FCC Threatens Berkeley Liberation Radio By RICHARD BRENNEMAN
The next sound a Berkeley Liberation Radio (BLR) broadcaster may hear just might be the dreaded knock on the door from a federal SWAT team. -more-
The next sound a Berkeley Liberation Radio (BLR) broadcaster may hear just might be the dreaded knock on the door from a federal SWAT team. -more-
Albany residents reject a proposed shopping mall at Golden Gates Fields by a convincing margin, according to a poll City Councilmember Robert Lieber submitted to his colleagues Monday night. -more-
Two years after a group of Jefferson Elementary School parents and teachers began circulating a petition to change the school’s name because of Thomas Jefferson’s connection to slavery, the general Berkeley public will get its first—and only—opportunity to officially enter the process when the BUSD Board of Education holds a public hearing on the issue prior to Wednesday night’s regular board meeting. -more-
After months of deliberation, AC Transit’s Board of Directors has settled on a fare hike in an attempt to offset a projected $40 million budget deficit. -more-
After two decades of escorting Berkeley school children across some of Berkeley’s busiest intersections, George Harris—one of the city’s oldest crossing guards—turned in his stop sign Friday. -more-
A proposal at Tuesday’s Berkeley City Council meeting could constrain Berkeley’s recent practice of settling city land use lawsuits behind closed doors. -more-
Concerns over a pair of contaminated sites in Richmond will be addressed at two meetings this week and another on June 30. All are being convened by state agencies. -more-
Berkeley’s Transportation Commissioners refused Thursday to endorse the Waterfront Commission’s June 8 recommendation to choose the dock at the Doubletree Hotel as the future terminal for ferry service. -more-
Plans for the new David Brower Center and Oxford Plaza affordable housing complex will be presented at both the City of Berkeley Planning Commission and the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) this week. -more-
A June 3 story, “Health Officer Charges Department With Misuse of Public Funds,” reported the following: “Berkeley has a track record of misappropriating public health money. In 2000, the city had to backfill the public health reserve fund $2.4 million after the state determined that since 1993 Berkeley had illegally used the money to pay for other city expenses.” In fact, there was never an allegation from the state Department of Health and Human Services of either misappropriation or illegal use of funds. The state agency asked the city to redeposit state funds from its General Fund to a special health fund for accounting purposes. -more-
http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Work? -more-
Still reeling from the news of the City Council majority’s secret sell-out to the university, I opened the June 20 Nation and read that Berkeley is part of an “urban archipelago” of “progressive cities in a conservative sea.” According to John Nichols’ cover story, progressive agendas, blocked at the federal and state levels, are being advanced in municipal venues around the country. -more-
Prolific local writer Meredith Maran has added another tome to her long list of writing accomplishments, this time in the form of anthology: 50 Ways To Support Lesbian & Gay Equality (Inner Ocean Publishing, 165 pages, $14.95). Subtitled “The Complete Guide to Supporting Family, Friends-or Yourself,” its short and snappy personal essays are accompanied by tip sheets listing commonsense advice and a myriad of LGBT resources. -more-
I recently attended a meeting of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), on the topic of mixed-use infill development in Berkeley, hosted by Berkeley Planning Director Dan Marks and Planning Manager Mark Rhoades—a truly enlightening experience. -more-
Matthew Artz makes it appear as though “a truce has been achieved in the war between labor and management” (“Library Budget Spares Jobs, Sunday Hours,” Daily Planet, June 10). As a member of Super Berkeleyans Organizing for Library Defense (SuperBOLD), I can report that the fight has only just begun. -more-
I was recently at a meeting in the City of Berkeley where a conversation started regarding the Berkeley City Council’s 8-1 decision to review the background of vendors to see if they had any connection to slavery in the United States. Some people thought this was ridiculous… “You see, slavery was so long ago.” Some said, “The council should spend its time on more important issues.” I thought about, “Why my name is Burton.” -more-
In November 2004 the residents of Berkeley sent the City Council a loud message: -more-
Going up the steps from Van Ness into the lobby of San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House for the opening of Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, past the big floral displays and into the cavernous auditorium, looking up beyond the boxes, the grand tier (beautifully garlanded with white flowers and foliage) and the balcony, I thought of a comment by Bizet’s older contemporary, poet Charles Baudelaire: “The real hero in any theater is the chandelier”—an immense sunburst of glass and light. -more-
Some ash trees are among the last to leaf out in Berkeley every spring—along with certain sycamores—and I’ve caught myself giving up on a few of the oldest specimens every year, supposing them dead at last. So many of our senior trees have been so grotesquely pruned for powerline clearance that I’ve become a bit of a pessimist about them. -more-
The office of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced this week that Berkeley High School student Naomi Drexler is the ninth congressional district winner of the annual Congressional Art Competition, the third time a BHS student has won the award in recent years. -more-
BHS Student Artist Wins Congressional Art Award By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 06-21-2005
Editorial: Can Today’s Youth Save the World? By BECKY O'MALLEY 06-17-2005
FCC Threatens Berkeley Liberation Radio By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-21-2005
Pollster Finds Little Support for Magna’s Proposed Albany Mall By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-21-2005
School Board Plans Hearing, Vote on Jefferson Name Change By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 06-21-2005
AC Transit Hikes Fares By CASSIE NORTON 06-21-2005
City Employee Retires at 84 After 50 Years of Service By MATTHEW ARTZ 06-21-2005
Council Considers Secrecy Ban, Budget, Drayage By MATTHEW ARTZ 06-21-2005
Meetings Target Concerns at Toxic Richmond Sites By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-21-2005
Transportation Commission Declines to Choose Ferry Site By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-21-2005
Brower Center on ZAB, Planning Agendas By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-21-2005
Correction 06-21-2005
Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 06-21-2005
Letters to the Editor 06-21-2005
Column: The Public Eye: What’s the Matter with Berkeley? By ZELDA BRONSTEIN 06-21-2005
Column: Love Us Because We’re Fabulous: 50 Ways to Support LGBT By SUSAN PARKER 06-21-2005
Commentary: Why Do City Staff Plug Coporate Development? By GALE GARCIA 06-21-2005
Commentary: SuperBOLD: Library Should Cut Losses By JANE WELFORD 06-21-2005
Commentary: Why My Name Is Burton By WINSTON BURTON 06-21-2005
Commentary: City Budget: Wasted Windfalls, Overlooked Opportunities By MARIE BOWMAN 06-21-2005
Sumptuous ‘Pearl Fishers’ is a Bargain for Opera Novices By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 06-21-2005
Arts Calendar 06-21-2005
Ash Trees Both Strong, Beautiful By RON SULLIVAN Special to the Planet 06-21-2005
Berkeley This Week 06-21-2005
Police Raid Telegraph Shop, Seize Stolen, Altered Bikes By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-17-2005
Foes of UC Deal Sharply RebukeMayor, Council By MATTHEW ARTZ 06-17-2005
Traffic Light Plan Ignites Controversy By MATTHEW ARTZ 06-17-2005
Emeryville Nurses’ Protest Targets Major Fundraiser For Schwarzenegger By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-17-2005
Doten Honda Workers Strike Against New Ownership By MATTHEW ARTZ 06-17-2005
Landmark Grocery Reborn as Luxurious Townhouses By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-17-2005
Congress Deals Another Setback To Medical Pot By MATTHEW ARTZ 06-17-2005
Temescal, Juneteenth Festivals This Weekend By CASSIE NORTON 06-17-2005
Activist Raises Money for AIDS Orphans in Uganda By JUDITH SCHERRSpecial to the Planet 06-17-2005
Fiscal Matters Draw Fire From Peralta Trustees By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 06-17-2005
Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 06-17-2005
Letters to the Editor 06-17-2005
Column: The View From Here: Let’s Hear it for Sally Hemmings High School! By P.M. PRICE 06-17-2005
Column: UnderCurrents: Taking Advantage of the Sideshow Opportunity By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 06-17-2005
Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-17-2005
Fire at Albany Bulb By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 06-17-2005
CORRECTION 06-17-2005
Commentary: Don’t Drink the Redevelopment Kool-Aid! By ROBERT BROKL Staff 06-17-2005
Commentary: City-UC Deal: Too Little, Too Soon By JESSE ARREGUIN 06-17-2005
Commentary: Fence-Fixing Foolishness Is Costly For BUSD By KARL JENSEN 06-17-2005
"Here Lies Jenny” Delivers Too Much of a Good Thing By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 06-17-2005
Reading Features Books by Founder of Crips Gang By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 06-17-2005
Arts Calendar 06-17-2005
Pacific Grove: Quiet Charm in a Spectacular Setting By MARTA YAMAMOTO Special to the Planet 06-17-2005
BERKELEY THIS WEEK 06-17-2005