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CITY ADVERTISING DOLLARS 

To Mayor Tom Bates:  

I just read Marty Schiffenbauer’s letter to the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

According to him, he stated that the city of Berkeley no longer supplies the paper with city public notices or advertises in it.  

Inste ad, you place ads in the East Bay Daily News. I just picked up that paper and it’s an ordinary newspaper—really doesn’t do much local coverage in depth. 

I’ve been reading the Berkeley Daily Planet for several months now, and I find it to be the best loca l newspaper I’ve ever read. I’m not surprised they recently won publishing awards. 

I was brought up in Berkeley in the ‘50s, and we had the Berkeley Gazette, which was a typical local newspaper. Adequate, but not great. 

I have published an international trade magazine for 18 years (I sold it last year), so that helps me in recognizing excellence in publishing. 

I also know how much work and dedication to produce the type of quality and in-depth local coverage that the Daily Planet provides. 

They are a great asset to our community. Providing and inspiring democracy in action on a local scale. 

So I wanted to double check to see if the city has withdrawn its support of the Daily Planet or not, etc., and then I’ll continue with this dialogue. 

Please ackn owledge receiving this e-mail, and, if necessary, forward it to the right people, if it’s something you can’t respond to yourself. 

Richard Fabry 

Dear Mayor Bates, City Councilmembers, and City Manager Kamlarz: 

We are homeowners in Berkeley’s District 6 and previously owned a home in District 5. 

We understand that the City of Berkeley has decided to pull it’s advertising and public notices from the Berkeley Daily Planet in favor of the East Bay Daily News. 

Both of us find this decision very troubling for a couple of reasons. First, we read the Berkeley Daily Planet twice a week—as do all our neighbors. We had never heard of the East Bay Daily News until we heard of the city’s recent decision. We do not know where to get it, nor do we wish to go out of our way to find city information since we have come to rely on the Planet. The city’s decision makes it more difficult for us and everyone we know to access important information about our community. 

Second, the Berkeley is a locally owned and run busin ess, while the East Bay Daily News is owned by media giant Knight-Ridder. We are troubled that the city—to which we pay huge taxes—has decided to use our tax dollars to support a large corporation rather than a local entity. 

As Berkeley taxpayers who nee d local information, we respectfully ask you to change your decision. 

Charles Press and Debra Sabah Press