Berkeley Unified School District directors unanimously passed a policy Wednesday night to modify the process of selecting new principals. -more-



Letters to the Editor

Friday April 22, 2005

WORK-TO-RULE -more-


Column:Cultures Clash in Quasi-Rural East Oakland J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Undercurrents
Friday April 22, 2005

I don’t think that this is a column with a point to it, though I may not be the best judge. It’s just some observations about life swimming in the multicultural creek that we call East Oakland. -more-


Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday April 22, 2005

Dodged the Big One -more-


Commentary: Bush Fails to Protect Future Generations By CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE

Friday April 22, 2005

For the last 35 years, since Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, we have come together as a global community to celebrate our planet and recognize the importance of a clean and healthy environment. The theme of Earth Day this year, “Protect Our Children and Our Future,” is an important reminder that our responsibility to build a cleaner, healthier and safer world is a long-term commitment to our children and the planet they will inherit. -more-


Commentary: Parents Support Teachers, Not Work Action By CHRISTOPHER HUDSON

Friday April 22, 2005

A recent editorial by a Berkeley teacher confirmed my fears that teachers are not really hearing the truth about most parents’ opinions about the “work-to” rule. Ask any parent if they support higher pay for teachers and the answer is a resounding yes. We are well aware that the vast majority of teachers are dedicated, committed people that have our children’s best interest at heart. Of course we wish for them to receive the highest wages possible. However, ask a parent if they support the current union work action and I believe the majority will answer no. -more-


Commentary: A Strike Will Destroy What Teachers Want By STEVEN DONALDSON

Friday April 22, 2005

It’s not true that the vast majority of parents support the work-to-rule situation in the Berkeley Public Schools. Virtually every parent I’ve spoken with has been frustrated at the whole evolution of events and felt like their kid has been put in the middle of a complex conflict over benefits without being notified, fully informed and where their kids education has been held hostage to a settlement. -more-


New Play Focuses on Old and Young in Oakland By BETSY M. HUNTON

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

Call it Being Something. The whole unwieldy title of the production we’re concerned with here is actually Being Something: Living Young and Growing Old in Oakland and it opens this Friday night at the Metro Theater on the corner of Broadway and Second Avenue in Oakland, two blocks short of Jack London Square. -more-


Pegasus Stages Production By Berkeley Playwright By BESTSY. M. HUNTON

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

This Monday, at 7:30 p.m., Berkeley’s downtown Pegasus Bookstore at the corner of Shattuck and Durant avenues is sponsoring a free production that should be worth checking out. -more-


‘Blue/Orange’ Examines the Politics of Mental Illness By KEN BULLOCK

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

All the action of Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange (now at the Aurora) plays out in the confines of an examining room in a mental hospital in London. It is a place where two people usually meet, one listening to the other. -more-


Art of Printing on Display at Fort Mason Fair By JOHN McBRIDE

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

On Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Pacific Center for the Book Arts will present the 31st Annual Printers’ Fair at the Fort Mason Conference Center in San Francisco. “The letter, the word and the book, from the romance of calligraphy to the integration of letterpress printing and digital technology” will be the theme of the fair, with some 40 exhibitors. The event is free to the public. -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday April 22, 2005

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 -more-


The Great Egret and Heron Ballet at Audubon Canyon Ranch By MARTA YAMAMOTO

Special to the Planet
Friday April 22, 2005

The courtship begins with an exchange of suggestive looks across the trees. Next comes an offering, a choice twig. If reciprocated, the courtship ritual proceeds and the cycle of life begins anew for great egrets and herons. The ballet atop the redwoods has already begun and tickets are available for nest building, rearing and send-off at Audubon Canyon Ranch. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday April 22, 2005

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 -more-


Chapela Files Tenure Suit Against UC Berkeley By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Ignacio Chapela, the UC Berkeley professor denied tenure after his outspoken criticisms of genetically modified crops and corporate/academic ties, filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court Monday against the UC Board of Regents. -more-


Drayage Tenants Refuse to Vacate City Issues Citation, Owner Appeals By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Berkeley Fire Marshal David Orth said four citations representing $10,000 in fines would be mailed this morning (Tuesday) to Dr. Lawrence White, owner of the Drayage. -more-


City Mandates EIR to Cover Proposed West Berkeley Bowl By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Berkeley City Planner Dan Marks has ordered Berkeley Bowl owner Glen Yasuda to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) on his plans to construct a new Berkeley Bowl at Ninth Street and Heinz Avenue. -more-


With Five Principal Vacancies, BUSD Looks to Revise Selection Process By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Faced with replacing nearly one-third of its 16 school principals next year, the Berkeley Unified School District is looking to reform its hiring process, including adding more staff and community input. -more-


Closed Meeting Held on West Lake Merritt Plans By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Representatives of eight Oakland-based public agencies met privately with business leaders and developers last week to discuss development plans in the politically sensitive area between the western shore of Lake Merritt and the estuary. -more-


City Council to Address Budget Deficit, Consider Commission, Event Funding Cuts By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday April 19, 2005

The City Council Tuesday will be devoted to tackling the city’s projected $8.9 million budget deficit, which the council must close by the end of June. On the agenda is a proposal to scale back citizen commission meetings to save staff time and a report on priority projects from the Planning, Housing, Transportation and Economic Development departments. -more-


Peralta to Hold Briefing on Vista Construction By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Staff
Tuesday April 19, 2005

The Peralta Community College Board of Trustees has scheduled a special public meeting Thursday to receive a briefing on the new Vista College building project. The 5 p.m. meeting will be held at Vista College, 2020 MIlvia St., room 210. -more-


BB Gun Shooting Investigated as UC Fraternity Hazing Incident By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday April 19, 2005

An incident reported last week in the Daily Planet Police Blotter as an emergency room report of a male patient shot with a BB gun has since been identified by University of California representatives as a potential fraternity hazing incident. -more-


Berkeley Author Tells Of Lincoln Brigade Veterans

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Berkeley author Richard Bermack will read Thursday from his just-published volume on American Marxists who volunteered to fight with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. -more-


By-Right Additions, Setbacks Dominate ZAB Meeting By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

The thorny issue of “by-right” additions—those up-to-500-square-foot expansions granted homeowners by right of law—was back before the Zoning Adjustments Board Thursday. -more-


West Berkeley Meeting Addresses Pacific Steel Odor By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Preliminary air quality tests at West Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Castings indicate that the plant that regulators blame for emitting a pervasive smell of burnt rubber meets state toxic emission standards. -more-


Downtown Parking Workshop Thursday By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Berkeley’s Transportation Commission will take up the thorny issue of downtown parking during a two-hour public workshop Thursday evening. -more-



Letters to the Editor

Tuesday April 19, 2005

JEFFERSON SCHOOL -more-


Confronting America’s Addiction to Oil By Bob Burnett

Column: The Public Eye
Tuesday April 19, 2005

America is teetering on the edge of recession. We’ve run up a huge debt and, as a result, have developed startling vulnerabilities. While there are many explanations for our precarious situation—ill-advised tax cuts and wrong-headed administration priorities, for example—the root problem is our dependency on oil. Although we are barely 5 percent of the world’s population, we consume 25 percent of the annual oil production. We produce 6 million barrels of oil per day yet devour 20 million. -more-


Dealing With the Bullies Who Threaten Us By Susan Parker

Column
Tuesday April 19, 2005

I’d been obsessing about bullies and how to deal with them for days when I asked my friend Gary if he remembered being bullied as a child. -more-


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Armed Backpack Robbery -more-


Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday April 19, 2005

Smoker Ignites Blaze -more-


Berkeley’s Insidious Incinerator By LA WOOD

Commentary
Tuesday April 19, 2005

Gilman Street and I-80 mark the entrance to Berkeley’s Oceanview District. The highway exit is also delineated by the puffing white smokestacks of Pacific Steel Castings, one of Berkeley’s last remaining foundries. All who drive through northwest Berkele y knows it’s time to roll up the car windows because of the burnt smells that permeate the area. -more-


Oakland Special Election: A Better Way By AIMEE ALLISON

Commentary
Tuesday April 19, 2005

Elections should ensure majority rule and give citizens confidence that every vote counts. In Oakland, we could be using the best that democracy has to offer. -more-


Jefferson Elementary School, and Other Excuses for the Achievement Gap By MICHAEL LARRICK

Commentary
Tuesday April 19, 2005

Black Americans and their leaders would be far better served if they would address the real problems in black education instead of the superficial and misleading issue of the name of a school. The name of a school has absolutely nothing to do with academic achievement. The real reasons for the “achievement gap” are uncomfortable for many to discuss so the portrayal of blacks as perennial victims is used to absolve them from having to accept responsibility for their own actions and bad choices. Racism is not dead, but as racism recedes as a serious obstacle to black advancement, most black American leaders continue the self destructive ideology of victimhood. They treat victim hood not as a problem to be solved but as an identity to be nurtured. Victimhoo d is seductive because there is an ironic and addictive contentment in being the underdog. However it inherently gives failure, lack of effort and even criminality a tacit stamp of approval. Many young blacks, born decades after the heyday of the civil ri ghts movement, and who have few if any obstacles to success, see victim hood as the defining element of their existence. -more-


The Art That Saved the Irish From Starvation By ZELDA BRONSTEIN

Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 19, 2005

Anyone who doubts that art can change the world should visit the Irish crochet lace show that just opened at the new Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Berkeley. The first thing you’ll notice is the intricate, often fanciful, beauty of the hundred-plus pieces on display; the second is their amazing history. -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday April 19, 2005

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 -more-


Following the Flight of the Painted Lady Butterflies By JOE EATON

Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 19, 2005

We were somewhere in the foothills east of Bakersfield when the first of the painted ladies showed up. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday April 19, 2005

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 -more-