The Berkeley Bowl signed a two-year contract with its workers Sunday, ending a divisive labor standoff at the popular supermarket. 

Employees voted 107-13 to approve the contract that will lower wages for newly hired cashiers, but give raises for most other positions in the store. 

The contract will not apply to a second Berkeley Bowl planned to open in West Berkeley. 

“It’s awesome to see the contract finally done,” said Daniel Hague, a cashier, who had been active in the effort to unionize the store. “Now we have the groundwork to fight for our interests.” 

Berkeley Bowl General Manager Dan Kataoka declined to comment on the contract. Neither the Bowl nor the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Butcher’s Union Local 120 would release the contract. 

Hague said that cashiers hired after the contract signing would have their pay capped at $13 an hour. Current cashiers, many of who top out at around $20 an hour, won’t face a pay cut. 

Berkeley Bowl cashiers received big raises two years ago, Hague said, both to bring the store in line with salaries offered by other local supermarkets and to persuade cashiers to oppose the store’s union drive. 

But since Berkeley Bowl cashiers received salary hikes, the supermarket industry has seen new labor contracts that have reduced cashier salaries. 

“This puts us more in line with the industry standard,” Hague said. 

Besides salary, the contract lays out procedures for employee promotions, raises, and discipline proceedings, Hague said. Workers had charged that the family-run store had no structure for dealing with personnel issues and often arbitrarily rewarded and punished employees. 

“My issue was favoritism,” said Culyon Garrison, a security guard at the store. “Those they liked got promotions and those they didn’t like got treated like crap.” 

“Now we can review our boss and transfer departments a lot more easily,” Hague said. 

The contract signing ends a two-year union drive that divided the store. In 2003, Bowl employees voted 119 to 70 to reject the union.  

The National Labor Relations Board then issued a complaint against the store for illegally pressuring workers to vote against the union effort. Rather than contesting the ruling, Berkeley Bowl agreed to recognize the union without a formal employee vote. 

The bowl was also compelled to reach cash settlements with two employees fired during the union drive, Arturo Perez and Chuck McNally. 

Hague said that despite overwhelming support for the contract, the union fight had divided workers. He said he didn’t know if given a second vote on forming the union, if the employees would back it. 

“It’s been pretty weird around here,” he said. “Now I think people can come together again.” 

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington said that labor law prevented the union from demanding that its contract transfer to a new Berkeley Bowl. Bowl management could have chosen to transfer the contract to the new store if it is built, but opted not to do so, Worthington said. 

This is actually the second time Berkeley Bowl workers have signed a union contract. Bowl employees were represented by the Retail Clerks Union from the store’s founding in 1977 until workers rejected the union in 1986. 

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One day after Berkeley police arrested a retired Oakland high school teacher for the 1970 murder of a Berkeley policeman, the Alameda County district attorney’s office refused to press charges. 

William DuBois, the Oakland attorney representing Styles Pr ice, 56, said “They decided they were not going to press charges because they had insufficient evidence.” 

Price was arrested at his home Wednesday morning, and a second suspect, Don Juan Warren Graphenreed, was arrested by Berkeley officers in Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving time for a burglary conviction. 

DuBois said charges are still pending against Graphenreed. 

Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies said Thursday evening that the department hadn’t received notice of the dismissal. 

“Our investigators worked very hard, and clearly they had enough evidence to convince a judge to issue arrest warrants,” Okies said. 

“But the district attorney’s office has its own standards, and if they chose not to issue charges, then it was probably because they felt they didn’t have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said. 

A warrant was also issued for a third suspect, the alleged “look-out,” who remains at large. 

DuBois said Price had contacted him over a year ago and asked him to conduct h is own investigation “because he was very upset with the allegations and the search of his home. We could not find a scintilla of evidence that he had committed this crime.” 

Okies said the investigation had revealed that Price was the man who killed Offi cer Ronald Tsukamoto, while Graphenreed was the driver. 

DuBois dismissed the claim. “He’s a very peaceable, peace-loving guy,” said the lawyer. “I’m sure he’s very relieved. No one wants to be charged with a crime, especially the murder of a police offic e, much less a crime committed 35 years ago.” 

The April 20, 1970 murder was Berkeley’s first and only cop killing. 

Tsukamato, the city’s first Asian American officer, was gunned down after he made a routine traffic stop at 1 a.m. of a motorcylist who wa s to be the only witness to the murder. 

He had worn the badge only 10 months at the time of the shooting. The basic facts of the crime are clear. 

While Tsukamoto was ticketing the motorcyclist for making an illegal U-turn, a man in a long, dark coat wal ked up. After the two talked for a moment, that man in the coat pulled out a pistol and fired two rounds. One missed, but the other pierced the officer’s eye, killing him instantly. 

The suspects 

Wednesday marked Graphenreed’s second arrest for the crime. 

On May 24, 2004, police arrested him in the Fresno County Jail, where he was being held on burglary charges prior to the trial that landed him in Corcoran. 

At the time, law enforcement sources attributed the killing to Graphenreed’s efforts to raise h is standing with the Black Panthers. He spent only two days in the city lockup before the district attorney’s office ordered his release. 

Two more arrests followed three weeks later, when Berkeley officers arrested two Oakland sisters as accessories in the murder. Assistant District Attorney Jacobson refused to press charges, and the pair was released three days later. 

Officers had presented insufficient evidence in all three cases, Jacobson said. 

Wednesday was the first time Price’s name had surfaced publicly in connection with the case. 

After Graphenreed’s first arrest, police linked the crime to the Black Panther Party, which at the time of the crime had been in a state of war with law enforcement. 

Shortly after the murder, then-Berkeley Police Ch ief Bruce Barker blamed the Panthers and other militants for inciting the mentally disturbed to violence, but did not directly accuse them of plotting or carrying out the killing. 

DuBois acknowledged that police had conducted a thorough investigation, “T hey worked hard, and I know that they have some evidence that suggests some connection between the people arrested and the crime—especially with Grapheneed.” 

The investigation 

“The arrests were made after a three-year investigation. New leads were deve loped and new evidence gathered, and old evidence was reexamined with modern technology,” Okies had said earlier Thursday before the announcement that the charges has been dropped against Price. “Both were booked on no-bail charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.” 

The investigation was conducted by Lt. Russell Lopes, a retired officer who returned to duty to handle the investigation. 

Adding to the complexity of the case is that fact that there are no longer any living witnesses to the murder. 

DuBois 

The victim 

The slain officer was born on July 29, 1942, in an internment camp—the Tule Lake Segregation Center northeast of Fresno, where his parents were among the 120,000 Japanese Americans, two thirds of them citizens, interned on the order s of President Franklin D. Roosevelt five months earlier. 

On their release, the expanded family moved to Berkeley, where Tsukamoto graduated from Berkeley High School in 1960. His brother Gary, still a Berkeley resident, said at the time of Graphenreed’s first arrest that Ronald had always wanted to become a policeman. 

After attending Contra Costa City College, he went on to graduate from San Jose State University, joining the Berkeley Police Department, where he became the first Asian American to wear the badge. 

The city honored the slain officer in 2000 by naming the city’s new Public Safety Building in his honor. 

No criminal charges have yet been filed against a Berkeley man arrested three weeks ago after police and firefighters discovered a massive cache of firearms and an indoor marijuana-growing operation in his apartment above an Adeline Street liquor store. 

Though police booked Leslie Tanigawa, 45, on suspicion of marijuana and firearms crimes, Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies said the district attorney’s office had not pressed charges. 

“I don’t know why,” said Okies. 

A representative of the district attorney’s office said Deputy DA John Adams had elected not to file charges, but could not say why. Adams is on vacation until Aug. 16. 

Inside the apartment, firefighters and police discovered scores of firearms, including a .50-caliber sniper rifle, assault rifles, pistols and a machine gun. 

Tanigawa was released on bail after the arrest, said Marti McKee, public information officer for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). 

McKee said no federal charges had been filed, in part because the ATF’s East Coast Firearms Technology Laboratory is still examining the seized weapons and explosives. 

Although a preliminary examination after the arrest indicated that some of the weapons were fully automatic, a violation of federal law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office normally seeks an indictment only after examination and test-firing. 

The same lab is also examining the explosives—so-called “loud reports” used in aerial fireworks displays—to verify that they are in fact functional devices. 

“It’s a formal process, and it can take a while because the agency has a heavy caseload,” she said. 

w

When the Albany City Council adjourned around midnight Monday, most councilmembers stayed around to chat, but Robert Lieber headed straight for the door. 

It had just been another four-hour brawl and Lieber was once again at the center of it. 

Councilmember Allan Maris had proposed limiting councilmembers, namely Lieber, from freely placing items on council agendas. The council rejected Maris’ proposals, but not before Maris accused Lieber of lying to the press and sending public e-mails distorting Maris’ position. 

“Those letters were inappropriate, false and inflammatory,” Maris said. 

Long meetings and heated debates are not the norm in Albany, where consensus has generally been the rule. In 2002 three current councilmembers cross-endorsed one another even though they were running for just two open seats. 

But that was before Lieber joined the council at the end of last year and the Magna Corporation, owner of Golden Gate Fields, started lobbying to turn a large chunk of the Albany Waterfront into an 800,000-square-foot shopping mall. 

“Everything that’s going on now with the council is about Rick Caruso’s development plans for the race track,” Lieber said. 

With its local horse-racing business floundering, Magna has brought in Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso to develop the 45-acre parking lot surrounding Golden Gates Fields into an upscale, outdoor shopping mall. 

Such a development is anathema to the local Sierra Club and Citizens for an Eastshore State Park. Those groups want nearly the entire property as the final piece to an eight-mile-long state park, and just like most Albany officials, they don’t expect Magna to keep its track around much longer. Magna, meanwhile, continues to insist that they have no intention of closing the track. 

Golden Gates Field was for years a money-maker for Magna and a top sales tax producer for Albany. However, the declining popularity of horse racing and the rise of nearby casinos have taken a bite out of casino profits. And the introduction of off-track and computer betting have cut into Albany’s sales tax revenue, said Councilmember Farid Javendel.  

Under Albany law, the proposed development at the site must be approved by city voters and Magna has begun a lobbying blitz. Led by Matt Middlebrook, the former deputy mayor of Los Angeles and now a top executive at the media relations firm of Fleischmann-Hilliard, Magna has been sponsoring informal tea sessions with residents to gather community input and drum up support for the development. 

Middlebrook said that Caruso planned to unveil initial drawings of the development within 60 days and that the plans would take into account residents’ wish for open space. 

“As we’ve been meeting with the community it’s clear that people are interested in having access to the waterfront,” he said. “We’re looking to mix in as much of that as we can.” 

The five-member council is split on a waterfront mall. Lieber and Mayor Robert Good, both Sierra Club members, oppose a shopping center. Councilmembers Maris and Jewel Okawashi have expressed a willingness to consider Magna’s proposal. Javandel, also a Sierra Club member, favors a small development that could help pay for the city to take on additional park land. 

Maris said that he supports “a realistic amount of park land while respecting the private property rights to the track owner.” 

Good is planning a proposal calling for developing half of the site for single-family homes and the rest into park land. 

Javandel said, “Revenue is important for a number of reasons. A new waterfront park will be a drain on city revenues. We have to have some development to cover those expenses.”  

In June the council will ask property owners to pay an extra $145 per year to pay for building projects and social programs.  

Lieber has taken the strongest stand in favor of the park.  

“I really don’t want to see a mega-mall down there,” he said. “If we do this right it could be the jewel of Eastshore State Park.” 

But in opposing the development, Lieber has made enemies on the council. At a June meeting he placed an item on the agenda calling for the council to review a private poll showing 60 percent of Albany residents opposed a waterfront mall. 

Several of Lieber’s colleagues complained that they didn’t have a chance to review the poll, conducted by the Evans/McDonough Company of Oakland, until the start of the council meeting and they were unprepared to discuss the matter or deal with dozens of project supporters, who took aim at Lieber and the poll. 

That meeting went past midnight, and the council had to hold off on several agenda items because of the late hour. 

“The consensus [on the council] started breaking down visibly when the poll came along,” said Mayor Good. “It was just a little poll, but people got hysterical about it.” 

Lieber has continued voicing his opposition to the development. At the following council meeting he proposed a resolution calling for the city to prevent any development on the Magna site until after it shut down the race track. The proposal died when no councilmember seconded it. 

Maris responded with a proposal of his own. To prevent another episode like the debate over the waterfront poll, he proposed requiring councilmembers to announce future agenda items at the prior meeting. He also suggested that councilmembers be required to prepare detailed reports for their agenda items and allow councilmembers to carry over items that didn’t have adequate reports or weren’t noticed at the prior meeting. 

“Lieber is a new councilmember with very little experience,” Maris said. “I’m just trying to improve the quality of his speech so it’s in an appropriate format for other councilmembers to consider.” 

Maris said he was also angry with Lieber for a series of e-mails he sent suggesting that Maris was behind a more restrictive proposal that would have required a request from two councilmembers to put items on the agenda. Maris and City Manager Beth Pollard insist the proposal came from city staff, not Maris. 

“I think the council is having trouble adjusting to a political situation where it isn’t a consensus,” said Lieber. “For years the council was all of one mind. The only reason that’s changing is that there are issues now like the waterfront that are getting new people involved.” 

Javandel said that the Maris proposal, which he supported, was purely a time-management issue. 

“I don’t think this is connected to the waterfront,” he said. “We’ve had trouble finishing our meetings lately and I want to make sure we do things in a timely manner.” 

Javandel added that Lieber, “seems overly willing to view himself as the target of the council. It wasn’t the way I saw it.” 

In Lieber’s defense, Mayor Good said, “There are some things I don’t like about Lieber, but he may be the only one on the council who knows what democracy is about. They’re trying to prevent unpopular items from getting on the agenda, but there is a contradiction between that and democracy.” 

At Monday’s council meeting Javandel reintroduced Maris’ call to require councilmembers to give notice about agenda items at the prior meeting. It appeared it might pass until the public spoke against the proposal. 

“You’re just tying your own hands,” said Bill Dann. “You don’t want to do this because of one meeting two months ago.” 

Javandel then revised his proposal so that the councilmembers were asked to, but not required to, announce future agenda items at the prior meeting. The council passed it 4-1. Lieber, the lone dissenting vote, said later he voted no on political grounds, but didn’t think the resolution would make a big difference. 

For the Albany City Council, the waterfont issue is far from over. Good said a staff report on revenues from the Magna property was scheduled to come before the council at its second meeting in September. 

“Everyone and his dog will want to speak out that night,” he said. 

Berkeley Landmarks Preservation commissioners raised new questions about the fate of a vacant West Berkeley warehouse Monday night, which is potentially bad news for developers. 

Wareham Properties, a major developer of office/industrial space in Berkeley and throughout the Bay Area, wants to demolish the landmark structure at 740 Heinz Ave. and replace it with a five-story, 105,800-square-foot laboratory and manufacturing building. 

It certainly didn’t help their case that Darrell de Tienne, who is developing the project for Wareham, failed to appear for the hearing. When he finally did show at 9:24 p.m., nearly two hours after the meeting began and after the hearing had closed, the commission basically ignored his presence. 

The developer’s ears should have been burning by then, considering the criticisms and suspicions voiced earlier in the evening. 

First to speak was John Shea, a resident of the adjacent live/work Durkee Building at 800 Heinz Ave., who questioned why city staff didn’t require a study of how the new structure, called the Garr Building, would overshadow their own landmark building. 

LPC Chair Jill Korte joined in the call for shadow studies, adding “I really have a lot of questions.” 

Light is a crucial issue for many of the painters and other artists who live in one of a dwindling number of affordable live/work buildings in Berkeley. 

Korte noted that Wareham had avoided the need for shadow studies by changing a property line with other property they owned because the adjusted line had been shifted in relation to the 800 Heinz building in a way that eliminated the legal trigger requiring a shadow study. 

City planning staffer Giselle Sorensen said the move was legal and not that unusual. 

Commissioner Carrie Olson said she’d been approached by a member of the public who voiced concerns that the owner of the Copra Warehouse was unsure what was happening. 

“People were very confused,” said LPC member Robert Johnson. “I was very surprised.” 

Korte said she was particularly concerned that the fate of a Berkeley landmark had been discussed in private meetings with Mayor Tom Bates and the city attorney’s office before it was presented to the LPC, which had bestowed the designation. 

The LPC chair asked, “Is there was some agreement that would put this development on a track that ruled out” a rigorous analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)?” 

“I just hope there is no backroom dealing going on,” Korte said. “I just don’t want to see a development agreement develop behind closed doors that will prevent this commission from looking at preservation alternatives.” 

Indeed, Korte said she had so many questions that only a full CEQA environmental impact report could address them all. “As is, I couldn’t approve this project, not in the context of neighboring buildings that are landmarked, or of itself. This is frustrating.” 

“This is one of the great industrial buildings still standing in Berkeley,” said Leslie Emmington, the commission’s most outspoken preservationist, calling the Garr’s existing structures “one of the irreplaceable assets of West Berkeley.” 

Emmington said that “somebody at City Hall, or us preferably, should look for some creative help so we don’t demolish this building. Many buildings we’ve saved we’ve been told couldn’t be saved.” 

“We’ve been bombarded since a year ago that this building was about to fall down,” LPC member Robert Johnson said. “We’ve been bombarded from one side, and now I’m kind of confused where the truth is.” 

Johnson observed that the existing structure is seismically unsafe, built of unreinforced masonry incapable of meeting basic structural requirements without significant work. He also noted that building owner Kathleen Garr had signed an agreement with Darrell de Tienne and Richard Robbins to develop the property. 

“The question is, what do we do with the demolition? The point is to ask for alternatives,” he said. 

The LPC had appointed a committee to work with de Tienne on the project, “but it hasn’t met since last October because de Tienne didn’t like the way it was going,” said Korte. 

Olson said she lacked confidence in the developer, “given my experience with this applicant.” 

Sorensen said the commission “can’t take formal action to require an environmental review,” adding that the LPC’s concerns “are all legitimate questions.” 

“Why can’t we just ask for alternatives without an EIR?” LPC member James Samuels asked. 

“We have asked for alternatives, but there’s resistance in that direction,” said Korte. 

“I certainly hope there hasn’t been any back-room dealing,” Commissioner Patricia Dacey said, adding that during the last LPC meeting on the project Garr was weeping. “She said she was frightened. It seemed to me she was afraid of Mr. de Tienne.” 

“Something very strange is going on,” said Johnson. 

In the end, the LPC voted to close the hearing and forward their concerns to city staff. 

Sorensen said that when the commission takes up the project again, he “will strongly suggest to Mr. de Tienne that he appear.” 

Reached at his San Francisco office Thursday afternoon, de Tienne said he shared the commission’s concerns about the shadow study and impacts and dismissed allegations that he may have intimidated Garr. 

“I knew her husband, I know her and her children. I’ve walked her to her car. I don’t think I’ve intimidated her. That’s giving me a lot more credit than I deserve,” he said. 

De Tienne said he was all for conducting a shadow study and hiring a consultant to look at the project’s impact on other buildings and landmarks in the area. 

“I asked [Planning Director] Dan Marks if I should hire someone, but he said no, because it would entail conducting a peer review,” he said. “I then asked him if he could recommend someone, but I received no reply. 

“It all goes back to [city] planning.” 

Other projects 

Developer Roy Nee and his architect won high praise from the commission when they previewed his plans to renovate the Shattuck Hotel, perhaps the flagship of downtown landmarks. 

Nee has teamed up with leading hotelier Starwood Hotels on a project that will transform the structure into a high-end hotel that will operate under the company’s Westin brand as the Berkeley Westin. 

“This is a very wonderful project,” Samuels said. “It’s exciting that you’re doing it as a whole block.” 

“I’m very excited about this project,” Korte said. 

The commission voted to create an ad hoc subcommittee to work with Nee and his architect as the project develops. 

Commissioners voiced skepticism and concerns about another project, the three-way shuffle that would move the landmarked Ellen Blood House at 2526 Durant Ave. and the John Woolley House at 2509 Haste St. to a third parcel just south of Peoples’ Park. 

The moves would pave the way for major Telegraph area multi-story mixed use projects, one at Telegraph and Haste and the other at the site of the Blood House. 

Commissioner Winkel described the shuffle as “an interlocking Rubik’s Cube,” and Korte said she didn’t see how the commission could take up each project separately, since each was completely dependent on the other. 

The panel took no formal action.

The first stages of construction on what was once called the Seagate Building will begin Monday, said project developer Darrell de Tienne. 

The site and plans for the nine-story building on Center Street were sold May 18 to SNK Captec Arpeggio, LLC, a joint venture corporation between an Arizona builder and a Michigan financial company. 

The project will feature eight floors of up-scale condominiums built atop a ground floor that will include rehearsal space for the Berkeley Repertory Theater, a public art gallery and at least one commercial use. 

The same partnership is also involved in a 102-unit residential and ground floor commercial project in Emeryville on the site of the bankrupt King Midas Card Club on San Pablo Avenue and an adjoining 263-car parking structure. 

Renamed The Arpeggio, the structure will rise midway in the block just west of Shattuck Avenue. 

De Tienne said workers will begin by removing asbestos from the existing structures on the site, a necessary step before full demolition and construction can commence. 

“We hope to begin the actual construction in a month,” he said, adding that two months would be the absolute limit. 

Summertime provides school teachers with an opportunity that most professionals don’t have—three months to do whatever they want. 

Of course it’s never that simple; many teachers have second jobs during the summer months to supplement the income of a public school teacher, while others take required classes to complete credential requirements and to stay current in their fields. 

But there are many teachers who use June, July and August in much the same way their students do. They travel to exotic places or just to the next state, spend time with their families, read the new Harry Potter book and generally relax.  

For Berkeley High teachers Matt Fritzinger and Nat Lewis, summer is the time to pursue the things they love out of the classroom. 

For Fritzinger, summer is the time of year when he can devote himself full-time to the NorCal Mountain Bike Series, which he founded four years ago. He has shifted to teaching part-time to serve as executive director of the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League. 

In his second year at Berkeley High, Fritzinger started a mountain biking club, called the Soaring Ducks, and in 2001 he opened a summer biking camp with three kids. This year 60 children took part in the camp. 

“The programs have grown over the years, and teaching has sort of fallen by the wayside,” he said. 

Fritzinger said he created the NorCal Mountain Bike Series to provide an outlet for competitive high school mountain biking clubs and teams. According to their website, in the first series mountain bikers from schools all over Northern California came “to compete as semi-organized high school teams.” 

Now over a dozen schools offer riding programs that operate much like traditional high school sports, participating in a season consisting of six races plus winter and summer riding camps. The league, and Fritzinger, are seeking new teams. 

Lewis, a friend of Fritzinger’s and a colleague in the school’s math department, spends his summer in a somewhat more traditional way for a teacher. 

“I relax,” he said. “The school year is so packed with stuff—I get up, go to school, come home, make dinner, put the kids to bed, go to bed myself and then go to school again.” 

For him, summer is a time to spend with his girls, ages 6 and 8, and with his wife, Nydia McGregor, a graduate student at UC Berkeley. 

It’s also a time to pursue his art. Lewis has been working with found objects for over 15 years and has had several gallery shows in Sacramento. His garage/studio overflows with pieces both finished and not and all the accouterments.  

“I work with mechanical parts, mostly. I like to take apart old typewriters,” he said. “Berkeley is a fun place to be, because people leave bric-a-brac by the side of the road. I’m one of those people who goes digging through your trash to find my treasures.” 

He also uses his spare time to practice the guitar he plays with Angel Band. The group plays mostly bluegrass and early American folk music, Lewis said. 

It’s not all relaxing in the park and strumming the guitar, though. Lewis said he sometimes feels like he’s still working part-time, taking classes to meet advanced credential requirements, meeting with UC Berkeley professors to rework his curriculum and consulting with a textbook company. 

But the work doesn’t get in the way of the fun. 

“I read the latest Harry Potter book, which sort of forced me to slow down. And then I read the previous three,” he said. 

Eight female KPFA employees filed sexual harassment complaints against station General Manager Roy Campanella II Thursday, alleging that Campanella asked them out on dates and retaliated against employees who refused his advances. 

KPFA Training Co-Director Rain Geesler said in a prepared statement that Campanella asked her out within weeks of his being hired last year. Lemlem Rijio said in a press release that when she rebuffed Campanella’s inappropriate behavior he “started to retaliate against me daily with threats of termination, harassment, slander, as well as hostile and discriminatory treatment.” 

Campanella, reached by telephone Thursday, said, “None of my actions have violated any laws.” He added that he was ready to work “openly and honestly with all of [his] co-workers.” 

The KPFA Local Station Board has scheduled a closed-door meeting this Sunday to determine Campanella’s future with the station. 

“I find [the complaint] very disturbing because we have an internal process for redressing this situation and we haven’t finished that process,” said Board Member Chandra Hauptman. 

The employees filed their complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which will now investigate the matter. If the DFEH substantiates the complaints, it has the power to file suit against the station and award damages to the eight plaintiffs, said Bill Harvey, Secretary Treasurer of the Communications Workers of America. 

Harvey said the plaintiffs chose to take their complaint before the DFEH because the department lacked the authority to threaten the station’s license. Had the women taken their complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Harvey said, the commission could have opted to seek termination of KPFA’s broadcast license. 

“This is an effort to resolve the matter while keeping KPFA healthy,” he said. 

If Campanella stays, Lisa Ballard, the station’s webmaster and union shop steward, warned of wide-scale employee resignations. “I cannot imagine working here if he sticks around,” she said. 

The complaint comes after KPFA conducted two investigations into the allegations and declined so far to take disciplinary action against Campanella, Harvey said. An investigation by the local station board has not been released publicly. 

According to a press release by the plaintiffs, women at KPFA who turned down Campanella’s advances were retaliated against through “public belittlement, threats to cut funding, criticism of their work to supervisors, slander and threats of termination.” 

Campanella reaffirmed Thursday that while he may have asked employees—men and women—to movies, they were never meant as dates. He also said he planned to remain at KPFA. 

Harvey said the plaintiffs would likely rescind their complaint if Campanella stepped down. All eight plaintiffs continue to work at the station.  

In July, 70 out of 300 paid and unpaid KPFA staff signed a letter of no confidence in Campanella. The sharply divided local station board has so far not recommended Campanella’s dismissal to acting Pacifica Foundation Executive director Ambrose Lane. 

KPFA-Berkeley is one of the Pacifica’s Foundation’s five community stations. 

One board faction maintains that station staff have embarked on a power grab and they question if the sexual harassment complaint is tool to strengthen their position, according to Program Council member Stan Woods. 

“I’m very skeptical about the whole move to get rid of Campanella,” Woods said. “I think it has a lot more to do with the [morning schedule] than with the purported reasons being given.” 

In addition to the complaint filed by the eight female employees, the union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board over an incident last May when the union said Campanella threatened to assault Hard Knock Radio Executive Producer Weyland Southon. 

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Though the shaky accreditation status of the Alta Bates-Summit hospitals has been upgraded one level, the hospitals have a lot to do before they can win a clean bill of health. 

That’s the word Thursday from JCAHO—the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations. 

Without accreditation by the private agency, the Alta Bates-Summit hospitals in Berkeley and Oakland can’t received federal payments for treating Medicare and Medicaid patients, often a big share of hospital revenues. 

In a survey released in November, JCAHO issued a preliminary denial of accreditation, which placed the hospitals on notice that they would lose accreditation unless major changes were made. 

In a review released earlier this month, the organization raised the hospitals’ status to conditional approval. 

“The Joint Commission will conduct a special follow-up survey in four to six months,” said JCAHO spokesperson Mark Forstneger. “The report will be issued two to four weeks after the survey is completed.” 

While JCAHO ruled that the hospital had corrected four of the deficiencies uncovered in the 2004 survey, they said the majority of findings had still not been corrected. 

The unresolved issues include insuring that: 

• Patients with comparable needs receive the same standard of care, treatment, and services throughout the hospital. 

• Informed consent is obtained. 

• Patient-specific information is readily accessible to those involved in the medication management system. 

• Medications are properly and safely stored throughout the organization. 

• Medication orders are written clearly and transcribed accurately.  

• All prescriptions or medication orders are reviewed for appropriateness.  

• The hospital responds appropriately to actual or potential adverse drug events and medication errors. 

• The hospital defines in writing the time frame(s) for conducting the initial assessment(s). 

• Any use of restraint is initiated pursuant to either an individual order or an approved protocol, the use of which is authorized by an individual order. 

• Operative or other procedures and/or the administration of moderate or deep sedation or anesthesia are planned.  

• The hospital takes action to prevent or reduce the risk of nosocomial (hospital caused) infections in patients, staff, and those who come into the organization. 

• The hospital has a complete and accurate medical record for every patient assessed or treated. 

• Designated qualified personnel accept and transcribe verbal orders from authorized individuals. 

In the case of long-term care patients, the hospitals must insure: 

• The resident receives education and training specific to the resident's needs and as appropriate to the care, treatment, and services provided.  

• Pain is assessed in all long-term care residents. 

The four allegations removed last Friday were: 

• Managing drugs returned to the hospitals’ pharmacies. 

• Assessing pain in all short-term care patients. 

• Developing plans for the care, treatment and provision of services in accordance with the patient’s needs, strengths, limitations, goals, and 

• Placing time limits on verbal or written orders to restrain or isolate patients.›

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has authorized complaints against Alta Bates hospitals charging that they illegally locked out workers following a one-day strike. 

NLRB Field Attorney Micah Berul said Thursday that the hospitals will still have time to work out a settlement with members of United Health Care West (UHCW), which represents hospitals, including the Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs). 

Berul said there’s one issue left to be resolved before formal charges are filed: the union’s allegations that all the hospitals owned by Sacramento-based Sutter Health should be regarded as a single employer for the sake of labor negotiations. 

That charge had been held in abeyance while the NLRB investigated the lockout, and has now been reopened for investigation, Berul said. 

If no settlement on the lockout is reached by the time the board finishes its single employer investigation, the board will file formal charges that will be resolved in a hearing conducted by an administrative law judge, he said. 

“The lockout issue can be settled between the parties at any time until then,” Berul said. “If we didn’t have the other issue, charges would have been filed within two weeks of the board’s decision,” which was announced in an April 8 letter to the hospitals and the union. 

The hospitals can be held liable for the four days of lost wages, plus interest, said the attorney. A resolution would require a cease-and-desist order against the hospitals to block similar actions in the future, and the hospitals would be required to post notices of the NLRB findings. 

UCHW media spokesperson Thea Lavin said Sutter Health employees lost millions of dollars in wages in the lockout. 

In a statement issued to hospital employees Thursday, Mark Beiting, vice president of Human Resources for Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, said that the union had filed “at least 29 charges of ‘unfair labor practice’ against our medical center.” 

He said 23 had already been dropped by the union or dismissed by the NLRB, leaving six issues to be resolved. 

“To date, NLRB investigators have not issued a single government complaint against the medical center on any of those charges, nor has our medical center been forced to settle any of these charges,” he said.›

A plan to eliminate two traffic lanes on Marin Avenue has been delayed until early October because Albany couldn’t find a single contractor to both re-stripe the street and make needed repairs to the asphalt. 

Originally Albany and Berkeley had planned to re-stripe a section of Marin Avenue this month, when traffic on the busy thoroughfare was light and the two nearby elementary schools were on summer vacation. 

But when Albany put its portion of the project out to bid in June, no contractor made an offer, said Ann Chaney, Albany’s community development director. She said contractors were unsure they could complete the job by the August deadline requested by the city. 

To get the project moving forward, Albany is retaining several contractors to re-stripe the avenue and make repairs to Albany’s portion of the street. Berkeley decided to only re-stripe its section of Marin Avenue, and has already selected a contractor to do the work. 

The project calls for eliminating two of the four traffic lanes and adding a middle turning lane and two bicycle lanes. It is hoped that the new configuration will reduce car speeds and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Opponents of the project worried that it would increase commute times and force motorists onto side-streets. 

At Monday’s Albany City Council meeting two residents called on the council to delay the project for fear that the road work started after Labor Day would snarl traffic and endanger school children crossing Marin Avenue. 

Chaney said that at least one lane of traffic in each direction will be open at all times during construction, which is expected to last two weeks.Ã

The Berkeley Public Library main branch is planning to open again on Sunday afternoons starting at the end of September, Library Director Jackie Griffin told the Daily Planet in a phone interview. 

The Library Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider the proposal at its meeting next month. 

Last July as a cost-saving measure the library was forced to close on Sundays and reduce evening hours. As recently as last May reopening the main branch on Sundays seemed too costly, but in June the City Council voted to raise the library tax by more than 5 percent with a directive to restore Sunday hours. 

An informal library poll found that a majority of patrons favored opening the main branch from 12 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Griffin, however, said that a six-hour day would be difficult to staff. She prefers the 1-5 p.m. schedule with the option to restore two additional hours during weeknight evenings if the library can afford it. 

Since most library users on Sundays are students, Griffin said, the library would also consider closing on Sundays during summer months to provide more evening hours. 

Until July 2004, Berkeley Library branches had been closed and the main branch had been open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. 

?

Looking to reduce what the Alameda County Office of Education has called the “antipathy” between public charter schools and public school districts, two Berkeley-based educators have organized a cooperative public and charter school fair this weekend in Emeryville for representatives of both types of schools to present their programs to prospective students. 

The “New Schools, New Visions” school fair will be held this Saturday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Emery Secondary School, 1100 47th St. in Emeryville. Admission is free of charge to parents and students, who will be able to visit booths operated by more than 15 public and charter schools in the Bay Area. Representatives of local youth support agencies and organizations will also be present, and child care for small children will be available. 

A forum on potential collaboration and cooperation between public and charter schools will be held with Alameda County School Superintendent Sheila Jordan, Emery Unified School District Superintendent Tony Smith, and Oasis Charter High School Director John Oubre. 

The fair is the brainchild of Berkeley residents Wanda Stewart and Marissa Saunders, and is being co-sponsored by the Emery Unified School District and Oasis Charter High School in Oakland. Stewart is the president of the Berkeley PTA Council and the coordinator of Recruitment, Outreach and Retention Services at Emery Unified. Saunders is the Student and Family Support Coordinator at Oasis, a hundred student downtown Oakland charter school geared towards students who have been unsuccessful in traditional public schools, or have been out of high school for a while and want to return. 

“The idea of a joint school recruitment fair comes out of the private boarding school world, where I came from as a school recruiter,” Stewart said. “A number of schools who had been in competition for students decided that when we worked collectively, we could reach more students. So we formed the Western Boarding Schools Association to make joint presentations, and we had unspoken agreements where we would refer a student to other association schools if we found that student was not appropriate for our school. The parents loved what we were doing, and it ended up working out well for everybody.” 

Both Stewart and Saunders agreed that such a collaboration will be more difficult between school districts and charter schools, which are in a fierce battle all across California for Average Daily Attendance money from the state. 

“Sometimes we as educators lose sight of the bigger goal, which is to ensure that each student is successful,” Saunders said. “Politics and finances often take priority over more important things. The mindset of the two types of schools has to change.” 

“I don’t know of any school that has enough money,” Stewart added. “We could continue to fight over scarce resources, or we can refuse to be pitted against each other and pool those resources and work together to expand the available money. It means we are all going to have to be more flexible, and we are going to have to have some hard conversations. We’re creating a new type of education system—who knows exactly what will come out?” 

Both women gave credit to Alameda County School Superintendent Sheila Jordan for helping to begin a public-charter dialogue in the area. Last October, Jordan put together a Charter School Policy Task Force to study the issue. Last June, the task force released a report entitled “How Can We Reduce Conflict Between Charter Schools and School Districts?” recommending areas of cooperation between the two types of schools. Jordan is expected to present the recommendations to the Alameda County Board of Education and to local school boards in the county this fall. 

“It was a powerful thing when Jordan stepped up and said she is going to support a collaboration between public and charter schools,” Stewart said. “It was only a few years before, when charters were first being introduced, that she was indicating that she didn’t like them. But a lot of that has changed since then.”

Berkeley Unified School District Deputy Superintendent Glenston Thompson has voluntarily left his job with the district after one year to return to the private sector. His last day was Aug. 3. 

Thompson served as director of the district’s fiscal operations, responsible for both developing and managing BUSD’s budget. 

Last November, after only three months on the job, he developed a refinancing program for BUSD’s three 1992 Measure A general obligation bonds that was expected to save the district $3.2 million over the next 20 years. At the time, Thompson downplayed his role in the idea, saying that the bond refinancing was merely part of “being good stewards and good decision-makers over the use of the district’s financial assets. I’m just glad to be able to do my part as a member of the BUSD team.” 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence is expected to present a candidate for Thompson’s replacement to the BUSD Board of Directors at the board’s first meeting after the month-long summer break on Aug. 24. 

Neither Thompson nor Lawrence was available for comment.›

While rising student fees and allocations from the state budget get the bulk of attention at meetings of the University of California Board of Regents, some of the real work of UC financing will be going on next week when the UC Regents’ Committee on Investments and Investment Advisory Committee meet to discuss the management of the university’s portfolio. 

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 1:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, with a teleconference location on the UCSF-Laurel Heights campus, 3333 California St. in San Francisco. Live audio broadcasts are also available on several formats, with download information available at the regents’ website. 

Listed on the public agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is the university’s quarterly investment performance summary and the external equity manager search as well as recommended changes for the annual incentive plan. The quarterly investment performance summary report and the treasurer’s report on the university’s fiscal year 2005 annual incentive plan will be discussed in closed session. 

At stake is the management of the $42 billion University of California Retirement Plan and the university system’s $8.8 billion defined contribution plans’ funds, $7.7 billion short term investment pool, and $5.2 billion general endowment pool.›

St. Mary’s gets reprieve 

One month after voting to prohibit St. Mary’s High School from using a disputed portion of its campus, the council reversed course this week, calling for school officials and neighborhood leaders to once again try to find a solution to the local turf battle. 

“There has to be a better solution than the one we’ve come up with here,” said Councilmember Jewel Okawachi. 

Albany has limited St. Mary’s size to no more than 90,675 square feet. Five years ago the school built a new hall with the understanding that it would then demolish 2,380 square feet of space, consisting of a band pavilion, snack bar and classrooms. 

But the school never demolished the buildings and last month, the council voted to prevent Saint Mary’s from using the space until the school presented a master plan for the entire campus. 

Saint Mary’s provided new information in recent weeks demonstrating that the closure would hurt students and leave the school with no soundproof building for band rehearsals. The school’s arguments swayed the council.  

“I don’t want to do something where everybody loses and I see that being the case right now by closing the band pavilion,” Councilmember Farid Javandel said. 

After further meetings this month between the school and the Peralta Park Neighborhood Association, the council will hold a new public hearing on Saint Mary’s in September. 

Albany tax measure heading for June ballot 

The Albany City Council approved putting a $145-per-residential unit parcel tax on the June 2006 ballot. 

The tax is anticipated to raise $1 million a year for capital projects like renovating the city’s veterans’ building as well as for youth programs, street maintenance, library services and park maintenance. 

Several councilmembers ex-pressed a preference for putting the initiative on the ballot this November. But at the urging of Mayor Robert Good, a council majority opted for the June ballot so that it wouldn’t risk taking votes away from a tax hike proposal that Albany’s Board of Education is placing on the November ballot.?

http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Work

RIGHT TURN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

John Koenigshofer is wrong to say that “No right turn on red light” signs reduce pedestrian safety (Letters, Aug. 9).  

Most drivers making a right turn at a red light glide right through the crosswalk, looking to their left to see if cars are coming but not looking to their right to see if pedestrians are coming.  

I was once almost hit when I was crossing Cedar Street at Shattuck Avenue on the green light. Someone was barreling down Cedar at high speed, went right through the crosswalk just looking to his left, slowed down just enough so he could stop if he saw traffic coming from the left, and made a right turn without ever stopping for the red light. He never even saw that I was in the crosswalk just to his right and that he missed me by inches.  

This is an extreme case, but anyone who walks in Berkeley has had the experience of being afraid to cross on a green light because a driver who wants to make a right turn on the red is just looking to his left for cars, not looking both ways for pedestrians.  

If we want to make Berkeley safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, the city should keep putting up “No right turn on red light” signs at dangerous intersections.  

Charles Siegel 

• 

BERKELEY HONDA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I would like to invite all Berkeley citizens to join the striking Berkeley Honda workers and their supporters at a rally this Saturday, Aug. 13, between 1 and 2 p.m., in front of the dealership at Shattuck and Parker. You are also encouraged to join the picket line any time between 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Our continuing presence is having a very damaging effect on Berkeley Honda’s business, but we need to keep up the pressure. 

If you can’t picket, you can write letters to the dealership (2600 Shattuck, Berkeley 94704) and to your local papers; if you can’t write letters, you can call the dealership (843-3704); and if you can’t manage any of those things, you can still do the most important thing of all: take your business elsewhere until Berkeley Honda settles with the union. 

We have the opportunity to make a real difference in the outcome of this strike, and to stand up for the values so many of us in Berkeley profess to believe in. This will entail some inconvenience; doing the right thing usually does. 

It may take a while to make our point. The new owners at Berkeley Honda are stubborn, and they are calculating that before long, the tide will reverse and they will gradually rebuild their customer base. And we can assume that anti-labor businesses throughout the country, who reserve a special contempt for Berkeley, are cheering them on. 

Let’s disappoint them all. Let’s win. 

Judy Shelton 

• 

FOLLOW-UP 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In the Daily Planet issue of July 22-25, I read of a giant cache of weapons; high-powered rifles, and even machine guns found by accident by firemen in Berkeley. Yes, machine guns in Berkeley! 

In the same week, in your paper, I read the story of the young woman in Berkeley shot and killed by her friend. 

To me these stories were of such importance that I thought there would be further coverage by your paper supplying more information such as the following: 

Who owned those weapons? How did they get into Berkeley? Who has been arrested and charged with what? So far nothing further has been reported.  

And with regard to the Willis- Starbuck girl the only follow-up story I read was a very brief account saying that the boy who shot her had not been found and that some unidentified person alleged that the girl asked her friend “to bring the heat.” 

Surely by now other eye witnesses to the shooting have been found and your paper could report on just what was said that led the girl to call for help and what University football players (if any) were involved. 

These stories in my opinion are more important than the size of some tomato plant in a backyard of Berkeley which is the front-page story of the weekend edition of Aug. 5-8. 

Max Macks 

• 

BLACK HOLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a giant black hole of money and energy that robs from our ability to address other pressing issues. As an American Jew, I resent having to spend so much time not letting establishment American Jewish organizations speak in my name.  

I further resent how Israeli occupation policies are corrupting the Jewish communities, religious or otherwise, in this country and making Israel an unlivable pioneer fort on the prairie. Yes, I too would like other issues to be addressed by the Peace and Justice Commission, but given how absolutely the U.S. and Israel are intertwined, this is a pipe dream.  

Sadly, Thom Seaton’s stew of defensive and ill-informed finger-pointing bodes ill for the direction of the Peace and Justice Commission. He asks about Rwanda and Darfur, why not the same for these disasters as for Israeli and Palestine? He disingenuously asks why his resolution for investigating the deaths of all Americans in Israel and Palestine is so different than calling for the examination of Rachel Corrie’s murder specifically? The implication is that everything is like everything else, therefore what? Let’s not examine anything or examine everything. Either way, the idea is to exhaust any efforts to examine something specific. And why examine Israel and Palestine specifically?  

Well, as Tony Judt said in a recent New York Review of Books article, and I paraphrase, “When you fancy yourself as a modern western democracy, asking why others are not examining Sudan or Morroco, is hardly edifying,” particularly when this self-proclaimed democracy is heinously occupying another people.  

When this heinous occupation is, further, being funded to the tune of around $3 billion, economic and military aid, by U.S. taxpayers yearly, (we are not even talking about indirect aid, loan guarantees, trade agreements that might add another %5 billion or so a year) things begin to clear up. Israel is almost like a 51st state in terms of its relationship to the U.S. How much are we supporting Sudan this year? Morocco? Everything is not the same, the relationship between Israel and Palestine is the relationship between prison guards and prisoners.  

Rachel Corrie was killed by the organized Israeli military carrying out a policy that is, in no little part, funded by the U.S. Can the same be said for para-military attacks by disparate Palestinian factions without any central command? What would be the point of such an investigation? Would the U.S. give less money to Hamas? Islamic Jihad, or perhaps more money to Israel? Can the same U.S. support be shown for the Sudanese government or the Hutu genociders? Again, no one is arguing that these things are really sucky bad, but we can argue about how much we might be able to actually do about any particular situation.  

Thus when Seaton asks why should we look mostly to U.S. supported states this seems almost like a Monty Python skit question, imagine that. I’m saying this slowly ... because those are the states we can most influence. I know, I know, this is passe, and I should be all hot and riled about Cuba and everywhere else that the U.S. likes to hate, but I will not let Seaton, Gertz or others try to confuse what is relatively simple, shall we review: The occupation is the root problem, unalloyed U.S. support (the only super power) necessarily will focus attention on Israel, Israel itself calls attention to itself as the “only democracy in the middle east” and our tax dollars feed this terrible situation. If Seaton or Gertz can make similar claims, as if they actually care, for any other peace and justice scenario, have at it.  

Robert Lipton 

• 

BLAMING THE VICTIM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A. Charlene Matthews’ comments in the Aug. 9-11 issue angered me greatly. The only question that remains unanswerable, Ms. Matthews, is why are guns the national totem and why are so few people in this country willing to give them up?  

For your information as well, if you call 911 from a cell phone, you get the CHP. Your comments reflect an attitude that blames the victim. Perhaps the only thing Meleia did wrong was to trust the wrong man, and who hasn’t done that? I have no idea what you mean by “these types of problems,” but I suggest that you consider a forum to discuss the disgusting availability of guns in this society. 

Batiya Jacobs 

• 

SALT IN THE WOUND 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In response to A. Charlene Matthews’ letter regarding the death of Meleia Willis-Starbuck, and many other similar commentaries, I would like to say that I am getting tired of this line of questioning. As a friend of Meleia’s, it only adds salt to the wound of losing a friend to hear people attempt to blame her in her own death. Not only is it ludicrous to blame the victim, but it is entirely unrealistic to believe that the police would pay any mind to a phone call reporting disrespectful young men. Judging from my own experiences, the police would have brushed her off and come to the scene far later, if they came at all. I have heard and read all kinds of commentary on the death of a friend and yet hardly any of it has been about the real issues. Why is no one talking about the presence of guns in the streets and the ease with which they can be accessed? What about gun control? Why is no one concerned about the way men treat women? It has gotten to the point where many young women feel physically threatened simply walking down the street, why is this OK? What about the fact that many young people see violence as their only way of solving conflict?  

I don’t see the point in attempting to blame a dead victim, because this line of reasoning does not change the facts of the case nor will it prevent this type of crime from reoccurring. We need to look at and take action on the core issues: gun control, violence among young people (much of which is directed at women), and finally the attitude of some young men who feel that it is their right and privileged to disrespect women—which is an act of violence in and of itself.  

For more information about gun violence, please go to www.bradycampaign.org and www.millionmommarch.org  

Sarah Fong 

• 

BELITTLING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am responding to the “Little Rock Redux” commentary in the Aug. 5 Daily Planet. In this letter, Ms. Haynes Sanstad compares the ongoing dispute between Beth El and concerned neighbors, and the resulting yard signs, to the civil rights struggle of Little Rock in the 1950s. Sanstad, as an African American Jew, speaks of the impact on her children who pass by these yard signs and feel threatened and unwanted in this neighborhood. She implores her children to “hold their heads high.” 

That Sanstad would compare the dispute over the development of Beth El in a residential neighborhood to the events of tle Rock belittles the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement sought an end to Jim Crow racial subordination backed by a web of state laws, intense public hostility, and physical violence intended to terrify. Little Rock ultimately required federal troops. Sanstad’s comparison casts Beth El as a victim of neighbors motivated primarily by racial bigotry or group antipathy. 

As a neighborhood member who has a yard sign in front of my house, my intent is to inform the community, including the congregants of Beth El, that the leadership of that institution has not acted in good faith in drafting a parking plan that addresses our concerns and that the parking plans recently submitted to the city do not reflect or respect an agreement that Beth El signed with concerned representatives of this community. The yard signs serve to bring public attention to what has been a long and hard fought battle to have Beth El rework the proposed parking plan. The signs call for Beth El to “honor their agreements.” 

It is inflammatory nonsense to interpret this as an effort motivated by racism and anti-Semitism instead of valid neighborhood concerns. Sanstad, as a member of Beth El’s board, should not resort to such hyperbole. It imperils civil conversation, much less productive discourse. I would hope that Beth El would publicly reject the implications intended by Sanstad. 

Perhaps Sanstad should reframe the lessons she teaches her children as they walk Oxford, past my home. She should talk to them about the importance of hood discourse, of community planning, of consideration and respect for neighbors and their concerns. She should tell them that many of the members of LOCCNA, the community group that has negotiated with Beth El, are themselves Jewish. That often, within any community, valid disagreements arise. What she certainly can not claim is that this has been a battle to integrate and bring civil rights to an oppressed and subordinated group of people in the Berkeley Hills. If she has any doubt, may I suggest the family rent Eyes on the Prize and compare the experience. 

Deborah Drickersen Cortez 

• 

COOKIES! 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Your readers should know that the toll house cookies at Nabolom are really good! 

Alice Jorgensen 

• 

NO BOYCOTT HERE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Why I’m not boycotting Walgreens: I ride a bicycle. 

Now that all the car fascists have turned away I’ll give the rest of you a few hints. Although most of Walgreens stuff is cheap crap and the deceptive ads and bait and switch routines are annoying, you can still get vitamins and milk a lot cheaper than either the Bowling Alley, Holier than thou Foods, or Mafia’s R Us. And you should never buy anything that is not on sale, they don’t deserve it. 

Now that the yuppies have turned away, I guess I’ll keep riding the bike until the Save Ourselves From Ourselves fascists make it illegal to ride sans helmet, airbag, and whatever else they deem necessary. Of course then I’ll just start driving my diesel. Now before all you MTBE eco-morons go crying to mommy you should know I’ve already installed a diesel catalytic converter (already made mandatory in Europe) that makes it cleaner than most of the guzzelene driven cars out there. On yet another tangent it should be reiterated that you get more miles per barrel of oil from a diesel which means the terrorists whether they be psuedo-muslim or “christian” (and you know who you are) have less money to blow things up. Oh yeah I’ll still be going to Walgreens and parking at the Bowling alley just to annoy them all. Rant done ... for now. 

Carl Max 

• 

YOUTH VOTING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m writing in support of the proposed ballot initiative to lower the voting age to 17 for School Board elections in Berkeley. It seems that opposition to this proposal centers around the basic fallacy that 17-year-olds, in their puerile ignorance, will simply mimic the opinions and votes of their parents and teachers. As a Berkeley teacher for the past 23 years, I’ve met very few of these aforementioned lemmings. Instead, I’ve been blessed with students who are informed, intelligent, and open-minded. 

These are the people with the best first hand knowledge of the challenges our schools face as well as potential solutions to problems. They are more than entitled to vote for trustees whose decisions directly impact them. The Daily Planet is saturated with the bombast of pundits offering their remedies for what ails Berkeley youth. Try empowerment. All of us may learn something. 

Tim Moellering 

• 

SUPPORTING PEACE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It’s very interesting how, when challenged, the Zionists always illustrate the old Arab proverb: “The excuse is worse than the crime.” 

Thom Seaton, echoing Zorro, brags about how he tried to justify the murder of Rachel Corrie on the City Council. Then he brags about his friendship with the U.S.-funded Cuban resistance, known for blowing up civilian Cuban airliners. Not satisfied with that self-exposure, he then brags about his support for the murderous occupation of Iraq. 

I can see why a Jewish person like Joanna Graham would wonder how far such people would go, when they don’t hesitate to advertise their support for all this violence. 

Clearly Thom has not the slightest interest in supporting peace anywhere. 

Mark Richey 

Cotati 

• 

BART POSTERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Unusual Sights 

The posters BART has borrowed from London urging riders‚ to be “Bomb Detectors” and play a part in the so-called war on terror may only serve to keep its riders uneasy. 

Destruction by fanatics like McVeigh is uncommon; suicide is not normal no matter who does it or what their motive; terrorist acts however frequent are by their nature extraordinary. When President Bush insists that a struggle against violent extremists is really a war he effectively normalized the abnormal.  

Before anyone take the action given on the poster they should understand the enabling condition. The poster tells what to do “If you see something unusual.” Presumably hearing, smelling or feeling something unusual is OK. It also implies that it’s okay if you see anything uncommon, abnormal, extraordinary or simply something you’ve never seen before you can just ignore it. You only have to take steps if it’s unusual.  

The inanity of the poster rests on the obvious fact that what you see as unusual may very well appear to your neighbor as familiar and entirely harmless.  

When the unusual is in the eye of the beholder, terrorism wins. 

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo 

• 

SALIENT POINTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thom Seaton’s well-intentioned defense of his tenure on Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission overlooks several salient points. First, he assumes that the singular anti-Israel focus of the commission’s resolutions is inconsistent with a true liberal or progressive vision of fair and impartial conflict resolution. In fact, regarding the expulsion of Jews as a necessity to achieve peace has a long and respectable intellectual pedigree in progressive circles. Indeed, one of our own most illustrious native daughters, a Jew by heritage, a pioneer of contemporary lesbianism and surely a progressive icon for all times, Gertrude Stein, once employed this exact line of reasoning in proposing that Adolf Hitler deserved the Noble Peace Prize: 

“I say that Hitler ought to have the peace prize because he is removing all elements of contest and struggle from Germany. By driving out the Jews and the democratic and Left element, he is driving out everything that conduces to activity. That means peace.” (New York Times Magazine, May 6, 1934). 

From all accounts, Stein lived comfortably through the years of the Nazi occupation of France, often extolling the leader of the Vichy government, Marshal Petain, as a George Washington-like figure, as many progressives, Jewish or otherwise, today proudly view Yassir Arafat as a point of cogent comparison. 

Yet there is a deeper point at play here. The whole concept of a small city Peace and Justice Commission really is the love child of a certain species of Leftist politics left over from the 1960s and now reaching a characteristically immature middle-age. In many ways, the Peace and Justice Commission represents a peculiar fusion of old time Quaker-like pacifism with au courant multi-cultural Universalism. Face it, Thom, this is their baby, their first-born, their pride and joy, hence they must assume the privileged role of the Nomenklatura in all its resolutions. As the Dr. Frankensteins of Peace and Justice, there is an axiomatic correlation between the opinions of the commission’s progenitors and fellow travelers and the very meaning of the terms “peace and justice.” It’s simply not open to question or rational analysis and Thom wastes his valuable time in any attempt to do so. 

In fact, in the last analysis, isn’t the whole Peace and Justice Commission a sort of theater of the absurd at its core, a sophomoric Model United Nations for gray beards, where Bambi takes on and defeats Godzilla, where simpleminded early childhood make-believe morphs into an animated cartoon-like commission episodically issuing meaningless utopian resolutions for “peace and justice?” 

Edna Spector 

• 

LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT 

Dear President Bush: 

I’m eagerly waiting news that you’ve agreed to meet with Cindy Sheehan once you’ve cleared the brush at your Crawford ranch. I understand this is how you spend the greater part of your vacation. How lovely that you can enjoy a five-week hiatus from annoying problems at the White House. Incidentally, from what I read, you’ve taken more vacations than any other president on record.) 

While you’ve frequently stated that you don’t read newspapers or watch television news, I assume you’ve heard from your staff that the anti-war activist, Cindy Sheehan, has been camped, in boiling sun, on the road outside your ranch. You’ve heard, of course, that Ms. Sheehan’s 24-year old son, Casey, was killed in Iraq last year. For this reason, she’s hoping that you’ll come out and meet with her to explain why Casey’s death was justified. So far, only two senior officials have met with her. She’s been turned back by guards and warned that she must vacate your property. Evidently she’d be an embarrassment when you’re visited by Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice. I fervently hope she doesn’t waiver in her determination to speak with you, Mr. President, because this mother represents thousands of other mothers who have shared her loss and known the pain of learning that their sons have also paid the ultimate price for a war that has no justification, that has brought death and unspeakable carnage to a small nation that never, ever posed a threat to this country. 

So, Mr. President, I plead with you to take the short walk from Prairie Chapel (the quaint name of your ranch) and accord Ms. Sheehan the courtesy of meeting with her. 

Dorothy Snodgrass 

• 

SEE BOTH SIDES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am very troubled by the personal attacks by Joanna Graham in the commentary section from the week of Aug. 2. I applaud the commentary of Lawrence W. White in the Aug. 5 edition for its attempt to educate and not simply shout down the opposition. 

As a Rabbi, with a compassionate heart, I really like to think (and really try) to see both sides of the issue. Looking back to the history of the Mideast even before 1948, I understand that both the Israelis and the Palestinians have arguments that can be made in their favor and criticisms that can be leveled about sad behavior with terrible consequences. In too many discussions of the Mideast people are so self righteous about their position while displaying tremendous ignorance of the entire scope of the problem. 

People in Berkeley protect their own right to speak without respecting their neighbor’s right. Free speech to some means shouting down their neighbor rather than speaking, then listening. The attack on John Gertz is ridiculous. I know this honorable man personally and none of what Joanna Graham insinuated in her overblown rhetoric, that he might be doing, was true. 

My question is why would the Daily Planet print it? In a community that is about 25 percent Jewish, the Planet seems to have the idea that most of us support the position that Israel is solely at fault. This is untrue. And I don’t think many of us support hate speech either. I hope we are all in favor of a discussion that acknowledges and knows what has really gone before but wants to find a path that we can all walk together. One of my children’s teachers advocated that my daughter (the child of Rabbis) go to a rally for “Peace in the Middle East.” I was astonished that she didn’t name it what it was, a pro-Palestianian/bash Israel Rally, but also that when questioned she had no real knowledge about how things have gotten to the state they are in—meaning what is the real history. So many in Berkeley are real knee-jerk liberals. I am a liberal, but I like to think that I actually think. What good does it do any of us to have you print the kind of hateful attacks that you do? How are fair-minded people to come to the table if you just inflame the issue? Perhaps it would be interesting to have an opinion page where you have one historian from each side lay out the history and the issues. Inform rather than inflame. And then perhaps we will just have to agree to disagree, but will have an enlarged understanding of the issue and how we all come to it. We may be the home of the Free Speech Movement but we are probably the most intolerant place in the U.S. when faced with a differing view. 

And also it wouldn’t hurt to remember that each of us gets the right to speak but that we only represent ourselves, unless we are elected officials and speaking in that capacity. Many in Berkeley feel that they have the only right opinion and that everyone should believe as they do or they are due only contempt and to be dismissed as fools. 

Rabbi Sara Shendelman 

Since my last column concerning the tragic death of Meleia Willis-Starbuck, I have been feeling a heaviness in my heart as I make my way around Berkeley watching teenagers on street corners laughing, loud talking, play fighting—wondering who might be next. I worry about my teenage daughter walking around at night with her friends. “We’re just going to Anna’s house/to Mel’s/to the movies/up on Telegraph/to the “Y”/to the park/around the corner—Chill out, Mom! You worry too much. I can take care of myself. Besides, it’s my life, not yours.” 

What parent hasn’t heard such proclamations coming back to haunt them after defiantly tossing similar words in our own parents’ faces a generation ago? I remember too well using Kahlil Gibran’s poetry to justify my own teenage rebellion: “Your children come through you, they’re not of you—in other words, you don’t own me. You were just a vessel. Thanks for the ride but I’m outta here.” And I hear all too well my parents’ retort leaping out of my own throat: “As long as you’re living in my house, under 18 and not paying rent...” You know the rest, fill in the blank.  

In need of comfort and advice I decided to visit a church—the East Bay Church of Religious Science— which embraces all religions and focuses on positive thinking. I often count on Reverend Elouise Oliver to deliver a timely message with humor and wisdom and she did not disappoint. Reverend E spoke compassionately about an acquaintance who recently approached her with a dilemma. The woman has two sons. One is well-behaved and hard-working, putting himself through school. The other is a drug dealer who regularly attacks his brother and steals his money. The distraught mother did not know what to do. She asked Reverend E: “How can I protect one son while still loving the other?”  

While driving home I turned the radio to NPR and listened to host Sedge Thompson and film critic Roger Ebert discuss the film The Wild Bunch, a breakout Western co-written and directed by Sam Peckinpah in 1969. The film, arriving near the end of the peace-and-love era, shocked audiences with its graphic depictions of brutal violence callously exacted by two warring groups of aging gunslingers. It deals with the issue of loyalty and honor among thieves living by a code that allows the incessant slaughter of innocent bystanders while self-righteously claiming nobility by sticking to one’s word, no matter the consequences. “It was against their code to walk away—to go to Amarillo and get a job,” noted Ebert. I immediately thought of the young man mentioned in the sermon. I decided to rent the movie and give it a closer look.  

It is 1913 and a posse of bounty hunters is hired by a south Texas railroad company to protect its trains from robbers. Their leader, Thornton, has exchanged prison time for leading a rag-tag group in the relentless pursuit of his former partner in crime, Pike, and his band of outlaws. With the onset of the industrial revolution, the rival leaders (superbly portrayed by Robert Ryan and William Holden) see their way of life coming to an end. “I want to make one good score and back off,” Pike says to his buddy, Dutch (played by the wonderful Ernest Borgnine). “Back off to what?” Dutch rejoins. The only cowboy in the bunch who has any family ties is the lone Mexican, Angel. “I care only about my people!” he proclaims. Ironically, it is in a doomed effort to save Angel’s life that the “wild bunch” is eventually brought down.  

Two notable exchanges occur that bring me back to present day conflicts. When one of the outlaws wants to oust another from the group, Pike angrily denounces the complainer: “When you side with a man you stay with him and if you can’t do that you’re like some animal! You’re finished!” Later, Pike reacts to Dutch’s put-down of Thornton’s commitment to hunt them down with the defense that “He gave his word!” “To a railroad!” Dutch protests. “It’s his word!” Pike insists. “That ain’t what counts!” counters Dutch. “It’s who you give your word to!” 

Up until this point, their respective loyalties have not been questioned. The code was the code. But Dutch is asking Pike to dig a little deeper. There’s no time for that, however. It is their blind loyalty and misplaced sense of honor that eventually gets them all killed.  

When I think of the multitudes of young men committing violent crimes, particularly those associated with gangs and drugs, I wonder if they aren’t living—like the wild bunch—in a kind of parallel universe with a set of values and ethics that render mere mortals like me not only inconsequential but nonexistent. Of course, there are so-called white collar criminals who also have no empathy for their victims, e.g. the “innocent bystanders” who lost their life savings, caught in the cross-fires of big-money gangs like Enron and Lincoln Savings and Loan. But it’s the violent crimes that seem to hit us in our collective gut. 

Throughout the film we see groups of indigenous children unfazed by the surrounding violence who move from stoic observation to gleefully initiating some violence of their own. Compassionate disconnect begins at an early age. During the same sermon, Reverend E described a young boy of 11 living near the woman mentioned earlier. He crossed the street to speak to a man he had never seen before, a man hired to do some gardening. “Need anything?” the boy asked the stranger. “I’ve got what you need,” he went on. “What can I get you?”  

In The Wild Bunch, Angel objects to the selling of guns to renegades who have harmed his village: “Would you give guns to someone to kill your family?” he asks. “Ten thousand [dollars ]cuts an awful lot of family ties,” Pike responds. 

So, what do we do with the “bad” son? Give up on him? Lock him up? Or focus on rehabilitation, on helping him to view himself and his surroundings in ways he’s never seen before? 

“How wonderful it would be,” Reverend E preached, “if we were to approach a stranger in our midst with the same words—“Do you need anything? What can I get for you? How can I help?”—that the young drug dealer used so expertly, so easily rolling off his tongue like water. 

?

They held two open-air, free music concerts at Arroyo Viejo Park near 77th and Bancroft in Oakland this month, and if your first thought was “Why didn’t I hear about any violence?” that tells more about the public perception of the East Oakland flatlands than it does about the reality. 

Given a leaflet announcing the concerts and asked if she was going to come, a woman out at the Portfest said “East Oakland? I’ll pray on it.” God must have listened, since not a one of us got shot. But that’s the way it is out here in the far flats, friends, mostly all the time. 

Arroyo Park is much the same as I remember it from almost a half a century ago, when I used to bicycle up in the morning and spend my summer days there. There’s the same asphalt courts where I worked for hours on my jump shot (got the shot; never did figure out the jump), and the adjacent McConnell Field where I never learned to hit the curveball, but where I did see Joe Morgan play high school baseball before any of us knew he was going to be Joe Morgan. Down the left field line is the same furry pine tree where the blackbirds used to nest, and where a foul ball into the branches would end the game, as a swarm of them would swoop down like dive bombers, aiming for our heads and clearing the field. Across the great expanse of lawn—still one of the most well-kept in the Bay Area—is the daylighted creek for which the park is named, and where we caught many guppies and salamanders and got our jeans and tennis shoes sopping wet, and the stone amphitheater where we put on shows with the paper maché puppets we made in Arroyo’s summer programs. Do they still have those? After Harry Edwards fumbled through Parks and Rec, who knows what he left in his wake? 

Anyhow, for two successive Sundays in late July and early August, sports took a back seat to music entertainment at Arroyo Park, as mostly black families spread out blankets and set up lawn chairs and umbrellas and canopies, ate barbecue and drank red soda water (a Texas thing, sure-enough), and listened to the old school R&B sounds of Rose Royce one week, and Oakland’s own Lenny Williams the next. Well, not just listened, exactly. One thing you should be warned about, in case you know nothing about black folk, is that when five or six middle-aged African-Americans are gathered together somewhere near music, four of them, at least, will break out in the Electric Slide. 

Others just danced by themselves. Or if they couldn’t get up and dance, drop their heads and put up one hand and wave it back and forth, like the old folks do in church. Many just sang along to familiar songs, recalling good times or lost loves. And in some six hours of events over the two days, the only argument I heard was over whether Randy Moss is going to make a difference with the Raiders. 

Most of the reason is that East Oakland is not nearly as violent a place as you’ve been led to believe. Given the chance, most of us choose to enjoy ourselves and just get along. But part of the reason for the lack of problem was the way security was handled. 

Part of the security was in the hands of members of Minister Louis Farrakhan’s local mosque of the Nation of Islam (not the group that was headed by the late Dr. Yusuf Bey, in case that matters to you). NOI security. Unlike too many Oakland cops, who too often create problems in black crowd situations by their attitudes and demeanor, NOI security is usually successful because it’s both no-nonsense and respectful to the community it is there to serve. 

As for the Oakland cops who also handled security during the Sunday concerts? Well, I don’t know who picked the police for the detail, or who gave out the orders of the day, but whoever it was, they certainly deserve praise as well. The Oakland cops at the Arroyo concerts were both easy-going and professional, acting as if all of us were of part of the same community, as if both we belonged and they belonged, as well. They walked among the crowd in two’s and three’s, chatting amongst themselves and acting as if they didn’t expect trouble, but were only present on the off-chance that some might occur. Some members of the Oakland Black Police Officers Association volunteered to work the Arroyo events in street clothes. 

If only Oakland cops always acted like this at predominantly black events. But maybe these were different cops, or maybe it was a different commander. I don’t know. 

The Arroyo concerts themselves were managed by Oakland’s resident hip hop entertainer-business leader, Dwayne Wiggins, and were sponsored and organized by Oakland District 6 Councilmember Desley Brooks, paid for entirely out of her district budget. Brooks says that publicity was almost entirely through leafleting and mouth-to-mouth, partly because she didn’t want a huge, unmanageable crowd, and partly because she wanted these to be community affairs, drawn from the surrounding neighborhood of the park, giving her constituents something special back for all the tax money they put into the city. It’s the kind of thing you often see in the Grand Avenue area, or in Chinatown, or the Fruitvale. It’s good to see it out in the flats. 

Part of the reason for the success of the concerts is that they have called on old school acts that attract a more mellow, predominantly middle age crowd. Midnight Star is scheduled to perform on Aug. 21, and Dwayne Wiggins on Sept. 11, both starting at 3 p.m., in case you want to pray on it yourself, and come out (food vendors are on-hand in case you want to buy instead of bringing your own). Many of the concert-goers are parents who are bringing out their young children (activities for them are off to the side, away from the bandstand). That makes for a relaxed, family atmosphere. That would be more difficult to maintain if the events were geared toward a more young adult crowd. But that’s something Brooks continues to work on with such things as plans for a safe and legal alternative to the sideshows (with an emphasis on “safe” and “legal”). 

For now, both residents of the East Oakland flatlands and residents all over Oakland ought to be happy about the Arroyo Viejo free music concerts. When you see a rising tide of public participation in areas of the city where folks have normally been left out, it’s a tide that is certain to lift all of Oakland’s boats. Despite what the big developers and their good friends in City Hall may think, the road to Oakland’s well-being does not pass down Broadway. It passes through our neighborhoods, where all of us live. Oakland’s problem is not so much getting other people to like us, but getting us to feel better about ourselves. The sooner we understand that, the sooner we can turn this city around and head it in the right direction. Meanwhile, I’m going to get me another bottle of that red soda water. It’s the Texas in me. 

Molotov cocktail 

Berkeley police arrested a 13-year-old Monday on suspicion of possession of a destructive device after he reportedly tossed a Molotov cocktail in the direction a pedestrian in the 1300 block of Josephine. 

BPD spokesperson Officer Joe Okies said the pedestrian called police, who immediately began a search of the area. 

When officers stopped a group of four male juveniles neat the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Rose Street, they discovered that one was holding another Molotov cocktail. 

At that point the youth was arrested. 

Okies said there wasn’t any evidence to indicate that the youth had intended to hit the pedestrian. Had there been, the 13-year-old could have faced an additional charge of assault with a deadly weapon. 

Flight arrested 

A routine traffic stop for failure to use a turn signal in the 1200 block of Mabel Street at 10:41 p.m. Monday turned into something different when both occupants of the car decided to make “foot bail”—policespeak for beating the heat by shank’s mare. 

Unfortunately for them, there’s another piece of police lingo—“You can’t outrun the Motorola” (police radio). 

Officer Okies said the two were quickly apprehended and booked on suspicion of violating a host of statues, including driving without a valid license, probation violation, obstruction of justice, failure to yield and trespassing. 

Cell heist 

A man called police shortly after noon Tuesday to report that another fellow had robbed him the previous night in the 1400 block of Ashby Avenue using the old hand-in-the-pocket-I’ve-got-a-gun ruse. 

Foiled robbery 

A 45-year-old man reported that three men had tried to rob him in the 2400 block of Sixth Street just after 6 p.m. Tuesday, hitting him with a stick in the process. 

The trio had fled before police arrived. 

Crack and keys 

After police stopped a car on Arlington Avenue near Marin Circle shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday, they discovered that one of the pair had an arrest warrant. 

An on-scene search also revealed a quantity of methampethamine and a pipe to smoke it in, as well as a set of specially modified keys of the sort often used by car thieves. 

Machete wielded 

Police are seeking a man who shoved a pedestrian and her companion in the 2400 block of Russell Street shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday. 

Officer Okies said that the incident began when the pedestrian shouted unkind words about the driving habits of a fellow in a yellow car. 

Angry, the driver got out, shoved both pedestrians, then opened his trunk and brandished a machete in their direction before driving off with his female companion. 

He was last seen heading northbound on Telegraph Avenue.

Motel blaze 

Firefighters have launched an arson investigation following an early morning fire Monday that resulted in $20,000 in damage to a building attached to the Golden Bear Inn in West Berkeley. 

Police arrived within three minutes of the alarm, and had the blaze controlled within 10 minutes after that, saving the $500,000 structure. 

“The fire started on the exterior,” said Gil Dong, acting assistant chief of the Berkeley Fire Department. 

“Because there was no heat source that could have caused the fire and no evidence of cigarette smoking, the cause is listed as suspicious,” Dong said. 

Jonathan Hardy, the inn’s general manager, said the building, a cottage rented out to tenants, was unoccupied at the time of the fire. 

Wall fire 

Firefighters rushed to a home at 2120 Los Angeles Ave. at 9:40 Thursday morning, where they discovered a fire in a wall they later attributed to an overloaded electrical circuit. 

Damaged was contained to the wall, which firefighters had to open to quench the flames.›

On Aug. 14, 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, so this Aug. 14, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Social Security, a program that has dramatically cut the poverty rate for seniors and today provides a guaranteed income for over 48 million retirees, families of workers who have died, and disabled people. 

The Social Security program represents a three-part promise between generations of Americans: (1) that no one in America should have to live in poverty after a lifetime of hard work, (2) that children whose parents die should receive support, and (3) that disabled people should not have to suffer extreme deprivation if they can no longer work. This promise has been kept for 70 years, up until now, when the Bush administration and many members of Congress are trying to privatize it, using scare tactics, lies, and deception to convince the public that the system is going broke. 

In fact, the Social Security system is solvent. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if no changes are made to the system, Social Security will be able to pay 100 percent of benefits until 2052 and 80 percent of benefits after that. Much is made of the large population of baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) who will be retiring in the next decade, but in fact, the problem of paying benefits to the baby boom generation was solved back 1984, when Congress raised the Social Security tax to create a trust fund to pay for the baby boomers’ retirement benefits. There is now $1.4 trillion in the Social Security trust fund. By 2018, it will grow to $5 trillion. So the baby boomers are taken care of. 

What is true is that Social Security will probably have to be adjusted again to accommodate the realities of the 21st Century in which people are living longer and producing fewer workers than in 1935. But this will not require a radical reform of the system. The Social Security program can be funded indefinitely either by raising the $90,000 cap on income that is currently subject to the Social Security tax or by repealing the 2001 tax cuts that benefit individuals who earn more than half a million dollars a year, or by a combination of these two strategies. 

Social Security is currently a social insurance program with a guaranteed benefit. How much a beneficiary receives depends on how much the worker earned and how long he or she worked. The check comes in the mail every month, no matter how the economy or the stock market is performing. The average monthly benefit adds up to about $11,000 per year. 

Private accounts—the idea of letting workers divert up to one third of their Social Security contribution into mutual fund accounts—will be bad for most Americans. First, this would take money out of the system, not put it in. Social Security benefits could be slashed by as much as $9,000 per beneficiary per year.  

Second, the risks are too great. What happens if the market is down when you are ready to retire? If you don’t pick the winning stocks? If the market crashes? Right now, there are already plenty of opportunities for people to invest excess income in tax-deferred retirement accounts through 401Ks and IRAs, knowing that no matter what happens with the stock market, at least they will be able to survive on the guaranteed benefit of the Social Security program that we have today. 

Third, disabled workers would lose out in a big way, because even under the best of economic circumstances, a private account would have to accumulate over a full working life to generate sizable benefits. Workers who become disabled after 10 years of work would have almost nothing for themselves and their dependents to live on. Fourth, private accounts would increase the deficit and leave future generations with a huge debt to pay off. The estimates for the conversion cost are between $2 trillion and $5 trillion; this is in addition to the $8 trillion deficit the government is currently running outside of Social Security. The deficit is only one of the many reasons that young people, much more than retired people and baby boomers, should be concerned about what happens to Social Security. If you are young and wonder what all this has to do with you, check out www.rockthevote.com/socialsecurity/whycareaboutss.php. 

While the Bush administration touts private accounts as giving individuals control over their own investments, the fact is that there would be tight restrictions on the mutual funds that the public would be allowed to buy, making it extremely unlikely that the accounts would produce anything close to the great returns being promoted to sell this scheme to the public. In addition, the administration suggests that people could pass money that accumulates in the accounts on to their heirs, but this privilege would only apply to rich people. Low-income citizens would be required to purchase annuities, which provide a guaranteed monthly payment for life but expire at the death of the beneficiary. 

So if everyone loses with private accounts, who wins? Wall Street brokers, who are heavily funding the privatization campaign with a lot of misinformation, because they stand to make millions in the fees and commissions that would be generated by the private accounts. Compare this to the less than 1 percent in administrative costs for the Social Security program that we have today. 

If this all is beginning to sound familiar, it is because the privatization of Social Security is yet one more example of the right wing’s reverse-Robin-Hood policy of stealing savings from working-poor and middle-class citizens, who need these funds to stay out of extreme poverty when they retire, and using it to fund yet more “tax relief” to support the ever more opulent lifestyles of the wealthy. This is why many Americans plan to celebrate Social Security’s birthday by letting their Congressional representatives and Senators know that they oppose private accounts and benefit cuts and support raising the $90,000 cap to ensure that Social Security is will be there for all of us.  

Lynn Davidson is a spokesperson for Social Security Action, a nonpartisan group of Bay Area citizens who are concerned about Social Security. Our e-mail address is SocialSecurityAction@hotmail.com. 

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With U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, as North Korea boast about nuclear weapons, it’s amazing our elected officials appoint Peace and Justice commissioners opposed to bringing the troops home and creating a federal peace department. 

People who value peace and social justice should be concerned that conservative forces are seeking to mute our opposition to the war and silence Berkeley’s voice in the national dialogue. 

Every commissioner has a right to speak freely and vote as they please. Honest differences of opinion deserve respect. But “honest” is a key word when some commissioners harbor a secret agenda. In “Opposed to Department of Peace,” Commissioner Wornick deceitfully omits his father’s role as founder of the Wornick Company, the largest supplier of military food rations. 

To vote against a Department of Peace while his family profits from war, to vote against bringing the troops home while his family profits from keeping them on the ground in Iraq, raises clear ethical conflicts requiring investigation. 

Mr. Gertz wrote “The old Peace and Justice Commission was quick to jump on Israel, but passed not one resolution condemning suicide bombing … [or the] Arab mistreatment of women…” and Commissioner Seaton claims “…. the commission often has cared little about human rights violations, except  

when committed by the U.S. or it’s allies.” 

Both statements are false. The Peace and Justice Commission has condemned human rights abuses by Burma, China, Iran, Mexico, the U.S. and other countries. Before 9/11 we condemned the Taliban specifically for their treatment of women. The Rachel Corrie resolution that so infuriates Commissioner Seaton and Mr. Gertz condemns suicide bombing, stating “…the City of Berkeley … opposes the senseless killing of innocent civilians including Palestinians, Israelis and others…” 

Mr. Gertz justifies the new appointments, saying the new commissioners are not seeking resolutions against Israel or Palestine. That is not the issue. The issue is that they are destroying the Peace and Justice Commission’s ability to function on unrelated matters in an on-going hissy fit because two years ago we recommended Rachel Corrie’s death be investigated. 

And let’s be clear about that: All the Rachel Corrie resolution did was seek an investigation. It never condemned Israel, nor did it mention sanctions or divestment. As someone who abstained on the Rachel Corrie resolution and the resolution to divest from Israel and Palestine I have no ax to grind. As a Yeshiva-educated, Jewish member of this community I would have screamed from the roof tops if I felt Israel was “singled out.” And as a progressive Jew it offends me when extremists claiming to represent “the Jewish community” equate supporting Israel’s right to exist with its worst policies. 

Supporting Israel did not require backing its support of the former apartheid government of South Africa, nor does it require ignoring Rachel Corrie’s tragic death. Regardless of how one feels about Corrie, she engaged in civil disobedience, not violence, and requesting an investigation into the death of an American citizen is not unreasonable. 

That Mr. Gertz would “make toast” of the councilmember who cast the deciding vote against divesting from Israel because he voted for the Corrie resolution illustrates the extremist ideology of these conservatives. 

By law the Peace and Justice Commission develops proposals and advises City Council on international matters including abolishing nuclear weapons, supporting human rights and promoting peace (Berkeley Municipal Code § 3.68.070). When commissioners Kashner and Wornick obstruct that duty, saying we should only work on local issues, when Commissioner Seaton vilifies the reputation of the commission on which he serves by misrepresenting our human rights record, when Rabbi Litman tries to keep communications sent by the public from reaching commissioners because they “offend” her, and when she and commissioners Seaton and Wornick oppose reporting U.S. human rights violations since 9/11 to the U.N. because they are more concerned about the precedent for Israel than human rights, they commit perjury in their hearts and dishonor their oath to uphold the law. 

Before the 1960s Berkeley was similar to tens of thousands of non-descript college towns that dotted the nation. Today Berkeley is internationally known as a voice that speaks out against oppression. If Berkeley’s voice is silenced there will be one less candle in the darkness. 

These extremists are willing to destroy the Peace and Justice Commission, misrepresent our human rights record, and use the editorial pages of this newspaper to intimidate people into silence by implying that those who disagree with them are anti-Semites. These tactics of dishonesty and intimidation are the same tactics used by conservative Republicans. 

Conservatives have captured all three branches of the federal government. Now they are making their move right here in Berkeley. To be silent when attacked, as John Kerry did while the Swift Boat Veterans destroyed his reputation, is a strategy for failure. Those who support peace and social justice must stand our ground or we will lose it. We must speak out, and not allow ourselves to be intimidated. We must let Mayor Bates, councilmembers Capitelli, Olds, Wozniak, and School Board members Issel, Riddle and Rivera, who appointed these conservatives, know how we feel. 

Peace and Justice Commissioner Elliot Cohen sponsored the resolution urging Congress to pass legislation establishing a Department of Peace. 

›

Known around the world for alternative thinking, tolerance, magnificent beauty, a great university and birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, Berkeley residents have much to be proud of. 

Due to the real estate boom of the last decade, the wealth necessary to buy homes in Berkeley has shifted the demographics of our city to include people who hold a broad range of political viewpoints. While a majority of these new residents are registered Democrats, they are interested in preserving what they have earned and are naturally more fiscally conservative. Witness the last city-wide election where several tax measures were defeated by an organized citizen base of homeowners, fed up with carrying too much of the financial burdens of a poorly managed city government. 

On a national level, our country is currently in a cyclical shift to the right as clearly expressed by the election of a two-term Republican-led administration, House and Senate.  

I believe the combination of new, more moderate-leaning residents in our city and a national shift to the political right has caused the radical left in Berkeley to feel marginalized. This marginalization has made this group feel threatened. They have little power nationally, but locally they are willing to take whatever steps necessary to hold onto the power they have. Recently I have learned how far they will go to hold onto this power.  

As a member of the Peace and Justice Commission since September, some of the views I’ve expressed have been out of the norm for what has predominantly been a radical left-leaning organization. As a moderate Democrat, representing a growing demographic, I am still an anomaly in Berkeley political involvement. Yet, my understanding of the Free Speech Movement and liberalism meant that people in Berkeley would always stand up for the First Amendment, and I would not only be free to express my views, without fear of reprisal, but welcomed and perhaps even respected. Amazingly, I was mistaken.  

Over the past couple of months I’ve caused what could best be described as a minor ruckus. I dared to vote against a resolution supporting a federal Department of Peace. Later, when I wrote a commentary for this paper explaining my vote, even more people were outraged. (I loved the one where my name was changed from Wornick to Warnik.) Why all the outrage? I spent considerable time reading the legislation originally proposed by Rep. Dennis Kucinich. As a student of political science, my analysis of the legislation was that it would fail on many levels and was seriously flawed. Furthermore, because of the lack of support nationally—only 12 percent of the House has signed on as co-sponsors in over two years—there was no urgency, nor any reason for our City Council to waste time and our money debating and passing a resolution to support such legislation. I did exactly what I was appointed to do.  

As my detractors have pointed out, I was the only no-vote. I hardly represented any major threat to the old guard radical left on the commission. Yet, if you read the responses in this paper and the e-mails I have received, you would think I was leading an army of thousands across the city lines, ready to take over City Hall with my supposedly right-wing views.  

Alan Moore, a man with limitless amounts of free time and a self-described long-time advocate of progressive causes, wrote an opinion piece attacking me and my vote in this paper. Not only did he manage to obfuscate my actions and words, he asked Berkeley citizens to request that City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, my appointer, remove me from the commission. Moore and the rest of the radical left believe I don’t belong on the commission. He wrote that, based on my vote, I am not a “real advocate for peace.” This comment could have been offensive if it wasn’t so laughable. Of course I am a real advocate for peace, but I have a different view than some on how to achieve it. Do I not have a right to express my opinions in Berkeley? Is there no room for an alternate view? Does being on the Peace and Justice Commission require a commissioner’s automatic support for every idea that is brought to it?  

I am reminded of the brilliant marketing ploy by the anti-abortion movement. Years ago they began to call themselves pro-life. The name itself inferred that if one wasn’t pro-life, they must be pro-death. Of course this isn’t true. Here in Berkeley the group that I am at odds with calls themselves “advocates for peace.” Does this mean that if you don’t agree with them you aren’t for peace? They’d like you to think so. 

The radical left on the Peace and Justice Commission is not alone. Some of our city councilmembers speak of “Berkeley values” as if there were one universally accepted version. In the last several years I have seen the rise of intolerance here in Berkeley. On campus, political figures, authors and other speakers who don’t represent these so- called Berkeley values have been heckled, protested, threatened and on several occasions driven out. People who have attempted to attend theses events have been blocked by protesters, amazingly with the full support and involvement of some members of our City Council and UC professors! How has this intolerance been tolerated?  

The other issue I suspect that has gotten under the skin of the radical left is my position that our City Council shouldn’t be wasting their time and our tax dollars debating issues of national and international politics. Of course I understand the importance of an occasional symbolic gesture. The public record has shown that I have supported such things. Nevertheless, I strongly believe our local officials have been elected solely to run the city of Berkeley. The Peace and Justice Commission shouldn’t be in the business of sending three or four resolutions a month to the council to move on, particularly if the resolutions are flawed, sloppy and not representative of a broad base of the city’s residents.  

In the months since I have been on the commission, I have witnessed the radical left up close and in action. I contend that after years of control and power they have become arrogant and intolerant, just like their sworn enemies on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Do they not see this? For some reason I represent a threat and they want me gone. 

Is free speech dead in Berkeley? Is the radical left so fragile that it can’t tolerate an opposing view? If I rattle a few cages it can only make Berkeley stronger. Ultimately, that is my goal. I love the city of Berkeley, but not what some are doing to it.  

Jonathan Wornick is a member of the Peace and Justice Commission. 

›

Regarding the Aug. 5 commentary “Little Rock Redux” by Katherine Haynes Sanstad, this is an open letter to Beth El congregants and sons of Ms. Haynes Sanstad. 

Your mother is right to teach you to hold your head high and be proud of your heritage. But to liken your new neighbors to racists is terribly misdirected. We have also been called anti-Semites. Neighbors who are Jewish have been called self-hating Jews. Rabbi Raj, at a public meeting, made reference to kristallnacht which was when Nazi’s destroyed Jewish synagogues and homes and murdered Jews in 1938. Whether he intended it or not, many viewed this to imply that opponents of the Beth El synagogue project were anti-Semites and akin to Nazis. 

Back in 1998, when we saw the original plan for your new synagogue with a parking lot to be right over Codornices Creek, neighbors advised that that was not environmentally sound, and contrary to the core values of the neighborhood (see http://loccna.katz.com/docs/corevals.html). After three years of bitter struggle and hearings all the way to City Council, Beth El elders finally saw fit to spare the creek. 

My opposition is to the project as planned, not opposition to Beth El. Beth El elders signed a legal agreement with LOCCNA (your new neighbors) spelling out how the project could benefit all involved with provisions for creek rehabilitation, a parking management plan, and joint committees to solve problems. 

Your mother said, “...neighbors don’t want fellow Berkeley citizens to park on public streets in accordance with existing parking regulations.” 

She missed the point. If a new neighbor came into your neighborhood and announced that they intended to use half of the free parking spaces in the neighborhood every Saturday you would likely object to this, just as your real new neighbors have. Your mother says our lawn signs indicate that the “...hostility of the opposition to Congregation Beth El ... is extreme, even by Berkeley standards.” 

The intent of the lawn signs is not to “foment public opinion against” Beth El but to draw attention to our concerns. There remain serious flaws in the parking plan, and the lawn signs will probably remain at least until those flaws are corrected and Beth El members and guests prove that they will not inundate the neighborhood with parked cars. 

Your mother said, “What will I tell my sons in Berkeley in 2005 as they face the hostility of our North Berkeley neighbors? ‘You have a right to be here. ... We have rejuvenated land that had lain unkempt …. And yes, we are still not wanted, have not been wanted for 10 years.’” 

Yes, you have a right to be here. The geothermal heating of your building is certainly an innovative and welcome feature. The dollars spent in rehabilitating Codornices Creek is appreciated, but the creek rehabilitation job is not completed, and many neighbors doubt your elders’ commitment to preserving the creek greenway, having seen them fight so hard to put a parking lot over the creek. The land that your mother refers to as “unkempt” was viewed by many of us as a vital part of the Codornices Creek corridor, home to many essential plants and animal life. 

I urge you to really read the signs and understand what they are saying. They do not say “We don’t want you here.” They say “Honor your agreements. Minimize parking impacts. Restore the creek and greenway. Respect your neighbors.” If we secure outside funding to daylight the creek, this cannot be done without Beth El’s consent and cooperation spelled out in our agreement. We sincerely hope that Beth El will honor the agreement. 

The agreement also says Beth El must minimize the parking impact on the neighborhood. A parking plan that allows 50 percent of the free parking spaces in the neighborhood to be used up does not minimize parking impacts. Earlier drafts tried to say the plan only applied to events of 200 or more (instead of 150 specified in the agreement) and to make the wording of “events” to refer only to non-religious events (instead of all events specified in the agreement). Some issues are resolved and I feel that we should be able to work out the remaining issues, then focus on actually successfully implementing the plan. 

Your mother said, “Some may say, ‘But this is different. We are not attacking your children, we are attacking Beth El.’ ... Those signs need no ethnic epithets to scream ‘We don’t want you here!’” 

We are not attacking Beth El, and never have. We are criticizing the development plan and urging improvement. About “ethnic epithets,” please just take the signs at face value. Reading ethnic epithets again implies your neighbors are anti-Semites and racists, which is just not true. 

Your mother said, “… my husband and I never dreamed that we would be giving our children the same instructions in Berkeley, Calif., in 2005 that parents gave their teenagers in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957” 

It’s ironic to me that your mother uses the Little Rock parents as an analog to your current situation with lawn signs. You see, I was growing up in Little Rock from 1955-1959. Though I was only in elementary school, I was still aware of a major impact of the racial struggle and desegregation efforts had serious impact on my family. Images of fire hoses and irate, indignant, violent and ugly white folks are emblazoned in my memory. My oldest brother was in high school and as the high schools closed, one by one, due to aborted attempts at desegregation, he had to attend a series of high schools further and further remote from where we lived in Little Rock. His education was virtually wrecked. My parents joined organizations that fought for desegregation and defended teachers who were being intimidated and harassed for taking positions in support of desegregation. The name of one of those groups was STOP (Stop This Outrageous Purge). 

The main thing I want you to know is that I’m not opposed to you. I too “yearn for shalom/peace some day,” and wish that the Beth El elders and neighbors can come to terms so that we may turn our full attention to other important matters, such as improving education, peace in the middle east, and developing ways of living in harmony with our environment. 

Sincerely, 

Your neighbor,  

Alan Gould 

t

The San Francisco Mime Troupe returns to the East Bay this weekend for a series of free shows, starting this weekend with a couple of performances in Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh. 

This latest Mime Troupe show, Doing Good, is an adaptation of John Perkin’s book Confessions of an Economic Hitman about the journeys of James, a big business economist and his work in under developed countries: the people he meets, the mega-construction projects he works on, the poor folks he wishes he could help. 

Christian Cagigal is the actor who plays three of these poor third-world characters, or as he puts it, “the seemingly benign, little ethnic guys.” Chief among them is Farivar, the swinging all-American Iranian immigrant. At the opening of the show, young Farivar and James enjoy drinking cheap American beer together. Near the end, they meet again, this time in the Shaw’s Iran on the eve of the Islamic revolution there. James is there on business, to build big roads and grow the Iranian economy. Farivar has returned to his home and become a Muslim fundamentalist. He has a bit of wisdom to impart to his old friend about America’s place in the world and how “doing good” doesn’t always lead to doing good. 

Each season since Sept. 11 2001, the Mime Troupe shows have portrayed a different theatrical response to the question of “why do they hate us?” Michael Gene Sullivan, Doing Good’s director, says that this show addresses the hidden history of the United States’ economic relationship with the rest of the world, a8 history that could go along way towards helping Americans understand why many in the “third” world don’t trust the U.S. 

“It’s not necessarily all our fault, like some people rushed to say after 9/11, but on the other hand the people of the Middle East don’t hate us because we love freedom, that’s not it either,” Sullivan said. “There’s a history there and until we understand the history between the Middle East and Europe and the United States we can’t really have an intelligent conversation ... This anger has been building up against the United States for quite some time ... When you’re trying to figure out why someone hates you, don’t go to your best attributes and go: ‘They don’t like me because I’m so admirable. They hate me because I’m so handsome.’ We have a tendency to compliment ourselves. We mistake hatred for jealously, when sometimes they’re just pissed at us because of stuff we actually did.” 

Sullivan is not just the show’s director; he also plays a few roles on stage, and was a writer in the Mime Troupe’s collective process. After developing the adaptation of the Perkins story, the entire cast got together around a big table to read together and then not long after, had the first rehearsal, or what Christian Cagigal calls “a large jam session.” That was back in May. 

“It’s a bit crazy for anyone to think they can write a play in a couple months and then put it up,” Cagigal said. “It’s a rather masochistic idea, so for better or worse we have lots of cooks and we’re all trying really hard to make one really good soup.” 

The actor who plays James, Noah James Butler, agrees that the collective process practiced by the Mime Troupe is a special challenge that makes working with this show unique. 

“As an actor, I always want the playwright sitting right there so I can ask them, ‘What were you thinking when you wrote this? Can we make this change?’” he said. “The Mime Troupe process allows us to bounce ideas off each other and speak our minds.” 

Butler went on to say that the Mime Troupe’s process is a great way to get a show up in front of the public. 

“Having done a lot of underground theater, there are—how can I put this nicely—people with varying talent levels,” he said. “But with the Mime Troupe, everyone is on the same level. Working together. Contributing ideas. Everyone works really well together and it’s really a team effort. It’s what theater should be. Everyone has to unload the truck.” 

The latest Mime Troupe show is a finished play, but it’s also a work in progress. From their opening performance on July 4 in San Francisco’s Dolores Park to the un-official end of the season on Labor Day weekend, the show is always evolving and being refined. 

Although the farthest they will travel this summer is to the Central Valley to the south and Arcata to the north, the troupe has high hopes. 

“I would love to take this to Nebraska or Ohio. Someplace where it might get people thinking about what’s going on,” said Butler. They are in the process of exploring their options to bring Doing Good to audiences outside of Northern California. 

And while the Mime Troupe shows in the past have visited Europe, Asia, and South America, that sort of traveling production has become more difficult in these lean times. Be thankful that you live in these parts, where every summer (with our support) you can count on the Mime Troupe performing for free in a park near you. 

›

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “A Murder is Announced” by Agatha Christie at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman. Runs Fri. and Sat. through Aug. 13. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Berkeley Rep, “The Ugly American” Created and performed by Mike Daisey at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Aug. 13. Tickets are $30-$35. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “Nicholas Nickleby” Part 2 at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., between Berkeley and Orinda, through Sept. 18. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Anything Goes” Cole Porter’s musical, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Aug. 13 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Everyday Theater “ Invisible Cities” with performers from Stomp, The Bright River and Hybrid Project at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway at 2nd, through Aug. 13. Tickets are $14-$25. www.epicarts.org/invisible cities 

The Marsh Berkeley “When God Winked” by Ron Jones. Thurs.-Sat. at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$22. 800-838-3006.  

“Livin’ Fat” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. at Malonga Casquelord Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, through Aug. 26. Tickets are $15-$25. 332-7125. 

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Hello Dolly!” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland, through Sun. Tickets are $20-33. 531-9597.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Luminance” Works by ten women artists opens at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave.  

Mike Woolson, ”Just Desserts: Images From Black Rock City” opening reception at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Children of Paradise” at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wendy DeWitt, The Fez Tones at 5:30 p.m. at Baltic Square, behind 121 Park Place, Point Richmond. 223- 3882. www.pointrichmond.com/prmusic 

Irina Rivkin & Emily Shore at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music, 1839 Rose St. RSVP to 594-4000 ext. 687.  

Bobby Matos, percussionist, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Quijerema Latin Jazz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tamika, R & B vocalist, at 8 p.m. at Maxwell’s 341 13th St., Oakland. 839-6169.  

Diamante, latin fusion, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Bluegrass Intentions at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761.  

The Natives at midnight at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886.  

Catholic Comb, Foma at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

George Kahn Trio 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.  

Vaughn Johnson Group at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. 

Brown Baggin’, oaktown funk, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

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

Go It Alone, Life-Long Tragedy, Crime in Stereo at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Terrence Blanchard Sextet at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegas and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

Shotgun Players, “Cyrano de Bergerac” at 4 p.m., Sat. and Sun. through Sept. 11, at John Hinkle Park, labor day perf. Sept. 5. Free with pass the hat donation after the show. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“Unseen, Today’s Story of Job” at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Theater. Tickets are $25. 925-798-1300. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Luminance” Works by ten women artists. Reception from 1 to 4 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave.  

“New Visions: Introductions 2005” opens at noon at ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. www.proartsgallery.org 

“Tsunami Relief: The Ongoing Effort” Photographs from the tsunami disaster and NOAA models at Addison Street Windows Gallery through Sept. 18. 981-7546. 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Le Mariage de Chiffon” at 7 p.m. and “Remorques” at 9:05 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

World Reggae Soul Festival with Nightingale, Inna Heights, Oonka Symeon, Samuri, and many others, from noon to 5 p.m in People’s Park. Free, but $6 donation requested. Bring a can for the food drive. 536-4563. 

Swamp Coolers, Cajun/Western swing, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Mainly Mercer” with Jenny Ferris & Laura Klein Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Benefit for Val Esway at 7 p.m. at Mirthwerx Warehouse. All ages welcome. Send an email to staggeringsiren@yahoo.com to confirm the address. 

Lindsay Mac, cellist and singer/songwriter, at 8 p.m. Epic Arts Center, 1923 Ashby Ave. www.epicarts.org 

Angel Magik, hip hop, reggae, dancehall, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159.  

Mike Jung, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Phil Marsh at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Vocal Sauce at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. 

Venezuelan Music Project at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568.  

Valarie Mulberry & David Gunn, acoustic folk/pop/rock at 7 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

The Sharpies, Capitol, The Glimmer Stars at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Andrea Wolper Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Broun Fellinis at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babyland, Barr, This Song is a Mess and So am I at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegas and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Children of Paradise” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jazz Spoken Word Featuring Geechi Taylor Quartet at 6 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second St., Oakland. Sponsored by The Jazz House. Cost is $5. 415-846-9432. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Birds You Can Read- Eleven” an interpretive dance performance by Patricia Bulitt at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Followed by reception. 525-2233. 

Traditional Congolese Dance and Drumming, with Pierre Sandor Diabankouezi, former director of the Ballet National du Congo, at 2 p.m. at the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Bancroft at College Ave. Cost is $1-$4. 643-7648. 

Christy Dana CDQ Brazil Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Americana Unplugged with Diablo Mountain String Band at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Stephanie Ozer, Brazilian jazz, at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Adrienne Young & Little Sadie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Café Bellie at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Belly dancing lesson at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

King of Kings, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159.  

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Barbara Belle-Diamond at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

City Concert Opera Orchestra presents Gluck’s “Il Parnaso confuso” at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $12-$22. 415-334-7679. www.cityconcertopera.com 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Mark Ribot Solo! at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $8-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 

CHILDREN 

The Puppet Company, “Mae Lin & the Magic Brush” at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

FILM 

Eyeing Nature: “Animal Attraction” with Wago Kreider in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gallery Talk on “Wholly Grace” works by Susan Dunhan Feliz at noon at the Bade Museum, 1798 Scenic Ave. Free.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Courtableu at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Adrian Gormley Group, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

The Warsaw Village Band at 8 p.m. at Lake Merrit Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $18-$20. 444-0303.  

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50. 548-1761.  

Mike Lipskin at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Bob Schoen Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Eddie Palmieri with GIovanni Hidalgo, El Negro, Brian Lynch, and others at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Adrian Gormley Group, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

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

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 

FILM 

For Your Eyes Only: “Whip Hand” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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 hosted by Paradise at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Duncan James Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Swingthing at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lessons with Belinda Ricklefs at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Whiskey Brothers, Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

“Joy of Jazz” with Bishop Norman Williams from the Church of John Coltrane, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Quimbombo at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Falsano Baiano at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Beppe Gambetta w/ David Grisman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Luminance” Works by ten women artists. Reception at 6 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave.  

“Under the Influence” sculptures by artists with disabilities. Reception for the artists at 6 p.m. at NIAD Art Center, 551 23rd St. Richmond. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

“New Visions: Introductions 2005” Reception for the artists at 6 p.m. at ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland.  

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Human, Too Human” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ishmael Reed, Michael Shepler, Ivan Arguelles and others read from their poetry at 7 p.m. at Heyday Institute, 2054 University Ave., Suite 600. 549-3564. 

Aimee Bender, reads from her new book “Willful Creatures” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 841-5139. 

Word Beat Reading Series with Robert Beck & Louis Cuneo at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wayne Wallace and The Fourth Dimension at noon at the Berkeley BART Station.  

Go Jimmy Go, The Uptones, Deal’s Gone Bad, ska, rock, soul, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Crooked Jades at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Misturada at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Montana, Plum, Astral, Tomihira at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082  

Casey Neill and Hanz Araki at 7 p.m. at AK Press, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. Cost is $5. 208-1700. 

Celso Alberti & Friends at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

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

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 

CHILDREN 

Stage Door Conservatory, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at 7:30 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $7.50-$20. 925-798-1300. 

THEATER 

California Shakespeare Theater, “Nicholas Nickleby” Part 2 at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666.  

“Livin’ Fat” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. at Malonga Casquelord Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, through Aug. 26. Tickets are $15-$25. 332-7125. 

The Marsh Berkeley “When God Winked” by Ron Jones. Thurs.-Sat. at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$22. 800-838-3006.  

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “La Nuit fantastique” at 7:30 p.m. and “Douce” at 9:20 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Calloway and Diaspora, lecture and demonstration at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Free. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Marcos Silva and Intersection at noon at the Berkeley BART Station. 

Full Moon, Full Voice, song and chant with Betsy Rose and Francesca Genco at 7:15 p.m. at Vara Healing Arts Center, 850 Talbot St. (enter though courtyard in back), Albany. Donation $10-$15. 525-7082. 

Palenque, traditional Cuban music, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

Weber Iago Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

George Kuo, Martin Pahinui, Aaron Mahi, Hawaiian music, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Steve Erquiaga and Trio Parasiso at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library. Free. 981-6241. 

Wayne Wallace at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Frito Reynoso at 9 p.m. at Shat- 

tuck Down Low. Cost is $8. 548-1159.  

Que Color at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Vowel Movement, vocal percussion, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-12. 525-5054.  

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

Ilene Adar and Megan Barton at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Val Esway & Mirage at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Partyline, Origami, Paper Lanterns, Make Me at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Eddie Palmieri with Giovanni Hidalgo, El Negro, Brian Lynch, and others at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s through Sun. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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If you’re going to be a starving artist in Berkeley, then the place to starve is 800 Heinz Ave. 

A landmarked former margarine factory that’s been converted into affordable live/work spaces, the building houses a fascinating collection of creative folk. 

The two-story structure was landmarked in 1985 as part of a compromise that allowed owner Wareham Development to demolish landmarked properties in exchange for converting the Art Deco structure at 800 Heinz Ave. into rent-controlled and affordable live/work space. 

Here is a glimpse into the work and lives in four of the building’s 18 units:  

Shea and Strange 

John Shea, a photographer and paper artist, and painter Betsy Strange were married when they moved into their first floor space in 1978. 

“I looked into the window and couldn’t figure out where I’d be able to fit my darkroom,” said Shea. “I put in plumbing, then got caught by the building inspectors.” 

The trouble began a few years later when Wareham bought the property after a previous owner went bankrupt. Wareham served eviction notices on the tenants and the residents hired a lawyer of their own, Zona Sage, who engaged in a ten-year battle with the owners to keep their homes. 

“Loni Hancock was mayor, and she really helped. She brought us together and kept us from yelling at each other,” Strange said. 

In 1987 Wareham agreed to most of the tenants’ demands, and the first tenants, including Shea and Strange, were granted their units under rent control for life, as long as they paid their rents. 

The firm also agreed to provide the other units as affordable housing live/work units for very low-, low- and moderate-income tenants. Current rates run between $700 and $900 a month, with the original tenants paying less under rent control. 

In return, Wareham won the right to demolish another landmark building and a massive brick smokestack. The settlement also created a child care center and a theater in adjacent buildings, as well as a restaurant in the 800 Heinz building. 

Limited parking and the difficulty of attracting audiences closed the theater, Strange said, and the building was later leased to Bayer Pharmaceuticals as office space, though the theater sign remains. 

Though Strange and Shea have since divorced, subdividing their unit in the process, they remain good friends—which is good, they said, since neither wants to move. 

“There’s good people, good studios, good light, great neighbors and it’s a good place to raise a kid with good schools,” said Strange. 

A member of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Artists Gallery, Strange is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she has both worked and taught.  

The Lessers 

Ira and Corliss Lesser represent an artistic rarity, a team of collaborative artists who’ve managed to stay together for 36 years. 

The son of a New York policeman and a mother who was also an amateur artist, Ira Lesser was an abstract expressionist who first exhibited in a gallery on East 10th Street in Manhattan in 1959, and within two years had a one-man show at the Key Gallery, 

He moved west via Mexico in 1964 and met his mate five years later. 

Corliss was born in Los Angeles and was trained in the more figurative graphic arts. 

The couple began their collaboration shortly after they met, but after Ira suffered the first of several heart attacks in 1977, the process began in earnest. A year later, Ira also branched out into photography. 

“I knew I was a collaborative artist from the start,” Corliss said. “After his heart attack, he needed my energy. He would get tired and ask me to finish.” 

“[Berkeley City Councilmember] Dona Spring was kind enough to tell us about the building,” Corliss said, and after three or four years on the building’s waiting list—which currently numbers about 200—the Lessers were able to move in during 1995. 

Much of their work, done in vibrant acrylics on expansive canvases, is frankly political. 

“We went through all these periods,” said Ira. “At first it was purely sexual, then after the attack made me vegetarian, we started dealing with more spiritual conflicts.” 

“It’s been fabulous having this dialogue. It really helps us live with what’s happening in this world,” said Corliss. 

Many of their works deal with human rights, and the artists were especially pleased University College in London selected one of their paintings to promote their masters program in human rights. 

Other works deal with 9/11 and the Iraq wars of the two Bush Administration. 

Their daughter, born in 1990, has begun painting, adding a third member to the Lesser collaboration. 

“This place is wonderful” said Corliss. “It’s really been nice.” 

For a closer work at the Lessers’ art, see their web site at www.ira-corliss.com. 

The architect 

Fittingly for a resident of 800 Heinz Ave., Steven Grover is an architect with an unusual practice. 

“I design bicycle bridges and other similar public structures,” he said. “You might say I’m a sculptor, but on a grand scale.” 

Another New York native, Grover started out as a child actor—most notably playing the child John Quincy Adams in the PBS The Adams Chronicles series. 

A graduate of New York City’s High School of Music and Arts, he earned his architecture degree at Stanford and practiced in Zurich for several years. 

His first major work in Berkeley was serving as design coordinator for the bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80. 

Since then, he’s designed similar structures for Santa Cruz and Durham, N.C., an underpass in Palo Alto and the El Cerrito BART station. 

“In 1989, I was the second person to move in after the settlement. I could never have built a successful career as an architect and engineer had it not been for this building,” he said. “I had a chronic disease for the first 10 years I lived here, and I couldn’t have made it without the support of my neighbors.” 

While he is designing a new home to be built in Montclair, Grover said most of his commissions are bike and pedestrian bridges and other public sector works. 

Grover is no stranger to activist tenants. 

“I grew up in a building in New York that was condemned and the tenants got together and got city backed loans to renovate the structure,” he said. The result was Manhattan’s first cooperative, with his mother as president. 

“This building feels a lot like that,” he said. “It’s a workspace where I can really create.” 

Though he loves the building, Grover said he also wishes that the interior walls were better insulated and that Wareham had installed double pane windows while removing the elevator and gas lines. 

“But it’s a great building,” he said. 

A portfolio of his work may be found at http://stevengrover.com.  

Painter/illustrator 

Claire B. Cotts is a creator of paintings that are both primitive and sophisticated, haunting acrylics done in muted tones, many with religious overtones. 

“I also illustrate children’s books and I do a little sculpture,” said the soft-spoken artist. 

A Fulbright Scholar and a resident since 1996, Cotts had been on the waiting list two years when she was offered her second-floor unit as a sub-lease from a fellow Fulbright winner who had used her award to study in Turkey, where’d she met someone and decided to stay for a while. 

“The best things about the building are the nice neighbors and the fact that it feels very safe. It’s very affordable, too—otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to stay in the Bay Area,” she said. 

Her unit is a perfect space for a children’s book illustrator, thanks to the day care next door.  

“Usually studios are in rough urban areas, but every day I get to hear choruses of the ‘Itsy-Bitsy Spider.’” 

The child of a family of doctors and lawyers, Cotts said she began painting as a teenager. Gaining national recognition, she has one show currently open at a gallery in Healdsburg, and another coming soon in Atlanta. 

She describes her work as “figurative and narrative, story-telling and lyrical. The adult stuff tends to be kind of dark, but with the kids’ stuff, I get to play with light.” 

What she finds especially gratifying are the comments readers have posted about her illustrations on Amazon.com. “With the other painting, they’re sort of lost,” she explains. 

Among the books she’s illustrated are The Christmas Gift; El regalo de Navidad by Francisco Jiménez, The Remembering Stone by Barbara Timberlake Russell, and Manuela’s Gift by Kristyn Rehling Estes, a 1999 Parents’ Choice Award Winner.  

For more of her work, see www.clairebcotts.com. 

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A legal blunder will keep East Bay Drayage tenants in their homes for another two months and will cost the building’s owner nearly $200,000 in additional city fines and safety costs. 

On Friday, Drayage owner Lawrence White rescinded 60-day eviction notices ordering tenants out of the building by Aug. 24. In their place, he posted a new 60-day notice calling on the Drayage’s 11 remaining tenants to leave by Oct. 8. 

White said Monday that the delay in evicting tenants would not affect a deal he has with a private housing developer to sell the live/work warehouse. The building was declared by city officials in March to be “an extreme fire and life safety hazard.” 

On July 28 Berkeley filed a notice to place a proposed $157,500 lien on the property, said Michael Caplan of the city manager’s office. If White doesn’t pay within 45 days of receiving the notice, the city can move forward with staking a claim to the property. 

White rescinded the eviction notices Friday after learning that his attorney Bill Berland had not followed proper procedure in filing them. Berland did not return phone calls Monday. 

The evictions were based on a city permit White received in June to demolish the illegal units. However, under state law, White was required to alert residents before applying for the demolition permit, which he failed to do. 

White was alerted to the error by tenants’ attorney Jeffrey Carter as part of a cross complaint Carter filed on behalf of Drayage tenant Jeffrey Ruiz. White sued to evict Ruiz and collect rent for the months since the city declared the building unsafe.  

Under a state law that took effect in 2003, before White could seek the demolition permit he had to inform tenants of his intentions as well as provide the estimated date when the demolition would occur and when their tenancies would end. 

None of the tenants has paid rent since the city inspection in March. 

The city has fined White $2,500 a day for failing to follow an April 15 order to evacuate the building. He has also been required to keep a 24-hour fire watch at the site, at a cost of about $1,000 a day. White stands to lose nearly $200,000 by misfiling the eviction notices. 

Drayage tenant Maresa Danielsen said she hoped the eviction delay would force White to reconsider overtures from the Northern California Land Trust, which has said it would bring the building up to code and offer tenants first option on affordable units. 

The land trust has said it offered White $2.5 million for the property, but White continued to insist Monday that he never received an official offer from the non-profit housing developer. 

If the eviction battle ends up in court, it could take months to resolve, meaning that White might still be battling tenants and receiving city fines into the winter. 

Through Monday, White had incurred $287,500 in fines and $115,000 for the fire watch. Caplan said the city had “no intention to let up” on the fines and fire watch and that the city could file additional liens on the property. 

White has said he plans to contest the fines. 

A city fire inspection in March found over 200 health and safety violations at the warehouse located at the corner of Addison and Third streets..

Legislation by Assemblymember Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) that would require “green” construction for new school buildings in the state may have minimal effect in Berkeley, despite the fact that several new school construction projects are pending in the city. 

“Berkeley probably already does more with green construction than most cities, and that’s without legislation,” said Mark Coplan, Berkeley Unified School District public information officer. 

Hancock’s bill—AB 315—would require that all new school buildings built with state funds be “high-performance schools,” which the legislator’s office defines as schools with increased natural daylight, recycled materials, high indoor air quality, and windows that open. The legislation also calls for increased use of renewable energy in new school construction—such as solar panels—and water conservation and reuse. 

The bill is before the California Senate Appropriations Committee, where it will be considered on Aug. 15. It passed in the Senate Education Committee early last month on an 8-2 vote, and passed in the Assembly last May on a 47-32 vote. 

Last year, after the legislature passed a previous version of Hancock’s green school construction bill, Schwarzenegger vetoed it, calling the legislature “premature.” 

He said, “While I am very supportive of efforts to improve the environment of California’s classrooms, as well as promoting energy efficiency and conservation, this policy discussion more appropriately should be considered within the context of a comprehensive environmental policy involving energy efficient housing, schools and commercial properties.” 

Hans Hemann, Hanock’s chief of staff, says he does not anticipate a problem in the State Senate, but said “we have to do our homework to convince the administration” of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

“I believe they’re sympathetic,” he said. “But there may be some disagreement on how to accomplish the goals of environmentally-sound construction.” 

Hancock’s bill would require the State Allocation Board (SAB) to establish regulations for “high-performance schools” in the area of energy and water efficiency and indoor environmental quality measures. 

Funding for the increased construction costs would be a joint state-local effort. 

Hanock’s bill requires the state to provide half of the required increased environmental construction costs, and also requires the SAB to “establish a method” to provide up to 100 percent of the increased construction costs to school districts “that qualify for hardship funding.” 

Hardship in this context means a district that had not been able to win the passage of local school bond construction bonds despite several tries. State funding would be provided by state school construction bonds. 

In addition, a recent report issued by Global Green USA—a Santa Monica-based nonprofit agency that is promoting Hancock’s green schools legislation—noted that building energy-efficient schools would increase school attendance, thus increasing state aid to local schools that comply. 

“One half of our nation’s schools have problems linked to poor indoor air quality ... which leads to absences,” the report stated. 

The organization estimated that the Los Angeles Unified School District would gain $94,000 to $188,000 per year per school for each school constructed under “green school” guidelines, adding $14 million to $28 million in annual state aid to Los Angeles public schools for the 150 new green schools that district is planning to build. 

But in local school districts, where the state legislature, the governor, and teacher’s unions are battling over how much state tax money should go to local school districts, it is unclear how the state would handle the new ADA expenditures that the new construction under Hancock’s bill would eventually require. 

If the problems of the initial costs can be surmounted, however, the long-term savings may be considerable. 

A 2003 report to California’s Sustainable Building Task Force by Capital E—a national clean energy building consultant firm—concluded that a 2 percent initial increase in green construction would eventually yield a savings that amounted to 20 percent of construction costs over the lifetime of the building. 

BUSD’s Coplan said that it is his understanding that the $5 million dining commons currently being built at King Middle School is “a completely green building.” The district hopes that facility will be ready for the opening of the new school year later this month. 

While Berkeley Unified has no plans in the near future to build any new schools, the district has major new construction in the works. At Berkeley High School, the district has plans to build new athletic facilities as well as classrooms on the southern side of its campus. And while renovation of existing facilities—including development of the new administrative center—will take up most of the initial phase of the West Campus overhaul, the district anticipates that at least some new building construction will take place on the University Avenue site in later stages. 

The most recently built “high-performance school” in the area was Oakland Unified School District’s Cesar Chavez Education Center on the grounds of the old Montgomery Ward Building at 29th Avenue and International Boulevard in the Fruitvale section of the city. The K-5 school, which was begun before the state takeover of Oakland Unified and completed in the fall of 2003, includes natural ventilation as well as what the non-profit Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) called a goal of “maximum use of daylighting ... for classrooms.”?

The S.H. Kress building at 2036 Shattuck Ave. was built in a different time, but due in no small part to the foresight of founder Samuel Kress, the 73-year-old building is still standing today. 

Described as “one of the most unusual office spaces in downtown Berkeley” by its owner, real estate agent John Gordon, the multi-story building is home to the Jazzschool in the basement and the office of UC Berkeley’s Industry Research Cooperative Program on the top floor. Half Price Books is in the process of moving into the ground floor. 

Built in 1932 by S.H. Kress and Co., the building was one of three five-and-dimes on Shattuck Avenue. While researching her book America’s 5 and10-Cent Stores: The Kress Legacy, author Bernice Thomas recovered thousands of architectural drawings and prints from the basement of the original store in Nashville, Tenn. Believed to have been lost, these documents were donated to the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The museum created an exhibit dedicated to Kress and featured the Berkeley Kress building on promotional postcards and on the cover of the brochure. 

Because Kress and Co. did not lease existing buildings, as most five-and-dime stores did, Kress established an in-house architectural team to design the new buildings in 1905. Because of this unusual business tactic, no two Kress stores are exactly alike, but they do have an internal and external continuity. 

Berkeley’s Kress building was one of the first designed by Edward Sibbert, head of the Kress architectural division and designer of scores of Kress buildings, including the flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. In a 1931 press release, Kress announced that they would be building in “the new style” of Art Deco. Built just a year later, the local building features terracotta ornamentation on the outside and details like copper scrolling around the windows on the inside. It is also remarkably sound, according to Gordon. 

“[The building] was designed and built to withstand earthquakes. Most buildings like this, built around this time, have six-inch concrete walls. The Kress building has 12-inch concrete walls and additional rebar. It also has roof tie-ins. It was really ahead of its time,” Gordon said in a phone interview. 

After reaching its peak with approximately 400 stores in 28 states coast-to-coast, Kress was sold to Genesco, Inc. in 1964. Genesco used the building as a retail clothing outlet. In 1980 the building changed hands again, from Genesco to J.J. Newberry’s, though it was still used to display and sell clothing. 

1999 was a big year for the Kress building. Gordon bought the property in September and began renovations. A new entrance and lobby were created on Addison Street, allowing separate access to the basement and top floor. The elevator was updated to allow handicapped access. 

Architect Dan Winterich was hired to update the look of the second floor. After installing a new electrical system and high-speed communication capabilities, Winterich created private offices and gave it an “ultra modern design.” Invisible from the street, new windows were installed on the north wall to allow more natural light into the space. It is now leased by UC Berkeley. 

Jazzschool rents the basement from Gordon and has renovated the space to accommodate classrooms, performance spaces, a bookstore and a cafe. According to their website, Jazzschool is a “music school dedicated to the study and performance of America’s indigenous art form—jazz.” It is “the only school of its kind in the Bay Area and one of a very few in the U.S.” 

They celebrated their grand opening in the Kress building in January of 2001. 

The future holds more renovations for the Kress building. Gordon is currently looking for “just the right person” to waterproof the terracotta ornamentation on the building’s façade. But don’t look for seismic upgrades any time soon—the building was so solidly constructed in 1932 that it meets current seismic requirements. 

A pair of Oakland bakers have stepped up with a bid to take over the cash-strapped Nabolom Bakery. 

Miette’s Cakes, a French-themed bakery which two years ago opened shop in San Francisco’s Ferry Building after starting out at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, is looking for an East Bay location and thinks Nabolom’s site at 2818 Russell St. is a perfect fit. 

“It’s a great spot and it’s already set up for a bakery,” said Miette’s co-owner Caitlin Williams. 

If Miette’s takes over Nabolom it means Elmwood District shoppers can expect a bakery to remain in the neighborhood after Sept. 1, the deadline the landlord has given to begin eviction proceedings.  

But Williams said Nabolom’s property manager Carrie McCarthy has questioned whether Nabolom’s lease can be transferred to a business that isn’t an employee-owned collective. Nabolom pays a monthly rent of $3,886, which is considered on the low end for the Elmwood District. 

If McCarthy balks at transferring the lease, Miette’s could then negotiate a new lease, but that could result in an empty storefront in the meantime. Nabolom would still be responsible for repaying its creditors. 

Nabolom is still fighting to remain open. The 29-year-old cooperative owes about $50,000 in unpaid rent and payroll taxes and has said it will shut its doors by the end of August if its customers can’t raise enough money to cover its debts. 

Nabolom has so far raised $5,000 in pledges from customers as part of a drive to raise the money by Aug. 15. A Nabolom fundraiser has been scheduled for Aug. 21, according to Jim Burr, a member of the cooperative. 

“We’re not giving up yet,” he said. 

A sale to Miette would require the incoming bakery to pay off Nabolom’s debt and take over the lease, according to cooperative member Crow Bolt. Miette would also be asked to hire Nabolom employees, he said. 

Nabolom, beset by management struggles, has been teetering on the brink of collapse for nearly a year. So far Miette is the only bakery to make an offer for Nabolom, but Burr said that the cooperative was still open to other bids. 

“Money is not the only consideration,” he said. “We’re looking at who could keep the bakery as a cooperative or keep it the greenest business in the Bay Area.” 

Miette’s bakes in Oakland and the Nabolom site would allow it to move the baking operations to Berkeley and sell the goods on-site, Williams said. The cost of paying off Nabolom’s debts, she added, could be offset by taking over the bakery’s lease and inheriting a facility that would be immediately ready for business. 

“We’re just waiting and seeing what happens,” Williams said. “We want to be supportive of Nabolom and we don’t want to make a play until we know that definitely they can’t make it.” 

Elmwood Theater Seeks to Reopen 

While Nabolom struggles to stay open, two blocks down College Avenue, the Elmwood Theater is struggling to reopen. The three-screen movie theater was slated to welcome back patrons on July 28, but city officials refused to grant an occupancy permit while exterior renovations were ongoing, according to theater operator Greg King. 

King said the theater would probably open by next weekend, but didn’t give a specific date. Last week, the marquee outside the theater had announced that the theater would open “in nine days,” but it has been changed to “opening soon.” 

“The theater will reopen,” said Dave Fogarty, city community development project coordinator. But he cautioned that at this point the city couldn’t give a firm date when patrons should expect the neighborhood theater to open its doors. 

Fogarty said the city balked at giving the theater an occupancy permit in July because the theater is still undergoing exterior seismic work and a plywood structure had blocked the theater’s emergency exit. 

The theater has been closed since October when a nearby sewer line burst and flooded the theater. Under city pressure, theater management also agreed to upgrade the building to comply with seismic standards for masonry buildings.  

The Alta Bates hospitals have risen a notch on the five-level accreditation scale of the private agency whose imprimatur is required for federal patient dollars, but they still fall short of full accreditation. 

The evaluation came down Friday, two days before the opening of bargaining talks with officials of SEIU-United Health Care Workers West (UHCWW), one of two unions which had planned a strike Monday, said union spokesperson Kay Carney. 

The negotiations began at 1 p.m. Monday, following ground rules laid out between union officials and Sutter Health Care, the Sacramento-based health care chain that owns Alta Bates. 

Talks with the second union, the California Nurses Association (CNA), are scheduled for next week, said CNA spokesperson Charles Idelson. 

The critical evaluation raises the hospital from the fourth to the third rung of the accreditation ladder—from preliminary denial to conditional accreditation. 

The two higher rungs are provisional and full accreditation; the lowest is outright denial. 

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations—JCAHO—issued the preliminary denial of accreditation when they published their survey of the Alta Bates last Nov. 6. 

That document spelled out 20 significant deficiencies in patient care and pharmacy operations. 

Friday’s decision meant that problems in four areas had been resolved. Three other findings were reversed following a meeting between hospital and members of a JCAHO review panel in Chicago on May 12. 

The conditional approval rating applies to all but the hospitals’ laboratories—which are fully accredited—at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center at 2450 Ashby Ave., the Herrick campus at 2001 Dwight Way and the Summit campus at 350 Hawthorne Ave. in Oakland, said JCAHO spokesperson Charlene Hill. 

“Out of over 300 hospital standards reviewed by JCAHO, Alta Bates has 13 remaining issues to address in our plan of correction,” said CEO Warren Kirk in a prepared statement Friday. “This has been a difficult journey but I am extremely proud of the way the Alta Bates Medical Center family has rallied together. I have no doubt we will progress through to the full three-year accreditation.” 

The JCAHO defines conditional accreditation as a designation given to “a health care organization that is not in substantial compliance with the standards ... the organization must remedy identified problem areas and undergo an on-site follow-up survey.” 

Denial of accreditation can mean major problems for a hospital through loss of Medicare and Medical payments. 

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Sudan Vice President John Garang’s recent death imperils the peace accord that stopped the country’s civil war and gave Garang’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) a role in the military government headed by General Omar Bashir.  

With the influential Garang gone, separatists from the northern Arabized minority groups led by Bashir may junk the peace accord and attempt a power grab. In fact, some Islamic fundamentalists have issued fatwas against anyone renting places or giving support to the SPLAs in the capital city.  

Ethnic groups like the Nuer and Shilluk may call for total independence from the North. There is also a new group of secularist anti-Bashir fighters in the North, by the Port of Sudan.  

If Garang’s successor, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who is a Dinka, cannot keep the Nuer, Dinka and Shilluk together, Sudan may truly become a failed state violently divided by Arab, African, Christian and Islamic sectarianism.  

Sudan has been long wracked by violent strife. More than 2 million Africans from the country’s southern region have died in the civil war that began in l983 between the north and south. Millions have been permanently displaced and scarred by living as refugees in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Southern Sudan’s population has lost two generations to war, the first from 1958-72 during the Anya-Nya liberation struggle, the second from 1983 to the present. Another half-million Africans have perished in Darfur in western Sudan, victims of armed Arabized militias.  

Sudan is Africa’s largest geographical state, nearly a third the size of the United States, with a small population of only 30 million. It is a state without a nation as the majority of the African population has no access to social services, economic resources and political power. A small northern Arabized minority controls the armed forces, even though Africans make up 61 percent of the population and the Arabized Muslim elite only constitutes 39 percent. Unlike in Egypt and Libya, everyone is black in Sudan. However, Africans who speak Arabic as their primary or only language self-identify as Arabs, although they are racially black. It is this group, now led by Bashir, that has controlled the military since Sudan gained its independence in 1955.  

This Arabized minority group has created an apartheid government and committed atrocities against the African population since independence in 1956. With military rule in 1958-1964, the government used genocide to stop the South from breaking away. Using airplanes and heavy artillery against largely unarmed civilians, the government killed nearly 300,000 Southerners. This led to the first liberation struggle, from the early 1960s until 1972, called the Anya-Nya movement, which fought the incorporation of southern Sudan with the north.  

In 1972, using the “free officers’ movement” influenced by the Sudanese Communist Party, Ja’afar Muhammad Nimairi led a military coup that toppled the civilian regime. He ended the Anya-Nya liberation struggle by creating a federal state, giving regional autonomy to the South. His peace accords brought hope, and Anya-Nya forces disarmed.  

However, Nimairi in l983 changed from a radical military officer into an Islamist fundamentalist and made Islam’s Sharia law the national law. He also revoked the South’s regional autonomy. (Coincidentally, Chevron found oil in the South in 1978.) Rejecting the imposition of Islamic law over African customary law, Southerners, including Christians, resisted.  

Nimairis’ conversion led to the current 22-year civil war. More importantly, his imposition of Sharia law gave rise to a new Southern leader in John Garang, a Dinka, which is the largest African group and also one of the most Christianized. Garang was a military officer, Western-educated, fluent in Arabic, secular and socialist. He was sent by the national army to suppress the Southern rebellion; instead he joined the liberation forces.  

Garang created a new liberation movement—the SPLA. He was able to gain support and legitimacy from the outside world. Garang’s Christianity, secularism and socialist ideals made him an advocate of unification—it was the bridge to teachers and friends from the late 1960s, which were awash in pan-Africanism and Arab socialism.  

But in the early 1990s, Southerners engaged in a civil war among themselves over the issue of secession versus federalism. The Shilluk and Nuer nationalities favored secession, after a nearly 100-year resistance to their incorporation into the Arab bloc. Garang’s leadership led the Dinka to argue for federalism. (Recently signed peace accords gives the federalism six years to work. If it does not, the South can legitimately secede.)  

Not all ethnic Arabs in northern Sudan identify with the ruling regime. Some Arabized minorities have joined the Communist Party, making it the largest Communist party in Africa. Another Arabized social force is the New Democratic Movement, which is engaged in a guerrilla war with the Bashir military government in the eastern part of the country, by the Port of Sudan.  

Ironically, the Arabized intellectuals, liberals and secularists benefit the most from the SPLA’s struggle, because it breaks the Islamist conservatives’ choke-hold on society. In addition, although the SPLA is the largest armed force against the Bashir government, it represents integration, not separation.  

Garang believed in the unity of Sudan and its people, a vision supported by Islamic thinkers like Hassan Turabi and other secular Arabs. Garang became the George Washington of Sudanese nationalism because he included all faiths, regions and religions and races. Sudan also represents the bridge between Arab and Black Africa. If Sudan disintegrates into a civil war, Arab against black, then the African Union, newly formed by the recent peace accord, is endangered. 

Cobie Kwasi Harris says that without a unifier like Garang, the country could become a failed state. Harris is a professor of political science at San Jose State University.+

Saturday Aug. 6 marked the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Passed by Congress and signed by President Johnson, it provides voter protections against actions taken by states to limit participation in the electoral process, actions most often targeted toward Blacks, Latinos and low income citizens. 

Most Americans are unaware that the right to vote is not explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution, but is a state right subject to differing laws and regulations. This is problematic and accounts for various abuses. Voting rights have been denied by requirements of property ownership, poll taxes, and literacy test. Recently, in our past two national elections we have seen tremendous voting abuses in Ohio and Florida. 

Let us demand that the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act are re-authorized and extended permanently. We must recommit ourselves today to guaranteeing voting rights for all Americans; we must affirm to our nation and the world that every vote counts; we must take it upon ourselves to ensure that every vote will be counted; and we must reclaim our democracy! 

The nation has come a long way since the days of Jim Crow laws and poll taxes, but there’s still much work to do. The last two elections—one election and one selection—made it painfully clear that we can not stop until we reclaim our democracy. The stakes are too high to be complacent. 

More than 1,800 of our troops and some 25,000 Iraqi civilians have died in an unnecessary and immoral war in Iraq. Our nation was lied to in order to justify this invasion, and now a country that had no ties to Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda is a training ground for terrorists. 

Over $200 billion dollars have been spent on the Iraq conflict and there’s no end in sight. These funds should be invested in improving our schools, guaranteeing Social Security and making healthcare accessible to all who need it.  

I introduced a congressional bill to prevent the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq. This bill now has 42 co-sponsors including members from the Congressional Progressive, Congressional Black, Congressional Hispanic and Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucuses. Our goal is to make it perfectly clear that there will be no permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq! Open-ended military presence will only fuel the insurgency and increase the vulnerability of our troops. 

This war continues to cost us our sons and daughters, our standing in the world community and it is jeopardizing our national security. This war is not about spreading democracy. The real lesson of this war is that we must be relentless in reclaiming our democracy. 

The current co-sponsors of this bill and the growing number of members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus are a testament to the powerful impact of the Voting Rights Act. 

Today, there are 81 members of Congress of African American, Latino, Asian and Native American descent. These Representatives, and many of our progressives would have never been elected without the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Let’s honor and never forget the many Americans who sacrificed and gave their lives so others could enjoy the basic right to vote. 

Let’s join the campaign to ensure the Voting Rights Act is reauthorized and extended permanently for all Americans and let’s continue the struggle to reclaim our democracy. 

Congresswomen Barbara Lee represents California’s District 9.

Beaten, robbed 

A gang of two men and one woman robbed and assaulted a 55-year-old Berkeley man just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday. 

After a witness reported the crime, the victim refused medical aid from the crew of a Berkeley Fire Department ambulance, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Neighbors intervene 

After they spotted a burglar breaking into an apartment on Piedmont Avenue near the corner of Bancroft Way Thursday morning, two residents set out in pursuit, catching the fellow and holding him till officers arrived. 

The 20-year-old burglar was nailed in possession of two shirts, all he could rip off before he was spotted. 

Police book him on suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen property. 

Drunk, and more 

A routine traffic stop ended unhappily for a 53-year-old man officers spotted driving on the wrong side of the road at 5:46 p.m. Thursday. 

By the time the dust had settled, the driver was in handcuffs, facing a smorgasbord of charges, including drunk driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving on a suspended license, two charges relating to driving with an unsecured child in the car, driving on the wrong side of the road, contempt of court and parole violation. 

Odwalla heist 

At the same time officers stopped an errant driver, other officers were arresting a 19-year-old on suspicion of robbing the Berkeley Bowl. 

Resisting the security guard who grabbed him boosting a bottle of Odwalla juice turned the simple shoplift into the far more serious robbery rap. 

Wallet robbed 

A gunman robbed a fellow of his wallet as he walked along the 3000 block of College Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, then fled on foot before police arrived, said Officer Okies.  

Chevron heist 

Two men, one armed with a pistol, robbed the till at Claremont Chevron about 5:15 p.m. Saturday. 

Dog bites 

Police responded to two dog bite cases Sunday, one at the animal shelter on Second Street which was reported at 3:36 p.m., and a second in the 900 block of Cragmont Avenue at 5:57 p.m. 

Officer Okies said he was unable to identify the breeds involved in the incidents. 

Wallet robbers 

A pair of bandits, at least one of them brandishing a pistol, robbed a 33-year-old man of his wallet near the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Woolsey Street just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday. 

They were last seen fleeing in a four-door foreign import, said Officer Okies.

At a dinner party in Wales, a British conservative asked if it was true that American activists opposed to the Bush administration hated George. Have our feelings about him grown so intense that we categorically reject everything he does? In truth, many of us cannot bear to watch Bush on television, and find it is easier to make fun of him than to consider how dreadfully effective he has been as a politician. In the remaining three and a half years of his administration, our challenge is to turn this antipathy into effective action. 

It’s worth remembering that 330 years ago, Americans had similar strong feelings about another George—the King of England, George III—also the subject of both mocking lampoons and reverent paeans. We can imagine Brits of that era asking, “Why do you colonists hate King George? He means well.” 

In 1776, few if any Americans had actually met King George III; those who opposed him did so on the basis of his autocratic policies—it wasn’t personal. In 2005, few of us have actually met President George II; once again, if we have strong feelings, it’s because of his autocratic policies.  

If one were to poll those of us opposed to the Bush administration, and ask what we most dislike about President Bush’s track record, our responses would fall into four clusters. The first concerns the war in Iraq. We believe that Bush led the United States into war on false pretenses, fabricated the case for an invasion of Iraq in order to create an effective issue for the 2002 Congressional elections. Since the president declared “Mission Accomplished” on May 2, 2003, all of the administration’s “evidence” justifying the invasion has been refuted: presence of WMDs, delivery systems, ties to Al Qaeda, etc. Moreover, the occupation has grown into a full-scale disaster and there is abundant evidence that the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq has strengthened the hand of the terrorists. We believe the administration is weakening America. 

The second cluster of responses centers on the plutocratic tendencies of this administration. During his first presidential campaign, Bush appeared at a fundraiser and quipped, “This is an impressive crowd—the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elites; I call you my base.” Those of us in the opposition believe that the president has consistently played to his “base” and that, as a result, class differences in the United States have been accentuated, while social mobility has decreased. Under Bush, the rich are getting richer and their power has solidified. 

The third cluster regards the environment. Many of us subscribe to the Amish proverb, “We did not inherit this land from our fathers. We are borrowing it from our children.” We believe that the Bush administration has had a tragically short-term perspective; if a national problem does not work to their political advantage, they ignore it. From this perspective they have glossed over the dangers of global warming, while permitting the looting of national resources by their supporters. 

The fourth cluster of our responses centers on Bush’s ethics, particularly his claim to be a Christian. While membership in the Christian community is loosely defined—in lots of cases all one has to do is to sign a register to become a church member—many of us dispute the assertion that the president’s conduct represents mainstream Judeo-Christian morality. We note that he approved 152 executions while governor of Texas, misled the public before the invasion of Iraq, claimed to be “the environmental president” while systematically eliminating safeguards, condoned the torture of prisoners, etc. Two aspects of the president’s conduct are particularly egregious: The first is the absence of a social justice component in his administration; evidently, the President does not believe in the Biblical teaching that each of us is be our brother’s and sister’s “keeper”—his administration has shredded the social safety net and plans a disingenuous “ownership society” where individuals will be left on their own, regardless of their circumstances. The second aspect is Bush’s persistent willingness to let the ends justify the means; the president’s political conduct indicates a belief that success is the ultimate moral criterion, how you get the job done is of no concern to him—anything goes. 

When we review the woeful record of his administration, it’s understandable that progressive activists have passionate feelings about Bush. Yet, as much as we may abhor his presidency, it would be a mistake for us to hate George. Our challenge is to hold onto our strong feelings and put them to constructive use. In doing this, we should remember the founders of this country who, 330 years ago, refused to be seduced by a similar hatred of King George III; instead, they turned their antipathy to tyranny into a rousing call for democracy. We would do well to follow their example and respond to the malfeasance of the Bush administration with righteous anger, to funnel our formidable collective energy into the task of restoring democracy to America. 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and activist. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net. 

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I’ve been obsessively thinking about my lack of a nickname ever since my teenage friend Jernae recently rechristened herself Suga’ Baby. I’ve been asking a lot of questions of my neighbors and housemates, quizzing Jernae on her friend’s nicknames, and just generally grousing about the unfairness of it all. Why do some people have three or four nicknames, and others have none? 

Down the street lives Teddy Franklin, who goes by the self-imposed handle of Mayor of Dover Street. His cousin Charles is called Sarge or The Reverend, but one needs to know what kind of mood he’s in in order to call him by the correct name. The title Sarge derives from his two tours of duty in Vietnam, and The Reverend comes as a direct result of the ambushes, shrapnel and Agent Orange he survived while there. When he’s Sarge he’s loud and scary; when he’s The Reverend he’s loud and loquacious. My preference is to greet him as Charles and see where the conversation leads.  

Jernae’s entire family is a study in nickname heaven. Her mother’s name is Renee, but she often goes by Nae. Jernae therefore is occasionally called Nae Nae. You’d think her sister, whose name is Brittnae, might be Little Nae, or Little Nae Nae, but she is usually addressed as Nanuka. (Don’t ask me why. This has never been adequately explained to me.) Brittnae’s younger sister is Monae; her nickname is MoMo. MoMo’s younger sister is Aujunee, but family members call her Tootsie Roll. Jernae has lots of cousins and friends who answer to various nicknames such as Poo, LaLa, and Taz. When she’s mad at them, she calls them nicknames that are sometimes disrespectful, such as Buckethead, Chicken Leg, and Pumpkinbreath. 

I once hired a man to help with my husband’s care whose given name is Eric. Sometimes I would have to call his mother’s house to make sure he was coming to work. The first time I did this I asked for Eric and the person on the other end of the line responded by asking, “Which Eric?”  

“Eric,” I said louder, thinking she hadn’t heard me correctly. 

“There’s four Erics livin’ here,” she answered. “Big Eric, Little Eric, Eric Senior and Eric Junior. Which one you want?” 

This put me in a quandary, as I didn’t know which Eric worked for us. It was early in the morning and since the Eric I wanted was only a little late for work I decided to hang up and hope that he would appear without my prompting. As it turned out, he arrived shortly thereafter, so I asked him which name he went by.  

“Eric Senior,” he said. “I’m Big Daddy, but you can call me Deany if you want. Dean’s my middle name.” 

I thought about this for a moment. “Is there another Deany?”  

“No way,” said Eric Senior. “That would mean that I’d be Big Deany. That ain’t bad, but I can guarantee you nobody wants to be called Little Deany.”  

There was silence between us as Eric Senior let this information sink in.  

After a moment Deany/Eric Senior could see where this was leading so he added, “Don’t be writin’ about it.”  

“Why not?” I asked. 

“Cuz everybody’ll know it’s me,” he said. 

“You may be right,” I answered. 

“I know I’m right,” he said. “Only four of us Eric Deans around here. Somebody somewhere is gonna know it’s us you’re talkin’ ‘bout.” 

“But it’s so interesting,” I argued. 

“All right,” he said. “Type it up and let me see it first.” 

I did as I was told. Eric Senior read the results. “Let it roll,” he said. “And don’t be feelin’ bad ‘bout not havin’ a nickname.”  

“Why’s that?” I asked. 

“Ain’t it obvious? Sometimes, girl, it can get damn confusin’.”

http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Work

ARNOLD’S MONEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken so much money from corporations that sometimes it all blurs together. But the $66,300 he has taken from the infamous Pleasant Care Corporation nursing homes is unprecedented and should be returned immediately. All told, 13 criminal charges have been recently filed against Pleasant Care for elder abuse and elder neglect. In the past, Pleasant Care has faced numerous lawsuits and fines for sub-standard and abusive practices and is even barred from opening new nursing homes because of this record. Schwarzenegger collected funds earned from the pain and suffering of some of society’s most vulnerable people and he insults them by spending it on his campaigns. As the presidents of the Congress of California Seniors and the California Nurses Association, I urge Schwarzenegger to return these funds immediately and to reject any future donations from this corporation. 

Deborah Burger, RN, President of the California Nurses Association 

Oakland 

• 

PACIFIC STEEL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It was a breath of fresh air to see more coverage in your Aug. 5 edition regarding Pacific Steel’s environmental trashing of not just “industrial sections” of West Berkeley, as the latest article put it, but of residential neighborhoods populated by citizens of Berkeley and Albany—families with children, homeowners, renters, people who work in the area. I want to commend and thank you for ongoing reportage over the past few months about this major problem that has, for far too long, been off peoples’ radar screens. Where, I wonder, are other media in reporting this? Even so, you don’t need media coverage to take a stand against something so in-your-face foul, do you? 

Given its “green” reputation, the lack of uproar by local residents is astonishing, the diminished outcry disheartening. If I worked in the area, or were a homeowner, or a parent pushing a stroller, or knew my kids were playing outdoors on an elementary school playground in filthy, stinking air, I would be outraged and forced into grassroots activism. And yet, it seems to me that the vast majority of people living in the zones affected by the horrid smells simply do not notice, or do not care, or shrug their shoulders in collective apathy as though, in solidarity and numbers, their outcries and protests could do nothing. Imagine if 3,000 people marched right down to Second and Gilman Streets and staged a raucous protest on Pacific Steel’s grounds! 

I write my excoriating criticism from personal experience. Seven months ago, my wife and I moved to a lovely rental on Ramona Avenue just off of Santa Fe below Marin. We were delighted to be in the new, lovely neighborhood. That is, until it turned out that we were right in the line of fire of Pacific Steel’s daily emissions of toxic effluvia. We could not enjoy hardly a single moment outdoors in the garden or patio, it stunk so badly most days. Often, the particulate odor would infiltrate into our house. I began learning all about the controversy, how We the People, innocent citizens wanting nothing more than clean air to breath, have basically been sold down the river by corporate, city and perhaps higher, unseen and more nefarious interests (the factory produces ball bearings for the military). The more I learned, the more outraged I became. But what could I do?  

Well, for the second time in seven months, my wife and I moved. Period. Simple as that. It was totally worth it to pack up, change a million address forms again, and rid ourselves of the toxic stench permeating our and other local neighborhoods. (Believe me, on our walks in the neighborhoods, the smell was far more pervasive than anyone would have you believe.) All because of a factory spewing toxic airborne pollution, we moved to another city, out of the line of fire. As a consequence, the city of Albany has forever lost our tax dollars. Does that matter to the city? Is anyone else up in arms about this? Has anyone else been forced to move away because of it? Really, folks of green Berkeley and Albany, I don’t know how or why you stand for it so passively, as though there’s nothing you can do! There are letters to write, meetings to attend, protests to organize! Get busy or get asthma, or maybe worse. Don’t believe them when they tell you it’s “just a nasty smell.” 

Tom McGuire 

Kensington 

• 

ON THE BUS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Guess what! 

Miss Clairie is now a determined bus rider! It happened during the Jewish Film Festival! Couldn’t possibly park downtown for that long! Happen to have a bus pass, so used the No. 51 every time to get down to the Roda Theatre. I was amazed at how much freedom I felt with no car or bike to worry about. I was free to go to the banks I use downtown, go to have Indian food, and not worry about the time, how long the lines were, or how long the movie lasted. 

The bus experience itself was even fun. I had been sort of dead set against bus riding for just that reason, and found (a) people I know on the bus; (b) polite people on the bus; (c) kind drivers! Just watching a driver help a wheelchair user up onto the Van Hool wheelchair bay was a lesson in patience and kindness. 

So you see, some of the stereotypes I had have been destroyed by a few rides on the No. 51, the 40 and the 40L. 

I enjoin my fellow citizens to try it. Especially you dedicated car drivers. I had so many reasons, some of them physical, not to ride the bus, and just having to and having the handy pass helped me over them. 

The end of oil as we know it is nigh. Compare $60 a month with the registration, gas, repairs and other upkeep of a car! Tell me only poor people ride the bus? Smart people, too. The beautiful people of Berkeley do. 

Thanks to all of you! 

Claire Risley  

• 

BETH EL SIGNS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The neighborhood signs to which Katherine Haynes Sanstad refers in her “Little Rock Redux” ask Temple Beth El to honor its promises. Those signs have appeared because the temple has a mixed reputation, and it brings that along as it moves to its new site. The developer Patrick Kennedy, featured in your the same issue, has the same problem. He does considerable good in the community, but he often uses his political influence to obtain concessions that are not readily available to others. And then we have to live with the results. Neighbors, in particular, have to live with them. Measure P, which he cites, is an example of the kind of reaction that follows. So are the signs around Temple Beth El.  

At least Kennedy doesn’t claim anyone is threatening his civil rights. What Ms. Sanstad deplores is in reality the working of karma, as another venerable religion puts it. And as the Buddha helpfully added, the possibility of redressing the situation begins with her. Each temple member’s actions are what will turn the tide of neighborhood sentiment.  

The mantle of civil rights, like the charge of anti-Semitism, is resorted to all too readily in Berkeley as a way of silencing legitimate criticism. This does a disservice to those who dissent, and it also truly dishonors those men, women, and children caught up in the real struggle for their civil rights and religious beliefs. Ask them what this has to do with that. 

John Parman 

• 

KEEPING PROMISES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m sorry that Ms. Haynes Sansted’s children are having a hard time with the neighborhood signs. 

I have always dealt with my children’s questions and uneasiness with simple honesty. Maybe she needs to do the same. Has she asked any of the neighbors, some of whom are congregants, why the signs are up? If she hasn’t, I have a few suggestions for her and any other parent of a child who is upset. 

Tell your children the signs are about keeping promises. The leadership of Beth El made promises to the neighborhood and we just want them to keep those promises. 

Tell your children the signs are about taking care of the environment, so that future generations may enjoy the creek and the greenway.  

Tell your children the signs are about speaking out. If they feel as if someone is taking advantage of them, they need to speak out. It is their right as well it is ours. 

Julie Dempster 

• 

BETH EL PARKING PLAN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am responding to the commentary in your paper last weekend. Beth El is a synagogue. It could have been any other religious institution or any large scale development in a residential neighborhood. The religious affiliation is irrelevant whether it be Jewish, Christian, Moslem, Buddhist or other. What always mattered was the size of the building, parking, traffic, and noise issues, restoration and protection of Codornices Creek, and the cumulative impact on the surrounding neighborhood. Currently Beth El has 500 member families with capacity for growth to 800 families and activities scheduled seven days a week with bar and bat mitzvahs on Saturdays. Anyone planning this large scale development would face serious neighborhood concern.  

At the beginning of this process, Beth El leadership maintained that an environmental impact report was unnecessary even though a parking lot and road were to be placed on Codornices Creek. However, the neighborhood worked to convince the city that an EIR was required for this landmarked site. Eventually, the City Council instructed the neighborhood and Beth El to find a mediated agreement. The resulting agreement eliminated the parking lot and road on the creek, preserving the possibility of daylighting, retained a small greenway adjacent to Berryman Path where community gardeners had worked, and included a conditional use permit that required a parking management plan. 

We are not a special neighborhood. Beth El is not a special religious institution. However, neighbors want a real parking plan with mutually agreed upon measurable parameters and thresholds and techniques for monitoring. Currently the plan states that Beth El can use up to 50 percent of available neighborhood parking spaces. This does not seem in keeping with “minimizing parking impacts.” Although there are agreements for satellite lots, no one can state with certainty how many spaces would be actually available at a given time. After all, those satellite spaces are available only if those institutions do not have ongoing business or simultaneous events. There is concern that people will take available street parking spaces first before considering going to satellite lots.  

In the first parking plan submitted to the city, Beth El said that the parking management plan applied to non-religious events. 

However, the mediated agreement clearly stated that the parking plan must apply to all events of 150 people or more. The neighbors appealed to the city to have Beth El honor its agreement.  

The surrounding residents are not racists, nor anti-Semites. We are interested in making this a livable situation for all. The yard sign states, “Beth El, Honor your agreements, Minimize parking impacts, Restore the greenway and creek.” I don’t see anything on the sign that says Beth El can’t be here. The fine print on the sign reads http://loccna.katz.com.  

Diane Tokugawa 

Member of Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association 

• 

DEPARTMENTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In a recent letter, Phil Allen stated: “Until 1947, our military forces were grouped under the appropriately named War Department.” That was the Army. There was also a Navy Department. Both were run by secretaries who were members of the president’s cabinet. 

In 1940 when Hitler was conquering Europe, President Roosevelt realized that our country would sooner or later have to enter the war against the Germans. However, he wanted the country to be united politically, so he appointed Henry Stimson secretary of war and Frank Knox secretary of the navy. Both men were noted republicans; in fact, Knox was the republican nominee for vice-president in the 1936 election. 

Look it up on the Internet: There wasn’t just a War Department, there was also a Navy Department of equal status. 

Charles Norcross  

• 

ATOMIC BOMB 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Every year at this time we engage in national breast-beating over the atomic bombings of Japan. Those two events must be viewed in context.  

More than 60 Japanese cities were destroyed as much as Hiroshima and Nagasaki were. In the documentary film The Fog of War, Robert McNamara discusses this campaign from his point of view as an officer on the staff of General Curtis Lemay. It becomes apparent that one of the objects of the bombing operation is killing people. McNamara says Lemay remarks that if we lose they would be tried as war criminals. 

But none of these Japanese civilians went to jobs in war plants the next day manufacturing the weapons for defense during the coming invasion. Machinery is relatively easy to replace. It is much more difficult replacing a trained work force. 

My father was among those mustering for a potential invasion of Japan. Having said that, he would have had a relatively safe job as a flight surgeon, certifying airmen at Clark Field. However, many other American dads would have had very hazardous jobs during this invasion.  

I am no fan of nuclear war, but I think we must judge Hiroshima and Nagasaki as part of a bigger picture with bigger goals. 

Frederick O. Hebert 

• 

ICELAND 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Berkeley Iceland youth hockey program is deeply concerned by recent statements in the press about the safety of our rink’s cooling system. While the rink management has asked us to stay silent in an effort to maintain a working relationship with the City of Berkeley, we feel compelled to speak out on behalf of the hundreds of youth participants in our program.  

Berkeley Iceland has run the same ammonia system for 65 years without any significant leaks. The largest leak (as repeatedly referenced by the City of Berkeley) was one-fourth the size of a similar ammonia leak last December at the Bridgepointe ice arena in San Mateo. Ironically, that rink switched from freon (a known danger to the environment) to ammonia as its coolant when the rink recently changed ownership, with the full support of the City of San Mateo. The 280-pound leak at the Bridgepointe facility was barely even considered newsworthy, and didn’t seem of great concern to the city officials. Further, at least one other business within the City of Berkeley utilizes four times the ammonia that Iceland does in its operations. 

Our player base and coaching staff are unusual in the world of ice hockey for their racial, gender and economic diversity. Our organization is a member of the NHL Diversity Task Force. The rink provides thousands of dollars each year for scholarships to ensure that all of the area’s youth have access to our programs. Additionally, the rink employs a broad spectrum of young adults in its general operations. Job opportunities for our local youth should be considered golden. 

So why, after 65 years of safe operation, has this become an emergency that justifies the threat of immediate closure? We respect the city’s concerns. However, the city shares responsibility for the length of time this process has taken. The rink’s management has communicated its commitment to reducing and/or eliminating the ammonia within a reasonable time frame. If the city is serious about working with the rink and its patrons, then a binding agreement should be reached for a realistic timetable to convert to a new system. 

We hope the city officials will collaborate with the rink in good faith to maintain the valuable community programs housed at this facility. We urge anyone who cares to communicate with the mayor and councilmembers to express your opinion. 

Melissa Fitzgerald, Hockey Director 

Cyril Allen, Director of Coaches and Cal Ice Hockey Head Coach 

Liesl Songer-Nelson, Administrative Manager 

• 

BERKELEY HONDA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

At its membership meeting Aug. 7, the Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice voted unanimously to sponsor two rallies in support of the striking workers at Berkeley Honda. The new owners are attempting to crush the union. They have unilaterally withdrawn from the defined benefit pension plan. Fifteen workers averaging 20 years of seniority, including an African American employee with 31 years of tenure, have lost their jobs. Management recruited many recent graduates of a technical school as replacements. Although other Honda dealerships in the area have normal bargaining relationships with the Machinists Union that represents their employees, it is crystal clear that new owners of Berkeley Honda have no interest in bargaining in good faith and are intent on busting the union.  

People of conscience in Berkeley, and in particular working people, cannot allow Berkeley Honda to get away with its ruthless corporate practices. This is a community that values social justice and puts a premium on fair treatment of workers. We urge customers of Berkeley Honda to refrain from doing business there until management and the workers reach a mutually acceptable resolution to this dispute. In July, the Berkeley City Council voted to endorse a boycott at Berkeley Honda. (Daily Planet, July 15, 2005) 

Let Berkeley Honda know they can’t do business like this in our community. There is no room for predatory capitalism in the City of Berkeley. 

The Bay Area Labor Committee calls upon those who support the workers to turn out at Berkeley Honda (Shattuck and Parker) in solidarity with the strikers on Thursday, Aug. 11, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. Please join us and bring your friends and neighbors. If you have organizational connections, please encourage their participation. You can also stop by the picket lines any time Monday-Through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to express your solidarity—or just honk when you pass by. 

We look forward to seeing you there. 

Michael Eisenscher 

Convenor, Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice 

• 

EMINENT DOMAIN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The loss of affordable housing to live/work artists in Berkeley is dismaying. They are being turned out of their homes unceremoniously by landlords, sometimes assisted by the city, without resort to creative solutions. Let’s take the Drayage warehouse situation as an example. Although the City Council claims to be sympathetic (and certain members definitely are), the council as a whole has not taken a strong stand to assist the artists.  

Why has the city not taken the initiative to act under the recent Supreme Court case and seize the Drayage property through eminent domain? The council could determine that Berkeley would best be served if the Drayage were sold to a non-profit housing group, such as the Northern California Land Trust, to be developed into a permanent, low income artists’ cooperative.  

In Kelo v. City of New London, No. 04-108, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a city to force a landlord from a property because a development which would benefit many was to be created. The landlord fought mightily, but the needs of the many were found to outweigh the needs of the few. One would think that in Berkeley, of all places, the voices of the many would rise resoundingly in support of such a proposal.  

D.M. Casey 

• 

SENSE OF IRONY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Love your absolutely Berkeley newspaper! A special kudos to Suzy Parker who is the main reason I started picking up the paper. 

I have been noticing the huge controversy surrounding Richard Brenneman’s Police Blotter. Hey guys and gals, where’s your sense of irony? Had I been unfortunate enough to have a story to tell, I would not have minded the humor. And to the person who suggested tat gender not be mentioned because females make up 50 percent of the population, it might be gently pointed out that females no not commit 50 percent of violent crimes. 

Carolyn Bradley 

• 

WEST BERKELEY BOWL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As the owner of a home on Tenth Street (near Heinz) I enthusiastically support the Berkeley Bowl coming to the neighborhood with one big concern … traffic! 

One would think the city and its traffic engineers could come up with a workable solution—judging from previous “solutions” I have my doubts. 

The city has concocted ‘strange’ traffic control and calming projects in the past and shown little interest in common sense low cost solutions to some problems. 

For example: 

• The “No Right Turn On Red” signs that are appearing at several intersections. What is the logic behind these signs? What study or data prompted this new regulation? This law compels vehicles to postpone right turns (even when absolutely safe) until the precise moment that pedestrians are encourage to enter the cross walk in front of right turning vehicles. The net effect of these signs is a reduction in pedestrian safety.  

• The controversial traffic circles. Many of these have been installed at intersections that are not particularly busy—Ward and Fulton, for example. Certainly there are many residential intersections that are far busier and traveled at higher speeds (Parker and Hillegass or Derby and Benvenue). In some cases these circles have been located at narrow intersections (Parker and Ellsworth) that force vehicles into the crosswalk as they maneuver around the circle. What process was engaged to determine the safety, effectiveness and appropriate location for these circles? 

Last year three cars careened through the fence, yard and nearly into a house I owned at Sixth and Virginia. In one case my tenant and her 3-year-old daughter narrowly escaped being hit. In all cases the vehicles flew though the parking strip at the place where people wait for a bus. I contacted the traffic engineer via Councilmember Linda Maio and Mayor Bates. I proposed the installation of three-foot-high concrete filled steel posts in the parking strip positioned to protect my house and those who wait for buses at the corner. I offered to split the cost (total cost $2,000) and to landscape the parking strips at my expense so the posts would not be unsightly.  

The parking engineer sent out a representative who took measurements and suggested a study. Nothing came of it. I never heard from them again. I gave up and did the safety project myself (at my expense). What I gleaned from the experience is that the traffic engineer is disinterested, incompetent or overworked. In any case I have little faith in the city’s ability to identify and enact cost effective common sense solutions to traffic problems.  

Back to the proposed Berkeley Bowl. Build it but install traffic barriers that prevent traffic on Heinz from entering Eighth, Ninth and Tenth streets. Only allow southward traffic on Ninth and Tenth streets to turn left (east) and on Eighth Street to turn right (west). Ingress and egress to the Berkeley Bowl must come exclusively from Ashby, Seventh or Heinz with no penetration into the neighborhood to the north. Special consideration should be given to Heinz and Ninth to accommodate child drop off and pick up at Ecole Bilingue. 

John Koenigshofer 

• 

ENERGY POLICY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding President Bush’s inefficient energy policy, “inefficient” being the euphemism of the year: Incompetent, or inept would be more suitable adjectives for Bush’s energy policy.  

Oil, gas and coal. Oh my! Does anyone think of the consequences to human health any more? Pollution from coal-fired power plants causes chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death. As for oil, the runoff from our cities ends up in our oceans, harming our aquatic biomes and anyone who enjoys a good tuna sandwich. This is horrific. 

Instead of deciding how much we should fund fossil fuel companies, we should talk about how soon we will fully fund clean energy and stop this sick addiction to fossil fuels. I’m utterly disgusted that we live in the world’s richest country, but we continue to destroy both our environment and our health by pursuing non-renewable energy sources.  

Stop the charade and see the light—solar energy is peaking through the clouds, so to speak, and we’re capable of pursuing a renewable, efficient, and clean energy source. As a student, I want to be proud of living in California, and more importantly America. We can do this. 

Sara Holditch 

• 

WILLIS-STARBUCK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

With all respect given in regards to the death of Meleia Willis-Starbuck, I am wondering if anyone has thought that the only question that remains answerable is, could her death have been avoided if she had called the police instead of a friend? And did you know that under the penal code she could be charged with a crime? Please refer to the attorney general’s office for further information as to this issue. This community has had long-standing issues with these types of problems. To prevent these types of problems we may need a forum for discussion. 

A. Charlene Matthews 

?

The pages of this paper have overflowed with typographical adamancy bemoaning the changes in a cherished Berkeley commission devoted to “peace and justice”—the mother and apple pie of Berkeley politics. Some have pointed to a Zionist cabal which, with Beth El, appear to comprise our local axis of evil. It is inspiring to mourn and honor those dead Jews who perished in the Holocaust, but apparently those live ones can sure cause problems.  

I have been a member of the commission for three years and one of those described as an enemy of peace whose presence on the commission blasphemes Berkeley’s ideals. Let me offer my demurrer.  

As the religious right has too successfully appropriated the term “family values,” while advocating programs which too often undermined family strength, I became concerned prior to my appointment that a Berkeley faction had appropriated for itself the term “peace,” although the policies it advocated were inconsistent with human rights and the “peaceful resolution of conflicts”—to use the phrase adopted by this paper’s editor. This faction appeared only to favor peace when the United States or its allies resorted to war or violence. But when a peaceful resolution of conflicts meant ceasing an armed struggle to overthrow “oppression,” peace was descried as a tactic by the powerful to keep the downtrodden at bay. When it came to human rights, massacres in Rwanda, slavery in the Sudan, mass graves in Iraq, and the execution of women in soccer stadiums paled in comparison to Israel’s occupation which many in the peace faction date from 1948, not 1967.  

As Dennis Ross chronicles, Clinton almost coaxed the Israelis and Palestinians to agree a virtual return to the 1967 borders with a divided Jerusalem (a land swap for some West Bank developments retained by Israel), and a very limited right of return. Differences of opinion may exist about the responsibility for the failure to reach agreement during these negotiations, but the attempted peaceful resolution of the controversy was blown apart by suicide bombings which destroyed Israel’s peace movement—a mainstream movement committed to a Jewish Israel within the 1967 borders. Yet, rather than condemn these calculated attacks on civilians, the Berkeley peace faction condemned Israel. Why? Because in its view the Palestinians were entitled to a full right of return which would be denied by the existence of a Jewish Israel. Because this right was steeped in “justice,” the use of violent means to reach a “just” result was not only excusable, but applauded. Instead of forthrightly stating support for a binational state, the end of Zionism and a Judenfrei Middle East (and not a true two-state solution which included a Jewish Israel), the peace faction and its elected political adherents found it more expedient to state only that they supported “peace.” This enabled them to cynically attend synagogue events and openings and thereby show their love of Berkeley’s Jews.  

I and others are vilified for opposing peace. Yet, one of the strongest advocates for a Department of Peace sees no irony in his advocacy of wars of national liberation. In 2004, following the killing and hanging from a bridge of American contractors in Fallujah and the Israeli incursion into Rafah to stem the flow of arms through tunnels, another long-time commission member and former chair wrote an e-mail which summarized the worldview of Berkeley’s “peace” faction: “From Fallujah to Rafah, one struggle, many fronts. Salaam.” That commissioner is permitted by our Constitution to support the Palestinians’ continued armed struggle what some call “the resistance” in Iraq. But to hold such views while lambasting others for not supporting peace is passing strange—though perhaps not here. One fairly may ask, who are the true opponents of peace on the commission? 

Several letter writers have revisited the Rachel Corrie matter; the record of that debate, however, demonstrates that it was not the commission’s neophytes, but those adhering to Berkeley’s traditional ideology, who chose confrontation over cooperation. On July 7, 2003, when the commission took up the Rachel Corrie matter, I offered the following resolution which was overwhelmingly defeated in favor of a resolution focusing only on Corrie’s death. 

“Whereas, the citizens of the City of Berkeley long have supported a peaceful and just resolution of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians; and 

“Whereas, peaceful resolution of the conflict will be furthered by fair, impartial analysis of allegedly improper and illegal acts committed by the Israeli government, by the Palestinian Authority; and Palestinian militant groups; and 

“Whereas, in addition to Rachel Corrie, 17 Americans have been killed since September 2000, including Americans dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the conflict . . . and 

“Whereas, in November 2002, Human Rights Watch prepared an extensive detailed report entitled Erased in a Moment in which it described suicide bombings of civilians as “war crimes: and crimes against humanity.” 

“Now therefore, be it resolved that the Berkeley City Council urge Barbara Lee and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to support a full, fair and expeditious inquiry into the deaths of all Americans killed in Israel and Palestine since September 2000 to determine the circumstances of those deaths and those responsible for those deaths and to urge that the United States and the Palestinian Authority take steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.”  

I have been involved in other issues which confirm that the commission often has cared little about human rights violations, except when committed by the U.S. or its allies. For example, I waged a lonely battle to obtain a resolution condemning the arrest and long imprisonment of Cubans—including non-government librarians—who used non-violent means to oppose the Castro government. At the same time the commission was aghast at searches of library records countenanced by the Patriot Act, the commission could not bring itself to condemn Cubans who used peaceful methods to seek change. Apparently many of those arrested had been armed but, alas, only with copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  

This newspaper urges cooperation among commission members to advance peace and justice. Does its editor want cooperation or simply results that accord with her view of justice—the real goal of many who have corresponded to the Daily Planet. Adhering to what amounts to a sectarian orthodoxy does not befit this community. Responding to the oft-times simplistic reactions to world events offered by the Bush administration with equally simplistic responses of our own serves no purpose. I, too, hope the commission can find common ground and move forward with resolutions which support the entire community’s concerns about human rights, regardless of the miscreants’ political ideology, nationality or religion—whether the despicable acts be committed by a suicide bomber recruited by Hamas or Al Qaeda or Zarqawi or by an Israeli AWOL soldier properly labeled a terrorist by his government. 

Thom Seaton is a member of the Peace and Justice Commission.  

The Peace and Justice Commission has long been a beacon for believers in human rights and equality. It became a place where Berkeley citizens explored ways to creatively exercise humanitarian concerns. It was a place to share information and develop guidelines to become a more inclusive and democratic people. The Commission would gather information and then advise City Council how to implement. Thus, we, as citizens, could consider what makes Peace and what makes Justice in ways that City Council didn’t have time to do. It helped us to grow awareness of ourselves as part of the human family. It became the conscience of Berkeley.  

I first noticed something amiss March 7, the eve of International Women’s Day. That night Ann Fagan Ginger sought endorsement for her new well-documented book: Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. She hoped to send a copy to the United Nations with endorsements of Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission and City Council. Rabbi Litwin opposed the Peace and Justice endorsement of the book, giving as her reason: the book’s inclusion of rape of women in the military as a human rights violation. Rabbi Litwin said she didn’t consider rape a human rights violation so she couldn’t endorse the book. I wrote to the Daily Planet to express my surprise that a woman (and a rabbi at that) on the commission would deny that rape violated human rights of women in the military. Rabbi Litwin responded that she had meant that rape of women in the military was a criminal matter for military courts, not a human rights problem. 

To me, even women in the military have a basic human right not to be raped. Ginger’s book, the Peace and Justice Commission, and the United Nations all serve our needs to cultivate our abilities to think about what we have in common … our common humanity, despite our differences, and our basic equal rights that go with that humanity we have in common. Rabbi Litwin’s thoughts went first to military judges, not to the common inclusive concern of all women. Often women in the military are there because of poverty. Often rape in the military is not prosecuted. The abusiveness of soldiers in the military can go unchecked. Only a higher court, a more inclusive consideration, can guarantee that these women’s rights will be considered. Ginger’s book was calling attention to this need among many needs. In fact, her book is a stellar example of humanitarian consideration that the Peace and Justice Commission might celebrate.  

Here were thoughts that grow justice in the world and peace in the lives of individuals. Military solutions are too often resorted to these days. Human solutions have to be cultivated. The Peace and Justice Commission is there to grow human solutions. Ginger offered fuel for human solutions. Rabbi Litwin dismissed the value of all the other U.S. human rights violations being listed in Ginger’s book, because of the inclusion of rape of military women. Is she serious? The Nuremberg Principles protect the human right of all women around the world to be free from rape. Was she afraid to acknowledge all the other human rights violations listed in Ginger’s book? I had to wonder if the person who appointed Rabbi Litwin to the Peace and Justice Commission might be able to find someone who actually believes in the purpose of the commission. Now, I hear there are several new appointees who may not value the goals of Peace and Justice. It was our jewel. When places where people seek human solutions are compromised, military solutions are not far behind. That’s not what I want. 

Nancy Delaney is a Berkeley activist. 

Reports from participants at a recent Leconte neighborhood meeting had Mayor Tom Bates making some astounding allegations. Mr. Bates reportedly told people that they were paranoid regarding the UC Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) lawsuit settlement agreement. He denied that it was kept secret from the public or that it gives the university veto power over the Downtown Area Plan (DAP), and asserted that the city was completely in charge of the plan which controls development standards including zoning.  

Bates was asked why the public should trust him, since the LRDP agreement was kept secret despite his promises. He responded saying: “Come on, it wasn’t a secret; it was printed in the newspapers, thanks to a councilmember.” 

Nonsense! What Mr. Bates was referring to was a May 6 Daily Californian article: “Under the agreement, UC Berkeley would not pay the city more than it originally offered in January, and the city would drop its February lawsuit against the university, said Councilmember Dona Spring.” (Note: no direct quote.)  

I do not control how reporters use my words. When asked, I referred all reporters to prior press statements by UC spokespeople regarding their best and final offer. I never said the City Council had agreed to accept that amount, as the agreement was not final. (Later, the city attorney told me that the statement I gave was fine.) I even went over the quote with the reporter and after his misleading reports, requested a printed clarification. The Berkeley Daily Planet reporter also paraphrased the Daily Californian. 

If I had been inclined to release confidential information, it would have been to blow the whistle on the shocking giveaway to UC of Berkeley’s downtown (a third of the council district I represent). But I held back because of confidentiality requirements. Had citizens known sooner the contents of the agreement, they would have had an easier opportunity of intervening through the courts. It also reveals why the agreement was kept secret despite previous public promises by the mayor.  

There are multiple sections in the agreement about UC’s control of the plan and its process including: “Joint review of DAP and EIR: because the DAP is a Joint Plan, there shall be no release of draft or final DAP or EIR without concurrence by both parties. UC Berkeley reserves the right to determine if the DAP or EIR meets the Regents’ needs.” (Section II. B. 6., 7.) 

This provision violates the Berkeley city charter which gives the power to set development and zoning standards to a majority on the City Council. It sets a unthinkable precedent of the council ceding sovereignty over land-use on private property to a corporate entity. It also violates state law on CEQA by allowing the university to dictate what will be determined as an environmental impact and what the mitigations will be.  

The DAP-EIR process is a sham that will waste taxpayer dollars and time. It perpetuates the ability of the mayor and the chancellor to do backroom deals. There is even a bludgeon for UC to force its way. If the downtown plan is not done within 48 months then the city will be fined $15,000 a month until it’s done. 

The settlement agreement weakened the city in other ways. Instead of defending the current Downtown Area Plan, which was reviewed in 2001 with a legitimate public process in the General Plan update, this agreement gives power to the university to change the zoning to accommodate their development and to take properties off the tax rolls. Before the agreement, the university had agreed in its EIR to abide by city zoning or do a project EIR. Previously the city had a position (which had been adhered to by UC) that it was not to take any more properties off the tax rolls through acquisition.  

The citizens were better off with the chancellor’s pre-lawsuit offer which made no mention of the DAP or taking properties off the tax rolls. Calling people paranoid for bringing up the disturbing facts of this terrible fiasco only fuels the outrage. The mayor should own up to his mistake and instead of forcing poor citizens to raise tens of thousands of dollars for court costs, he should plead with the chancellor to at least return to his original offer. 

Councilmember Dona Spring represents Berkeley’s District 4.

I play it cool 

And dig the jive. 

That’s the reason 

I stay alive. 

—Langston Hughes 

The Jazz House, formerly on Adeline Street, has announced that it will begin a new program of poetry and jazz on Sunday evenings starting Aug. 14 at Kimball’s Carnival in Jack London Square. 

Jazz House founder and programmer Rob Woodworth will be putting the two art forms, long allied, onstage together in regularly scheduled performances. Brooke Schroeder will be the host for the shows of jazzy words and lyrical sounds.  

The Sunday shows will start at 6 p.m., with a sign-up for open mic reading at 5:30 p.m. Initially, sets of music and poetry will alternate, “eventually commingling,” Woodworth said, adding that he hoped both poets and musicians would get the vibe and start working together, maybe beginning with a bassist grooving behind a reader reciting. 

Trumpeter Geechi Taylor’s Quartet will be featured on Aug. 14, followed the next week by Oakland-based pianist-composer Hyim, then Berkeley native, saxophonist Dayna Stephens and his Quartet on Aug. 28. 

“Dayna’s just back, probably just for awhile, after a year of gigging in New York,” Woodworth said. Stephens played at Jazz House’s former Berkeley location. 

Jazz House lost its lease at the Adeline Street address last October, and Woodworth has since produced a number of shows at community halls and other venues “to keep the music out there, and keep Jazz House involved in the scene,” he said. 

After a benefit at Kimball’s Carnival for “a kids’ nonprofit” Woodworth coproduced, the project for the Sunday night series developed. 

“It’s something I always wanted to institute in the jam sessions at our old location,” Woodworth said. “I’ve been intrigued with the element of improvisation in both forms. Picking up old jazz books, I read about Langston Hughes and other poets coming into sessions and getting up onstage with the players. And listened to the spoken word on the Weary Blues album of Charles Mingus.” 

Though inspired by Hughes and older poets, Woodworth said he expects all styles to be represented, including hip-hop and neo-beat, at the open readings. But he foresees collaborations that will feature a kind of poetry that “may not be what’s expected—a more formal voice over the music.”  

The history of this collaboration is ancient, even primeval. Besides lyric poems set to, or written for music (what composer William Bolcom referred to as “the way words and music marry, at the root of every culture” during last spring’s Ernst Bloch Lectures at UC), dramatic and epic poetry has always been intoned, or half-sung, to musical accompaniment. In Europe and America, the Romantics valorized music in their poems, and, taking a leaf from Edgar Allan Poe, the Symbolists endeavored to give poetry the quality of music. 

Both Villiers De L’Isle-Adam and Lautreamont (Isidore Ducasse) reportedly played chords on piano while reciting verses. The avant-garde movements of the early 20th century experimented with word and music in performance.  

Jazz poetry dates back at least to the Harlem Renaissance, when Hughes and others would step up to recite with players backing them. An early poem of William Carlos Williams, about Bunk Johnson’s band, shows the influence of the music’s rhythms and dynamics. After World War II, the revival of public poetry readings in Europe and America ushered in a new era of collaboration. 

Poet Kenneth Patchen—whose poetry Charlie Parker read to his band during rehearsals—recorded with both the Chamber Jazz Sextet and Alan Neil in the late ‘50s. San Francisco poet Kenneth Rexroth recorded with groups at The Cellar jazz club, and Jack Kerouac laid down the tracks for “Jazz Haiku” with Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. In the 1960s, Amiri Baraka (LeRoy Jones) recited on a New York Art Quartet album (a reunion CD was recorded in 1999) and Archie Shepp electrified the UC Jazz Festival in 1970 with his “Take This Cannibal’s Heart and Turn it into a Rose!” 

Host Brooke Schroeder, a Sacramento native, has written poetry since grade school and was part of a group of poets lead by Gerren Liles in Baltimore while attending Morgan State University. 

“Poetry open mics and poetry with music are big back east,” she said. She cites poets like Tennyson and Oscar Wilde alongside contemporaries. Though an admirer of jazz and of socially conscious poetry, she characterizes what she writes as lyric, and calls herself a folkie, musically. She recalls one reading that went awry, when she was improvising from words taken from the Bible. 

“The audience had no idea what I was talking about; they just wanted to get on to the next rap artist,” she said. 

She said she encourages “all poets, any poets, anybody who’s written something to share; it’s the first step to giving back to the world.” 

Speaking of the series as an ongoing experiment, Woodworth said, “What you hear may catch you off guard.” 

t

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 

CHILDREN 

Just Kidding performs traditional American music using song, instruments and movement, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Norman Solomon discusses “War Made Easy” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

The Whole Note Poetry Series with Selene Steese and Raymond Nat Turner at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

FILM 

Eyeing Nature: “The Forest for the Trees: Judi Bari vs the FBI” with Bernadine Mellis in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

EMAM, world beat, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Larry Vuckovich, piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Bob Kenmotsu, tenor sax, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Emeline Michel at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Yosemite in Time” Re-photographs of the work of landscape photographers, by Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. www.bampfa.edu 

FILM 

For Your Eyes Only: “Our Man in Havana” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Irving introduces his new novel, “Until I Find You” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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 hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Gerard Landry & The Lariats at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, roots country originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50- $18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Realistic Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Mark Little Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Yosvany Terry Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Calcutta” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Medea Benjamin on “Stop the Next War Now...” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Word Beat Reading Series with Zara Raab & H. D. Moe at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Hauk at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Fourtet Jazz Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Damond Moodie, Chris Marsol at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082  

Pete Madsen, acoustic guitar, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jennifer Clevinger/Dennis Geaney Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Terrence Blanchard Sextet at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “A Murder is Announced” by Agatha Christie at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman. Runs Fri. and Sat. through Aug. 13. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Berkeley Rep, “The Ugly American” Created and performed by Mike Daisey at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Aug. 13. Tickets are $30-$35. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “Nicholas Nickleby” Parts 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., between Berkeley and Orinda, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Anything Goes” Cole Porter’s musical, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Aug. 13 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Everyday Theater “ Invisible Cities” with performers from Stomp, The Bright River and Hybrid Project at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway at 2nd, through Aug. 13. Tickets are $14-$25. www.epicarts.org/invisible cities 

The Marsh Berkeley “When God Winked” by Ron Jones. Thurs.-Sat. at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$22. 800-838-3006.  

“Livin’ Fat” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. at Malonga Casquelord Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, through Aug. 26. Tickets are $15-$25. 332-7125. 

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Hello Dolly!” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland, through Sun. Tickets are $20-33. 531-9597.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Luminance” Works by ten women artists opens at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave.  

Mike Woolson, ”Just Desserts: Images From Black Rock City” opening reception at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Children of Paradise” at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wendy DeWitt, The Fez Tones at 5:30 p.m. at Baltic Square, behind 121 Park Place, Point Richmond. 223- 3882. www.pointrichmond.com/prmusic 

Irina Rivkin & Emily Shore at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music, 1839 Rose St. RSVP to 594-4000 ext. 687.  

Bobby Matos, percussionist, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Quijerema Latin Jazz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tamika, R & B vocalist, at 8 p.m. at Maxwell’s 341 13th St., Oakland. 839-6169.  

Diamante, latin fusion, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Bluegrass Intentions at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761.  

The Natives at midnight at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Catholic Comb, Foma at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

George Kahn Trio 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. www.nomadcafe.net 

Vaughn Johnson Group at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazz-school.com 

Brown Baggin’, oaktown funk, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

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

Go It Alone, Life-Long Tragedy, Crime in Stereo at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Terrence Blanchard Sextet at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegas and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

Shotgun Players, “Cyrano de Bergerac” at 4 p.m., Sat. and Sun. through Sept. 11, at John Hinkle Park, labor day perf. Sept. 5. Free with pass the hat donation after the show. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“Unseen, Today’s Story of Job” at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Theater. Tickets are $25. 925-798-1300. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Luminance” Works by ten women artists. Reception from 1 to 4 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave.  

“New Visions: Introductions 2005” opens at noon at ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. www.proartsgallery.org 

“Tsunami Relief: The Ongoing Effort” Photographs from the tsunami disaster and NOAA models at Addison Street Windows Gallery through Sept. 18. 981-7546. 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Le Mariage de Chiffon” at 7 p.m. and “Remorques” at 9:05 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

World Reggae Soul Festival with Nightingale, Inna Heights, Oonka Symeon, Samuri, and many others, from noon to 5 p.m in People’s Park. Free, but $6 donation requested. Bring a can for the food drive. 536-4563. 

Swamp Coolers, Cajun/Western swing, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Mainly Mercer” with Jenny Ferris & Laura Klein Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Benefit for Val Esway at 7 p.m. at Mirthwerx Warehouse. All ages welcome. Send an email to staggeringsiren@yahoo.com to confirm the address. 

Lindsay Mac, cellist and singer/songwriter, at 8 p.m. Epic Arts Center, 1923 Ashby Ave. www.epicarts.org 

Angel Magik, hip hop, reggae, dancehall, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

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

Phil Marsh at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Vocal Sauce at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com  

Venezuelan Music Project at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Valarie Mulberry & David Gunn, acoustic folk/pop/rock at 7 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

The Sharpies, Capitol, The Glimmer Stars at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Andrea Wolper Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Broun Fellinis at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babyland, Barr, This Song is a Mess and So am I 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. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegas and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Children of Paradise” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jazz Spoken Word Featuring Geechi Taylor Quartet at 6 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second St., Oakland. Sponsored by The Jazz House. Cost is $5. 415-846-9432. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Birds You Can Read- Eleven” an interpretive dance performance by Patricia Bulitt at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Followed by reception. 525-2233. 

Traditional Congolese Dance and Drumming, with Pierre Sandor Diabankouezi, former director of the Ballet National du Congo, at 2 p.m. at the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Bancroft at College Ave. Cost is $1-$4. 643-7648. 

Christy Dana CDQ Brazil Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged with Diablo Mountain String Band at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Stephanie Ozer, Brazilian jazz, at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazz- 

school.com 

Adrienne Young & Little Sadie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Café Bellie at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Belly dancing lesson at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

King of Kings, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159.  

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Barbara Belle-Diamond at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

City Concert Opera Orchestra presents Gluck’s “Il Parnaso confuso” at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $12-$22. 415-334-7679. www.cityconcertopera.com 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Mark Ribot Solo! at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $8-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 

FILM 

Eyeing Nature: “Animal Attraction” with Wago Kreider in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gallery Talk on “Wholly Grace” works by Susan Sunhan Feliz at noon at the Bade Museum, 1798 Scenic Ave. Free.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Courtableu at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Adrian Gormley Group, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

The Warsaw Village Band at 8 p.m. at Lake Merrit Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $18-$20. 444-0303. www.kitka.org 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50. 548-1761.  

Mike Lipskin at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Bob Schoen Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Eddie Palmieri with GIovanni Hidalgo, El Negro, Brian Lynch, and others at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Adrian Gormley Group, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

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

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 

FILM 

For Your Eyes Only: “Whip Hand” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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. www.starryplough.com 

Café Poetry hosted by Paradise at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Duncan James Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Swingthing at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lessons with Belinda Ricklefs at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Whiskey Brothers, Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

“Joy of Jazz” with Bishop Norman Williams from the Church of John Coltrane, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Latin Jazz Festival: Quimbombo at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Falsano Baiano at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Beppe Gambetta with David Grisman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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The people of Villa El Salvador and Maria must have been surprised to see a large charter bus negotiating their steep, narrow, winding streets. The shantytowns of Lima are not on the typical tourist itinerary. 

This June I spent two days, as part of a group, in Lima en route to the Andes and Machu Picchu. Two days in starkly different environments, each one representing one-half of Lima’s 10 million inhabitants. 

Central Lima resembles a wheel, at its hub Spanish influence with historic municipal buildings, churches and museums, the spokes sprawling ever outward in human and economic growth. Surrounded by Peruvians and tourists, the first day I toured handsome Plaza Mayor, Lima’s historic heart. Colonial architecture, brightly painted yellow as part of recent renovations—on one side the Catedral, another the Municipalidad, on the third the Palacio de Gobeirno—the three representing the influences of the church, the people and the government. Nearby, the Monasterio de San Francisco impressed me with its size and collection of art. Below ground, bones were sorted by type into wooden bins; these catacombs forming a solid base able to withstand the violent tremors of earthquakes. 

The Museum de Anthropology, Archeology and History in the suburb of Pueblo Libra artfully displayed the textiles, pottery and distinctive characteristics of Peru’s pre-Incan societies. At E. Copello the distillation of Guacamayo Pisco Puro was the main event; the process was explained and sampling was offered. 

One of thousands, I merged with the throngs, listening to the sounds of Spanish mingling with the horns and brakes of the endless procession of traffic. Serious young women in army green uniforms, the Policia Trafica, stood in its midst and patrolled the sidewalks.  

Lima bustles with few services: no rapid transit, no public buses, no city cabs. Privately owned cabs operate without a meter, minivans replace buses; one man drives, his assistant calls out destinations. 

Vendors take advantage of stalled traffic. They walk through lanes of cars hawking their wares. Twenty or more would offer anything from food, drink and toys to souvenirs. Others set up businesses along the streets. Anything broken can be rapidly repaired, as long as you supply the part. 

Banks, hotels, churches, museums and stores—all employ their own security guards, who take their jobs seriously, guarding entrances and patrolling the premises. Middle class neighborhoods protect their homes with ten-foot iron fences, two rows of pointed barbs adorning the tops. 

This area of Lima’s 43 districts represents almost five million people, 80 percent of whom are under 24 years old. Approximately 60 percent are employed in “steady” jobs, earning a monthly salary, health benefits and vacation. 

The remaining 40 percent are self-employed performing any job you can imagine: mechanic, plumber, brick-maker, moneychanger, vendor, and street cleaner. Their only pay is for the jobs they complete or the goods they sell. 

What of the other five million inhabitants, the most recent arrivals in this coastal desert? Since the latter part of the 20th century, a number of factors have created a mass migration of people to Lima. Villages destroyed by earthquakes, persecution by terrorists from groups like Shining Path, political unrest and extreme poverty; like a torrential flood they have swept people from their Andean villages onto unwanted, unoccupied desert lands, where they hope for a better life. 

For our second day in Lima, our Cusco guide Jose Correa asked if we’d like to see a different part of Lima. So we came to our navigation through districts of shantytowns resembling a biology lesson from the pages of Charles Darwin: evolution and survival of the fittest.  

From a collection of temporary dwellings, Villa El Salvador, at the top of the evolutionary tree, is today a middle class district. Using self-determination and Incan techniques of irrigation and organization, migrants claimed desert hills for their homes and their livelihoods. Hundreds of acres have been transformed into arable lands. As homes replace temporary shelters, they form blocks, then residential groups and finally sectors. Within sectors, schools are built, as education is a priority. Communal kitchens, health centers and sports grounds are established. Businesses are set up along the streets and evolve into industrial parks. A self-supporting community is born. 

In the business district, we visited a furniture shop and factory. Showrooms in the front displayed attractive, well-constructed beds and chests. Bright primary colors contrasted with the pale colored wood. Boards were sawn, sanded, assembled and painted in the factory at the back. Appearing under construction itself, no extra expense had gone to this area, which wouldn’t dream of seeking OSHA approval. Sections were open or covered with tarps, stairs were minimal and safety features non-existent, but the work provided steady employment and goods were produced. 

Still evolving, Maria is a mixture of both permanent and temporary homes. A group of women at a communal kitchen for one block invited us inside. They were preparing the daily meal consisting of three courses, soup, a stew with rice and salad. With donations of funds and surplus food, this meal cost one sol, equivalent to 30 cents, representing for many their only source of nutrition. Nearby they were establishing a church, a bare room with a simple altar, of which they were proud. 

In these hills tourists weren’t seen. Within our bus I felt over-privileged; the dollars in my pocket weighed like lead. Instead of enmity, we were treated with openness and respect. Residents and businesses were pleased that we showed an interest and were proud of what they had accomplished. I was moved and changed by what I saw, which is one purpose of travel. Later, throughout our travels in the breath-taking landscape of the Andeans, I would reflect back on what these migrants had left behind. 

While Plaza Mayor represents the historic heart of Lima, the homes of the shantytowns I saw represent its spirit. Migrants wait until they have secured the right to their plot of land. Once obtained, building begins. As money allows, rebar and bricks are bought. The walls go up one row at a time, with framework extending high above. The hopes of the Andean migrants, far from the highlands of Peru, are reflected by small piles of brick and rebar reaching toward the sky. Without government subsidies or aid, relying solely on themselves and their community, they survive and move toward a better life.  

Sausalito may have forgotten about the humming toadfish—the Toadfish Festival with its marching kazoo bands is history—but Andrew Bass hasn’t. The Cornell biologist, formerly at the Bodega Marine Laboratory, is still learning unexpected things about this curious creature and its perceptual world. 

The toadfish is more properly known as the plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus). There is also a specklefin midshipman. It’s a homely bottom-dweller with a flattened head, a gaping mouth, and bulging eyes; “very distinctive and fairly unattractive,” says marine biologist Milton Love of UC Santa Barbara. Love, something of a standup ichthyologist, is the author of the indispensable Probably More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast, in which he describes some of the midshipman’s quirks. 

Their sides and bellies are covered with dots called photophores that produce a blue-green light—but only if they’ve eaten the right kind of ostracod, a planktonic crustacean. The ostracod manufactures the bioluminescent chemicals; the fish only stores them. The lines of photophores supposedly resemble the buttons on a naval uniform, hence “midshipman.” There’s also that venomous spine on the gill cover, which doesn’t prevent the midshipman from being eaten by everything from loons and murres to sea lions and elephant seals. Love says friends of his who have sampled the fish were not impressed. 

But it’s the hum that made the midshipman notorious. In late spring and early summer, males travel from deep water to the shallows and begin their courtship. They use their swim bladders to produce a sound which has been variously likened to revving motorcycles, chanting monks (I suspect Tibetan Buddhist, although this was not specified), and a whole orchestra of oboes. If you happen to live on a houseboat moored above the spawning grounds, this can be distracting. In a 1994 article, Bass and Richard Brantley of Cornell characterized the hum as having a fundamental frequency of 100 Herz, sustained for up to 14 minutes. 

This is music to a female midshipman’s ears. Females are attracted by the hum to nests the males have excavated under near-shore rocks. They lay a clutch of 200 or so eggs on an overhanging ledge as the male fertilizes them, then depart. On average, five to six females may use a single male’s nest, but up to 20 have been recorded. The male dutifully guards the eggs until they hatch in a couple of weeks, then keeps an eye on the fry for another month until they’re independent. He stays at his post even at low tide, having a limited air-breathing capability. 

That’s what a Type I male does, anyway. Bass and Brantley also described a second type of male with a very different mating strategy. 

Type II males don’t hum, build nests, or defend eggs. They’re smaller than Type I’s, and their only vocalization is a grunt similar to that of the females. A Type II male hangs around the nest of a Type I until a female enters, then either sneaks in for a quick fertilization or broadcasts his sperm from the nest entrance. (The Type I male is either preoccupied with the female or mistakes the Type II for another female).  

Any eggs the Type II manages to fertilize are cared for by the Type I as if they were his own progeny, which makes the Type II a cuckoo-like reproductive parasite on his own species. Type II’s invest more than Type I’s in sperm production: a Type II’s testes make up 8.3 percent of its body weight, as opposed to 1.2 percent in Type I’s.  

With variations, such goings-on are widespread among fish. Spawning by “sneaker” males has been observed among coho salmon, desert pupfish, sunfish, wrasses, and cichlids, among others. 

Stanford biologist Joan Roughgarden regards these different male types—and multiple female types in some other species—as distinct biological genders. Gender, though, is a conceptual minefield that I’d just as soon stay out of.  

Andrew Bass and Joseph Sisneros of the University of Washington reported in Science last year that a female midshipman’s response to the male’s hum depends on her hormonal levels. Without high levels of estradiol, the natural form of estrogen, they are apparently unable to hear the sound, or at least its higher-frequency components. Bass told a reporter that this finding could have important implications for hearing loss in older women. 

More recently, Bass (with his colleagues M. S. Weeg and B. R. Land) has figured out how the male fish avoid deafening themselves with their own hums. With sustained drones of up to a quarter-hour, you’d think the midshipman would miss out on other acoustical cues that might signal approaching predators. Not so, according to the research team’s recent article in Neuroscience. Nerve impulses from the brain to the swim bladder, generated 100 times a second, produce the hum. At the same time, the same part of the brain signals the hair cells of the ear, inhibiting their sensitivity to sound. The synchronization is perfect.  

Neurologists had known that humans have a reflexive protection against sudden loud noise, tightening muscles in the inner ear that reduce the sound-transmitting efficiency of the eardrum and inner-ear bones. But this response weakens with repeated exposure, and doesn’t work for the sounds we produce ourselves that travel through the bones of the head. The mechanism discovered in the midshipman blocks the sound of the fish’s own “voice”, though. We may have something similar going on; if so, says Bass, it might play a critical role in how we learn to speak, and how we recognize our own voices. 

So this ugly, noisy fish may have useful things to tell us about the sense of hearing in humans. That seems like a fair trade for a few sleepless summer nights on the Sausalito waterfront.  

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 

Tomato Tasting from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. 

Mountain Biking Basics with Bobette Burdick and James Lanham at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Tilden Tortoises Walking Group to discover the history of Tilden Nature Area. Meet at 9:30 a.m. For ages 55 and over. 525-2233. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. Today we will join Ranger Dave Zuckerman to learn the history of the park and nature observations. 524-9992. 

Mini-Rangers at Tilden Park Join us for an afternoon of nature study, conservation and rambling through the woods and water. Dress to get dirty, and bring a healthy snack to share. For children age 8-12, unaccompanied by their partents. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

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. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org  

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

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 

“Tracking Your Medicine” How to Keep it Safe and Simple at 10:30 a.m. at Alta Bates Summit Merritt Pavilion Cafeteria Annex B & C, 350 Hawthorne Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5 for non-members. Reservations required. 869-6737. 

Walking Tour of Oakland City Center Meet at 10 a.m. in front Oakland City Hall at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Loose Leash Dog Walking and other city manners, a class for canines at 6:30 p.m. at Rabbitears, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Cost is $35, registration required. 525-6155. 

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

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, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

Young Readers Group meets at 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave., to discuss “The Day My Butt Went Psycho.” For ages 8-12. 644-3635. 

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Artify Ashby Muralist Group meets every Wed. from 5 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, to plan a new mural. New artists are welcome. Call Bonnie at 704-0803. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

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 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 

“Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11” with Ann Fagan Ginger at 7 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave.  

How a Flower Grows Learn how seeds turn into flowers, why they smell and what makes them interesting to bees and butterflies. A program for 8 to 12 year olds. Cost is $5-$7. Registration required. 525-2233. 

East Bay Mac User Group Sal Soghoian, product manager for Apple, will introduce Automator, at 6 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St., Emeryville. ebmug.org 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Chimpanzee Discovery A lecture with Linda Koebner of Chimp Haven, a retirement home for chimpanzees, at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd. Cost is $20. 632-9525. www.oaklandzoo.org  

“No Pain, Great Gain” A workshop on pain management with Ed Bauman at 5:30 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 

Praise-Jam Family Festival with the Outdoor Gospel Choir and a Fair with games and local vendors, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster St., Oakland. Free. 

Point Richmond Free Outdoor Concert with Wendy DeWitt and The Fez Tones from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Baltic Square, behind 121 Park Place, Point Richmond. 223-3882. www. 

pointrichmond.com/prmusic 

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 8 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. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegass and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

World Reggae Soul Festival from noon to 5 p.m in People’s Park. Free, but $6 donation requested. Bring a can for the food drive. 536-4563. 

Tomato Tasting and Cooking Demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. Cooking demonstration at 11:30 a.m. 548-3333. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $5-$7. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Sushi for the More Adventurous Learn the natural and cultural history of this ancient and healthy cuisine. You will prepare and taste many types of sushi. Parent participation required for children ages 8-10. Cost is adult, $35, senior $30, child age 8-12 $25. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Compassionate Cooks Vegetarian Cooking Class A demonstration of five plant-based dishes and samples, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Wheelchair accessible. Cost is $35. To register call 531-COOK. www.compassionatecooks.com 

“Herbs for Health and Happiness” Grow your own medicine cabinet, learn new plants and share your own remedies at 2 p.m. at City Slicker Farms, 16th and Center, Oakland. 763-4241. cityslickerfarms@riseup.net 

“What does the AFL-CIO break-up mean for the Left?” with David Bacon, KPFA Morning Show Labor Report and Tim Sears, Labor Attorney & DSA National Political Committee. Moderated by Susan Chacín, Community Services, Alameda County Central Labor Council. From 10 a.m. to noon at the Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. 

The Great War Society monthly meeting at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. The topic will be “American Field Service-The Men & the Materiel,” by Robert Denison. For more information call 527-7118. 

“New Schools, New Visions” An educational fair promoting K-12th grade public and charter schools, and youth services programs in Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Emery Secondary School, 1100 47th St. 665-1665. 532-236. 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

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 

Free Help with Computers at the El Cerrito Library to learn about email, searching the web, the library’s online databases, or basic word processing. Workshops held on Sat. a.m. at 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. Registration required. 526-7512.  

“ADD & ADHD: Natural Treament Options” with Cecilia Hart at 4 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

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, AUGUST 14 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegass and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

“How Berkeley Can You Be?” Fundraiser Brunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Caffe Venezia, 1799 University Ave. Cost is $20. 644-2204. howberkeley@epicarts.org 

Tilden Bird Walk with Denise Wight Meet at 8 a.m. at Rabbitears, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Cost is $25, includes breakfast. Registration required. 525-6155. 

“Healthy Eating with Garden-Grown Food” Taste and learn to prepare delicious, healthy, easy to prepare recipes at 2 p.m. at City Slicker Farms, 16th and Center, Oakland. 763-4241. cityslickerfarms@riseup.net 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Annual Summer Casting Clinic from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Oakland Casting Ponds in McCrea Park, 4460 Shepherd St (at Carson Blvd near the 580 freeway), Oakland. Clinic is co-sponsored by the Oakland Casting Club. Expert, beginning and “wannabe” fly fishers are all welcome. For further information, call Richard Orlando at 547-8629. 

Richmond Art Center’s Whale of a Rummage Sale drom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2540 Barrett Ave. at 25th St. in Richmond’s Civic Center. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

Hands-on Bike Maintenance Learn how to perform basic repairs on your bike from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $85-$100. 527-4140. 

Fourth Annual Transbay Skronkathon BBQ with creative music, you bring stuff to grill. From noon to 11 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakland. 649-8744. http://music.acme.com 

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour of Pill Hill. Cost is $5-$10. For details call 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Social Action Forum with Ruby Long who joined the Peace Corps at age 66 and spent two years in Uzbekistan, at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Home Buyer Assistance Information Session at 6 p.m. at 1504 Franklin St., Oakland. Sponsored by the Home Buyer Assistance Center. Free, but reservations required. 832-6925, ext. 100. www.hbac.org 

Family Film Sunday Series “Charlotte’s Web” at 11 a.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $5.  

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

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 

“Songsalive!” Songs-in-progress workshop at 7:30 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music. Please bring at least 10 copies of lyrics sheets for the song you wish to present and vegie snacks (optional). Cost is $5. To RSVP call 594-4000 ext. 687. www.rosestreetmusic.com 

Story Tells, a storytelling swap with guest storyteller, Marijo, at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland. 527-1141.

The Greek slave Aesop told the story of a shepherd boy watching his flock in the hills above town who repeatedly called for help from fellow villagers, saying a wolf was about to attack the sheep. Each time he called, neighbors came, only to find that nothing was happening. Then one day a wolf did come, and the boy cried out for help again. But this time the villagers thought his cries of “wolf, wolf” were false, as before, so they didn’t come, and the wolf devoured the flock.  

Berkeley is a very densely built city, packed with homes and institutions of all kinds. It is inevitable that when an institution wants to expand, there will be neighbors who will feel that their homes are being crowded by what the institution wants. It is a grievous mistake for members and partisans of Berkeley’s numerous institutions to attribute baser motives to neighborhood opposition to their plans.  

Neighbors of the American Baptist Seminary of the West on the south side of the UC campus successfully opposed its plans to construct a new multi-story building. No one accused opponents of anti-Baptistism. 

Disabled residents of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley’s McKinley School building and historic preservation advocates opposed the church’s plans to demolish it. This didn’t make them anti-Presbyterian. The church eventually came up with a new plan that pleased everyone. 

Community gardeners protested the destruction of plants they had cultivated by the new owners of the plot, the Thai Buddhist temple. That wasn’t anti-Buddhistism. When the monks understood the complaints, they apologized for causing distress. 

UC Berkeley’s many expansion sites have been and will continue to be targets of the wrath of neighbors and other citizens. But opponents should not be charged with anti-intellectualism. (Is there a special word for disliking football?) 

Some institutional expansion projects which were undertaken with sensitivity to community wishes have been greeted with open arms from the start. There’s a new synagogue going up on University Avenue, replacing a liquor store, which has been welcomed enthusiastically. The Presbyterian-sponsored Westminster House expansion on Bancroft is considered a great success. UC’s expansion of the Goldman School on Hearst is thought to be as intelligent and sensitive as next-door Soda Hall is hideous. 

Tastes do differ. The new building that Temple Beth El has finished in north Berkeley looks to some like an architectural masterpiece, and to others like a junior high school in Pacoima. But that’s not the point here. The residual dispute that’s causing neighbors (Jewish and non-Jewish) to post complaining signs on their lawn this week is just about parking, the new Berkeley’s most sensitive political topic, one that has torn apart many neighborhoods.  

Neighbors of the Baptist seminary on the south side are now voicing essentially the same complaints as the Beth El neighbors: Their real beef is with the city of Berkeley’s continuing lax enforcement of conditions on use permits for institutions, all kinds of institutions in all sorts of locations. In both of these cases, institution members and neighbors undertook long negotiations in good faith, but now local residents feel that the deal hasn’t been followed.  

Religious institutions in Berkeley, particularly the large ones with regional drawing power like Beth El and ABSW, should remember that they are guests in this city which is our home, and that we are supporting their religious mission, even if we’re not ourselves believers, by providing them with streets to park on while exempting them from paying property taxes. The specific complaints in both cases are technical, too detailed to discuss in this space, but neighbors have some valid points, and they deserve more help than they’ve gotten from Planning Department staff.  

But, please, let’s leave anti-Semitism out of the discussion. Anti-Semitism has absolutely nothing to do with it. Racism has absolutely nothing to do with it. Anti-Semitism and racism are real, living evils, existing in the world and even in Berkeley at this very moment, but they are not the reason some northside residents are annoyed with the institution which has expanded in their neighborhood. And speaking on behalf of all of us who have married into Irish names, the controversy also has nothing to do with America’s historic bias against unlettered Irish immigrants, despite the fact that the congregation’s president is Julie Kennedy (Mrs. Patrick Kennedy, as old-time society editors would have it). 

The danger here, which Aesop’s fable illustrates, is that if careless accusations of anti-Semitism and racism are tossed around in every land-use dispute, when real anti-Semitism and racism rear their ugly heads (and they will), the public will react as the villagers did to the boy who cried wolf, and ignore them. That’s a scenario for disaster. 

—

The death of longtime ABC evening news anchor Peter Jennings reminds us of a time when network news created reality for millions of Americans. For about four decades those who cared about what was going on in the nation and the world—and it seemed that most adults did—could get a quick and trusted summary of world events by watching television for a half-hour in the evening. In his heyday, everyone believed Walter Cronkite, of course. After Cronkite’s era, there was no single news anchor who commanded the same unquestioning respect, but for a period of time Peter Jennings came close.  

Despite ABC’s repeated assertions that he was above politics, left-leaning viewers who were suspicious of what was going on nationally in the 1980s thought of Jennings as the most simpatico of the three choices for the nightly update. He didn’t fawn over Reagan, as many commentators did. The bad news was always reported along with the good. 

And then people just stopped watching the evening news. According to a 2004 study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, in 1980 75 percent of television sets in use were tuned to one of the three nightly network newscasts each night during the dinner hour. In 2003, it was a 40 percent share. The study examined a variety of hypotheses for why this might have happened, but reached no definite conclusions. 

CNN is one answer. If interested but busy news consumers can get a quick hit on their own schedule, instead of having to sit down at a particular time of night, that’s appealing to many. (Fox News, however, is more like anti-news: entertainment in a package which only resembles news.) 

For discriminating news junkies, National Public Radio has offered news coverage with more depth than television news and more easily accessed, with loop drive-time broadcasts enabling commuters to multi-task. (It looks like the Bush administration is trying to change that.) National newspapers—U.S.A. Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal—provide up-to-date news in writing for those who want it that way. And finally, it’s now possible for those who care to get their news from all of the above, any time, day or night, anywhere there’s Internet access.  

The Web provides more than just a connection to all flavors of national media, however. It also gives skeptics a window on many different interpretations of what’s happening, taking the niche once dominated by Pacifica Radio and an ever-changing list of small magazines and opening it up to a vast number of new news sources. Indymedia, weblogs, the foreign press—if you’re curious, it’s all available to you on the Internet. But still, the problem is whom to believe, particularly if you only have a half-hour every day to get some quick idea of what’s going on in the world.  

For a surprising number of my well-educated friends, the answer turns out to be “The Daily Show.” They rely on host Jon Stewart’s nose for the ridiculous news to tell them what’s going on that they really shouldn’t miss. The presupposition underlying this strategy is that things are only going to get worse, so a satiric look at the low points in the events of the day is the best way of finding out quickly how much worse and why.  

And why does no one even mention local newspapers as a source of news any more? Perhaps it’s because they seem to be falling all over each other in their race to the bottom, as circulation plummets. Headlines and photos get bigger and bigger, the number of column inches of print gets smaller and smaller, and then newspapers wonder why fewer and fewer readers bother to pick them up. They don’t seem to understand that their pictures will never compete with television, and their biggest headline is no match for Internet graphics. 

Watching the daily decline of the San Francisco Chronicle, which was never a great newspaper but had moments of adequacy, is painful. Talking to friends who work there, and who are still trying to do a good job in the face of the Hearst Corporation’s relentless cost-cutting, is even more painful.  

The network newscasts and the major metropolitan papers of the last part of the twentieth century shaped a reality which was somewhat flat, two-dimensional, lacking the variety of points of view which can now be obtained by those who seek them from the Internet’s vast array, but at least many people cared enough to watch the news shows and read the newspapers every day. What Peter Jenning’s passing reminds us of most forcefully is that most Americans no longer seem to care much about what’s going on in the world, and that’s frightening. 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 

Praise-Jam Family Festival with the Outdoor Gospel Choir and a Fair with games and local vendors, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster St., Oakland. Free. 

Point Richmond Free Outdoor Concert with Wendy DeWitt and The Fez Tones from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Baltic Square, behind 121 Park Place, Point Richmond. 223-3882. www. 

pointrichmond.com/prmusic 

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 8 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. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegass and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

World Reggae Soul Festival from noon to 5 p.m in People’s Park. Free, but $6 donation requested. Bring a can for the food drive. 536-4563. 

Tomato Tasting and Cooking Demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. Cooking demonstration at 11:30 a.m. 548-3333. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $5-$7. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Sushi for the More Adventurous Learn the natural and cultural history of this ancient and healthy cuisine. You will prepare and taste many types of sushi. Parent participation required for children ages 8-10. Cost is adult, $35, senior $30, child age 8-12 $25. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Compassionate Cooks Vegetarian Cooking Class A demonstration of five plant-based dishes and samples, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Wheelchair accessible. Cost is $35. To register call 531-COOK. www.compassionatecooks.com 

“Herbs for Health and Happiness” Grow your own medicine cabinet, learn new plants and share your own remedies at 2 p.m. at City Slicker Farms, 16th and Center, Oakland. 763-4241. cityslickerfarms@riseup.net 

“What does the AFL-CIO break-up mean for the Left?” with David Bacon, KPFA Morning Show Labor Report and Tim Sears, Labor Attorney & DSA National Political Committee. Moderated by Susan Chacín, Community Services, Alameda County Central Labor Council. From 10 a.m. to noon at the Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. 

The Great War Society monthly meeting at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. The topic will be “American Field Service-The Men & the Materiel,” by Robert Denison. For more information call 527-7118. 

“New Schools, New Visions” An educational fair promoting K-12th grade public and charter schools, and youth services programs in Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Emery Secondary School, 1100 47th St. 665-1665. 532-236. 

Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice Rally at 1pm at Berkeley Honda, Shattuck and Parker, on behalf of the striking workers.  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

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 

Free Help with Computers at the El Cerrito Library to learn about email, searching the web, the library’s online databases, or basic word processing. Workshops held on Sat. a.m. at 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. Registration required. 526-7512.  

“ADD & ADHD: Natural Treament Options” with Cecilia Hart at 4 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park/Ho Chi Minh, Hillegass and Derby. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

Green Sunday “Jerry Brown Runs Again” Should We Warn the Voters? at 5 p.m. at Niebyl-Procter Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th, Oakland. Sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County. 

“How Berkeley Can You Be?” Fundraiser Brunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Caffe Venezia, 1799 University Ave. Cost is $20. 644-2204. howberkeley@epicarts.org 

Tilden Bird Walk with Denise Wight Meet at 8 a.m. at Rabbitears, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Cost is $25, includes breakfast. Registration required. 525-6155. 

“Healthy Eating with Garden-Grown Food” Taste and learn to prepare delicious, healthy, easy to prepare recipes at 2 p.m. at City Slicker Farms, 16th and Center, Oakland. 763-4241. cityslickerfarms@riseup.net 

Grizzly Peak Flyfishers Annual Summer Casting Clinic from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Oakland Casting Ponds in McCrea Park, 4460 Shepherd St (at Carson Blvd near the 580 freeway), Oakland. Clinic is co-sponsored by the Oakland Casting Club. Expert, beginning and “wannabe” fly fishers are all welcome. For further information, call Richard Orlando at 547-8629. 

Richmond Art Center’s Whale of a Rummage Sale drom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2540 Barrett Ave. at 25th St. in Richmond’s Civic Center. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

Hands-on Bike Maintenance Learn how to perform basic repairs on your bike from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $85-$100. 527-4140. 

Fourth Annual Transbay Skronkathon BBQ with creative music, you bring stuff to grill. From noon to 11 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakland. 649-8744. http://music.acme.com 

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour of Pill Hill. Cost is $5-$10. For details call 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Social Action Forum with Ruby Long who joined the Peace Corps at age 66 and spent two years in Uzbekistan, at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Home Buyer Assistance Information Session at 6 p.m. at 1504 Franklin St., Oakland. Sponsored by the Home Buyer Assistance Center. Free, but reservations required. 832-6925, ext. 100. www.hbac.org 

Family Film Sunday Series “Charlotte’s Web” at 11 a.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $5.  

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

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 

“Songsalive!” Songs-in-progress workshop at 7:30 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music. Please bring at least 10 copies of lyrics sheets for the song you wish to present and vegie snacks (optional). Cost is $5. To RSVP call 594-4000 ext. 687. www.rosestreetmusic.com 

Story Tells, a storytelling swap with guest storyteller, Marijo, at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland. 527-1141. 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. In case of questionable weather, call around 8 a.m. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

Tai Chi for Health and Long Life from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Nature vs Nurture” from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Please bring snacks and soft drinks to share. No peanuts please. 601-6690. 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Volunteers are needed to support the more than 40 blood drives held each month all over the East Bay. Advance sign-up needed 594-5165. 

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. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Diana Bohn will show the video titled “The Road to Hope” which she made with Potters for Peace, at 11 a.m. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters welcomes curious guests and new members at 7:15 a.m. at Au Coquelet Cafe, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia. 435-5863.  

Entrepreneurs Networking at 8 a.m. at A’Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcatraz. Cost is $5. 562-9431.  

Come Spot Come Total recall training for your dog at 6:30 p.m. at Rabbitears, 303 Arlington Ave. Cost is $35, registration required. 525-6155. 

Walking Tour of Historic Oakland Churches and Temples Meet at 10 a.m. at the front of the First Presbyterian Church at 2619 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www. 

oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Kundalini Yoga for All Ages at 2:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com 

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, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

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

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

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 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Doing Good” at 7 p.m. at Lakeside Park, Lakeside Drive at Lake Merritt, Oakland. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

EarthTeam’s Annual Teachers’ Lunch High school and middle school teachers interested in environmental curriculum are invited to this luncheon featuring speakers, Q&A, student video projects, and curriculum materials offered by non-profits. At 11:30 a.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, entrance on Dana. Free for teachers, $12 for others. RSVP to 655-6658. 

“No More Boring Lunches” A talk on how to prepare qicka nd easy lunches that are nutritionally sound and delicious, at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. www.elephantpharmacy.com 

Volunteer Outreach Workshop for the UC Botanical Garden at 4 p.m. at 200 Centennial Drive. Free, but registration suggested. 643-1924. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Waterwise Gardening Tour at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Arts and Crafts Cooperative, Inc. (ACCI) Seconds Sale from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Aug. 21 at 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527.?