Election Section

UC THEATRE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding the Daily Planet’s Sept. 9-12 front-page article, as a jazz fan I applaud converting the UC Theatre into a jazz club. However, Kimball’s would be a lousy choice. Witness that their poor programming ran the splendid Emeryville venue into bankruptcy at the same time that Yoshi’s thrived at remote Jack London Square. Why not consider Yoshi’s and others to reincarnate the UC Theatre as a jazz club, rather than Kimball’s which has failed in Emeryville and is likely to fail again in Berkeley?  

Bruce Beyaert  

Richmond 

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BROWER MEMORIAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Let me suggest a location for the David Brower memorial sculpture: the northeast corner of Bancroft and Oxford.  

Currently, this corner is occupied by a right-turn lane, a left-over piece of 1950s traffic engineering that was designed solely to speed up traffic.  

This corner could be redesigned as a conventional intersection and still accommodate all its traffic. It would need a wide turning radius for buses, but it does not need this right turn lane.  

This redesign would free enough land for the Brower memorial sculpture. It would also contribute to the revival of downtown by making the corner safer and more pedestrian friendly, with slower traffic and an easier crossing.  

This is an appropriate location for the Brower memorial because it is much more prominent than the other proposed locations. It is right next to downtown, right next to UC Campus, and only two blocks from the proposed Brower Center.  

Just as important, this is an appropriate location because it would take a corner that now looks like a freeway interchange and make it look more like a park. David Brower would undoubtedly approve.  

The city should refer this issue to the traffic engineer to determine the cost of rebuilding this intersection. Then the city should raise the needed money, so we can put the Brower memorial sculpture at the prominent location that it deserves.  

Charles Siegel 

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A PERFECT MATCH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Let’s face it; the poor homeless blue ball sculpture belongs ... in the “arts district”! The hypocritical phoniness of the “arts district” and the alleged “memorial” to David Brower are a perfect match. Richard List is right: Install the ball!  

Carol Denney 

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EMERGENCY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If it is true, as reported in the Daily Planet, that the City of Berkeley is now down to one part-time employee to work on emergency preparedness, then we are asking for big trouble. When the next disaster strikes—and surely it will when least expected—we could face unprecedented life-or-death situations throughout the region. Citizens and government at all levels may be hard pressed to overcome all the challenges. We have only to look at recent disasters to realize we could be on our own for a long time. 

Berkeley has done much to ready its public buildings and schools for earthquakes. But much remains to be done to keep our citizens, businesses, and government prepared. To short-change our staffing for emergencies, and the continuing coordination and planning that must take place at all levels, is to court disaster. 

Alan Goldfarb 

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WILDCAT CANYON 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Just a comment on Marta Yamamoto’s Sept. 12 Wildcat Canyon article. It is one of my favorite places, but there’s an important and extremely dangerous “unwanted hiking companion” that was not even mentioned: acorns. I know because about two months ago, out exploring Alvarado Park with a friend, while photographing a stately tree, I suddenly slid on what looked like leaves and wood shavings. I came down hard and dislocated and fractured my ankle in three places. It was like skating on ball bearings! This was only a few feet from the walkway with no warning signs to be seen. I am still in pain and still angry with the Parks Department for not giving me any idea that this was possible—not only the physical suffering, but of course the grave expenses for a senior like me. All for lack of a warning sign! 

It’s not only the snakes and ticks that bite, it’s the bite into one’s life that comes from a really preventable accident. Hikers beware!  

A.R. Tarlow 

San Pablo 

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BUS ROUTES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A correction to Marta Yamamoto’s Wildcat Canyon piece: The No. 67 bus no longer serves the entrance to Wildcat Canyon Park. It doesn’t serve anything: the route was discontinued over a year ago. 

The route, which served sections of El Cerrito, Richmond, and San Pablo, and provided the only transit to unincorporated East Richmond Heights, didn’t have good patronage. Many people needed to find other ways to get around, usually by auto. The reasons were simple: 

• The buses ran only once per half-hour. 

• The buses were scheduled to arrive at the Del Norte BART station one minute after the San Francisco train left. 

• In the reverse direction, the No. 67 left the BART station one minute after the San Francisco train arrived at the platform, ensuring that the bus had left before passengers could get through the exit turnstiles. 

A San Francisco commuter had to endure 45 minutes every day standing around waiting for connections due to this Balkanized scheduling. Non rush-hour connections were the same, causing most off-peak riders to drive if they wanted to get to our major travel destination. I submit that half-hour transit scheduling is not practical for most people. And when this interval is compounded because there’s no coordination with connecting vehicles, failure is assured. 

The No. 67 bus was timed to drive away business and to ensure that the farebox recovery was dismal. It was a lose-lose situation. If we’re going to get people out of their cars, we need to have positive connections between vehicles, modes of travel, and our myriad of uncoordinated transit agencies throughout the region. The Europeans know how to do this, enabling people to get around on foot without pain. I’ve observed good integration in Boston, too, although the connections are provided by a single agency. So far, the only sign of progress that I’ve seen in these parts is the development of an integrated multi-agency fare card. We need more. 

Richard Steinfeld 

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PEACE AND JUSTICE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On Aug. 2, I wrote a letter to the Daily Planet expressing the belief that difficulties in passing resolutions at the Peace and Justice Commission were due to procedural issues around absences and new appointments rather than political factionalism or supposed hostile takeovers. I wrote that I expected the commission to be able to pass resolutions by a clear consensus when we reconvened in September. 

I am pleased to report that I was correct. On Monday the Peace and Justice Commission voted on five resolutions. Two resolutions (on an international peace concert and supporting an investigation on Bush administration intelligence manipulations leading to the Iraq war) passed unanimously. Two resolutions (opposing the Lawrence Berkeley Lab demolition of the Bevatron and urging the City Council to join the international campaign against the death penalty) passed 13-0 with two abstentions. The resolution on withdrawing the California National Guard from Iraq passed with 10 votes. Those who did not vote for the resolution were evenly divided in saying it went too far and not far enough.  

Commission chair, Steve Freedkin is to be commended for his thoughtful opening remarks stressing respect, and for his fair and impartial leadership of the meetings. I would also like to thank all my fellow commissioners across the progressive spectrum for their thoughtful discussion and desire to make the world a better place. I think that citizens of Berkeley who come and see the Peace and Justice Commission in action will get a positive impression of its work, and I look forward to their attendance at a future meeting. 

Jane Rachel Litman  

Member, Peace and Justice Commission  

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