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F. Timothy Martin: Parchester Village neighborhood resident Whitney Dotson gazes out to the bay over Breuner Marsh at Saturday’s North Richmond Shoreline Festival. Dostson has been one of the staunchest supporters of preserving the marsh..
F. Timothy Martin: Parchester Village neighborhood resident Whitney Dotson gazes out to the bay over Breuner Marsh at Saturday’s North Richmond Shoreline Festival. Dostson has been one of the staunchest supporters of preserving the marsh..
 

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Park District Aims to Save Richmond Marsh By F. TIMOTHY MARTIN Special to the Planet

Tuesday October 18, 2005

Richmond residents opposed to a developer’s plan to build 1,000 residential units at Breuner Marsh are looking to the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to insist the land be preserved as open space. 

Senior park staff have recommended using eminent domain to force the sale of the 238-acre property and add it on to adjacent Point Pinole Park in order to preserve a wetlands habitat they say is critical for the health and survival of several endangered species. 

The park district board of directors is scheduled to decide whether to adopt the proposal at a Nov. 1 public meeting, which will be held at their offices in Oakland. 

“We feel it’s very positive, it’s what we wanted,” said Whitney Dotson, a resident of the nearby Parchester Village neighborhood who has been one of the staunchest supporters of preserving the marsh. “The parks department is stepping up to the plate.” 

The Richmond City Council has vowed to fight the park district’s proposal and has authorized staff to file a legal challenge if the district moves ahead with the plan. 

This is not the first time the site’s owners, Don Carr and Bay Area Wetlands LLC, have tried to develop at Breuner Marsh since they acquired the property in 2000. In 2001, they proposed a light industrial park at the site, but a similar coalition of community and environmental groups rallied to defeat the plan. The current plan calls for a mix of 1,050 residential units and retail development, as well as a transit station. The marsh is currently zoned partly as light industrial and partly as open space.  

Dotson and other opponents of developing the marsh came out to Point Pinole Park on Saturday for the second annual North Richmond Shoreline Festival, which was held to raise awareness of the development proposal and to promote opposition to it. The event, which featured a free BBQ and entertainment, drew more than 100 people. 

“We’ve got to get the community plugged in to what this represents,” said Dotson, who pointed out that in the late 1940s developers of Parchester Village agreed to leave the marsh as open space to be enjoyed by residents of the historic African-American community. Residents say they fear the increase in noise and traffic that would result if the development plans are realized, as well as the loss of the area’s aesthetic appeal.  

Environmentalists point to dwindling wetlands in the Bay Area, over 85 percent of which have been lost to either landfill or development, according to Arthur Feinstein, former executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. 

The loss of Breuner Marsh, says Feinstein and others, would severely impact endangered species such as the salt marsh harvest mouse and the California clapper rail, a bird which once ranged from Monterey to Humboldt County, but is now only found in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

But not everyone in town sees it quite the same. 

Last month the Richmond City Council voted 5-3 to oppose the park district’s proposal for eminent domain as well as to authorize legal action to stop it. City leaders cited the potential loss of up to $4 million in annual revenues. Others argued that Richmond’s existing parks were already underutilized. 

At least one councilmember was critical of the park district’s failure to inform the city of its intentions, and said that lack of dialogue may have affected the council’s vote.  

“Had they contacted the city before we started hearing what their intentions were, things might have turned out differently,” said Councilmember John Marquez. “As two public entities we ought to have communication.” 

For their part, park district staff said they’ve offered a fair deal. According to Nancy Wenninger, the district’s land acquisitions manager, the site’s owners turned down an offer of $4.9 million for the land despite having paid $3 million in 2000—though that’s small change compared with the reported $50 million deal nearly negotiated in 2003 that would have sold the parcel to another residential developer, Signature Properties. 

While eminent domain has gotten a lot of attention following a recent Supreme Court decision, Wenninger was careful to distinguish that the park district’s use of it follows a long established provision under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that allows the state to acquire land for the public good. The park district most recently used eminent domain in Hercules to construct a portion of the Bay Trail. 

“Eminent domain is our method of last resort. We much prefer to deal with a willing seller,” Wenninger said. “We’ve made an offer based on appraisals of a fair market value,” adding that the developer would have to spend a lot of money and effort to push development plans forward—including a change in zoning laws—without any guarantee of success.  

Wenninger said she expected a much bigger battle over eminent domain in Richmond, where the park district is already involved in litigation with the city over development of the Point Molate Casino. 

Despite the friction between the city and park district, some city officials applauded the park district’s initiative. 

“There’s too much effort on dollar signs and revenues, and not enough on giving the community what it wants and needs,” said Gayle McLaughlin, one of the three Richmond council members to vote on the side of the park district. “To allow development to deface this incredible area would really be a crime.”


West Berkeley Bowl EIR Says Project Won’t Negatively Impact Neighborhood By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The new Berkeley Bowl planned for the corner of Ninth Street and Heinz Avenue in West Berkeley “would not result in any significant and unavoidable impacts,” according to the conclusion of the massive draft environmental impact report (EIR) prepared by Christopher A. Joseph & Associates, a Petaluma consulting firm. 

The 90,970-square-foot project includes two buildings, a 83,900-square-foot market building and a 7,070-square-foot food services building. Both two-story buildings will be 40 feet high. Beneath the larger building will be a 99-space parking lot, with an additional 102-space surface lot. 

Before the project can be built, the City Council must amend the city’s General Plan and zoning ordinance designating a 1.9-acre portion as Avenue Commercial followed by an ordinance change to rezone the land as West Berkeley Commercial. 

The land that would house a proposed warehouse to serve both the new and the existing stores doesn’t require a change from its current Manufacturing-Light Industrial (MU-LI) zoning but would require an amendment to the zoning ordinance. 

The document singled out four primary areas of concern: air quality, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning and transportation/traffic. 

The report’s authors concluded that: 

• There won’t be any significant increase in toxic air contaminants when the new store is up and running, and dust and other potential impacts arising from construction can be reduced to insignificance by implementing a series of mitigation efforts. 

• Impacts on underground water quality, and runoff from the site can be resolved through control measures. 

• Project impacts related to conflicts with applicable land use plans, policies, and regulations would be insignificant. 

• The project is consistent with the goals of the city’s General and West Berkeley plans. 

• The developer should be responsible for installing a new traffic light at the intersection of San Pablo and Heinz avenues to reduce traffic impacts to an acceptable level for San Pablo Avenue. 

• The Ninth Street stop sign at Potter Street should be eliminated to reduce traffic queues, and left turns from Potter on to Ninth should be banned. 

• The project will cause a 2 to 3 percent increase in use of on- and off-ramps at the Ashby Avenue/I-580 interchange, a less-than-significant level, according to the report. 

• Delivery vehicles should arrive and depart before 11 a.m. to alleviate potential traffic problems. 

 

Alternatives 

EIRs must include alternatives to the project under consideration, and one proposal offered was relocation of the facility from West Berkeley to Emeryville. The report’s authors then rejected the site because owner Glen Yasuda doesn’t own it, the City of Berkeley has no jurisdiction over the site, site conditions haven’t been assessed and the relocation wouldn’t mesh with the project’s objectives. 

The report also considered reducing the scale of the project at the existing site but rejected that option because a smaller facility “would be a convenience store rather than a full service supermarket,” and thus inconsistent with the owner’s intent. 

Two other alternatives were analyzed, the first a 50,000-square-foot, single-story light industrial and manufacturing building. While the facility would generate less traffic than a supermarket, the EIR rejected the proposal because it hasn’t been proposed and because it’s unlikely given the current land prices and market demand in the area. 

Another alternative offered was a 150,000-square-foot office building, similarly rejected because it hasn’t been contemplated by the city or the owner. Both were also rejected because they didn’t meet the owner’s intent to provide a full-service grocery store. 

 

Comments 

The EIR also includes public comments received during preparations for both the EIR and the initial study which preceded it. 

Neil Mayer, the founding director of the city’s Office of Economic Development and later community development director, raised his objections in a Feb. 9 letter drafted in response to the initial study. Now a private consultant, Mayer was instrumental in the creation of the West Berkeley Plan. 

While the EIR declared the project consistent with the plan, providing the requisite plan and zoning changes were approved, Mayer disagreed, noting that the plan calls for maintaining the existing MU-LI areas and enforcement of “prohibitions against retail uses” in the MU-LI district. 

“Plainly, the goal of the plan is to avoid any losses of manufacturing,” he wrote. 

He also cited the General Plan’s Economic Development element, which calls on the city to “continue to implement the West Berkeley Plan, with its emphasis on strengthening the city’s manufacturing sector.” Most of the comments focused on the initial study, a less thorough document than the EIR. 

Writing of behalf of Zelda Bronstein, former Planning Commission chair and a Public Eye columnist for the Berkeley Daily Planet, Oakland attorney Stuart M. Flashman said the initial study failed “to take into account the light industrial areas. In particular, light industrial uses can be severely constrained by having adjoining, or even nearby, non-industrial areas.” 

Flashman wrote that the study also “fails to consider the potential cumulative impact of the proposed use change in conjunction with other rezonings that would likely follow.”  

Eugenie P. Thomson, a consulting civil and traffic engineer, wrote on behalf of several West Berkeley businesses, including Urban Ore, Ashby Lumber, Inkworks, Aerosol Dynamics and Meyer Sound. 

“The 90,00-plus-square-foot store on a parcel significantly smaller than most grocery stores at the corner of two minor streets could result in major parking overflow and traffic impacts onto the neighboring streets,” Thomson declared. 

She proposed two alternatives for consideration in the EIR, a store the same size as the 30,000-square-foot structure originally proposed by Yasuda for the site, and a store the same size as the 50,000-square-foot Pak N Save at 40th and San Pablo. 

She faulted the initial study for using 2003 statistics as the base for traffic condition studies—the same baseline used in the EIR—because the store won’t open until 2008 to 2010. The study also excluded the warehouse area from the store’s total area, which she said violated the standards of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. 

“The analysis produced no impacts association with this large project, which in fact would generate 6,000 to 8,000 cars per day in an area that already has significant traffic congestion and parking shortfalls,” Thomson wrote. 

 

Public review period 

Members of the public have until Nov. 21 to offer comments and suggestions for drafting the final EIR document. 

Comments should be addressed to Principal Planner Allan Gatzke, City of Berkeley, 2180 Milvia St., 1st floor, Berkeley 94704. 

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Political Intrigue Stirs Up Oakland’s District 6 Race By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday October 18, 2005

Is Peralta Community College District Trustee Marcie Hodge running for the 6th District Oakland City Council seat against incumbent Desley Brooks in next June’s election, and if so, whose idea was it? 

While Hodge says that she is not considering running—not yet, at least—many local political observers say that she is, and Brooks believes that she was recruited to do so by Brooks’ political enemy, Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente. 

De La Fuente denies that, and says that it was Hodge who approached him asking for support to run against Brooks. 

Both Brooks and Hodge are African-American women serving their first terms in elective office. Brooks defeated Oakland City Councilmember Moses Mayne in 2002, while Hodge won the open Peralta Area 2 seat last November over high school counselor Johnny Lorigo after Trustee Lynn Baranco chose not to run for re-election. 

While the Oakland City Council District 6 seat and the Peralta Trustee Area 2 seat are both in East Oakland, the boundaries of the trustee seat are mostly southeast of the council seat. A small portion of the two districts overlaps between Seminary and 73rd avenues. 

Asked last week if she was considering running against Brooks, as has been widely assumed, Hodge said “No. That’s not something I’m thinking about,” but added that “I might take a look at it at the beginning of next year.” 

But Brooks says that Hodge has been picked by De La Fuente to run for the Council seat, and that Hodge was not the Council President’s first choice. Brooks said that earlier this year, De La Fuente approached “several black women—maybe as many as 10—to run against me,” adding that De La Fuente turned to Hodge after the others turned him down. 

Brooks mentioned former Oakland City Clerk Ceda Floyd and Linda Handy, who serves with Hodge on the Peralta Trustee Board, as two of the women who had been approached by De La Fuente to run. 

Asked by telephone if he had approached anyone to run against Brooks, De La Fuente said. “That’s not true. Absolutely not. I have not approached anyone.” 

De La Fuente said that some months ago Hodge and her brother, former Oakland School Board member Jason Hodge, “approached me and said that she was interested in running.” 

De La Fuente said that he has also been approached recently for support by a male candidate considering running against Brooks, who he is going to meet with next week. He said he was not at liberty to release the name of the candidate. 

Handy, who lives in the City Council 6th District, said that she had “no comment” when asked about the De La Fuente overtures, and only said that “I am not running for the 6th District seat.” 

But another black political leader, who asked that she not be identified by name because “I still do some business with the city, and I don’t want to alienate anybody at City Hall,” confirmed that De La Fuente had approached her to recruit to run against Brooks. 

De La Fuente supported Brooks’ predecessor in the 6th District seat, Moses Mayne, both when Mayne was first elected to council and during Mayne’s unsuccessful run for re-election against Brooks in 2002. Brooks and De La Fuente have publicly clashed almost from the moment Brooks was sworn into her council seat. 

De La Fuente recently appointed Hodge to the City Council Budget Advisory Committee, a position that would give her visibility in city issues. Two local papers reported De La Fuente saying that he made the appointment at Hodge’s request, both of them linking the appointment with De La Fuente’s belief that Hodge was considering running against Brooks. 

And the Oakland Tribune reported that De La Fuente hosted a $1,000 a plate fund-raiser for Hodge in Oakland’s Fruitvale District last week. Hodge said she was using the proceeds of the fund-raiser to promote Peralta issues. She would not have to run for re-election to her Peralta Trustee seat until 2008. 

When Hodge was elected to the Peralta Trustee board in November, she was part of a board overhaul in which four of the seven trustees chose not to run for re-election. But while her three freshman board counterparts—Bill Withrow, Cy Gulassa, and Nicky Gonzalez Yuen—immediately became active and vocal members of the board, Hodge has been slower to have her impact felt. She does not serve on any of the board’s most powerful committees—Budget, Policy, or Technology—and until recent weeks, unlike Gulassa and Yuen especially, she largely remained silent during board deliberations. 

But last month, she received headlines in local newspapers when she called during a board meeting for the elimination of the Peralta District’s international studies department, charging that the department was wasting “millions of dollars.” The department recruits students to the four Peralta colleges from outside the country. 

In a later op-ed piece in the Oakland Tribune, Hodge called the international studies department a “rogue department,” writing that she has “asked Chancellor Elihu Harris why he has permitted staff from this department to spend so lavishly and travel the world while tuition for students continues to rise. My questions have not been answered, and the stonewalling on the part of the chancellor and his staff continues. After demanding an accounting of the expenditures of this rogue department several weeks ago, I was shocked by what I saw. The director of this department has, for years, been allowed to travel the globe and spend shamelessly. Receipts that I obtained show endless travel to such places as Singapore, England, South Africa and Beijing, along with stays in the finest hotels in the country.” 

Hodge said following a later board meeting that her criticism of the International Studies Department was part of her “fiscal responsibility to my constituents. It would be irresponsible for me not to raise these questions.” 

Harris and other board trustees—including Bill Withrow—quickly defended the International Studies Program, saying that because international students pay full tuition that goes directly to Peralta instead of being funneled through the state, the program generates funds for the district. And Handy was particularly critical of Hodge, saying that her charges against the International Studies Department were motivated by a desire to get publicity for Hodge’s run for the 6th District City Council seat. 

“Board members should be critical of what goes on in the district; that’s our job,” Handy said. “But I don’t think we should be tearing down the district for our own personal political purposes.” 

For her part, Brooks said she was not worried about a possible challenge from Hodge. 

“I’m not going to run my campaign based upon what an opponent is doing, I’m going to base it on what I’ve been doing for my district, and what I intend to do,” she said. “Hopefully, that will be sufficient.” 

Hodge is the second member of her family to show an interest in running for Oakland City Council after election to a school district board. In 2004, while still on the school board, her brother Jason briefly entered the race for the District 7 Oakland City Council seat after reports that incumbent Larry Reid was not running for re-election. Jason Hodge stopped campaigning when Reid announced that he was still running, but his name remained on the ballot. Reid easily won re-election to the District 7 City Council seat. 

 

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Library Contracts With Non-Union Janitorial Firm By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The Berkeley Public Library, already beset with labor-management problems, risked further alienating organized labor this month when it hired a non-union firm to do its janitorial work. 

Starting Oct. 1 the library replaced its unionized janitorial contractor, Universal Building Services of Richmond, with Oakland-based Nova Commercial Company. The Library Board unanimously approved a three-year, $500,000 contract with Nova last month without asking if the company hired union labor. 

“If I had known, I would have abstained,” said trustee Darryl Moore, adding that library staff should have addressed the union issue. “It’s disappointing. I thought that the city had some kind of preference system for union employers.” 

City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque told the Daily Planet that the U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited local governments from taking into account whether contractors use union labor. 

Universal’s three-year contract with the library expired at the end of September. 

The janitorial contract with Nova comes as library employees have feuded with Director Jackie Griffin over staff restructuring at the library and the implementation of a new system for checking out books. 

Librarian Andrea Segall e-mailed councilmembers Oct. 5 about the non-union contract. She warned that the janitors “may lose their health care, have wages slashed, or even lose their jobs.” 

Nova, however, might lose its contract with the library. Moore said Library Director Jackie Griffin e-mailed trustees that the library has been displeased with Nova’s work and might seek to terminate the contract based on poor performance. 

SEIU Local 1877, which represents janitors, staged a brief protest outside the library earlier this month, but has not returned telephone calls for this story. 

Library Trustee Ying Lee said she had been informed that the union had called off its picket. 

In the past, Berkeley had hired janitors in-house, but recently the city has contracted out some of the jobs to outside firms, all of which used union labor. Janitors employed by those firms make a base salary of $11 an hour plus health benefits through a regional contract established with Local 1877. 

The five janitors covered under the new library contract must earn at least $11.04 an hour with health benefits ($22,984 a year) or $12.84 an hour without health benefits to comply with Berkeley’s Living Wage Ordinance. 

Janitors who are city employees make a base of salary of $44,400 a year plus benefits. 

Nova did not respond to telephone calls for this story. 

Community Relations Librarian Alan Bern said that Nova did not enter the lowest bid, but outranked other bidders because it has a long history of working with libraries and offered strong references. 

Should the library terminate its contract with Nova, it would then be free to contract with the company offering the next highest ranking bid.  

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Peralta College Board of Trustees Hires Inspector General to Evaluate District By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday October 18, 2005

In a sign of increased scrutiny over district operations that began last January when four new board members were elected, the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees has hired an inspector general to report directly to the board on district operations. 

The inspector general will expand the duties previously carried out by the district’s internal auditor’s position, which only had responsibility over fiscal matters. Peralta’s internal auditor’s position has been vacant for the past two years. 

Late last week, the board announced the hiring of Gail Waiters for the part-time position at an annual salary of $50,000. According to Peralta Information Officer Jeff Heyman, Waiters was formerly city manager of San Ramon. 

Heyman said he believed the addition of the inspector general position would “help the public keep confidence that the district is looking out for their interests.” 

Waiters will evaluate district operations through both scheduled and unscheduled on-site inspections, and has been given a broad mandate to look into educational, hiring, fiscal, and construction and building matters. Waiters is also expected to be the board’s initial contact for “whistleblower” employees who wish to report concerns about district operations. 

The new position was instigated by freshman trustee Bill Withrow of Alameda, but was eventually approved with general support from both new and veteran trustees. Waiters was hired on a 6-1 vote. 

Withrow, who is a retired naval officer, said inspector generals are common in the military (“Napoleon had one,” he said), and “a lot of corporations have started the practice, but Peralta’s inspector general is unique in California’s community college system. My goal is to have Peralta take the leadership in a lot of these areas.” 

He said that board members “often hear about issues or rumors or perceptions concerning the district, but up until now we’ve never had mechanisms in place to address these problems. The inspector general’s position will allow the district to conduct formal investigations quickly. If there is substance to the complaints, the board and the district can immediately address them. It will help us to cut a lot of the clutter out.” 

Withrow said that the inspector general, the general counsel, and the chancellor will all work in a partnership in reporting directly to the board of trustees, “with the chancellor, obviously, acting as the senior partner.” 

In explaining the purpose of the position, Peralta Trustee Cy Gulassa said following a board meeting earlier this month that the hiring of the inspector general was not a response to any particular problem at the district, but was designed to give trustees an independent look at district activities. 

“It’s part of our general responsibility to our constituents,” he said. “The IG’s reports will give us a better tool for evaluation and carrying out our jobs.” 

Trustee Linda Handy, the head of the board’s Technology Committee, said that Waiters’ first task will be to produce an evaluation of the Peralta’s ongoing district-wide conversion to PeopleSoft information management system. The finance, human resources, and payroll portions of that conversion were scheduled for implementation this summer, with the entire software scheduled for full implementation by October 2006. 

At the end of the summer, shortly after PeopleSoft’s payroll software was installed, Peralta’s payroll suffered significant problems, with some workers paid twice, some workers not paid at all, and some withholding funds not forwarded to outside agencies. 

While Peralta Chief Information Officer Andy DiGirolamo blamed the problems on Peralta staff error rather than software error, trustees said the errors had made them leery about the upcoming scheduled conversion to online student registration under the PeopleSoft software. Board members have sharply questioned DiGirolamo over the PeopleSoft implementation. 

Last June, Peralta trustees approved a $30,000 study and assessment of the community college district’s information technology operations by Hewlett-Packard. But HP officials declined to enter into the contract after they learned that trustees had included a provision that HP would not be able to later bid on any items that were touched on by the study, and that study is on hold. 

 

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Cal Players Give Statements in Willis-Starbuck Shooting By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday October 18, 2005

In the past two weeks, several more Cal football players have given witness statements to investigators in the murder of Meleia Willis-Starbuck, according to John Burris, the attorney for co-defendant Christopher Hollis. 

Burris, who declined to specify the number of witnesses who have come forward in the past two weeks, credited press reports for pressuring the football team to cooperate with investigators. 

“They were not forthcoming at the outset. Now my sense is that they are coming forward,” Burris said. 

UC Berkeley Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs George Strait said that the university has not changed its approach to the investigation and has been forthcoming from the start. 

According to police, Willis-Starbuck and several female friends got into an argument with a group of men outside Willis-Starbuck’s College Avenue apartment the night of July 17.  

During the argument, police say Willis-Starbuck called Hollis, 22, to come to her defense. Hollis arrived and from about half a block away fired several bullets into the crowd, striking Willis-Starbuck in the chest. 

Christopher Wilson, 20, who police say drove Hollis from the crime scene, has also been charged with murder. He is free on $500,000 bail. 

Burris maintains that Hollis intended to shoot above the heads of people crowding College Avenue in order to disperse them. He said additional testimony from football players was important to gauge the threat of physical violence Willis-Starbuck felt when, Burris said, she called Hollis and told him to “bring the heat.” 

Burris is maintaining that the killing does not constitute murder because Hollis was under the impression that Willis-Starbuck was in grave danger. 

Hollis, who was a fugitive until last month, will not seek bail, Burris said. 

Hollis and Wilson appeared in court together Friday. Judge Winfred Scott delayed setting a preliminary hearing date for both defendants until Nov. 17 to allow their defense attorneys more time to review new witness statements. According to Burris, Friday was the first time Hollis and Wilson had been in the same room since the night of the shooting.  

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Wednesday Night Program Honors Berkeley’s First Integrated Church By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 18, 2005

To raise funds to renovate Berkeley’s first racially integrated church, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) has joined with the South Berkeley Community Church to hold a Wednesday night meeting that will explore the church’s history. 

Built in 1910 as Park Congregational Church, the 1802 Fairview St. structure was designed by Arts and Crafts architect Hugo W. Storch and was declared a city landmark in 1976. 

The gathering will kick off the church’s capital restoration campaign to raise the funds needed to restore the venerable building. 

Author Susan Dinkelspiel Cerny leads off the 7:30 program at the church with a talk on the historic character of South Berkeley. 

Members of the congregation will follow with their own stories. 

Perhaps the best known speaker will be former Berkeley City Councilmember and noted civil rights activist Maudelle Shirek, a charter member when the church was reorganized as an integrated congregation in 1943. 

Architectural historian Bradley Wiedmaier will talk about architect Storch and how the Arts and Crafts movement transformed the Mission style. 

A catered reception follows. 

BAHA’s John Beach Memorial Lecture Fund is sponsoring the event, and the suggested donation at the door is $15. Checks should be made out to the SBCC Capital Restoration Fund, and potential donors who don’t attend Wednesday can send checks to the church, 1802 Fairview St., Berkeley 94703.a


Correction

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The article “Diversity Lacking in Council’s Commission Appointments” in the Oct. 14 issue mistakenly attributed to Councilmember Gordon Wozniak the quoted opinion that Bates’ appointment of only one African-American was “pretty sad, and pretty surprising. For years, the NAACP used to give [former mayor] Shirley Dean a hard time because she only had one African-American appointment. After that, to her credit, she appointed a number of African-Americans, at least as many as four. But now I see that Bates has the same number of African-American appointments as Dean had.” The quote should have been attributed to Councilmember Kriss Worthington.3


Cindy Sheehan Moves to Berkeley, Joins Call for National Guard Return By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 18, 2005

One of the country’s most famous anti-war activists is now one of Berkeley’s newest residents. 

Cindy Sheehan, who gained the world’s attention with her protest outside President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, has moved into a Berkeley apartment following her separation from her husband. 

“I needed a place to stay, and some friends got me an apartment,” she said. 

Not that Berkeley will see much of the mother who lost her son Casey in the Iraq war in April 2004. 

“I spend most of my time traveling, and I’m home maybe seven to 10 days a month,” she said following a Friday press conference in the San Francisco office of Assemblymember Mark Leno. “I spend a lot of time in Southern California, and tomorrow I’ll be in New York City.” 

Sheehan said that when she told Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia that she had moved to Berkeley, he laughed and said, “Well, of course you did.” 

Berkeley, she said, was a more congenial place for her than Vacaville, where she had lived with her husband prior to the separation 

Her San Francisco press conference was organized in support of a resolution by Berkeley Assemblymember Loni Hancock calling for the return of the state’s National Guard from overseas duty. 

Before the press event, Sheehan met with an aide to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who listened to her concerns and promised to present them to the state’s chief executive. 

Hancock’s Assembly Joint Resolution No. 36 calls on the Legislature to ask the state’s congressional delegation “to call on Congress to restore the balance between the federal government and the states vis-à-vis the National Guard, by limiting federal control to cases where there is an insurrection or a declaration of war...” 

The resolution also calls on the state legislature to ask Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger “to ensure that the president and Congress take immediate steps to withdraw California National Guard troops from Iraq.” 

Hancock’s aide, Armondo Viramontes, said the assemblymember will push the resolution as one of the Assembly’s first priorities when the Legislature opens for business in January. She has drawn 17 co-sponsors, numbering conservatives among their ranks. 

California currently has 5,800 National Guard troops on duty overseas, with 2,300 of them in Iraq, said Viramontes. 

“The National Guard and the reserves account for 50 percent of the casualties, but not 50 percent of the troops. They are not trained properly and they are not equipped properly. Their own government doesn’t support them,” Sheehan said. “I know families who have had to hold bake sales to raise money for body armor.” 

Sheehan said activists should organize on a state-by-state basis to hold the governors of each state responsible for the fate of the National Guard troops. 

Leno, Viramontes and Sheehan declared that California needs the National Guard at home to handle domestic emergencies. 

“What’s going to happen if we have an earthquake in California or fires? Who’s going to protect California?” Sheehan asked. Recent “national disasters we’ve had in this country prove that having our National Guard overseas has made our country more vulnerable.” 

“Immediately recall them,” Viramontes urged. “Right now. Not this week. Not next month. But right now.” 

Hancock was unable to attend because she was in Romania where her father, veteran New York Liberal Party activist Donald S. Harrington, had died last month. 

Sheehan offered bitter criticism of the Bush administration, which she described as arrogant. 

“They think that because they now control all three branches of government, they can do whatever they want,” she said. “They have imposed a virtual dictatorship for the past five years. It is very ironic that George Bush says he’s spreading freedom in Iraq when he’s destroying it here at home.”?


Iceland Finds Noise Solution By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday October 18, 2005

Berkeley Iceland will apparently remain open for business after city officials approved its proposal to quiet the rink’s temporary refrigeration system, which the city feared would disturb neighbors. 

The temporary system could be in place at the rink’s parking lot on the corner of Milvia and Ward streets as early as the end of the week, said Manuel Ramirez, the city’s environmental health manager. 

Iceland had delayed installing the system because it generated ambient noise readings of 83 decibels, compared with the 67 decibels generated by Iceland’s permanent system. The city’s ambient noise ordinance, passed after the 65-year-old rink started business, prohibits noise levels above 45 decibels. 

To reduce noise levels below 67 decibels as required by the city, Deborah Jue, sound engineer at the Oakland firm Wilson, Ihrig and Associates, proposed a sound blanket covering for the system. 

Jue said the covering, which would be mounted on a frame, would be made of insulated material with a density of one pound per square foot. 

“It’s not like a shower curtain,” she said. If the machine is still too noisy, Jue said, Iceland could also add soundproofing insulation around the exhaust fan. 

Assistant Fire Chief Gil Dong said that with the noise issue apparently resolved “everything appears to be a ‘go’ and is moving forward.” Last week, city safety officials had renewed threats to close the rink after Iceland told them that the temporary system would require a custom-made covering that could take up to four months to install. 

Earlier this year the city ordered Iceland to install the temporary system while the rink upgraded its permanent refrigeration system, which Dong said lacked safety devices and contained too much ammonia for firefighters to contain in a major leak. 

Dong said that once the temporary refrigeration system was installed and met city noise requirements, Iceland would pump out the 4,200 pounds of ammonia in its permanent system. Under an agreement with the city, Iceland can operate the temporary system until April 15 when upgrades to the permanent system must be completed. 


Lucretia Edwards, 1916-2005 By TOM BUTT

Tuesday October 18, 2005

Lucretia Edwards, who might best be remembered as the mother of Richmond’s magnificent 3,000-plus acres of shoreline parks, died peacefully at her home on Oct. 12. She was 89 years old. 

Lucretia is survived by her daughter, Hannah Edwards, two sons, John Edwards and Barnaby Edwards and his wife Linda, and their son Sam Edwards. She was preceded in death by her late husband, Tom Edwards. Plans for a memorial service are still in the planning stage and will be announced later. 

After moving to Richmond with her husband Tom shortly after World War II, Lucretia became a legend of community activism. She credited her mother, a “perfect Quaker lady” from Philadelphia, with instilling in her a sense of equality and fairness, as well as civic-mindedness. 

Childhood summers spent at the New Jersey shore fostered in her a love of the water. It’s no surprise that she married a man who worked for Standard Oil, now called Chevron, as an oil tanker docking pilot. Fifty-seven years ago, they bought a house in Point Richmond with a panoramic view of the Bay. Lucretia raised three children in that house, and she lived there until the day she died.  

Lucretia, however, was much more than civic-minded. She had vision. From the day she arrived in Richmond in 1948, she knew it was “ridiculous” that Richmond’s 32 miles of shoreline offered only 67 feet of public access. “I was enraged by what I saw,” said Lucretia. “You hardly knew that the Bay was there.” Lucretia’s refined manner and soft voice belied the strength of her convictions. 

In addition to all her good ideas, she knew what she had to do to get the parks built, and her commitment never wavered. “I joined the League of Women Voters and started finding buddies who agreed with me. Then we just went to meeting after meeting talking about how badly the city needed waterfront parks.” She took federal, state, regional, and local officials—any officials who would listen—out to the bay front to see the possibilities first-hand. “We took them out one at a time, so we could divide and conquer. We did a lot of walking.” The women’s secret weapons were gourmet picnics and lots of cheap champagne, always served liberally as if at a world class resort on Richmond’s scenic beaches, islands and promontories. 

She became the leader of Richmond’s Contra Costa Shoreline Parks Committee, also known as “the little old ladies in tennis shoes,” who coined such slogans as “Tanks, but no tanks,” to suggest that at least some of Richmond’s beautiful waterfront should be used for something other than storing petroleum products. 

Creating the Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline Park was one of her proudest achievements. She lobbied heavily for the park, and just as plans were solidifying, the owner of a key parcel that included the park’s highest point, Nicholl Knob, decided to sell to a developer who planned high-rise apartment buildings. Lucretia wept at the news. Her husband, distraught at seeing Lucretia this way, cashed in his pension and bought the land for her as a surprise gift. The Edwards kept ownership of the land until the East Bay Regional Park District could buy it—at the same price the Edwards had paid for it several years earlier. 

Not stopping with what is now Miller-Knox, Lucretia and her friends also brought Point Pinole Regional Park into the East Bay Regional Parks District. Lucretia’s Shoreline Committee and others successfully placed East Brother Light Station, the Point Richmond Historic District and the Winehaven Historical District at Point Molate on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Of Winehaven, which she saw for the first time in the mid-1970s, Edwards once said, “I fell in love with the buildings. They are so astonishing, those great red-brick castles. They're so out of place, it just made me laugh!” 

In the 1980s, there was a move by the master developer of Marina Bay and the City of Richmond to shift some of the previously master-planned Marina Bay waterfront park sites to locations of less prominence and to replace them with housing and commercial development. Lucretia sued the city and settled only after the city committed to preserve the original park sites, one of which later became Lucretia Edwards Park (also part of the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park), dedicated in 2002,  

Shirley and I first met Lucretia shortly after moving to Richmond in 1973. She spotted me as a “live one” and made sure I was immediately so immersed in community affairs that I didn’t know what had hit me and was never able to extract myself. She took me under her wing, and in short order, I became president of the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council, a charter member of the Richmond Community Development Commission and, later, president of the Point Richmond Business Association. Lucretia served as treasurer of my campaign committee for all the years I ran for office. 

In 1978, Lucretia took me to East Brother Light Station, and I became hooked. Lucretia had found out from her husband, Tom, a tugboat captain for Chevron, that the lighthouse was slated for demolition. We subsequently formed a non-profit corporation, East Brother Light Station, Inc., www.ebls.org, and restored the lighthouse, still operating some 25 years later as a bed and breakfast inn in order to maintain the historic structures. Lucretia was a founding member and served on the board of directors of East Brother for many years. 

But Lucretia was more than a savior of shorelines and a historic preservationist. In 1989, she was recognized by Congressman George Miller in the Congressional Record for being chosen the Eleventh Assembly District's Woman of the Year by Assemblyman Bob Campbell. The California State Senate and Assembly honored her and 101 other distinguished women at special ceremonies sponsored by the Women Legislator's Caucus. Her involvement in civic affairs began in the 1950s as a member of the League of Women Voters. She was a leader in the establishment of Richmond's neighborhood councils and served on numerous city and county commissions and advisory boards, including the John T. Knox Freeway affirmative action committee and the citizens committee to approve plans for the San Pablo Wildcat Creek Flood Control Project. 

Lucretia also worked hard in the race riot years of the 1960s fighting racism in Richmond, where she was one of several founders of the North Richmond Neighborhood House. 

Her files on Richmond were also legendary. She could access reams of information on city activities going back decades, citing key municipal actions sometimes conveniently forgotten years later by most. She has authored numerous pieces on Richmond’s tumultuous but always fascinating history, including Port of Richmond 1901-1980, as a project of the Richmond Area League of Women Voters, and A Short History of How the Neighborhood Councils Started in the City Of Richmond, California. 

By far, Lucretia’s most enduring legacy is the inspiration she has left for the generations that follow her footsteps, providing an example of how just one tenacious individual can change a city forever and make it a better place for all. 

 

Tom Butt is a member of the Richmond City Council.


City Council Tackles Condo, Soft Story Ordinances By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The City Council will take up soft story buildings tonight (Tuesday), an amendment to the city’s condominium conversion ordinance and a host of other measures ranging from approving the budgets of local Business Improvement Districts to a renewal of the city’s needle exchange program. 

Soft story buildings are structures especially vulnerable to earthquakes because of large openings for storefronts or parking. Most are wooden buildings, but some are built on a large concrete slab supported by quake-vulnerable concrete or concrete blocks. 

A visual city survey identified nearly 400 larger apartment buildings with soft story vulnerabilities which could render 95 percent of the structures with nearly 5,000 rental units uninhabitable in the event of a major temblor. 

A great shake would inflict loss of housing, injuries and death on many tenants and leave owners facing loss of income and massive repair costs. 

Loss of tax revenues would hit city coffers hard at the very time major repairs were needed in the local infrastructure. 

One major question still to be addressed, according to the staff report by City Planner Dan Marks, is the question of how owners can recoup their losses. Since at least 70 percent of the units are renting at or above current market rates and earning more than a fair return on investment, current ordinances would prevent passing the costs of retrofit on to tenants. 

As a first step toward implementing the retrofit program, Marks has recommended that the city adopt Chapter A4 of the International Existing Building Code, which “offers the most current and highly developed version of nationally recommended standards” for analysis and retrofit problem apartments. 

The code wouldn’t lead to immediate reoccupancy, but would prevent catastrophic collapse, Marks said. 

The ordinance up for adoption tonight paves the way for the retrofit program by: 

• Placing identified buildings on an “Inventory of Potentially Hazardous Buildings.” 

• Requiring owners of the structures to notify tenants and the public about the condition of their structures. 

• Giving owners a two-year window to submit an engineering report analyzing the buildings’ seismic adequacy. 

• Requiring the city building official to prepare guidelines and amendments to deal with soft story buildings with non-wood-framed ground stories.  

• Adopting the new building code chapter. 

Later legislation will deal with such issues as deadlines for retrofits, implementing an appeal process for owners who feel their structures were improperly listed and development of a fair and effective mitigation program. 

“Our only commitment has been to evaluate existing conditions,” said Marks. The next steps could include a decision to enforce the retrofits, “but only if that’s what the council decides.” 

The proposed amendments to the condo conversion ordinance would: 

• Eliminate limitations on the number of vacant units before conversion is allowed. Under the current ordinance, conversions are allowed only with vacancy rates of 25 percent or less. The revision would eliminate this restriction, which city Housing Director Stephen Barton says would “greatly reduce the competitive advantages of condominium conversion over TIC (tenancy in common) conversion. 

• Bar conversion to condominiums for 20 years after an owner used the Ellis Act to go out of the rental business and evict all tenants, and for 10 years if the evictions were used to make the units available for the owner to occupy. 

• Revise the city’s conversion ordinance, which allows conversion of 100 units annually based on the number of tenants who sign notices of intent to purchase to give double weight to tenants who have occupied a property for five or more years. 

• Exempt inclusionary units, which must continue to be affordable to current lower-income tenants. 

• Exempt conversion to condos of tenant-in-common units established before August 1992, from the 100-unit limit and exempt them from payment of housing mitigation fees required of other conversions. 

Additional amendments to the condo ordinance will follow from a Jan. 17, 2006, workshop with the city council and will address fees and other issues that need to be addressed before the existing 12.5 percent conversion fee expires on Jan. 31. 

Two items listed on the consent calendar may spark some controversy. 

The first is a joint resolution by Councilmembers Gordon Wozniak, Darryl Moore and Linda Maio asking that the city reaffirm two earlier votes calling for the demolition and removal of the UC Berkeley Bevatron and the building that houses it. 

The second proposal, drafted by Councilmember Dona Spring, calls on the city manager to write Library Director Jackie Griffin and the library’s board of trustees to: 

• List the actual and estimated costs of implementing the controversial RFID program;  

• Ask why the existing bar code checkout system isn’t being used instead. 

• Ask the trustees to seriously evaluate whether it’s in the best public interest to continue with the RFID program. 

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the second floor chambers at the old City Hall building, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.C


Police Blotter

Tuesday October 18, 2005

There’s no police blotter today because Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies is on vacation through the end of October and his temporary replacement didn’t return calls by deadline Monday..


Fire Department Log By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday October 18, 2005

Summer dust, first rain trigger power outages 

Berkeley firefighters were kept jumping Saturday after the first rain of the season mixed with dusty power lines produced power outages in south Berkeley. 

Power to traffic lights and homes was disrupted by shorts and the occasional utility pole fire, said Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth. 

Traffic lights were knocked out along a stretch of Ashby Avenue, and an outage that darkened lights along the Martin Luther King Jr. Way extension through the Oakland border wasn’t resolved until Sunday. 

“It’s a common phenomenon with the first rain acting on the buildup of dust on lines over the summer,” said Orth, who added that Pacific Gas & Electric washes down high tension lines to prevent even broader outages.


Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS

Tuesday October 18, 2005

To view Justin DeFreitas’ latest editorial cartoon, please visit www.jfdefreitas.com To search for previous cartoons by date of publication, click on the Daily Planet Archive.

 


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday October 18, 2005

UC PARKING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On Tuesday Oct. 11, Becky O’Malley wrote about her frustration using the parking machine in the Recreational Sports Facility Garage prior to a performance at Zellerbach Hall. Certainly being in a line of 50 people approximately 30 minutes before an event is not optimal logistics. I was surprised by her comments about the parking technology located there. On a sign posted on the wall at the machine are the following instructions: 

 

General Public/Non-Permit Parking 

1) To pay with coins or bills, insert money. 

2) Press the green button to obtain ticket. 

3) Clearly display ticket on dashboard. 

 

There is only one green button on the parking machine. These machines have been in place since 1999, and have served the university well throughout that time notwithstanding the wear and tear they take. It is always an option for Cal Performances to hire an attendant to assist patrons with machines for their events, but that would be costly and they hope to save those costs if patrons arrive with enough time to deal with parking and other pre-event plans such as a meal. 

We truly regret Becky’s inconvenience, and want to make sure our visitors to the campus get the service they need. If she or anyone else needs any assistance or support with the use of campus parking facilities, they should feel free to contact UC Berkeley Parking & Transportation in advance of their visit at 643-7701. 

Nadesan Permaul 

Director of Transportation 

UC Berkeley 

 

• 

DEMEANING OURSELVES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Writing rubbish about Elvis Presley stealing black music demeans your publication. Tat sort of nonsense insults your readers’ intelligence. Bing Crosby and Sinatra etc. sang so-called black music without some fool accusing them of stealing or not giving credit! Beethoven used an Irish Air for his magnificent Symphony No. 7! 

Maurice Colgan 

Swords, Ireland 

 

• 

RFID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

During the public Forum on Aug. 1, sponsored by Berkeleyans Organized for Library Defense (BOLD) and the Library Trustees, Gordon Wozniak sat on the panel as the designated expert on radiation effects. 

Mr. Wozniak told us that certainly the ionizing radiation at the top of the wave-length spectrum is dangerous to human health. Cells are damaged by exposure to x-rays, for example. But he denied that human health could be affected by exposure to low-level radiation at the bottom of the spectrum, stating, as I remember, that no reputable studies have shown otherwise. 

During comments from the public, several speakers contradicted Mr. Wozniak’s opinion and referred to studies showing that long-term exposure to non-ionizing, low level radiation endangers human cell integrity. 

This is a disagreement that needs to be sorted out and clarified before library employees in particular are subjected to further exposure in their workplace. 

Corrine Goldstick 

 

• 

DERBY STREET FIELD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Creating a baseball field at the Derby site not only provides much needed field space for BHS students during the school year, but also frees up space for over 7200 kids to visit the fields at San Pablo Park—and these are the kids in our city who are the most underserved as far as parks and recreation space. As long as BHS uses the San Pablo field (which is also one of the only remaining parks to have a community center), no other teams or organizations in that neighborhood can use the San Pablo fields after school. A baseball field at Derby will work well with the one-afternoon-a-week farmer’s market while meeting the daytime field needs of multiple teams in a central and accessible location. As a city that cares about ALL of our kids, we should close the single block of Derby and create a field that can help fulfill many, many dreams.  

Iris Starr  

 

• 

SHORT-SIGHTED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

John Selawsky’s comments present a very short-sighted view of the proposed Derby Street field and the costs to build it the way it should be built. He is probably correct in assuming that the estimates are not exact, building anything these days generally costs more than expected. 

What he is not taking into account is the amount of support for the big new park that will come from the people of Berkeley. Without the School Board’s go-ahead, there has been no fundraising possible. Now that there is an initial stamp of approval, look for a majority of the community and businesses to show their support. 

I question why the Farmers’ Market is opposed to such an obvious improvement to their “storefront.” Is there a cost we are not aware of for them to drive up every week to a better facility that will increase their sales potential? Being moved to a different street a block or two away during construction could be problematic, but maybe development of their site could be done first and fenced off during construction. They are an important feature of our new park and should be well accounted for. 

BUSD will certainly have planners and designers on board who will address and solve the challenges of traffic, parking and emergency routes. This neighborhood is not only residential, it is mixed use with the UC Facilities Plant, Iceland, schools and business next to the park site. A large park will create a buffer and transition to the residential areas around the park. 

This project was designed and ready to be built over seven years ago. The “stalling” came from the other group. We are not looking for a “big league” field. We want the best park possible with a varsity field for our public high school student-athletes and the community to enjoy for generations to come.  

Bart Schultz 

 

• 

DRUG HOUSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In his article, “South Berkeley Drug House Case Lands in Small Claims Court,” J. Douglas Allen-Taylor ignores important testimony and draws his analysis from his own perspective. He suggests that both the plaintiffs and the defendant are relying heavily on outside counsel. While this is absolutely true of defendant Moore, that is not the case for the plaintiffs. 

Moore has given responsibility of her defense to attorney Osha Neumann and paralegal Leo Stegman, both employed by East Bay Community Law Center and organizers of CopWatch. 

We the plaintiffs have only received procedural support from Neighborhood Solutions. Neighborhood associations familiar with the assistance of Neufield’s non-profit understand the immense work required by residents in preparing a nuisance lawsuit. Allen-Taylor simply ignored the testimony of Neufield as to her limited role when a community unites in response to a public nuisance. 

On the other hand, Moore’s cause has now entered the realm of “Berkeley political theater” with all the nonsense of disingenuous supporters protesting in the courtroom and canvassing the neighborhood with “cease and desist” flyers. 

As Moore’s advocate, Stegman clearly doesn’t know the neighborhood; he couldn’t correctly describe the infamous intersection. In court he described Lenora Moore as a hard working, employed grandmother keeping the family together, is that not the definition of a “matriarch”? 

In previous court filings, Osha Neumann was listed as a witness who would testify that the police are used as a tool for gentrification by targeting poor black residents. Typical CopWatch dogma. Now desperate to place responsibility anywhere but where it belongs, Neumann suggests it is the fault of the district attorney for not prosecuting enough. Further he complains that the neighbors are negligent for not calling the police every time one of the supposedly restrained family members is in the area. Called as a witness, Neumann performs as a lawyer. He offered no witness’ testimony instead he devised a new defense, suggesting elder abuse, without giving any evidence. Why didn’t their two other witnesses testify to elder abuse? Why at the previous hearing did Lenora explain how proud she is of her family and how they all like to be together? Why is there no record of elder abuse? Allen-Taylor does not include the police testimony quoting Moore saying she does not want the restraining orders enforced, that she obtained them just to satisfy the neighbors. 

It was ironic to hear a CopWatch organizer argue that the police need to harass south Berkeley residents more. Will CopWatch start advocating for effective law enforcement of drug trafficking as opposed to wasting taxpayer money in trumped up complaints against the police? 

Laura Menard 

 

• 

CRYING RACISM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is abhorrent to me how frequently in Berkeley people call out racism to block the actions of other people who are working to make our community a safer, cleaner, more beautiful and hence, better place to live. To love and appreciate the diversity of our neighborhoods is not at all at odds with wanting to control drug dealing, with its toxic pollution and violence. I laud Paul Rauber and his neighbors for their attempt to clean up their street. 

Teddi Baggins 

 

• 

“GENTRIFICATION TOOL” 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am responding to your Oct. 11 article, “Residents Look to Neighborhood Solutions for Help.” 

As a nine-year resident of the Oregon Street neighborhood, I am very familiar with the goings on at 1610 Oregon St., home to Lenora Moore, the lead defendant in one of the cases referred to in this article (I live a block and a half away). Much evidence exists, both anecdotal and legal (documented police raids and subsequent court cases), that supports the idea that many of the goings on at the Moore place of residence are downright dangerous and constitute a threat to the safety of residents and a public nuisance to our neighborhood. 

I take issue with Mr. Stegman’s quote that implies that this lawsuit (referred to in the article), is being used as a gentrification tool. Residents of my neighborhood have been trying to end the dangerous and unlawful activities that occur in this neighborhood because we live here. Many of us are raising families here. Lots of children live here—lots of elderly folks, people of all colors, and ethnicities, and persuasions. In fact, this is one of the most racially and economically integrated neighborhoods in this city. And many of us who live here want to keep it that way. What we don’t want, is to feel blind and impotent in the face of threatening, violent actions by a couple of our neighbors. 

This is the second lawsuit being leveled against the residents of 1610 Oregon St. The first lawsuit was “won” by the neighbors, I believe, but the drug dealing and dangerous behaviors have continued. Many of us, here, are exhausted and disheartened by knowing that crack cocaine and heroin and guns are available on our street.  

Even though my family did not join this current lawsuit as a plaintiff, we support our other neighbors who did. We did not sign on for a variety of reasons, many of them practical in nature, but a notable reason that we did not agree to being a plaintiff in this lawsuit against the residents of 1610 Oregon St., was fear. For the lead plaintiffs in the first lawsuit, whom we knew, had their fence firebombed. They have since left Berkeley. 

I want to thank my neighbors who were not too afraid to speak up about the ugliness of this kind of activity. I want beauty for all of us here in Berkeley. None of us should have to live in fear. 

Diana Rossi 

 

• 

HOUSING ELEMENT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was glad to see that the “Housing Element,” written under the guidance of the Planning Commission, has reached the City Council’s agenda. 

I write in defense of the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance (NPO) because the current Housing Element document denigrates this citizens initiative, held dear by residents since 1973. 

First, the report implies that apartment construction dropped in Berkeley because of the NPO. Actually, during that period, cities in the entire bay area had a similar drop in multiunit developments, without an NPO of their own. 

There are two other unmentioned circumstances that caused the failure of housing units to increase. When the BART tunnel was dug, housing units were destroyed along its path. The city lost hundreds of low-income homes that were demolished in order to provide space for two enormous parking lots adjoining the North and South Berkeley BART stations. Modest, low-density homes were sacrificed, contradicting the design concept of connecting dense populations with mass transit. Why did BART planners miss the opportunity to place a station at the university campus where it could have had heavy usage? 

Additionally, by not acting at that time, the City Council allowed conversion of residential units to commercial use, such as lawyers offices, therapy clinics, etc. 

The Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance has not been given credit for initiating the inclusionary, low-income housing unit plan for new apartments. If one reads page 7l of the Housing Element about how developers have to stiff wealthy tenants in order to make up the income lost from low-income rents, you would never know that the federal government is in fact helping pay “market rate rents” to the landlords in the Section 8 program.  

Developers are regularly given money saving concessions besides market-rate rents for their low-income units, such as reductions in parking spaces, useable open space, set backs, and increases in height. Then there is the incentive of a density bonus of 25 percent for more upscale units than are allowed in the city’s land use laws. Thanks to Sacramento, politicians just last week Increased that bonus to 35 percent. 

Martha Nicoloff 

 

• 

LEARN FROM MISTAKES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Making mistakes is not the only avenue to learning but it is very common. In fact, knowing what not to do often precedes knowing what to do. Ask any plumber, electrician or Major League Baseball pitcher. This does not mean that the more mistakes we make the more we learn but rather that if we try we can benefit from our mistakes.  

It is easy to accept this bit of common sense applied to individuals both in their personal and professional actions.  

For five years our nation has had a CEO who admits to no mistakes. If, in fact, President George W. Bush has made no mistakes then we may conclude that he therefore has learned little. If he has made mistakes but he is not aware of doing so then his executive ability is severely crippled. Finally, if he is aware of mistakes “preemptive war, exploding deficits, unqualified and incompetent appointments,” etc. but refuses to admit them, then more the fools are we to trust him.  

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo 

 

• 

HARRIET MIERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Harriet Miers is clearly not qualified. She lacks the credentials and intellectual strength to serve on the Supreme Court. She will have to sit in the Not Qualified Section with Breyer, Souter and Ginsberg. 

W. O. Locke  

Emeryville 

 

• 

MAYORAL RACE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Chris Thompson in his East Bay Express Oct. 13 commentary had this to say about Ignacio De La Fuente’s candidacy for mayor: “Oakland has another man who wants to be mayor, a nasty little power broker tainted by his role as an arm-twister in state Senator Don Perata’s political machine. He’s mean, foul-mouthed, and ruthless, and he’d do more for Oakland in a week than Ron Dellums would in four years.” 

It’s too bad that Mr. Thompson doesn’t understand that what he describes as Ignacio’s assets are the very attributes that most in Oakland find offensive if not embarrassing. Given the results of an early poll in which Ignacio’s negatives were determined to be extremely high, I remain convinced that Oaklanders are not clamoring to elect a” foul-mouthed arm-twister, and ruthless” candidate to serve as mayor.  

Ignacio not only twists arms, he twists facts. According to Ignacio’s biographical statement on his official city web site, he claims to be the one who is credited with the revitalization of Fruitvale’s International Boulevard shopping area, including major developments of the Fruitvale Transit Village. If this is in fact the truth, why did the San Francisco Foundation, the East Bay Business Times, and the 2004 Ford Foundation Report credit Arabella Martinez, the former chief operating officer of the Spanish Speaking Unity Council, for having been the driving force behind the development of the Fruitvale Transit Village?  

Ignacio’s meanness and ruthless behavior is most evident on Tuesday night. One only has to watch the council meetings to get a clear view of his bully tactics to silence the public, as well as his colleague, Councilmember Desley Brooks.  

Given the way things are now, Oaklanders have little or no say in the running of their government, and/or policy matters that affect the quality of our lives. In fact, President Bush would be proud of Ignacio as only his cronies, supporters and contributors are allowed to have a say and/or a seat at the decision making table. All of the others are ignored, and worst still, silenced and/or discredited.  

Thank God for Ron Dellums’ entry into the mayor’s race. His continued capacity to organically and passionately connect with “we the people” inspired more in 40 minutes, than Ignacio’s “foul-mouthed arm-twister, and ruthless” manner has in the 10-plus years he has been in office. 

Toni Cook 

Oakland 

 

• 

MEDIA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Long after WMD, the U.S. major media continues the Iraq charade. I am not the first commentator to note that the current election is not designed to promote democracy in Iraq. The U.S. promoted “constitution” foments continuing civil strife and civil war so that the U.S. government’s permanent military bases in and U.S. political dominance of Iraq will be justified. It is “our” government which has ensured the removal and replacement of the old reasonably democratic Iraqi constitution with one that guarantees a religion based government and the resulting sectarian strife, the disempowerment of women who had a strong role under Saddam’s dictatorship, and ultimately the collapse of Iraq as a nation state. The media allows the government to treat a vote for this “constitution” as a harbinger of democratic reform when these U.S. imposed “reforms” are the guarantor of disaster for Iraq. 

Marc Sapir 

 

• 

BERKELEY HONDA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Oct. 14 letter from Edith Hallberg typifies the knee-jerk reactions shown by the protesters in this situation. While her letter is filled with accusations and suppositions, none are supported by facts. How does she know what the Berkeley Honda owners’ intentions are? Never mind what they say their intentions are or what they have done in the past, it only matters to Edith what she wants their intentions to be in order to justify her position. While she is certainly entitled to her opinion, the lack of logic shown in her letter should lead anyone to question her motives and those of the protesters. 

She cites the change of ownership at Spenger’s Fish Grotto and the subsequent replacement of it’s “loyal workers.” She then chastises Berkeley Honda as much worse because they have “insulted the community by trying to capitalize on the good name of Jim Doten.” Excuse me for pointing out the obvious, but if the new owners were so interested in capitalizing on Jim Doten’s name, why did they change it? Spenger’s on the other hand, using the former company name and retaining its atmosphere gets a free pass from her?  

Edith cannot drive and will never own a Honda, yet she and the others want to shut down Berkeley Honda. She supports the continued harassment of customers and workers until she can decide who should work there. Presumably she does eat every day, but simply no longer eating at Spenger’s satisfies her outrage at them. Until she, or any of the protesters show any kind of balance, fairness or logic in their arguments, they will continue to strain credibility. 

Chris Regalia 

 

• 

BUSH BY THE BAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bush by the Bay  

Los Angeles-based developer Rick Caruso is a Bush Ranger—someone who helped raise more than $1 million for Bush’s reelection campaign (Daily Planet, Oct. 14). Caruso is currently proposing a mall development for the Albany waterfront. Presumably, some of the profit from this endeavor would go to other politicians of the Bush ilk. Without even examining the details of Caruso’s proposal, I would urge all Albany residents to join with the Sierra Club and say no to what henceforth should be known as Bush by the Bay.  

As I prepared to send this letter, a friend told me of another slogan that has a nice ring to it: No L.A. by the Bay.  

Michael Fullerton  

 

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AVIAN FLU 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Whatever one’s point of view on the efficacy of the avian flu scare, let’s err on the side of caution, insist on shots, and hope that the chickens don’t come home to roost. 

Robert Blau  

 

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ALBANY BULB 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I live near the Albany Bulb and the racetrack. I have followed and photographed the work of the artists at the Bulb and hang out at the Albany Bulb beach. The other day I was there around sunset and took the road through the parking lot at the back of the racetrack. On the edge of the 80-foot cliff going down to the bay are some old gnarled trees. From behind the trees you get a spectacularly wonderful view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. This view was lit up by a fantastic red sunset. It was stupendous and I went back several times to try to photograph the scene. It is difficult to photograph and I am still working on it.  

Then reading the last issue of the Daily Planet, I see that there is a proposed plan to build a big shopping mall right in this area. I was astonished that this was even being considered. Why would a shopping mall be placed on the one of the most beautiful locations along the shore of the East Bay? Do we need more shopping? Is there not enough shopping along San Pablo and the towns both North and South. Costco is a few blocks away. There are two Targets within two mile of the track There is a big shopping mall in El Cerrito. I understand that Albany will be hurting for tax income if the track closes. If the race tracks quits taking gamblers money and Albany has less revenue it will be a big temptation to move in on those open bits of ground—the race track, and the race track parking lots—to create places to buy more stuff.  

We don’t need more stuff. We do need a shoreline developed for use of local people for recreation, boating, sports, birds and for art creation as at the Bulb. This shore presents a unique opportunity to make the coastline usable by the people. We already have a huge freeway separating the city and the people from the shore, and a noisy railway system cutting through the city. These were mistakes of the past. 

Planning the proper use of what remains of the shoreline and increasing access to this shore is an essential task for the growth of the East Bay. Development of the race track and Bulb area for shopping malls and hotels would be a huge step backward, a return to the times of the Berkeley dump and the Albany Landfill. Garbage would be replaced by more “garbage shopping.” Should we give up our shoreline to support more consumerism??? 

Dan Robbin 

 

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OUTLAW PLACES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

We need outlaw places. Places where dogs run free and surprises happen. Unexpected lizards scurry from sun-warmed rocks, rebar juts, unreinforced climbs home our reflexes, hummingbirds flash and loop, goldfinches and house finches (”California redheads”) summer, sweet alyssums startle our noses, and art happens, like it or not. 

I am afraid that the state would herd the lizards into an enclosure and the people into an official LIZARD VIEWING AREA, establish lanes for migrating birds, control all dogs, and shrink-wrap our souls. 

We need outlaw women who speak the truth and change the world: Cindy Sheehan, Rosa Parks, Margaret Sanger, Amy Goodman ... Some of us don’t need to take back the night because we never lost it. 

We need outlaw men unafraid to be outed as nice guys. They get to love plants and animals and women and other guys just as they are and would never join an army to kill them. 

Ruth Bird 


Let There Be Music (And Art, Too) By Phila Rogers Special to the Planet

Tuesday October 18, 2005

A Lively Collection Awaits at the Berkeley Public Library 

 

Step off the elevator at the fifth floor, and you enter the main library’s world of art and music. Light flows down from the big skylight and in the background some fine Miles Davis is playing. At another time, it might be Hawaiian music or perhaps a Baroque quartet. 

In front of you are the long shelves with books on such subjects as fine art, architecture, design, crafts, landscape design, theater, film, entertainment and even sports—and, of course, music. Ahead are other shelves holding thousands of CDs and cassettes representing a music collection impressive breadth. 

On a recent day Andrea Segall, who is responsible for the books, was at the reference desk. Andrea is one of the two full-time art and music librarians. Coming from eight years at the downtown San Francisco library, she has been at Berkeley’s Art and Music Department for 15 years. 

Pointing out a new light table backed by a bank of small drawers, she said with obvious pride: “This is our art slide collection, the only one accessible to the public in Northern California. It’s an invaluable resource for both students and teachers who often are teaching where there are no collections available. Here they can check out 60 slides at a time to illustrate their lectures.” 

She led the way back to the corner cubby where head librarian, Pat Mullan, a 20-year Berkeley library veteran, has her office. 

“We think this is a wonderful place to work,” Pat said. 

Andrea nodded in agreement. 

“Because we are a small group which includes four part-time librarians we can make our decisions by consensus,” Pat continued. “Where else can you spend part of your time listening to music, reading reviews, and then have the budget to buy those things that we know will enrich people’s lives?” 

Pat said she was committed to the idea that art and music are an essential part of the human experience. 

Pat seemed to move almost seamlessly in conversation from her work at the library to her own personal musical interests. She is a big band jazz trombonist. 

“I play with one group which has been getting together every week since 1966,” she said. She’s also a member of the Montclair Women’s Big Band. They will be performing soon at the Oakland Museum as part of a benefit for Girl Inc. 

Helping patrons with research is also part of being a librarian, she said. 

“Sometimes someone finds an old painting in their attic and want to know something about it,” Andrea said. (So far nobody’s unearthed an original Van Gogh). “Or maybe a performer is looking for a particular piece of sheet music, and we’ll try to find it in our sheet-music collection.” 

Leaving the office area, we went back through a room that houses a collection of 7000 vinyl LPs and a shelf of folio art books, some of which look like they would require a handcart to move. 

And just who uses the library? These days it looks like a lot of people. Some are sitting at one of the tables with books spread out around them. Someone else appears to be listening to a CD on a tape player. You might recognize a musician like John Schott looking for a particular recording.  

John will be at the library Dec. 9 with “John Schott’s Dream Kitchen” to perform old time jazz with John on the guitar doing the vocals, along with a tuba player and a percussionist. They will perform at 8 p.m. in the main reading room—the venue of the recent jazz series. 

The Art and Music Department sponsors a variety of programs including shows like photographer Katharine Bettis current exhibit, “Single Moms: Invisible Lives” on display downstairs in the central catalog lobby. 

And then there are the noon concerts held upstairs where you’re invited to come and bring your lunch. You can call the library, check out the Daily Planet’s Arts Calendar, or go on the library’s website for the coming events. The honoraria for all the performers are paid by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library. 

The Art and Music Room hasn’t always been in such elegant digs. When Bruce Munly started the collection in 1960, it occupied a space in the main reading room. As the collection grew, it moved into the downstairs west corner once occupied by the library catalogers.  

But when the main library was refurbished and a new wing was built, the Art and Music Department moved to the top floor under its lovely skylight with north-facing windows overlooking downtown Berkeley and the hills beyond, where good music and beautiful books await. 

 

Phila Rogers is a member of Friends of the Berkeley Library.i


Column: The View From Here: Meleia Willis-Starbuck and the Sociology of Sports By P.M. Price

Tuesday October 18, 2005

I hadn’t planned to write another column about Meleia Willis-Starbuck so soon but things change and this is about more than Meleia. No sooner did I write my last column saying I hoped that John Burris, her accused murderer’s attorney, wasn’t attempting to lay the foundation for blaming Meleia for her own death with his statement that Christopher Hollis’ bringing of the gun to the scene of the crime was an example of his being “too dependable,” than Burris was quoted that same week stating that he knew that Meleia asked Hollis to “bring the heat.”  

Those closest to Meleia insist that she would never make such a request nor would she use that phrase. So, who says she did? Her accused murderer? Some unnamed Cal football player? Who? It is so easy for the public to take rumor and innuendo and make it fact, as evidenced by a letter to the editor printed in the Oct. 11 edition of this newspaper which does exactly that, taking it as fact that Meleia requested the gun and unjustly blaming her for her own demise. 

And so it goes.  

Having spent many years working in television and advertising, I know something about using words and images in order to sway a society full of non-readers to specific opinions, whether those have to do with which detergent to buy, car to drive or politician to vote for. As a law school grad, I know a bit about legal maneuvering as well. 

Only those who were at the scene of the crime know what was said and done, and even then, opinions and perspectives will vary. We bring our life experiences and biases to every situation. Objectivity is more of a goal than a reality. My own opinions concerning the sensitivities of the sports world are based in growing up in a household of men—three brothers and a father, sports fans all—and having worked in television news and observed first-hand the predominance sports coverage has always been granted over other issues much more important to society as a whole.  

My objections to the deification of sports and to the plantation-like treatment of athletes was heightened after taking an undergraduate course at UC Berkeley taught by Dr. Harry Edwards, “The Sociology of Sports.” Through Dr. Edwards’ lectures and related readings, I came to understand sports as industry and athletes as commodities. 

Dr. Edwards likened the sports industry to slavery, drawing stark parallels between the buying and selling of young men who are then beaten up and battered on the playing field before they are discarded or traded in for newer, younger models. 

Of course, the athletes’ participation is voluntary, unlike slaves who had no choice. But the similarities remain. Most of these recruits are from working class backgrounds; undereducated and poorly skilled. Growing up in a society which measures one’s worth by the quantity and quality of one’s material possessions, these young men see few options that will bring them the money, women and other toys they’ve been taught to crave. It’s no secret that many of these athletes are coddled through college, placed in less challenging courses and provided with tutors to help maintain their eligibility and strict schedules to keep them out of trouble until their contracts are signed and their able bodies delivered.  

Does this picture describe the Cal football players who disrespected Meleia and her friends? Perhaps. We cannot know for sure because not a single one of them has had the courage to speak up and hold himself accountable, no matter how small his role.  

Predictably, their handlers will say that; 1) they are cooperating with the police and; 2) they have been instructed not to say anything until the investigation has been completed. Of course. But, nothing is keeping them, as individuals, from stepping up and expressing their sorrow for what happened to a woman whose company they desired, then argued about, then disrespected until she lay there dead on the streets of Berkeley. Self-respect, morals, values and courage turn to cowardly mush when money is concerned. That’s the way the game is played.  

I attended Meleia Willis-Starbuck’s birthday memorial Oct. 10, the day she would have turned 20 years old. I looked over the crowd of about 150 or so people to see if any one of them could have been a beefy Cal football player, come to pay his respect.  

Hard to tell. There were a couple of big guys there but who knows? Most likely, none of them showed up, content to keep their mouths shut in hopes that it will all soon go away; that no one will ever know which of them called Meleia a bitch, which of them listened while she tried to explain why that term was so offensive, which of them felt any remorse as she lay bleeding to death at their feet. Instead, they keep their eyes on the real prize; the contract, the check, the bling, the temporary glory. That’s what a winning team does. Nothing else matters.n


Column: The Things They Carry By SUSAN PARKER

Tuesday October 18, 2005

My dad has been asked by the widow of his best friend in the Army to contribute to a memory book about her deceased husband. Specifically, the widow has requested tales of heroism and valor during my father and her husband’s stint in the Army Air Corps, 1944 to 1945. 

This has been a difficult assignment for my 80-year-old dad. He’s not much of a writer or reader, but more important, he’s fairly certain his old buddy, Ted, told his wife and children some lies about the Army and his individual contributions to World War II. My father knew he was in trouble when the widow said to be sure to include stories of flying B-52 bombers. The war ended before Ted and my dad got a chance to climb inside an airplane, let alone fly one. My father wants to cover his buddy’s ass, but he doesn’t know exactly what he’s covering for. 

My mother and I have suggested that he simply tell the truth, but that’s not an easy thing to do when the truth is 62 years old, and buried under a lifetime of experiences, emotions, and sentiment. My dad began the first chapter by waxing poetic about his personal departure from his small town in southern New Jersey. He kissed his parents goodbye, hopped a train to Philadelphia, and enlisted for military duty. We advised him to get to his initial meeting with Ted as quickly as possible. He didn’t need to tell us how sad and excited he was about leaving home. This was Ted’s story, not his. 

My dad asked me to edit his writings. At first I was hesitant. Did I really want to read the chronicles of two naïve 18-year-olds who never got further than Texas during World War II? But after several requests, and desperate e-mails, I acquiesced. 

The initial submission was hard to get through, but before long I found a natural rhythm to my dad’s words. I sent him an edited version of the first installment with questions. What did he talk about with Ted on that long, hot, three-day troop train ride to Keesler Field, Biloxi, Miss.? How did he pass the time? Was he bored, scared, anxious? My father responded with additional details, and as his memories multiplied and expanded, his language became more vivid, his sentences straightforward and eloquent. 

Between the lines I can catch his innocence, bewilderment, fears, and patriotism. There are passages that are sad, funny, and poignant. My father spends a great deal of time skirting around the details of “short arm inspections,” an apparently life changing experience I must decode, but that I eventually comprehend. 

There is a lot of marching and drilling, drilling and marching, saluting and additional saluting, bad food and more bad food. I can overhear pieces of conversations between his comrades, imagine the sorrow of young men reduced to tears over letters (or no letters) from home, glimpse the humiliation and panic of guys “washed-out” and sent to units heading for the front. There is even a boxing match with a bear, and, when my father and Ted finally get to Eagle Pass, Texas, there are several revealing, drunken forays across the Mexican-U.S. border. 

It’s the little details that catch my attention, that take my breath away and let me know what my dad was really like when he was an inexperienced, innocent young kid. A passage that lists the contents of his Army-issued duffel bag is particularly telling: socks and underwear, shorts and T-shirts, a Bible from my grandmother, a photograph of my 17-year-old mother in her bathing suit, an in-depth cataloging of his shaving and sewing kits. 

I take a break from editing my dad’s stories. I read the headlines coming out of Iraq. I see the film clips on the evening news of young men in Army-issued clothes eating really bad food, carrying rifles, marching back and forth, not necessarily knowing what they are doing, or why they are there. 

I hope they come home alive and undamaged, able to partake fully in life, able to one day write down their own truths, their own stories and memories to share with children, grandchildren, and friends. 

 


Commentary: Mayor Dellums Won’t Reverse Free-Fall of Black Politicians By Earl Ofari Hutchinson Pacific News Service

Tuesday October 18, 2005

First there was Green Party candidate, Audie Bock. In 1999 she stunned political experts and beat long-term black Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris for an assembly seat in a special election in Oakland. 

Next, there was Jerry Brown. The controversial and iconoclastic former California governor had been out of politics for seemingly eons, yet still trounced a field of black candidates to win the Oakland mayor’s spot. 

Bock and Brown are white and they still beat black candidates and a seasoned black incumbent in a city where blacks still made up the majority of voters. Their victories spelled trouble, big trouble, for black politicians not only in Oakland and the Bay Area, but statewide, and maybe even nationally.  

Now there’s former Congressman Ron Dellums. The near septuagenarian almost certainly recognizes the danger signs. His bid for Oakland mayor is as much about reversing the free-fall of black politicians as winning a mayor’s seat. Though Dellums represents the old guard, it’s the old guard that still has the political savvy, name recognition and charisma to win a major office. And that also tells much about the failure of black politicians to mentor a new breed of younger blacks for political office.  

A likely Dellums victory will be more about one man’s personal triumph than a reversal of that disturbing pattern. But it should be, because things are that bad.  

When the state Legislature met in the early 1990s, there were nearly a dozen blacks in the state Legislature, and blacks held the mayorships in three of the state’s four biggest cities: Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco. Since then, the number of legislators has dwindled to half that total, and blacks hold no mayorships in any of California’s major cities. There are no black state representatives north of L.A. County.  

While blacks have sped backwards politically in state politics, Latinos and Asians have rocketed forward. Latinos hold about one-third of the seats in the legislature, the lieutenant governor post and some of the most visible positions in state government. The number of Asian elected officials is more than double that of blacks statewide.  

Nationally, the growth in the number of black elected officials has stagnated. Black politicians blame their political slide on voter apathy, alienation, inner city population drops, suburban integration and displacement by Latinos and increasingly Asians. These factors have contributed to the fall-off. But black politicians must also share much of the blame. 

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington, D.C., public policy think tank, found that the frustration of many black voters with black politicians has soared so high that less than one out of four eligible black voters bothered to cast a ballot in many recent municipal and statewide elections. 

Many black politicians make little effort to inform the black public of vital legislation and political actions that directly impact black communities. Their all-consuming obsession is to elect more black Democrats to office and to retain those already there.  

Black politicians are also crippled by their near total dependence on the Democratic Party for patronage, support, and assorted party favors. Few would dare break ranks with the party and attempt to pressure the Republican Party to take black issues seriously. 

Many Latino and Asian leaders and elected officials, on the other hand, are not straight-jacketed by mind-numbing obedience to the Democratic Party. They have pushed the Democrats and Republicans to knock off the immigrant bashing, increase funding for bilingual education programs, champion Latino political representation and spend millions on outreach programs to Latino voters. They are leaving blacks in the political dust.  

The plunging number of black elected officials should be a wake-up call for black leaders. Guilt-laced appeals for “black solidarity” and voter registration caravans and buses are not going to make blacks dash to the polls to vote for politicians they feel have failed them. They will, however, jam the polls to vote for politicians they feel are genuinely concerned about their plight, no matter what their color. The Brown and Bock victories, and the victories of whites to mayorships in big cities across the country proved that.  

Black politicians must find a way to reconnect with the black poor and craft an agenda that can motivate, inspire and renew the belief that black politicians can deliver the goods. That agenda must emphasize jobs, quality schools, health care and police accountability. Black elected officials must also broaden their agendas to build coalitions and alliances with Latinos and Asians.  

Those black politicians who can adapt to the rapidly changing class and ethnic realities in California and nationally will survive and be effective players in state and national politics. Those who can’t will vanish from the political radarscope. A Dellums win in Oakland won’t change that political truth.  

 

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally syndicated columnist and political analyst.  

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Commentary: Preserving the Bevatron Makes Environmental And Historic Sense By Mark McDonald

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The Berkeley City Council is scheduled to discuss the potential benefits to several communities of not demolishing the Bevatron, a retired nuclear accelerator, and recommend instead that it be preserved as a historical landmark and education facility. As the council has no actual authority in this matter, this would be a recommendation only and most likely would be ignored by the Department of Energy, which runs Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL).  

The City of Berkeley has always had the courage to speak truth to power, especially at times like this, when the interests of the Berkeley community coincide with other communities against the Lab’s plans. 

Those communities that would benefit from preserving the Bevatron would be:  

1) Berkeley citizens, who would not have to endure the seven-year demolition process involving radioactive and hazardous substances hauled on thousands of truck trips and a dusty toxic mess in densely populated neighborhoods across Berkeley, 

2) Students of science and history who could enjoy this unique circular building where four Nobel prizes were achieved and observe directly the machinery that provided our knowledge of new elements and nuclear processes,  

3) The communities who have the waste dumps slated to receive the Bevatron’s toxic and radioactive debris which otherwise could remain harmlessly sealed within the walls and structure of the facility,  

4) The taxpayers who could save the $84 million budgeted for the unnecessary demolition. LBNL admits they have no plans for the site. The savings could instead be used for cleaning up toxic areas at LBNL still waiting for funding.  

Unfortunately, Councilmembers Wozniak, Moore and Maio have placed an item on the agenda for tonight (Tuesday) wholeheartedly endorsing the destruction of the Bevatron and referring the following week’s agenda item to the city manager, political language for dumping it.  

This is a disappointing attempt to fast-track the development whims of the university-LBNL complex.  

One has to wonder why such action is necessary to head off a discussion that at best or worst could only end in a non-binding recommendation.  

 

Mark McDonald is a Berkeley resident. 

 

 


Commentary: It’s Not Too Late to Pull the Plug On the Library’s RFID Boondoggle By GENE BERNARDI

Tuesday October 18, 2005

On June 24, 2004 the City of Berkeley, a Charter City, entered into a contract with Checkpoint Systems Inc., New Jersey, to “deliver, install and make operational the Intelligent Library System (radio frequency identification technology) at the Berkeley Public Library...” for $643,000.  

This City of Berkeley contract for RFID, allowing the expenditure of $643,000 (plus interest on the $500,000 borrowed for the purchase) of Berkeley taxpayers’ money (about 95 percent of library money comes from property taxes) was signed by only Jackie Griffin, director of library services, a deputy city auditor and the city clerk. The space provided for the city attorney’s signature, titled “Approved as to Form,” is blank, i.e. unsigned. This is a violation of article XI, sec. 65 of the charter of the City of Berkeley which states that all contracts shall be drawn under the supervision of the city attorney. 

Furthermore, the $643,000 expenditure for the RFID system violates the Berkeley Municipal Code, in that it exceeds the amount set by ordinance of $50,000 for the purchase of supplies, equipment and materials [BMC. sec.7.18.010C] [Ord. 6786-NS#1(part), 2003]. Each purchase of supplies, equipment and materials “which exceeds the amount set by ordinance...shall be done by contract authorized by resolution of the City Council” [Charter Article XI sec. 67(a), p.37]. This $643,000 contract never came before the City Council and therefore it violates the City Charter by not having been authorized by a City Council resolution. Of course, this gross violation precludes any public knowledge of, and therefore public input regarding, a huge expenditure of taxpayers money for an “Intelligent Library System” (RFID) with the potential to snoop into Berkeley library users’ reading habits, an insult to the world renowned city of the Free Speech Movement, and a bonanza to Patriot Act enforcers. 

To those who say “But the library trustees held public meetings,” please note that the one and only notice of a Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) meeting is posted on the bulletin boards outside of Old City Hall. (But we don’t know if that was so in 2003-2004.) Do you know when the BOLT meets, and therefore when to make a special trip to Old City Hall to check the agenda? And what about special meetings? Check the website daily, if you have a computer. The trustees have thus far failed to insist that the library director place a stack of trustees’ meeting agendas on information and reference desks in the Berkeley Public Libraries so that patrons will know when the board is meeting and what is on the agenda.  

SEIU 535’s Sept. 21, 2005 memo to Berkeley City Council members and the Board of Library Trustees reveals that the cost of RFID to Berkeley citizens is not just the initial “$650,000” but is estimated to be as high as $2.5 million dollars! Their estimate doesn’t include the cost of the Aug. 1, 2005 Community Forum on RFID for which they hired a KQED producer for M.C. and had other scientists and experts present, apparently solely a PR attempt to convince the public that RFID is beneficial, rather than to give some open-minded reconsideration to the RFID system, which all 25 community speakers fervently condemned. 

Why is it that the library director has spent at least $1.7 million on library staff and temporaries’ wages for the installation and operation of RFID tags in library materials when the contract with Checkpoint Systems states that Checkpoint “will deliver install and make operational the Intelligent Library System”? At the Oct. 12, 2005 BOLT meeting, we learned that the RFID tags for DVDs and CDs are still not operational, coming loose and in some cases damaging patrons’ players. 

All contractors with the City of Berkeley must comply with the city’s Living Wage Ordinance and its’ Equal Benefits Ordinance for domestic partners. How do we know whether Checkpoint System is paying its New Jersey workers a living wage? We do know that they were not in compliance with the Equal Benefits Ordinance when they signed the contract. Who is monitoring the contract to see whether or not they are now in compliance? 

Could there be a connection between the huge expenditures on the RFID system and the move toward hiring intermittent library assistants (20), part-time employees (15 hours/week) and contracting with a non-union janitorial service? Who is checking that all these employees are getting a living wage ($12.87/hour without medical benefits)?  

Come to the City Council Meeting at Old City Hall Tuesday tonight (Tuesday, Oct. 18) before 7 p.m. Sign up to speak and raise these questions. Please ask the councilmembers to support agenda item 23 on the consent calendar titled: Questions Regarding RFID. 

Protest the $2.5 million and ballooning boondoggle, a privacy invading RFID system with potential long-term health effects from chronic low level radio frequency radiation.  

 

P.S. The RFID contract is cancellable! 

 

Gene Bernardi is a member of Berkeleyans Organizing for Library Defense (SuperBOLD). 


Commentary: Avian Flu, Katrina and 9/11: Planning for Disaster Response By KEN STANTON

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The recent discussions on planning for an avian flu pandemic highlight a critical problem in disaster planning—our inability to predict the future. Even if, as with Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terrorist attack, a few people may have anticipated and forewarned of potential disaster, these events appeared to have a low probability of occurring in the near future. As a result, few people in public policy-making positions were prepared to spend the time, money and political capital necessary to prepare for them. So how do we plan for an appropriate disaster response without wasting limited resources chasing after every potential disaster? 

The next big epidemic may not be avian flu, but rather some other disease. It may be a disease with which we are familiar, such as anthrax or smallpox, spread by terrorists; or a disease we have never heard of that suddenly mutates and jumps from another species to our own, such as HIV or SARS. The next big natural disaster may well be one that we anticipate in theory; fires, floods and earthquakes have been with us since the beginning of human history. However, the timing, location and impact of these events are equally unpredictable. 

The most efficient and effective approach to disaster planning would be to focus our efforts on planning for the predictable human needs resulting from potential disasters. Disasters have been thoroughly studied and well described. We can be prepared to respond to their logistical demands, such as evacuating large communities immediately prior to an impending disaster, or sheltering and resettling displaced populations immediately afterwards. We can plan for a rapid epidemiological investigation, as well as for systematic treatment, immunization and quarantine at the first appearance of an epidemic. We can plan for rapid deployment of first responder teams from outside a disaster zone in the event that local first responders are overwhelmed by a disaster, or are too preoccupied with their own families‚ needs to report for duty. 

The essence of this approach to disaster planning would be to prepare the logistical infrastructure that would be needed for a wide variety of circumstances. If there is an appropriate role for the new Department of Homeland Security, it surely includes identifying the logistical problems common to many types of disasters, and development of the infrastructure necessary to address these problems. Our country is spread over a large geographic area, and relies on many layers of government, a wide variety of private sector businesses, and multiple nonprofit organizations for all aspects of disaster response. Therefore, planning for interagency coordination and communication should be a major component of building a logistical infrastructure for disaster response. 

When we criticize our political leaders and government administrators for failing to anticipate disasters, we encourage them to demonstrate that they are “doing something.” This results in wasted effort, such as initiating color-coded terror alerts after a major terrorist attack, and a national program to provide smallpox vaccinations for healthcare providers that was never fully implemented. Instead, we should hold our governmental leaders accountable for preparing the logistical infrastructure necessary to respond to disasters effectively and efficiently. 

This approach does not preclude planning for the prevention of specific events, such as an avian flu epidemic or particular types of terrorist threats; or for mitigation of known impacts, such as strengthening levees and building earthquake resistant structures. However, if we do a good job of preparing the disaster response infrastructure, we will be less likely to waste time and money trying to prepare for unpredictable potential disasters or, worse, trying to prepare for the next disaster by planning for the last one. 

 

El Cerrito resident Ken Stanton works in Berkeley as a registered nurse.  

 

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Arts: SF Jazz Festival Offers Star Performers in Elegant Venues By IRA STEINGROOT Special to the Planet

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The 23rd annual San Francisco Jazz Festival begins this Thursday and continues for another 42 events through Dec. 10. This is the most concentrated amount of great jazz available in the Bay Area all year. 

The performances are matched to beautiful locations like the Palace of the Legion of Honor’s Florence Gould Theatre where admission to the museum is included in the ticket price, Davies Hall, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Herbst Theatre with its magnificent autumnal murals by Sir Frank Brangwyn. 

Besides straight-ahead musical performances that range through mainstream, avant-garde, Latin, African, French, klezmer, Broadway and gospel, there are also classes, interviews and films that can broaden and enhance the experience of the music. The following programs are just the top picks from a consistently great lineup: 

Abbey Lincoln has moved from one among many jazz song stylists to take her place in the tiny pantheon of all-time great jazz singers. Over the years she has been a big band singer, a competent supper club chanteuse, a cutting-edge jazz vocalist with groups led by her then husband percussionist Max Roach, and a film starlet. 

At some point she pulled all of these disparate parts of herself together and became one of the most individual and fully-realized vocalists in jazz. She did this by learning to express herself through her original songs, poems set to lovely tunes that are the perfect vehicles for her emotion-drenched voice. She also knows which standards work best for her, from Yip Harburg’s Depression-era “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” to Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and can turn a group of talented young accompanists into top flight jazz performers. This event, at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Herbst Theatre, kicks off the festival and was originally an members-only event. Now some tickets are being made available to the general public. 

The World Saxophone Quartet—David Murray, Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett and Bruce Williams plus guests Gene Lake, Matthew Garrison and Lee Pearson—will present the music of Jimi Hendrix at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Great American Music Hall. 

Hendrix is usually considered a ‘60s psychedelic rock musician, but in fact his music is closer to a cross between B.B. King’s blues and John Coltrane’s free jazz saxophone. The Quartet is one of the all-time great jazz combos, combining wide-ranging interests with stellar performers Murray, Bluiett and Lake. Their recordings are studded with performances of various tunes retrieved from the world of rock, pop, blues and soul. Far from being daunted by Hendrix, they are probably closer to where he would have been now, had he lived long enough to figure out who he was then. 

Etta James, the queen of Rhythm and Blues, brings her Roots Band to Nob Hill Masonic Center at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22. She has been a giant since she pleaded “Dance with Me Henry” back in the ‘50s. Although known as a blues singer, like Dinah Washington or Big Maybelle, she is just as great doing jazz interpretations of standards, as witness her album of songs dedicated to Billie Holiday. As with Abbey Lincoln, she approached her place at the table of great jazz vocalists from her own oblique direction.  

Clarinet virtuoso Don Byron was at the festival last year with drummer Jack DeJohnette in a tribute to tenor sax legend Lester “Prez” Young. He performed at the festival a few years before that playing the klezmer compositions of Mickey Katz. He returns this year, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, doffing his pork pie hat in favor of a shtreimel, to present the music of Sam Musiker, a great swing and klezmer player, and his father-in-law Dave Tarras, arguably the greatest klezmer clarinetist to ever record.  

Byron first came to the attention of the public as the star soloist with the Klezmer Conservatory Orchestra, a group formed at the New England Conservatory of Music where he was a student. The KCO was performing a wide variety of Jewish music, but Byron became most interested in those players, like Mickey Katz and Sam Musiker, who were as much swing players as klezmer players. He points our attention to the fact that much of what we think of as the golden age of Yiddish culture took place in the United States, not Eastern Europe. Far from being a falling away from a great tradition, klezmer in America is actually the fruition of that tradition.  

Barbara Cook is not a jazz singer, but she is one of the greatest Broadway and cabaret performers of the last half century. A Broadway legend ever since she created the role of Marian the librarian in the original production of The Music Man, she’ll present masterful interpretations of tunes from the “Great American Songbook” at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4, at Davies Symphony Hall. 

These are the same songs—from Broadway shows, Hollywood films, tin pan alley and jazz composers—that jazz musicians have been interpreting since the ‘20s. Cook represents one source of these standards, but also reveals the way jazz techniques have constantly enriched Broadway ever since Sissle and Blake’s 1921 musical Shuffle Along.  

Finally, the Ornette Coleman Quartet will perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at Nob Hill Masonic Center. In the world of jazz, Ornette is an eccentric among eccentrics. When the harmonic inventions of Charlie Parker were being pushed to a dead end of baroque chordal elaboration, Ornette stepped forward with what was considered an atonal form of jazz. He might just as well have been described as stepping backward to retrieve the most primitive field hollers and street cries. Although his rhythm section—two string bassists and his son Denardo on drums—seems beside the point, his own playing is always fresh, lyrical and surprising and he remains one of the seminal influences in the history of post-bop jazz. 

 

For more information on the San Francisco Jazz Festival call (415) 788-7353 or visit their website at www.sfjazz.org.a


Arts: Lively, Playful Excursion Into Obscure Shakespeare By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet

Tuesday October 18, 2005

The African-American Shakespeare Company is providing the opportunity to see one of the more obscure ventures of the Bard, Two Noble Kinsmen, at the African-American Art & Culture Complex, on Fulton Street in San Francisco, through this weekend. 

The authorship of the play has long been questioned. Director David Skillman asks, “Did Shakespeare write it? Or did he and John Fletcher write it? Or did John Fletcher write by himself?” In recent years, there has been a more general acceptance of Shakespeare’s participation, even possibly sole creation, of this strange, scrappy excursion into the popular entertainments of Elizabethan and Jacobean times. It is the predecessor of soap opera, but with a message. 

Skillman notes that this tale of “love, honor and fate,” in which the efforts of the characters “are impeded by events unseen and unpredicted,” raises “very relevant issues of friendship and love in the form of three relationships.” It hasn’t been produced in the Bay Area for more than 20 years. 

He has staged this baroque tale set in ancient Thebes in a contemporary style ... in fact, in the neighborhood. The two kinsmen of the title, Palamon (Norman Gee) and Arcite (Austin Ku), are security personel (“Prince Security” on bill caps and jacket backs) at housing projects in San Francisco. 

Kings and princes become local politicos and their factotums include a reverend. News broadcasts barge in between scenes of protests of love and honor. 

“I have certainly taken liberties with the story,” says Skillman. “Gone are Moorish dancers, gorillas ... and a whole host of other characters ... I streamlined the story ... by merging multiple characters into one so as to create community continuity.” 

The mood teeters back and forth between melodrama and burlesque, with the two kinsmen split over the rights to the love of Emilia (Camelia Poespowidjojo.) They’ve seen her from within the prison where they’re shackled after an uprising in Thebes. 

Skillman’s cast is, for the most part, young and energetic, and at their playful best when playing. Many of the best moments are those between the kinsmen, antagonists alternately expressing mutual love or hate (or both at the same time). Austin Ku’s Arcite is a case in point: his competent portrayal of the banished lovelorn who sneaks back into Thebes becomes real playing when he’s hilariously disguised as a poet in Afro wig and sparkly glasses, in what amounts to a slam for Emilia’s affections. Sometimes a more vigorous staging would help support these enjoyable farcical turns. John Ford, the film director, once told an actor who couldn’t find a demeanor of gravity for melodrama, “then play it for laughs.” 

And there are laughs among the impossible twists and turns of plot, enhanced by Skillman’s deliberate anachronisms. Reviving these old plays is like touring an exhibition of perpetual motion machines, Rube Goldberg-like devices whose engines of word and incident lumber along fantastically, backfiring and acting up like the hot-rodding cars the director’s interpolated into the action. 

Allegorical commonplaces of baroque speech radiate from cliffhanging situations: 

“I am very cold, and all the stars are out, too,” says the jailer’s daughter (Dawn L. Brown), in love with Palamon, her father’s prisoner. She chases him into the woods when he escapes. “The sun has seen my folly ... All the little stars that look like agates.” 

After many twists and turns, the end is sudden and ironic, barely providing a friction brake for a speed stop to the racing plot, piling up catastrophes. 

This community troupe has taken an unusual play as a project, and tried putting it on in a different style. The results are mixed, but even the most tentative triumphs of contemporary performers voicing lines, such as Hippolyta (Sheylon Haywood) and Emilia’s exchange on the Narcissus myth: “Were there not maids enough? ... Men are mad things” or the kinsmen, arguing politely while eating Krispy Kremes: “Be rough with me; pour this oil off of your language” should give heart to this and other adventurous companies to try one of these seldom-done plays and “make it new.” 

 

 

African-American Shakespeare Company presents Two Noble Kinsmen through Oct. 23 at African-American Art & Culture Complex, Buriel Clay Theater, 762 Fulton St., San Francisco. For more information, see www.african-americanshakes.org. 


Arts: Berkeley Artist Seeks Reconciliation In Story of Jazz Pianist Grandmother By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Staff
Tuesday October 18, 2005

Sometimes the greatest mysteries are closest to home. Just ask Kent Brown, a Berkeley man who’s embarking on a quest to learn about his grandmother. 

And what a grandmother. 

Beryl Booker was anything but the stereotypical grandma. After all, how many grandmothers played with the 4 Toppers, Marian McPartland, Slam Stewart, Miles Davis, Dinah Washington and the incomparable Billie Holiday? 

How many African American women had their own integrated jazz trios in the 1940s? 

Though she’s little known today outside jazz circles, the woman who started out as a child prodigy in Philadelphia is still played today on jazz and public radio stations across the country. And her piano work on Billie Holiday’s posthumous ladylove album will be a lasting testament to her work. 

“She’s still popular among other musicians,” Brown said, “and she may have created the first popular jazz trio.” 

Born on June 23, 1923, she grew up near the corner of 13th and Wallace streets in Philadelphia. A prodigy, she developed her keyboard chops without any formal training, and she was playing with the 4 Toppers by the time she was 19. 

Considering her unique career and illustrious company, it’s not surprising someone’s thinking about making a film about her life—and that’s where Brown, who knows his way around the film world, comes in. 

An audio and film sound editor, Brown has worked for Lucasfilm, Fantasy Records and Pixar. Among his better-known projects are the films Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, for which he did pre-production work, and Tomb Raiders. He’s also worked on shaping the sound for CDs, including albums for Blues singer Dorothy Moore and The Mad Lads, an R&B group. 

Brown became interested in a film about his grandmother in part because he wanted to resolve a breach in his family. His mother, Gillian, was born on June 7, 1943, less than three weeks after Beryl turned 18, and the mother-daughter relationship was rocky.  

“Not that there was hostility,” he said. “By the time I was born [my grandmother] was an alcoholic.” 

Brown’s mother moved to Berkeley when he was 5, he said, “but I can still remember Grandma sitting at that big old piano.” 

Gillian, a talented pianist in her own right, opted for a career in academia. With the help of a scholarship, she went on to earn a master’s degree at Temple University. Once settled in Berkeley, she went on to chair the Masters in Management Program at John F. Kennedy University, then moved on to UC Berkeley, where she was practicum coordinator for the Kenneth E. Behring Center for Educational Improvement at the Graduate of School of Education when she died in June 2004. 

“I lost my mother and my brother in the same year,” said Brown, “and it renewed my interest in my grandmother as a way to connect with my mother. It’s also a way to reconnect with a lost period in my own past, which I can only remember in terms of going to studios and clubs with these groups and these big, fancy guitar-like things.” 

One of his few clear memories of that period is meeting another jazz great, Ella Fitzgerald. 

Brown did reconnect with his grandmother when she moved to Berkeley a month or two before her death on Sept. 22, 1978. 

“She died when I was 14, and I didn’t take it that seriously at the time,” he said. “We both loved music, and we even talked about writing songs together. But she wasn’t in good shape. The jazz lifestyle isn’t noted for longevity.” 

Brown has made one trip to the East Coast to gather material for his project. “I went back to locate her ex-husband and niece, who were basically estranged from her,” he said. 

His biggest booster is his spouse, Akana Nobusa-Brown, executive director of the Japan Pacific Resource Network, an Oakland-based non-profit organization which seeks to build bridges across the Pacific on issues of community empowerment and social justice. 

Brown is also working to assemble a complete discography, a listing of all the recordings his grandmother made over the years. That too is proving difficult, he said. 

Compounding his difficulty is the simple fact that most of the musicians who played with his grandmother have died. “I have talked to Marian McPartland and Mister C, but most of her folks are gone,” he said. 

But he’s not giving up. 

“They say that jazz is the only truly American art form, and I can see a lot of parallels between today and the time when jazz took root. They were desperate times” for the African American community, “and today’s youth face conditions that are very similar,” he said. “I hope I can make some of the connections with that proud history for today’s young people. 

“I also see jazz and jazz musicians as forebears of the civil rights movement. There was a lot of crossing of color lines in those days, and those were the folks who set the stage for what followed.” 

And for an example, he points to his grandmother, whose 1940s trio consisted of an African American pianist/singer accompanied by white women on bass and drum.  

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Arts Calendar

Tuesday October 18, 2005

TUESDAY, OCT. 18 

FILM 

Peter Kubelka: Films and Lectures “The Edible Metaphor” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jack Marshall introduces his memoir “From Baghdad to Brooklyn” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Simon Winchester describes “A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906” at 6:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $40, $50 per couple which includes a copy of the book. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Swamp Coolers, Cajun, Western swing at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

PhilipsMarine, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Plena Libre, from Puerto Rico, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-827. 

Brian Kane, jazz guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19 

EXHIBITIONS 

Art in Progress Open studios at 800 Heinz Ave. from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 845-0707. 

James D. Phelan Art Award in Printmaking with Jesse Gottesman, Cynthia Ona Innis and Matthew Hopson-Walker. Reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Exhibition runs to Dec. 3. 549-2977. 

FILM 

Berkeley Arts Festival: “Raising the Roof” and “Democracy in the Workplace” at 8 p.m. at 2324 Shattuck Ave.  

Cine Documental “Fernando is Back” and “100 Children Waiting for a Train” two films from Chile at 7 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Boawditch St. 642-2088. 

Doctor Atomic Goes Nuclear “Crossroads” at 7:30 p.m. and “Half-Life: A Parable for the Nuclear Age” at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Café Poetry hosted by Paradise at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Mario Livio describes “The Equation The Couldn’t Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

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  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with University Symphony at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864.  

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean, organ, at noon at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555.  

Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$58. 642-9988.  

Karashay, Chirgilchin & Stephen Kent, Tuvan throat singers and didjeridu, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 701-1787. 

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

Joe Beck Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Bernard Anderson & The Old School Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Tribute to the Conga, salsa music, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Atlas Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

John Hammond, acoustic blues, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

“In Living Color: Street Scenes” recent paintings by S. Newman. Reception at 4 p.m. at the LunchStop Café, Metro Center, at the Lake Merritt BART Station. 817-5773. 

“Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia and Deco” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. 

“All-College Honors & Scholarship Awards Exhibition” Reception at 6 p.m. at Tecoah Bruce Gallery, Oliver Art Center, California College of the Arts, 5212 Broadway. 658-1223. 

FILM 

Berkeley Art Center International Small Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29 at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893.  

Peter Kubelka: Films and Lectures, Metric Films and “Poetry and Truth” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Local Authors Dorothy Bryant and Molly Giles will read from their works at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. www.juliamorgan.org 

Nomad Spoken Word Night at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Gregory Maguire introduces his new novel “Son of a Witch” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Word Beat Reading Series with Raymond Nat Turner and Zigi Lowenberg at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

“Avant-Garde Jewish Poetry and Music” with John Amen at 7:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Tina Marzell Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

43rd Street Prog Showcase at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

Mark Levine and John Wiitala, piano and bass, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Dhol Patrol at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Bhangra dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Dee Dee Bridgewater at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$24. 238-9200.  

Witches Brew at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

FRIDAY, OCT. 21 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley ” Six Degrees of Separation” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. through Nov. 19. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. wwwaeofberkeley.org 

BareStage Productions “The House of Bernard Alba” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 20 Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $6-$8. www.tickets.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley High “The Laramie Project” Sat. and Sun. at 8 p.m., also Oct. 28 and 29, at the Florence Shwimley Little Theater, Berkeley High Campus. Tickets are $12, $6 student. 332-1931.  

Berkeley Rep “Finn in the Underworld” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage and runs to Nov. 6. Tickets are $43-$59. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep, “Our Town” at 8 p.m., and runs through Oct. 23. Tickets are $45-$59. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “The Tempest” at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., between Berkeley and Orinda, through Oct. 23. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Central Works “Achilles & Patroklos” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Nov. 20. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. centralworks.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “You Can’t Take it With You” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Pomona Ave. at Moeser Lane, El Cerrito, through Oct. 22. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Lunatique Fantastique “Executive Order 9066” Thurs. -Sat. at 7 p.m., through Oct. 21 at 2120 Allston Way. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Art Heals” an exhbition of works by four artists on approaches to healing. Reception at 6 p.m. at the Main St. Initiative, 1101 MacDonald, Richmond. 236-4050. 

“China’s Culktural Revolution” with photographer Li Zhensheng, talk at 3 p.m., panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. at North Gate Hall, UC Campus. 

FILM 

Berkeley Art Center International Small Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. to Oct. 22 and Oct. 27-29 at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Free. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Doctor Atomic Goes Nuclear “Pandora’s Box” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Narendra Jadhav reads from his autobiography “Untouchables: My Family’s Triumphant Journey Out of the Caste System” at 12:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Arts Festival: “The Unsung Malvina” Judy Fjell and Nancy Schimmel sing newly-found songs by Malvina Reynolds at 7 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, Community Room, 2095 Derby St. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com 

Berkeley Music Centenary The history, people and feats of Berkeley’s Music Dept. at 4 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Marvin Sanders, flute and Lena Lubotsky, piano, at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $10. 848-1228.  

Elaine Kreston, original compositions for early and contemporary instruments at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $10-$15. 701-1787. 

California Bach Society, choral music, at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal, 2300 Bancroft Way. 415-262-0272 www.calbach.org  

The Tuva Trader “Tyva Kyzy” at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $14-$16. 925-798-1300. www.juliamorgan.org  

Mariz, Portuguese fado, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

La Familia Son! CD release party at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10, includes C.r. 849-2568.  

The Jazz Express at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Grapefruit Ed, The Flux at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. 

Lua at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Eric Anderson, Sonia, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Helene Attia Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Damond Moodie and Dave Lionelli at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Mad Happy, Rapatron, Lacoste at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Hostile Takeover, Hit Me Back, CInder, Right On, 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. 

Jen Scaffidi, Rooftop Rodeo at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Mushroom, psychedelic funk, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Dee Dee Bridgewater at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, OCT. 22 

CHILDREN 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Gary Lapow at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

THEATER 

“Jane Austen in Berkeley” a dance-drama spoof, Sat. and Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at the Bread Workshop Café, 1398 University. Free. 841-9441. 

FILM 

Farewell: A Tribute to Elem Klimov and Larissa Shepitko at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

William Byrant Logan honors “Oak: The Frame of a Civilization” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Paul Collins introduces his biography of Tom Paine “The Trouble With Tom” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Ursula Steck reads from “The Next World” at 2 p.m. at Changemakers Books, 6536 Telegraph Ave. Oakland.  

Peggy Knickerbocker, author of “Simple Soirées, Seasonal Menus for Sensational Dinner Parties” at 1 p.m. at The Pasta Shop, 1786 4th St. 528-1786. 

Stevanne Auerbach author of “Smart Play-Smart Toys” at 1 p.m. at The Ark, 1812 4th St. 849-1930. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Arts Festival: John Schott’s Dream Kitchen, where old-time jazz meets the avant-garde at 8 p.m. at 2324 Shattuck Ave. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com 

The Avenue Winds, woodwind quintet at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. http:// 

trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Flauti Diversi “Bach to Bach” baroque flute, viola de gamba, harpsichord and voice at 8 p.m. at St. David of Wales Church, 5641 Esmond Ave., Richmond. Tickets are $15-$18. 527-9840. 

Neopolitan Contemporary Dance “So Delicious” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20-$25. 925-798-1300.  

Moment’s Notice A salon for improvised music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 Eighth St. Cost is $8-$10. 415-831-5592. 

Gypsy Soul, acoustic rock at 8 p.m. at Unity Church, 2075 Eunice St. Tickets are $15. 528-8844. 

Company of Prophets, CD release party at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568.  

Indiegrrl Tour concert with Irina Rivkin, Ter-ra, & Mare Wakefield at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music, 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 ext. 687. 

Pickpocket Ensemble at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Yancie Taylor Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

John Jorgenson Quintet at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50-$22.50. 548-1761.  

Ken & The New Incredibles, alt rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7 per family. 558-0881. 

Ralph Alessi’s This Against That at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

The Sidewinders, Harry Best & Shabang in a benefit for Ashkenaz at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  

Audrey Shimkas Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Sam Misner & Megan Smith and Lo Cura at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Brown Baggin’, Oaktown funk, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $12. 548-1159.  

Halloween Ball with The Catholic Comb, Mr. Loveless at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Emily Lord at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. www.epicarts.org 

Killing the Dream, Allegiance, More to Pride, The Answer at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Stolen Bibles at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 23 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Fermenting Berkeley” An exhibition on the production, sale, and social aspects of alcohol in Berkeley from the 1870s - 1970s. Reception from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St.Exhibit runs to March 25. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/  

THEATER 

Unconditional Theater’s “Political Dialogues” at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. www.epicarts.org 

FILM 

Dutch Voices: Jos de Putter and Peter Delpeit “Diva Dolorosa” at 4 p.m. and “Tigre Reale” at 5:35 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“The Forgotten Refugees” at 4 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Arts Festival “New Voices From the Before Columbus Foundation” with Karla Brundage, Tennessee Reed, Boadiba and Wajahat Ali at 4 p.m. at Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery, 2324 Shattuck Ave. 655-9496. 

Micah Garen and Marie-Hélene Carlton tell their story in “American Hostage: A Memoir of a Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq and the Remarkable Battle to Win His Release” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Geraldine Kim and Malia Jackson read from their poetry at 8 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Poetry Flash with Aaron Shurin, Paul Hoover and Donald Revell at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Laila Lalami on her story of Morocco, “Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland East Bay Symphony United Nations Day of Peace Concert at 7 p.m. at the Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway. Tickets are $20-$40. Proceeds benefit UNICEF’s Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. 652-8497.  

András Schiff, pianist, at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$58, available from 642-9988.  

Sequentia, medieval music, at 7 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42, available from 642-9988.  

Neopolitan Contemporary Dance “So Delicious” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20-$25. 925-798-1300. 

Upsurge Jazz and Poetry Celebration at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Mitote Jazz with Arturo Cipriano, saxophone, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568.  

Quartet San Francisco at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373.  

Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761.  

Ross Hammond, jazz, at 10 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Keren at 4 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Americana Unplugged: The Freelance Disciples at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277.?


Tracking the Migration of Warblers By JOE EATON Special to the Planet

Tuesday October 18, 2005

All through September, I’ve been seeing warblers in the backyard: not the yellow-rumps that spend the winter, but migrants of other species stopping over during their southbound flight—yellow warblers running the gamut from bright to drab, orange-crowns, a female Townsend’s, at least one Wilson’s. 

Fall warbler identification on our flyway is easier than back east, where you have to contend with a myriad of species and some really nondescript first-year plumages. East or west, Wilson’s is one of the easiest: a small bright yellow bird with a green back and, in adult males, a black yarmulke. Its name honors Alexander Wilson, a contemporary and competitor of Audubon who lacked his rival’s flair for the dramatic and talent for self-promotion. 

There’s always an element of mystery when it comes to migrants: Where have they come from, and where are they headed? Some western warblers, like the Townsend’s warbler, end up somewhere in California; most, including the Wilson’s, are bound for Mexico and Central America. With both breeding and wintering habitats under pressure, it’s become important for conservationists to learn which populations winter where and what routes they take. For warblers, that’s something of a challenge. 

Historically, banding (or as the British call it, “ringing”) was the best key to the travels of migratory birds. It’s still important: thanks to banding studies, we know that less than 11 percent of first-year Wilson’s warblers nest near where they were hatched, although they tend to return to their first nest site in succeeding years. The technique has its limitations, though. No matter how many songbirds you band in their summer habitat, the odds of detecting banded birds on their wintering grounds are vanishingly small.  

As of the turn of the century, 140,000 Wilson’s warblers had been banded in the United States and Canada; only three of those were ever recovered in Mexico and Central America.  

For larger birds, like the stars of Winged Migration, there’s now a high-tech alternative: portable radio transmitters that allow satellite tracking. A recent study of northern pintails, for instance, followed one duck from the Sacramento Valley through the Warner Valley in Oregon and the Kenai Peninsula and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska to her stopping point on the Kanchalan River in Siberia. Radiotelemetry has also worked with hawks and albatrosses. But a Wilson’s warbler weighs about a third of an ounce, and rigging it with a transmitter is just not practical. 

To a limited extent, genetic analysis can indicate a migrant’s point of departure. Studies of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA show a clear distinction between eastern and western populations of Wilson’s warblers. But with nuclear DNA, at least, it’s harder to discriminate between, say, a California breeder and a bird from the northern Rockies. Biologists speculate that there’s a lot of gene flow among western populations. 

The best clue, it turns out, is feather chemistry. The isotopic content of a warbler’s feather can reveal how far north it was when the feather grew—and to a degree, how far uphill and away from the seacoast. An isotope, remember, is a stable form of an element like carbon or hydrogen, with a specific atomic weight. 

Carbon can be either C12, with six protons and six neutrons, or C13, with an extra neutron. Add a neutron to plain hydrogen and you get deuterium. The ratio of heavy to normal carbon and hydrogen isotopes is related to latitude: the nearer the North Pole, the higher the proportions of deuterium and C13. These elements follow a path from rainfall to plants to plant-eating insects to insect-eating-warblers. When a warbler goes through its summer molt after nesting, the new set of feathers it grows contains a distinctive isotopic signature.  

So all you have to do is mist-nest a warbler in Mexico or Costa Rica, snip a feather sample, and run it through your mass spectrometer, and you’ll have a rough idea of the location of its breeding grounds. The technique was apparently first used by biologists at Dartmouth with the black-throated blue warbler, an eastern species that winters in the Caribbean. Other researchers, including Sonya Clegg and Mari Kimura at San Francisco State’s Center for Tropical Research, then applied it to western birds like the McGillivray’s and Wilson’s warblers. The San Francisco State group also looked at genetic patterns for a finer-grained resolution. 

As reported in a 2003 article in Molecular Ecology, the hydrogen isotopes had some interesting stories to tell about the travels of the Wilson’s warbler. The bird shows a pattern of “leapfrog migration”, with the northernmost nesters wintering farthest south—a phenomenon previously documented for a few other species, like the fox sparrow. Since coastal nesters have higher deuterium values than interior nesters, Clegg, Kimura, and their colleagues were also able to report that warblers from coastal sites like Oregon’s Siuslaw National Forest and California’s Pillar Point spend the winter in western Mexico—Baja California Sur and Sinaloa, to be exact. Colorado warblers, on the other hand, migrate to comparable latitudes in eastern Mexico. 

Given that, I could conclude that the Wilson’s I saw from my back steps was headed for the neighborhood of Cabo San Lucas, or maybe Mazatlan. And I could only hope that it found semi-intact habitat when it got there. Wilson’s is less specialized in its wintering-ground preferences than some other warblers; in Costa Rica, it’s even been observed above timberline, in the chilly paramo. But it would find a cornfield, or a beach resort, less than ideal.  

 

 


Albany Waterfront Shopping Mall Plans Unveiled By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 14, 2005

In a white tent erected on the parking lot north of the grandstand at Golden Gate Fields, Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso unveiled his preliminary plans for an open air shopping complex he wants to build at the site. 

The colorful drawings and carefully scaled plans projected on the screen behind Caruso as he spoke offered up the vision of a development with open spaces and plazas—including a modest amphitheater sculpted into the slope leading up from the shops to the race track grandstand area. 

Caruso Affiliated Holdings, a limited liability corporation, has teamed with Canadian auto parts magnate Frank Stronach’s Magna Entertainment, the owner of the race track property, with each putting up half the funding for the project, he said.  

A handful of reporters and photographers showed up for the noon press conference, outnumbered by Caruso executives and representatives of former East Bay Democratic Assemblymember Dion Aroner’s AJE Partners, the lobbying firm representing the developers. 

“We met with 14 neighborhoods and held hundreds of meetings with officials and representatives of groups,” Caruso told the reporters. “We listened to the community and we have tried to give them what they wanted.” 

Among the community’s dislikes, he said, were the expanse of 1.2 million square feet of paved parking lots and the perception that the area around the waterfront is inaccessible, unsafe and filled with litter. 

Asked how his project would compare with the Bay Street Emeryville project, Caruso responded, “This is the antithesis of Bay Street in Emeryville. This is everything it isn’t.” 

While the square footage of both projects is similar, Caruso said the Emeryville complex is built to the wrong scale and suffers from a variety of other problems, including poorly conceived architecture and complicated traffic ingress and egress. 

His project, Caruso said, “is all about outdoor space, about public space, and will feature architecture that reflects the local community,” pointing to Solano Avenue and Berkeley’s Fourth Street shopping areas. 

Caruso said the project’s new buildings, currently planned to encompass 344,700 square feet of the surface, combined with the 87,120 square feet of the grandstand, will cover only 11 percent of the 4.6 million-square-foot Magna property within the Albany portion of the Magna property. 

The project also includes, among other features: 

• A site for a boutique hotel overlooking the bay. 

• A farmers’ market in a Victorianesque glass-enclosed arcade. 

• 150 to 200 apartments above the retail spaces. 

• Restored beaches, featuring a boardwalk trail along the waterfront. 

• Completion of the Bay Trail along the waterfront. 

• Picnic areas. 

• A four-acre park at Fleming Point, complete with a restored pier leading out into the bay. 

• Waterfront access for windsurfers and kayakers. 

• Restored marshland along the northern and northeastern edges of the race track oval facing the Albany Mid Flats Ecological Reserve. 

• 24,000 square feet of community space, including what he hopes will be a facility for the YMCA. 

• And, if one of the most popular requests is granted, his Albany project could bring a Nordstrom’s to the shores of the East Bay. 

“We want this to reflect what the community has asked for,” he said. 

Caruso’s plans call for keeping the development 200 feet from the shoreline, twice the minimum distance set by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. 

He said he will not be involved in any development on the southern parking lot area that lies over the Berkeley border, which is already scheduled to include the Gilman Play Fields and has also been proposed as the site of a hotel.  

Caruso acknowledged some major issues still need to be addressed, including traffic along the heavily traveled bayside corridor. 

“We are responsible for the mitigations,” he said, adding that one alternative under consideration was a shuttle to take shoppers to Solano Avenue and to a nearby BART station. 

Thursday’s press unveiling preceded three invitation-only presentations for selected members of the Albany public who attended a series of informational meetings and other gatherings Caruso sponsored to solicit input for his plans and win over the community. 

Two were held in the tent later in the day, and the third is planned for 3 p.m. today (Friday). 

 

Environmentalists respond 

The project still faces considerable opposition from environmental groups, who see extensive development and extensive water sports near the state park land at the Albany Bulb and along the shoreline as a threat both to the margins of the bay and to the habitats of endangered and threatened species like the clapper rail and the burrowing owl. 

“We think building a mall on the shoreline is a ridiculously bad idea, and the Sierra Club is in complete opposition,” said Norman LaForce, the organization’s Bay Area spokesperson. 

“We have been planning for a park there for the last 25 years,” said Bill Dann, co-chair of Citizens for the Albany Shoreline. “Caruso is just another developer who’s come along wanting to put an unacceptable development on the shore. We want open space.” 

“This is a horrible use of the shoreline,” said Robert Cheasty, former Albany Mayor and the spokesperson for Citizens for Eastshore Parks. “We don’t need an L.A. in the East Bay. One hundred years ago, Oregon managed to protect its shoreline and it’s time the East Bay caught up.”  

The Albany Chamber of Commerce has also taken a measured response, raising concerns about the project’s impact on the environment and on the existing business community.  

 

Community involvement 

Caruso is politically adroit as well as a master of the development process. 

He also knows how to work the levers of electoral politics, and he’s hoping to bring his project to Albany voters, who must approve all waterfront development, early next year with a goal of finishing the development and opening by late 2006 or early 2007. 

He waged an expensive electoral campaign to win the approval of voters in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale to build the Americana on Grand in the heart of the downtown. 

The measure Glendale voters approved authorized the demolition of 22 buildings to build 475,000 square feet of commercial space, including shops and a 3,500-seat cinema complex. The project also includes rentals and condo units—all offered at market rate—constructed over the retail. 

All but two of the buildings have been leveled and Caruso said he expects the final legal challenge to be resolved in the coming weeks. 

The Golden Gate Fields project, still unnamed—“we like to have our name come from the community,” he said—is one of a pair of joint ventures by Caruso and Magna Entertainment, the Canadian firm that owns the largest chunk of America’s horse-racing venues. 

Magna’s racing empire has been hemorrhaging cash, and the shopping complexes are seen as a way to earn more money out of choice land in urban centers. 

The two are also paired on a similar project at the famed Santa Anita track in Los Angeles County, which Caruso said is further along in the development stage. 

Caruso has deep pockets and powerful friends to help along the way. 

He’s one of the heaviest of political players and a major donor to Republican causes and candidates. A friend of and major contributor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, he served on the governor’s transition team after the recall election. 

On Aug. 5, 2004, he gave Schwarzenegger’s California Recovery Team $25,000, followed on Oct. 12 by $57,221.66 in non-monetary contributions. On March 11 of this year he gave another $22,300 in cash, followed by $100,000 on Aug. 25. 

On March 30, he gave $22,300 to the Schwarzenegger’s reelection campaign, the same month he gave $100,000 to the California Republican Party. 

He was also a major contributor to George W. Bush, including a June 21, 2004, gift of $100,000 to the Progress for America Voter Fund, which ran television spots for the Bush campaign. At one fundraising dinner held at his house, he managed to raise a cool $1 million for Bush’s reelection campaign—earning him the rank of a “Bush Ranger,” the ranking bestowed on the president’s hottest fund-raisers. 

Caruso’s spouse, Tina, is also a major contributor to Republican causes. 

Caruso was born into a wealthy family and grew up in Trousdale Estates, perhaps the poshest section of Beverly Hills. His father, Henry, founded Dollar Rent-A-Car and built it into an empire before selling it to the Chrysler Corporation in 1990. 

A graduate of the University of Southern California and Pepperdine University’s law school, he became a developer at the age of 27 when the law firm that employed him went bust, according to a profile in the Pasadena Star News. 

Bankrolled in part by his father, he launched into a new career as a developer. For his first ventures, he bought land near airports, then leased it back to car rental agencies. And now he builds shopping centers, or “lifestyle centers,” as he described them to a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. 

Unlike the enclosed malls of yore, Caruso’s creations are open-air venues, done in faux period styles, featuring walkways, fountains, stained glass and rococo detail to give them the look and feel of theme parks—where the theme in question is consumption in a conspicuous environment. 

His most controversial creation is The Grove, a pleasure plaza writ large directly next to the funkier and more human-scale Los Angeles Farmers’ Market. 

Caruso’s projects are popular with city officials and planners, and he’s been sought out by municipalities to create projects to help them raise new tax revenues and restore the luster of fading communities.


Albany Council Will Oversee Mall Development By F. Timothy Martin Special to the Planet

Friday October 14, 2005

Some call it a mall, others, mixed-use retail. Whichever the case, tensions were mounting in Albany as city leaders prepared for the unveiling of the latest development plan for the 102-acre Golden Gate Fields property on the Albany waterfront. 

For the past 10 months, Los Angeles-based developer Caruso Affiliated has been promoting the idea of building “high quality” retail development on the parking lot of the racetrack, which was purchased by Magna Entertainment in 1999. A presentation of plans by the Magna-Caruso partnership took place Thursday, but the Albany City Council decided to take action of its own earlier in the week. 

The Albany City Council gave their approval to establish an advisory team to explore the idea of developing at Golden Gate Fields. The city will use its own staff and consultants, while Caruso will cover the costs. 

“This clearly is the most significant piece of property in the city,” said Beth Pollard, Albany’s city administrator, who presented the council with a highly-anticipated staff report on the Golden Gate Fields property. The report was distributed to the public at the meeting and is available on the city’s website.  

City officials stressed the importance of exploring options that would strike a balance between maintaining revenues and open space. 

“Ultimately it’s the Albany voters that will determine what uses are allowed,” Pollard said, referring to Measure C. 

Passed in 1990 in response to previous development proposals at the waterfront, Measure C forces a city-wide election on any application for a use not authorized by the waterfront zoning district. Commercial retail is currently not an authorized use, therefore Magna-Caruso will have to convince Albany residents if they are to move forward. 

With the growing popularity of simulcasting taking race fans out of the grandstand, Magna is seeking new ways to boost sagging revenue and track attendance. Proponents of the retail development plan argue that it would provide a stable source of income for the city as well as business opportunities for entrepreneurs.  

While the city still generates close to $900,000 annually from having the track in town, there is concern over how much longer Magna will keep their horses running in Albany. Some point to Magna’s plans to develop a new racetrack in Dixon as a sign they might be pulling out of the Bay area. 

Magna representatives say the track isn’t going anywhere. 

“We have no plans to end thoroughbred racing at Golden Gate Fields,” said Peter Tunney, vice president with Magna. 

But not everyone seemed reassured by their assurances. 

“In my experience people are most adamant they’re not going to leave just before they do,” said Albany Mayor Robert Good. “It would be wise for us to prepare.” 

Heeding calls for such preparation, earlier this month the city’s waterfront committee asked for the creation of a waterfront master plan to be completed independent of any specific development proposal. Such a plan could cost Albany between $500,000 and $1 million. 

That would be money well spent, according to some Albany city leaders who have expressed concerns over the likelihood that the Caruso-funded advisory team, though staffed by city consultants, would favor the developer’s agenda.  

Former Albany mayor and current waterfront committee member Robert Cheasty said he was “mildly disappointed” upon hearing that Caruso would fund the advisory team. 

“Asking a developer to put up the money may save money, but it puts us at a disadvantage,” said Cheasty. “We don’t have a truly independent process.” 

Cheasty and others are solidly against major retail development at the site. Environmentalists and open-space advocates desperately want to protect one of the last underdeveloped spots in the Bay area. For them, the area presents a rare opportunity to preserve waterfront property as parkland. 

“They [Caruso] have wonderful ideas for Southern California and I think they should take them back to Southern California,” quipped Cheasty, who is also the president of Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP), an umbrella organization of environmentalists dedicated to preserving open space at the waterfront. CESP is promoting an alternative plan that favors tearing down the track to create more open space. As a compromise, the CESP plan would build a hotel conference center on a smaller portion of land close to the freeway. 

On Thursday all eyes were on Caruso as residents and officials awaited the announcement of their development proposal.  

“If we don’t see significant park and open space in the presentation, it will have difficulty passing a vote by Measure C,” warned Albany Councilman Allan Maris. “I hope the developer hears that loud and clear.” 

 


South Berkeley Drug House Case Lands in Small Claims Court By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday October 14, 2005

The South Berkeley drug wars came to Small Claims Court in Berkeley this week, with opposing witnesses arguing whether an aging Oregon Street homeowner was the knowing matriarch of a drug-dealing family or the elderly victim of abusive children. 

In the case, Paul Rauber, et. al v. Lenora Moore, 15 neighbors of Moore, the longtime owner of a home near the corner of Oregon and California streets, are suing the 75-year-old woman in small claims court for damages of $5,000 apiece relating to allegations of drug activity in the vicinity of the home by several of Moore’s children and grandchildren. 

In a three-hour hearing, Court Commissioner John Rantzman took testimony from witnesses from both sides, and then adjourned the hearing until Nov. 3 to hear testimony from plaintiffs and the defendant in the case. 

While small claims court was traditionally designed for plaintiffs and defendants to present their cases without having to rely on outside counsel, both sides in Rauber v. Moore are relying heavily on outside assistance. 

The plaintiff neighbors were assisted in drawing up their legal papers for the case by the Oakland-based nonprofit organization Neighborhood Solutions, while Moore was assisted in court by East Bay Community Law Center’s Leo Stegman, who said he is working with Moore on his own and not in connection with the law center. Stegman, in fact, acted as Moore’s de facto attorney, making her opening statement, arguing motions, and providing rebuttal to the plaintiffs’ witnesses. 

Stegman did not contest the contention by five plaintiffs’ witnesses—including two Berkeley police officers—that the South Berkeley neighborhood surrounding Moore’s house is a hotbed of drug activity. Stegman also did not contest the plaintiffs’ contention that restraining orders taken out by Moore last spring—shortly after the filing of the Small Claims lawsuit—have not been effective in keeping Moore’s children and grandchildren away from the house. 

In the most emotional testimony, Phyllis Brooks Schaefer, the 70-year-old co-owner of a house near Moore’s, in which her daughter lives, talked about the fear of visiting the area. 

“My daughter does not have the use of her house,” Schaefer said, at one point breaking up in tears. “If she wants to enjoy friends, she has to bring them to my condo [in a nearby neighborhood]. Visiting her, I quickly learned the signs of drug dealing, much of it emanating from Moore’s house. There’s constant shouting, hitting, cars coming up constantly and drug deals going on. My daughter can no longer use the front room of the house because the large window facing out on the street makes it too dangerous. When I visit her, I cannot park in certain areas. My daughter was physically attacked in her house by a man who was associated with [Mrs. Moore’s house]. The thought of this fills me with terror. Home owners and renters should not have to live in fear of this kind of violence.” 

The two officers—Jim Marangoni and former task force member Mike Durban—testified that several persons arrested for drug dealing near Moore’s house were either children or grandchildren of Moore’s, and that an October, 2004 search warrant raid of Moore’s premises netted the arrest of three of Moore’s offspring for cocaine, heroin, and firearm possession. Durban called Moore’s house “a safe haven; that’s where they actually keep the drugs.” 

But Stegman argued that Moore had no control over her adult children, and that she was as much a victim of the drug dealing and violence as the other neighbors. 

Wilma Jean Morris, the niece of Moore’s invalid husband, told the court that she was assisting Moore in keeping some of the children away from the house, but it was a difficult job. 

“I got things in order there but keeping it in order, I can’t do it all the time,” she said. 

“When those children see me coming, they scatter,” she added, clapping her hands together sharply and then waving them apart like a crowd disappearing. “They’re disrespectful to their mother and father. I have put out quite a few of them. I’ve told them they have to come through me. But I can’t be there all the time, and they come back when I’m not there.” 

Morris said that the Moore house “is not the only house with drug activity on that street.” 

Answering charges by Stegman that the neighbors were only interested in getting Moore to sell her house, one of the plaintiffs, Marion Mabel, said after the hearing that “we don’t want to get rid of Mrs. Moore and her husband. We just don’t want the drug dealing to go on.” 

For her part, Moore said outside the courtroom that she would like to see the court commissioner “help to get some of these things settled. I want him to understand that I’m doing my best to take care of this.”l


UC Berkeley Teams Up With Yahoo in Downtown Lab By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 14, 2005

Yahoo and UC Berkeley on Tuesday debuted the Internet giant’s new Berkeley lab, where students will work alongside Yahoo employees to try to make the search engine more responsive to individual tastes. 

The 10,000-square-foot lab at 1950 University Ave. is the third of UC Berkeley’s corporate partnerships to spawn an off-campus research lab in downtown Berkeley. City officials hope Yahoo’s presence in the privately owned building, in offices formerly occupied by the financial firm Barra, will bolster a downtown still beset by empty storefronts. 

“Having a world-famous organization set up a research lab in downtown Berkeley is in and of itself important,” said David Fogarty of Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development. He predicted similar partnerships would emerge from a recent city-UC settlement over the university’s expansion plans. 

The lab, which opened in August, will focus on making it simpler for web surfers to post pictures, stories, videos and music to the Internet. 

“This is about ending the tyranny of the webmaster,” said Marc Davis, an assistant professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Information Management and Systems, who has taken leave to become the founding director of Yahoo Research Labs Berkeley. 

Davis said he wanted to add context to the data on the Internet to expand the capabilities of the Yahoo search engine. Rather than just offering information based on priorities determined by a webmaster, Yahoo is working to customize each search for users by analyzing where they are connected on the Internet and what their on-line activity is. 

Such information would then be available for self-created community groups on the Yahoo portal, so when members run searches they will receive data most relevant to their interests first. 

Yahoo has hired several interns from UC Berkeley to help staff the lab. The company, which is still hiring full-time staff, declined to say how many workers would be stationed in Berkeley or how much money it was investing in the facility. Yahoo also has research labs in Pasadena and at its headquarters in Sunnyvale. 

Danah Boyd, a UC Berkeley Ph.D. student and lab intern, said the lab’s biggest benefit for students has been getting access to Yahoo’s 176 million registered users. 

“Yahoo has obscene amounts of data,” she said. “If you’re an academic you usually get to work with maybe six people who you rope into the project by offering them pizza.”  

Student researchers will also analyze user trends to determine how to make the media technology accessible to different types of users. 

“This will be the greatest instant feedback machine on the planet,” said Usama Fayyad, Yahoo’s Chief Data Officer. 

Yahoo will have first commercial rights to research at the lab, said Dana Bostrom, associate director of UC Berkeley’s Industry Alliances Office. She added that the partnership with Yahoo wouldn’t preclude the university from striking deals with the company’s competitors. 

Besides Yahoo, UC Berkeley has partnered with Intel on a computer lab at Center Street and Shattuck Avenue, and with a German nonprofit to form the International Computer Science Institute on Center Street. Bostrom said having an off-campus facility is unusual and that she didn’t know of any similar partnerships under discussion. 

The lab is Yahoo’s first partnership with a university, but it won’t be the last, Fayyad said. 

“It’s important [for Yahoo] to have new blood coming in and for us to show them that Yahoo is doing deep and interesting research,” he said. 

Yahoo’s chief competitor, Google, is well connected to Stanford. The company’s founders attended the school and Stanford President John Hennessy sits on Google’s board of directors. 

The Berkeley lab originated from a speaker series earlier this year when Davis addressed Yahoo executives with his vision of the future of Internet searches. 

“It resonated so deeply with us that we wouldn’t let him out of the building,” said Yahoo’s Director of Technology Development Bradley Horowitz. 

The city will still be able to collect taxes on the property, which is privately owned and rented by Yahoo. University-owned property is off the tax rolls—a major source of city-university tension. 

 

 

 

 


Dept. of Alcohol Beverage Control Eyes Berkeley Honda Tailgate Parties By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday October 14, 2005

Berkeley Honda’s pre-game tailgate parties outside Memorial Stadium, which two weeks ago drew several union protesters, might soon get a visit from the State Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. 

“If the reports are true that they were giving out free beer, that’s a misdemeanor and definitely something we would actively enforce,” said ABC District Administrator Andrew Gomez. 

Last week the Daily Planet published a first person account of the party leading up to the Cal-Arizona football game from pro-union demonstrator Zelda Bronstein, who is also a Daily Planet Public Eye columnist. She charged that Berkeley Honda employee Tim Lubeck was “loudly hawking free beer and ... apparently not bothering to card any of the young people who took up his offer.” 

Judy Shelton, a frequent picketer outside Berkeley Honda, said she also witnessed employees giving free beer to passing students without carding them at the tailgate party. 

Berkeley Honda General Manager Steve Haworth contended that the party, one of many approved by Cal, adjacent to Kleeberger Field, was an adult-only affair. 

“I’m not sure what she was looking at,” Haworth said. “There were no young people drinking beer period.” 

Haworth said the party, which is posted on the company’s website, was restricted to the friends and families of Berkeley Honda employees and was part of the dealership’s effort to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims. 

The dealership’s website yesterday advertised free shuttle service between the Shattuck Avenue shop and Cal home games, offering to “host a free tailgate party in the north end zone.” 

Haworth has close ties to Cal athletics and hosts benefit auctions for the football, baseball and golf teams. 

Since buying the dealership this summer, Berkeley Honda owner Tim Beinke, a resident of the Blackhawk subdivision in Danville, has become embroiled in a bitter strike with union mechanics after the dealership dismissed nearly half of the staff and stopped contributing to the union pension funds. Talks with union officials have been sporadic and the two sides remain in a stalemate. 

UC Berkeley Police Capt. Mitch Celaya said that after hearing second-hand accounts of Berkeley Honda giving out free beer he asked the athletic department to review campus alcohol rules with the dealership. 

“My understanding is that they know not to distribute to the public,” Celaya said. 

Campus rules allow for private tailgate parties with alcohol. To distribute alcohol to people not affiliated with the party, the dealership would have had to apply for special permits, according to Celaya. 

He added that police had also asked Berkeley Honda to remove dealership banners on trucks used to shuttle tailgaters from Berkeley Honda to the party. 

Celaya said the banners made it difficult for officers at the scene two weeks ago to determine whether the event was a private tailgate party or an athletic department sponsored event, in which case the sponsors would have permits to distribute alcohol. 

ABC’s Gomez, who learned about the Honda event from the newspaper story, said that state law prohibits tailgaters from giving out beer to people outside their party or anybody under 21. 

“If you’re open to the general public, you need ABC permits,” he said. 

Although the university would not be liable for any violations, Gomez said ABC would charge the person giving out the alcohol in such a situation. He added that ABC has patrolled the Oakland Coliseum parking lots and Memorial Stadium before football games to cite minors possessing beer. 


Diversity Lacking in Council’s Commmission Appointments By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday October 14, 2005

The diversity of city councilmembers and mayoral appointments to the 34 Berkeley commissions is “abysmal,” according to Councilmember Kriss Worthington, but he expects it to dramatically increase in the near future in part as the result of a recently-released report. 

Worthington’s report, issued last Tuesday in the old City Hall in conjunction with National Diversity Day, showed that while councilmembers’ and mayoral appointments of African-Americans is close to their percentage in the population, appointment of Latinos, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, and college students is lagging far behind their numbers in the city. 

Worthington called the lack of minority and student commissioners an “error of omission rather than commission. None of the councilmembers are going out and saying, ‘I’m going to keep black people off these commissions.’ But we live in a segregated society, even in a city as varied as Berkeley, and we tend to appoint the people who we see around us. So white people tend to appoint white people without really thinking about it. We all need to be prodded.” 

According to the report, which was compiled by student volunteers, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders are the least-represented ethnic minority on city commissions in proportion to their population, with 17.6 percent of the city population, but only 5.2 percent of the appointments. 

Latinos (9.5 percent of the population) made up 4.2 percent of the appointments, African-Americans (12.3 percent of the population) made up 10.3 percent of the appointments, and college students (20 to 25 percent of the population) made up 8.1 percent of the appointments. 

A category called “whites and other” made up 60.6 percent of Berkeley’s population and 70.3 percent of the commission appointments. 

Berkeley’s city councilmembers and mayor appoint two people apiece to the Health Commission and one person apiece to all the other city commissions. The newly-created Downtown Commission was not reflected in Worthington’s report. 

The study shows that the initiator of the study, Worthington, had both the highest percentage of minority appointments (69 percent) and college student appointments (50 percent) of any member of council. 

Following Worthington, the two newly-elected African-American councilmembers have the highest percentage of minority appointments, with Max Anderson at 56 percent and Darryl Moore at 28 percent. Following were Dona Spring (13 percent), Linda Maio (9 percent), Gordon Wozniak (4 percent), and Betty Olds (3 percent). 

Moore also had the second-highest college student appointment percentage at 11 percent, followed by Spring and Olds (6 percent) and Wozniak (4 percent). Maio and Anderson did not have a college student appointment. 

According to the report, Mayor Tom Bates appointed 23 percent minorities to commissions and 17 percent college students, while Councilmember Laurie Capitelli did not have a minority or a college student appointment. 

Wozniak said that Bates’ appointment of only one African-American was “pretty sad, and pretty surprising. For years, the NAACP used to give [former mayor] Shirley Dean a hard time because she only had one African-American appointment. After that, to her credit, she appointed a number of African-Americans, at least as many as four. But now I see that Bates has the same number of African-American appointments as Dean had.” 

Worthington also said he thought that Wozniak’s dearth of student appointments was “one hundred times more negligent than Capitelli’s” because of the larger percentage of college students in Wozniak’s District 8 than in Capitelli’s District 5. 

Wozniak was not available for comment, but in a statement to the Daily Cal, he was quoted as saying that “it’s not quite as simple as saying they should represent (more students). Many of the college students in my district are freshmen, and I haven’t detected a lot of interest in city politics.”  

Worthington said that because of the attention now being generated, “I expect 10 people of color and 10 students will be appointed in the next couple of months.”?


Sunday Gala Heralds Arrival of a Unique Theatrical Vision By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 14, 2005

One of the Bay Area’s most unique theatrical companies has claimed a bridgehead in Berkeley, and they’re marking the event with a four-hour celebration Sunday afternoon. 

The Marsh, which has been delighting audiences and introducing hundreds of young people to the full range of theatrical arts, crafts and business savvy for the last 16 years in San Francisco, is the newest commercial tenant in the Gaia Building in downtown Berkeley.  

Though Marsh Berkeley has been offering performances of Executive Order 9066, a play examining the internment of West Coast Japanese-Americans during World War II, since Sept. 22, Sunday’s fest marks its official arrival. 

The company is the creation of Stephanie Weisman, a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who arrived in Berkeley in 1985, moving into an apartment above Moe’s Books on Telegraph Avenue. 

She came with a master’s in creative writing from the Buffalo campus of the State University of New York, where she had been a student and protégé of poet Robert Creeley, edited the Black Mountain II Review and developed and taught a class on small press publishing. 

Four years later, she said, “I started The Marsh to make it easy to get my work out.” 

The name comes from an interlude when Weisman lived on the edge of a marsh while she wrote, discovering that the environment teeming with life served as a metaphor for her own creative processes.  

The company’s first home was a one-night-a-week slot in the performance space of the Hotel Utah at Fourth Street and Bryant in San Francisco that opened in July 1989, she recalled, “and we went from one night to seven nights a week in a month’s time.” 

The 1990 season opened in the former Café Beano at 19th and Valencia streets with Haiku Tunnel, a piece by Josh Kornbluth—one of the performers who’ll be on stage Sunday—which, 11 years later, Weisman helped produce as a feature film. 

Two moves more moves brought the crew to the not-so-Modern Times Building on Valencia with an opening performance from Merle “Ian Shoales” Kessler, another performer at Sunday’s gala. The final move came in 1992, when the ever-growing The Marsh moved into the jazz club Bajones at 1062 Valencia St., a building they bought four years later. 

“When we bought, we only has the 2,500-square-foot theater space. It’s turned into 12,000 on two floors, including a 3,000-square-foot dance studio upstairs,” Weisman said. “We blossomed with each change of venue, and the space has really driven us. I really love that space.” 

As the San Francisco space grew, so did the programs to fill it. Monday nights are usually reserved for Monday Night Marsh, offering works-in-progress by a variety of artists, and the Mock Café every Saturday night, featuring stand-up comedy two doors down for at 1074 Valencia St. 

But public performances are just the surface. A variety of classes and workshops offer opportunities to hone a variety of theatrical chops, and Weisman’s especially delighted with the youth programs they’ve created. 

The Marsh Youth Theater in San Francisco under the direction of Berkeley resident and composer Emily Klion brings together public school youth, from lower-income families, with students from the San Francisco Day School in a program that provides instruction in drama, music, both voice and instrumental, staging, costumes and other theatrical skills that climaxes in a once-a-year major show. 

Other, shorter classes offer such things as “Dangling, Swinging, Flying” (trapeze work), Hip Hop dance, and, for the very young, the Itty-Bitty Theater Workshop.  

Weisman launched her newest youth program last month, with the aid of grant from the Irvine Foundation. 

“We’ve chosen five young artists who, over a nine-month period will be developing performances in workshops,” she said. “The program is on two tracks, the development of a show and the development of the knowledge and technology of producing a show, culminating in a festival with full length shows.” 

Some of those shows will come to the Gaia Cultural Center. 

The second track features a series of month-long workshops where the young artists delve into fund-raising, marketing, production, promotion, business planning and the computerized end of the business. 

“At the end, they’ll know the basics of the business from beginning to end,” Weisman said, adding, “the most successful students we have are the ones who pay a great deal of attention to the business end.” 

One faculty member is writer/performer/director/gifted mimic Charlie Varon—another performer at Sunday’s gala—whose works include the nationally acclaimed Rush Limbaugh in Night School. 

Weisman says she’ll bring the first children’s program to Berkeley in January. As the programs grow, so do the performances. 

“We’ve done an enormous amount on a small budget,” she said. “We did 500 performances last year on slightly more than $500,000. This year, we’ll probably have done 600, and that’s a lot on a budget of a half-million dollars.” 

The Marsh landed at the Gaia Building after Weisman told Berkeley composer Ellen Hoffman, who’s collaborating with her on an opera, about her wish to grow. 

“She’s friends with Anna DeLeon,” the proprietor of Anna’s Jazz Island, the first performance venue to open in the Gaia Building, which was allowed to exceed downtown height standards in part because developer promised to set aside a floor for cultural uses to qualify for a city “cultural arts space” bonus. 

“Ellen said there was space in the Gaia Building,” Weisman recalled, “and I said, ‘Why don’t we make it The Marsh?’” 

And because Berkeley’s closer to her Oakland home than The Marsh’s San Francisco facility, it’s a shorter commute to Weisman. 

“I’m thrilled to have an East Bay space,” she said. 

 

 

Sunday’s Gaia Gala, 2-6 p.m., in the Gaia Cultural Center on the first floor of the Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, features an hors d’oeuvres and wine reception and performances by Joshua Brody, Brian Copeland, Josh Kornbluth, Jeff Greenwald, Lunatique Fanstastique, Merle “Ian Shoales” Kessler, Rebecca Fisher and Charlie Varon. Tickets are $25 and are available by phone at (800) 838-3006 or through the website:  

www.themarsh.org/gaiagala.html.›


Scoping Meeting for West Berkeley Project Rescheduled By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 14, 2005

The scoping session for preparing the environmental impact report on the proposed condominium and retail development at 740 University Ave., originally scheduled for Thursday night, has been rescheduled. 

The meeting, called to gather the public’s suggestions for issues to be addressed in the document, has been set for Thursday, Oct. 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the second floor conference room of the city Planning Department at 2118 Milvia St. 

The project, by Urban Housing Group of San Mateo, calls for 173 housing units built over ground floor commercial and parking space. 

The project would require destruction of the buildings housing Brennan’s Irish Restaurant and Celia’s Mexican Restaurant. 

The Celia’s building was briefly declared a structure of merit by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, a decision later overturned by the City Council. 

 


The ‘Classroom Dash’ By Rio BauceSpecial to the Planet

Friday October 14, 2005

Some times the best ideas have unintended consequences. Measure B was a special tax measure that would implement a tax that would be used to primarily reduce class sizes. 

“There were hundreds of applicants ... In March, we ended up hiring 50 new teacher s, about 20 for Berkeley High,” said BUSD Public Information Officer Mark Coplan. 

While the classes at Berkeley High have been reduced, teachers, as well as students, have been observing something known as the “classroom dash.” In the past, most teacher s have had the liberty to each have a classroom to themselves. Now, with smaller class sizes and approximately 100 additional classes at Berkeley High, some teachers have to share classrooms with other teachers. 

“I find it very stressful,” said fourth-ye ar history teacher Alex Angell, who supported Measure B in the last election. “Like students need a break between classes, teachers also need a break. By the time I get to a different classroom, the bell has already rung. I get to make a physical transition, but I don’t get to make a psychological transition. I have no down time.” 

Teachers haven’t been the only people stressed out by the lack of organization. 

“In my history class, we’re all bunched together in one room,” said sophomore Calvin Young, 14. “Sometimes, my teacher arrives after the tardy bell has rung.” 

According to Coplan, the South Campus project, which will likely be completed in a few years, will offer 10 additional classrooms. These classrooms will most likely be used for one of the sm all schools. However, there are no plans in the making for building any additional classroom space. 

“I voted for Measure B, because I believe that smaller class sizes are very preferable,” said 10th-grade parent Barbara Besser. “However, my son hasn’t no ticed a considerable difference in his class sizes.” 

In November of 2004, 72.2 percent of the voters sided with the BUSD to approve Measure B. It was claimed that over the next two years, the tax revenue would generate $8.3 million. Supporters claimed th at the newly generated tax revenue would reduce the ever-increasing class sizes and argued that we needed more money to fund our children’s education. Opponents charged that the budget mess was a result of fiscal irresponsibility and asserted that Berkele y currently pays the most taxes of any city in the state. 

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) prides itself on the smaller class sizes. According to School Board Member John Selawsky, the class sizes vary by grade level. Kindergarten through third grade have an average classroom ratio of 20.55 students to each teacher. Fourth, fifth and sixth grades have a classroom ratio of 26 students to each teacher. And seventh grade through twelfth grade have a classroom ratio of 28 students to each teacher. 

Some students have been brainstorming solutions to the classroom shortage. 

“I don’t think that it was good to knock down classrooms in place of a student lounge in the C Building, like the administration did previously,” said junior Laura Byrne, 16. “Currently, the student lounge is rarely used. That is just another place where teachers could teach and students could learn.” 

 

Rio Bauce will be reporting regularly about Berkeley High School, where he is a student. 

 


Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS

Friday October 14, 2005

To view Justin DeFreitas’ latest editorial cartoon, please visit www.jfdefreitas.com To search for previous cartoons by date of publication, click on the Daily Planet Archive.

 


Letters to the Editor

Friday October 14, 2005

DAY OF MOURNING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I think we should declare a Day of Mourning for West Berkeley for the loss of the arts community at the Drayage Building. 

I am deeply saddened we have lost this small community for artists in West Berkeley. It is a great loss for West Berkeley that this has happened. 

When did we say that profits were more important than people? 

When did we say that artists were no longer important to our community and that we would let the developers and bulldozers destroy a small artist’s community? 

When did we say only consumers were important and that people who actually create are not important? 

When did we turn a blind eye to the fact that maybe an arts community needed protection from the ravages of the marketplace and developers? 

This is a sad day indeed and I hope we are all not naive enough to ignore it, and there should be a Day of Mourning for West Berkeley. 

Betsy Strange 

Painter in West Berkeley 

 

• 

OUTRAGED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am outraged by some of the stupid letters you publish. I hate you, the writers. That the Daily Planet would even have the gall to print a letter from someone like me! What idiocy! This is a waste of space. Also, the rebuttals to letters like this one are also a waste of space, as are the rebuttals to the rebuttal. 

In disgust, 

Richard List 

 

• 

REDSKINS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am appalled that Gov. Schwarzenegger had vetoed a bill that would have banned the name “Redskins” in both high school teams and mascots. The governor’s veto has shown how insensitive he is toward American Indians. The word “Redskin” is a very degrading term for them. It makes them less than human beings. 

By getting rid of this name, American Indians can have good self-esteem. Gov. Schwarzenegger should be ashamed of himself for vetoing a bill that would have gotten rid of a name that is degrading toward American Indians. 

Billy Trice, Jr. 

 

• 

SOUTH BERKELEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Nice photo on the Sept. 20 front page (“Liquor Store’s Demise Spurs Neighborhood Hopes”), reflecting the neighborhood’s mourning, the passing of an era. 

Imagine my surprise when the article had nothing to do with the picture. Imagine my growing irritation as I read. 

Wasn’t Matthew Artz out there the day we painted the wall? Didn’t he write an article, with photograph, praising all the community effort that went into the Southside Shines mural? Why didn’t he talk to some of the neighbors before he wrote the one-sided diatribe? 

And who is Don Oppenhiem and why did he move here? I probably walk past him every day, unless he’s the guy in the BMW who moved in after Christmas. It seems weird for someone to move into a neighborhood and start hating the corner market. 

Especially that one. 

A fixture of the neighborhood, Grove Liquor was actually a well-stocked grocery store by ghetto standards with an old-fashioned neighborliness that will be missed. Many of their customers will have a harder time now, having to go farther away. And we’ll all miss the friendly family that was part of our community. 

As for the Ashby Arts Community, I ask them to look at their location, at their surrounding ecology if you will ... A cafe? A pool hall? Maybe a boutique? Get real! This mostly residential community isn’t likely to support businesses that don’t supply a need. Of course the playhouses don’t exactly cater to the locals either... 

Gentrification? On the southside? That may take awhile. I hope so. 

We still miss the convenience and personal touch of our old neighborhood store. 

The neighborhood itself sees to be changing, too. More litter on the corner, which used to be swept and cleaned daily ... More yelling and “trash talk” on the street, judging by what I hear from my window .... And of course, no more causal chats with neighbors as we pick up our groceries. 

Ah well, times change. We’ll be watching with (vested) interest to see what happens next. 

Elizabeth McDonald 

 

• 

FREE BEER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Zelda Bronstein’s expose of free beer at the Berkeley homecoming game is only the tip of a huge iceberg. The amount of alcohol consumed and the problem of driving under the influence around home game tailgate parties all over campus would be a scandal if it occurred in any other jurisdiction. 

As an employee of the campus grounds department, I have once or twice been required to pick up the tons of tailgate party trash, including empty cases of wine, beer and hard liquor bottles unceremoniously left behind by alumni and boosters who have a funny way of showing their love for UC; drinking and partying and trashing the place, then using the streets and freeways to drive home. And I’m not talking about fraternities. 

If the Berkeley citizenry is troubled by the Honda dealership giving away free beer, imagine what they’d think of all the drunk drivers leaving the football games. And if the police are really in search of evil-doers, perhaps they’d stop harassing gutter-punks on Telegraph for a moment and set up checkpoints on University Avenue and do some breath testing. 

But that wouldn’t work because so many of those drunk drivers are being hit up for funds to build the new stadium. 

Hank Chapot 

 

• 

OBJECTIVITY? 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Paul Rockwell’s peace movement commentary is really pitiful. Of course, you folks are surrounded by people who glory in oppositional disorder compared to the mainstream views, yet even in Berkeley I have seen times when folks were honest with themselves. Hey, is that cute little shop that sells communist propaganda still open in that little mall area near campus? 

Sheehan may be speaking to your sense of “live and let be,” but if one of those “freedom fighters” from al Qaeda ever showed up at your door, I can guarantee you none of you will be given much respect or concern. The peace movement presently is led by folks who revel in socialist/communist thinking, never mind the fact that these ideologies have been shown to fail in a western, capitalist context. 

I bet at least you’re gratified I took the time to read your little paper. 

John Graham 

 

• 

COST OF RFID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the City Council will consider the cost of RFID at the Berkeley Public Library. The total cost of Director Griffin’s new RFID system has been estimated, to date, at $2.5 million, and the number is growing. 

Anyone concerned with RFID, the fate of Berkeley’s library, or the tax dollars we pay to support it should attend this meeting. Sign-up for public comment begins at 6:30 p.m. The council meets at Old City Hall, Martin Luther King, Jr. Way between Allston Way and Center Street. 

Jim Fisher 

 

• 

EDUCATION AND CRIME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gerta Farber writes that if every American of any color or culture was offered free education beyond high school, it would reduce crime. I question what kind of crime it would reduce. It certainly would not lower the now out-of-control white collar crime that is perpetrated in this country; it probably would not alleviate the number of drunk-driving accidents or occurrences of domestic violence. This reasoning that education is always the answer is nonsense. Finland has a very high level of education and the best social healthcare system in the world—providing from birth until death with free university thrown in. That doesn’t stop Finland from having the highest murder rate in Western Europe according to the United Nations. Crime will happen whether it is done by the most illiterate or the most learned, that is the only truth. 

John Parman 

Baltimore, Maryland 

 

• 

FOLLOW THE MONEY? 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Neal Rockett’s letter (“Follow the Money,” Oct 11) is indeed “independent of the creed, color, sexual preference, race or ethnicity of all participants” but he quite obviously believes that class is a fair dividing factor. Mr. Rockett claims to be confused as to why the three children born to a mother who has a social worker deserve adequate health care. He cites that the mother does not have custody of her three other children and that the father is apparently not present. The health care needs of infants are not dictated by their mother’s financial standing or marital status. 

I understand that the healthcare industry is far from ideal, but at any rate, these “hundreds of thousands of public dollars” are, in my mind, better spent on post-natal care for three children than almost anything else in the world. 

Maybe Mr. Rockett could address something that is a source of confusion for me. He quotes Deep Throat, urging people to “follow the money.” What in the world does Watergate have to do with three infants born in a BART station? 

Matthew Mitschang 

 

• 

BERKELEY HONDA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It has happened once too often in Berkeley that a trusted Berkeley business has sold out to an out-of-town buyer who forces out the old workforce and replaces it with cheaper replacement workers. While the latest instance is that of Berkeley Honda, I can recall at least one other case from a few years ago, that of Spenger’s Fish Grotto, bought by a Northwest firm that replaced most of its loyal workers. (I no longer dine there). 

But, much worse than any other such anti-labor actions, Berkeley Honda has insulted the community by trying to capitalize on the good name of Jim Doten. The Spenger’s Restaurant buyers, to my recollection, did not claim that their employees and company were partners with Cal, nor that their food and service was equal to or surpassed that of their famous predecessor. Tim Bienke and Steve Hayworth would have us believe that they are kind charitable people who are being victimized by the strikers and their supporters. Those people are only interested in taking their profits out of Berkeley and back to Blackhawk, where they reside away from public scrutiny. 

Business in Berkeley doesn’t have to be non union to be successful, and usually isn’t. We can be proud of our stores, like Andronicos, Peets, Cody’s, for example, or even chain stores like Ross, Walgreens and Longs, that offer goods and services at reasonable prices. We can be proud of the many family owned stores and restaurants that make Berkeley a special place every day of the year. Finally, Berkeley is home to many worker owned collectives that cater to almost every need. 

I cannot drive and will never own a Honda or any other car. But, I support the striking workers there because many of them, like me, live in Berkeley and are part of the community. They, like me, would like to continue working here. Certainly, people who live and work in the same city, like me, spend most of their income here. That’s what community is all about. 

Boycott Berkeley Honda! 

Edith Monk Hallberg  

Labor Commission Member 

• 

DELLUMS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Ron Dellums decides on a whim to run for mayor of Oakland, it seems the minute he stepped up to the podium. . He also decided on a whim to quit his Congressional post midterm in 1998 thus costing the taxpayers of Alameda County close to a million dollars in a slew of special elections. Money much needed in an always cash strapped county. This not the kind of person I want running my city. In short order when he realizes there’s no glory or glamour and loss of family time, he’ll want to move on leaving the citizens in the lurch possibly with a big special election bill. He rarely made public appearances locally while Congressman. He’s lived in D.C. since deserting his office. Is he going to be the absentee mayor, continuing to lobby in Washington while mayor ? Lest you think I’m a Republican or something, I voted for the guy in every office he’s held from city council to congress . However, I will never vote for him again I lost my respect for him in 1998. 

Judi Sierra 

Oakland 

 

• 

DRUG HOUSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am the lead plaintiff in the small claims suit against Lenora Moore repeatedly referenced in your Oct. 11 article, “Residents Look to Neighborhood Solutions for Help.” You quoted three supporters of Ms. Moore, but couldn’t find the time to contact any of the 15 Berkeley citizens suing her for allowing her home at 1610 Oregon St. to serve as South Berkeley’s one-stop drug mart. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to respond to them now.  

Osha Neumann seems to think the problem is solved because of the multiple restraining orders Moore sought against six members of her own family well after our suit was filed. Some restraint! One was arrested with her pocket full of crack just around the corner on Sept. 27. When another was busted for DUI right in front of Moore’s house on Aug. 4, Moore told the arresting officer, according to the police report, that she didn’t want him arrested for violating the restraining order “because the only reason she had the restraining order is because ‘the neighbors don’t like him.’” A third supposedly restrained family member nevertheless spent last Sunday afternoon hanging out in front of Moore’s house, conversing with Moore’s husband and other family members. In addition, a 15-year-old still living at the house, not subject to a restraining order, is already taking up the family drug trade at the corner of Oregon and California. Other individuals with free access to Moore’s house are also actively dealing at and around the house. Obviously Moore’s restraining orders are no solution to the problem.  

Next, one Leo Stegman is quoted as claiming—based on zero evidence—that my aim, and that of my neighbors, is gentrification, “trying to change the make-up of the neighborhood.” As both Stegman and the Daily Planet’s editors are aware, that charge has a clear imputation of racism, which I and my co-plaintiffs, both black and white, flatly reject. Personally, I’m just trying to get rid of the junkies and crackheads, white and black, who throw their used needles into my backyard for my 2-year-old daughter to pick up. I suppose that might be “trying to change the make-up of the neighborhood,” but the Moores get plenty of white frat-boy customers, so is it still gentrification?  

Finally, Andrea Pritchard defends the Moores because they are “Berkeley people.” Well, I’ve lived in Berkeley since 1974—is that long enough for me to be a Berkeley person too? An African-American plaintiff in our case has lived on California Street since 1961—can she be a Berkeley person? She was a plaintiff in the previous small claims suit against the Moores in 1992, the one that ended with a firebomb being thrown at the house of the lead plaintiff. That family had to move out of Berkeley, so I guess they aren’t Berkeley people any more.  

Reminder to the Daily Planet: Most stories have more than one side, and skin color is an indication of neither virtue nor sin. The assumption that it is what we commonly call racism.  

Paul Rauber  

 

• 

TO RE-BUILD A BOX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m sitting here at a meeting in Berkeley’s world-famous People’s Park. The acting mayor of Berkeley is here, sitting in a circle with approximately 20 other folks. 

Already the meeting is boring me. It’s about re-building the free-clothing box, a long-term People’s Park tradition until almost a year ago, when somebody burned it. And then somebody burned the new free-clothing box, which folks built to replace the old one. 

Already this meeting is boring me. Already we talked about several ideas such as: contacting “the media” regarding this issue; requesting or demanding that the University of California administrator meet with us regarding this issue; “the destruction of useable clothing”’; building a “coalition”—to include students and nearby residents—around this issue, etc. 

Already this meeting is boring me, and I’m trying to reckon: What can I do to make an impact? 

How about this: Just today, I, personally, got a nice pair of shoes and a nice T-shirt from the temporary free-clothing box which we just today set up. Plus two of the first few speakers at this meeting, “People’s Park regulars”—perhaps homeless or houseless—said that they got all the clothing they were wearing from the free box. 

“We don’t want no more food. We got enough food. We want our free-box back.” 

In fact some folks already—approximately two weeks ago—started rebuilding the free-clothing box. And guess what? Evidently, under cover of darkness, some university security people removed the work which had been done to rebuild the free-clothing box. 

So it looks like a clear case of good guys against bad guys. The bad guys are the university administrators who evidently ordered the partially re-built free-clothing box removed approximately two weeks ago, and the good guys are us: those of use who want to rebuild the free-clothing box. 

This is how I feel regarding this issue. How do you feel? 

Mark Creekwater 

?


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday October 14, 2005

Good Samaritan, Fast Response 

Lead to Prompt Arrest in Rape 

Berkeley Police arrested a 42-year-old man Wednesday afternoon, moments after they say he raped an elderly woman in her residence in the 1700 block of California Street. 

Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies said the woman allowed the rapist into her home after he knocked on her door shortly before 3 p.m. 

Another woman in the area heard the elderly victim calling for help and walked into the home just in time to see the rapist fleeing out of the rear of her house. 

The good Samaritan followed the suspect from a distance and pointed him out to officers when they arrived, said Okies. He was taken into custody near the North Berkeley BART Station. 

Officer Tim Kaplan of the OPD Sex Crimes Detail praised the witness for tailing the suspect and praised the patrol officers for making a safe arrest within moments after the rape took place. 

The suspect, Rene Moss, was booked on charges of burglary, rape and elder abuse.f


News Analysis: Miers Case Foreshadows Rise of Theocratic State By RICHARD RODRIGUEZPacific News Service

Friday October 14, 2005

For centuries, Judaism, Christianity, Islam—worshipping the same desert God—these brother religions have been divided from one another, divided even among themselves. It is not news that ancient hatreds persist.  

But consider also this: This week, the p resident of the United States, in the spirit of a theocratic Middle Eastern country, and in violation of Article 6 of the Constitution, proposed that his nominee, Harriet Miers, deserves her place on the Supreme Court because of her (evangelical) Christia n faith.  

Or consider this: At a press conference last March in Israel, a Muslim cleric, the Orthodox archbishop, the Latin Patriarch, the chief Sephardic rabbi, and the Chief Ashkenazi rabbi, sat side by side to announce their opposition to a gay parade in Jerusalem.  

Even as lethal differences separate the three desert religions, this is a time also of strange similarities and new alliances—two against one, or three against the secular state.  

Even while some mainline Protestant churches consider div estment from companies that profit from Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories, low-church Protestants become Zionists. For some, support of Israel fulfills an apocalyptic expectation. But such a mainstay of Israeli tourism have evangelicals beco me, a grateful Sharon government may lease to a Colorado Protestant group the site on the Galilee where Christ dispensed the beatitudes.  

Sometimes reconciliation masks rivalry. For example, to counter the appeal of Islam in the Third World, Roman Cathol icism accentuates its own conservatism. During the papacy of John Paul II, the Vatican allied itself with Muslim clerics in taking pro-life positions at international meetings, such as at the Cairo Conference on Women in 1994.  

So strange, so unprecedented is our religious age of rivalries and alliances, we lack a proper lexicon.  

We speak of “fundamentalist Christianity” when we describe the new super-churches in America’s suburbs. But a church like Lakewood in Houston, the largest super-church in the country, is exactly the opposite of fundamentalist—it has exchanged any theological precision for an everyone-is-welcome, feel-good Christianity. In a church like Lakewood there is no distinction between Methodist or Presbyterian.  

In another century, wa rs were fought among Christians over intricate points of theology. Now there is reunion, in resistance perhaps to Islam or to secularism. Increasingly, one hears in America people name themselves simply as “Christians.”  

Outside Terri Schiavo’s Florida h ospice last year gathered Roman Catholics alongside low-church Protestants. In another time, highly communal Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism’s stress on Christ’s personal call were as different as the “We” and the “I.” In another time in America, the Catholic Church was the “whore of Babylon” in the eyes of many low-church Protestants. Nowadays the tele-evangelist sits beside the Cardinal at the White House prayer breakfast.  

From Vienna, Cardinal Schonborn, a confidant of Pope Benedict, voices skepticism about Darwinism. Catholicism long ago rejected a literalist reading of Genesis. But now, as right-wing Protestants challenge evolution in the classroom, and born-again President George Bush proposes teaching the theory of “intelligent design” alongside Darwin, the Viennese cardinal suggests that evolution is mere “ideology, not science.”  

In the Middle East, fatal differences between Shia and the Sunni may end up destroying Iraq. In America, a fear of Islam leads many non-Muslims to see Islam as the monolith next door. We speak of “Muslims” without qualification. In time, perhaps America and Europe will create a new Islamic identity in the refusal to distinguish among the several.  

Though in a recent poll, a majority of Americans indicated a n “admiration” of Islam. One senses more: one senses envy, envy of the Muslim’s freedom to worship in the public square in ancient, desert cities.  

From the U.S. Air Force Academy comes news that coaches and administrators and students—the very people re sponsible for protecting our freedom to believe or not—have busily been proclaiming America “a Christian nation.”  

As it has become fashionable for Americans to speak of their religious faith publicly, I confess mine to you: I go to Roman Catholic mass e very Sunday. Yes, I am, you could say, a Christian.  

But, ever since Sept. 11, 2001, when havoc descended, in the name of my desert God, I find my easiest companionship with the agnostic and the atheist.  

 

Richard Rodriguez, an essayist and author of, most recently, “Brown: The Last Discovery of America” (Viking, 2003), is working on a book about religion. An earlier version of this essay was aired on “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.”


Column: The Public Eye: President Bush Plays by His Own Rules By Bob Burnett

Friday October 14, 2005

If you have ever played a competitive sport, you understand that there are actually two sets of rules. In regular games, there are formal rules and, usually, referees to ensure that all players abide by them; the competition is governed by an ethic: “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” 

In irregular contests, pick-up games, there are informal rules—in some venues called “jungle” rules—and no referees; in this situation, the game is often reduced to doing whatever it takes to win. The contrast between the two is the difference between boxing, conducted by the Marques of Queensbury rules where fighters may only strike the head and upper body with their gloved hands, and extreme fighting, where anything goes. 

When we question the actions of the Bush administration, it’s useful to keep this distinction in mind, as George Bush and company talk as if they abide by the political version of the Marques of Queensbury rules but actually play by jungle ethics where anything goes—Bush rules. 

Two recent news stories graphically illustrate the nature of Bush rules. It’s been well documented that the administration was indifferent to the tragedy wrought by Hurricane Katrina, until there was an enormous public outcry. What hasn’t been talked about is the contrast between this occasion and their response to Hurricane Frances in September of 2004. Two months before the presidential election, Frances was threatening Florida, with its 27 electoral votes, and the Bush administration leaped into action. The National Guard was mobilized and a federal-state-nonprofit task force was launched—before Frances hit. 

Bush rules dictated that the administration had to perform well in this time of crisis, because it represented a political opportunity. Katrina didn’t command the same urgency as it didn’t occur in an election year—Bush was making speeches in California on the day the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast. 

Bush rules have also governed the White House response to the outcry over the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. The president told the press that he wanted “to get to the bottom” of the leak scandal; his press secretary, Scott McClellan commented, “The president has set … the highest of standards for people in his administration…If anyone in this administration was involved in [the leak], they would no longer be in this administration.” Since those comments, we learned that top administration officials—including key presidential adviser, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney’s chief-of-staff, Scooter Libby—were involved. Yet, no one was punished by the White House. Moreover, according to a July 24 New York Times story and comments made by political commentator, George Stephanopolous on Oct. 2, the president and vice-president were deeply involved in the discussions about Valerie Plame, before her identity was revealed by conservative columnist Bob Novak. 

(Federal prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, questioned Bush for 70 minutes on June 24, 2004; at the time, legal observers remarked on how unusual this was and opined that it indicated a suspicion that the Plame leak occurred at a high level in the administration.) 

The hypocrisy of Bush rules might be dismissed as political business-as-usual if it were Richard Nixon who was president; “Tricky Dick” was known to be a slippery character, more interested in political gain than in the common good. However, George W. Bush has made a huge issue of his personal integrity. When he was first nominated to run for president, he made it a point to distinguish his morality from that of Bill Clinton and, by implication, Al Gore. 

“Behind every goal I’ve talked about tonight is a great hope for our country … we must usher in an era of responsibility. And our nation’s leaders are responsible to confront problems, not pass them onto others. And to lead this nation to a responsibility era, that president himself must be responsible. So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.” 

Bush promised to bring honor and responsibility to the presidency. Moreover, he claimed to be a Christian; not a superficial believer like Clinton, but a “born again” Christian. His profession of faith bolstered his declaration of integrity. 

Americans know a lot about Christianity as more than 80 percent identify with that religion. We understand that orthodox Christians do not lie, put their personal fortune above the common good, or believe that the ends justify the means. Proper Christians operate by the ethical equivalent of the Marques of Queensbury rules. Most believe that it’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. 

But George W. Bush plays by his own rules. As Americans watch this administration unravel—as the electorate begins to understand the folly of the Iraq occupation, the fantasy of homeland security, and the abandonment of governance in the pursuit of political gain—one wonders which realization will come first: Will it be that Bush the President is incapable of leading the United States, or will it be that Bush the man doesn’t deserve to be called a Christian? 

 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and activist. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net. This article also appears in the Huffington Post.


First Person: Going Home: Diary of a Palestinian American By JAMAL DAJANIPacific News Service

Friday October 14, 2005

Day One: Ben Gurion Airport  

The flight to Ben Gurion Airport from Amman takes only 20 minutes. We arrive in Tel Aviv on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. Airport security is heightened. I strategically position myself behind an official from the U.S. State Depa rtment at the passport control. He’s wearing shorts and has been on R&R in Amman.  

“They always harass me at Ben Gurion airport,” I tell the big-shot with the diplomatic passport. He goes through fast. “Next,” the female official yells.  

“You’re born in Israel, no?” she asks.  

“Jerusalem,” I answer, “not Israel. This is what I wrote on the form ... It is also on my passport.”  

She rolls her eyes. “You must write a country.” She crosses out Jerusalem and writes “ISRAEL” in red. As usual, I am irritated.  

“When I was born,” I say, “the Jordanians controlled Jerusalem. My mother was born there when the British controlled it, and my father was also born in Jerusalem at the start of WWI during the final days of the Ottomans. His passport says Palestine on it, in Arabic, Hebrew and English.”  

“Next,” she yells again, handing me my passport and a “security-risk” paper. I am stopped at baggage claim by an Israeli security officer. I look behind him, and there is the State Department guy in his shorts. “Is there a problem?” he asks. “Nothing out of the ordinary,” I reply, “for a Palestinian returning home.”  

The Israeli security officer looks at the U.S. official, looks at me, and hands me my passport.  

“Welcome to Israel,” he says.  

 

Day Two: Jerusalem  

Today is Rosh Hashanah and the first day of Ramadan. No traffic is permitted in the Haradym (orthodox Jewish) neighborhoods in Western Jerusalem, and the Old City comes to a standstill 15 minutes before the Iftar (breaking the fast). Everyone is waiting a nxiously in their dining rooms. There is a strange sense of peace in a place that witnessed so much bloodshed for centuries. I sit on my balcony facing the Mount of Olives, listening to the wind. The calls of the Mu’athens echo in harmony from the seven hills of the city like a symphony... “Allah wa Akbar...Allah wa Akbar,” God is great...God is great. The canon sounds, shattering the peace and signaling the end of the fast. I hear the noise of spoons hitting pots and plates. People talking and laughing. I wonder what it is like to live in the Western part of the city.  

 

Day Three: Ramallah  

“Wein Ala Ramallah,” (We are going to Ramallah) a folkloric song everyone from Ramallah knows by heart, highlights the beauty and the longing of what used to be a be autiful village. Now, most of Ramallah’s original inhabitants live in Michigan. My parents used to take us to this place in the summer time to escape the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem. The trip took 15 minutes but felt as if we were going to some faraway place. Today, it took me a little shy of two hours to get there. We went through one bypass road and three checkpoints. Kalandia was the worst. A backlog of hundreds of cars. You can buy just about anything while stuck in traffic: clothes, fake Nikes, fr uits, vegetables, birds, refrigerators. I saw someone selling refrigerators from the back of his truck. Under the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority, Ramallah developed into a mish-mash of buildings without planning or zoning restrictions. Overcrowded, dirty and noisy. Oh, to the glorious days of Ramallah... “Wein ala Ramallah.”  

 

Day Four: Beit Agron  

I went to Beit Agron to renew my Israeli press card. Without it I will not be able to cross into Gaza, which is still considered a closed military zon e. At 8:30 a.m., two foreign journalists (one Italian, one British) received their press cards in less than 15 minutes. I, on the other hand, am told that my application will take several days. I plead with the press office employee and tell him that I am staying in the country for only two more days. He does not budge.  

I am boiling from the inside out but decide not to lose my temper. So I leave for a stroll in the Old City.  

I enter it from the New Gate passing College des Freres, the French Catholic school where I spent 13 years receiving my early education. I walk down the Via De La Rosa, the road taken by Jesus Christ to his Crucifixion, and stop at the sixth station where he fell carrying the cross. I touch the markings on the stone wall ... I no longer feel the pain ... I am not angry any more.  

 

Day Five: Jericho  

During the Six Days War in 1967, we stayed at my grandmother’s in Jericho. I always thought of my grandmother as my protector. She was 88 when the Israelis in their tanks rolled down the Mount of Temptations into Jericho. When the soldiers came to our home she made us all stand behind her and made sure we were all safe. Jericho always reminded me of her: warm, old and beautiful ... an oasis.  

Today, the ancient road between Jerusale m and Jericho is blocked off by the 30-foot Israeli security wall. The Palestinians call it the “Apartheid Wall.” Now you have to go through a tunnel to link to the one lane highway which snaked its way into Jericho. I know when my ears pop that I am gett ing close to Jericho. It is below sea level.  

Today, when we approach Wadi el Qilt intersection, the traffic comes to a quick halt. Two Israeli humvees have blocked off the road and the soldiers are checking Palestinian drivers’ IDs. Of course, Israeli s ettlers with yellow plates are quickly waved through. Palestinians have to sit in their cars for miles under the heat of the sweltering sun of the Jordan Valley.  

I see an old lady in her 80s riding on a donkey. She’s carrying grapes and figs. She is sto pped by the Israelis and turned back. She passes our car.  

“Where are you heading to, hajeh?” (a title of respect to address the elderly that literally means “pilgrim”)  

“Jericho,” she replies. “I’ll get there, Inshallah, don’t worry.”  

She gently nudges her donkey, who immediately turns right into the hills. I watch her slowly disappear and reappear like a mirage. It takes us about two hours to make it into the center of town, yet I am thrilled. Jericho has not changed a bit. It remains the same laid-back town I remembered. Farmers still grow citrus and bananas and the center of the town has not grown by a single foot. When we got to the “Douwar” (the Circle), I look to my right and there she is ... and there is her donkey eating some orange peels. He looks happy. We drive next to her and stop. She looks at me and smiles. I smile and wave. I think of my grandmother.  

 

Day Six: Jerusalem  

I read in the letters to the editor section of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the Israeli Cabinet has halted t he efforts of the agriculture minister to bypass the High Court’s ruling to end the cruel force-feeding of geese to produce foie gras! This outcome was hailed to “preserve the dignity of Israel as a humanitarian state in keeping with the rule of law.” The letter-writer added: “Perhaps the dignity of Israel as a humanitarian state in keeping with the rule of law will now manifest itself with regard to Palestinians as well as to geese?”  

I’ve just finished reading seven newspapers, front to back. Three Isr aeli papers, three Palestinian ones and the International Herald Tribune. The Palestinians are missing one huge newspaper sheltered from partisan and government influence. They need their own New York Times. There is much debate going on in the Israeli pr ess about the future of Israel. Should Israel give up the West Bank? Should Israel sacrifice its Jewish identity for democracy?  

There is a lot of talk and debate but no action on the ground to ease the suffering of the Palestinians. The gigantic Wall is almost 70 percent complete, the Israelis continue their policy of demolishing Palestinian homes, illegal settlement activities continue in the West Bank and human rights abuses against the indigenous people of the land are committed daily by the Israeli government, under the watchful eye of the United States and the European Union.  

Tonight, I’ll head back to Ben Gurion Airport. A young Israeli security officer, perhaps a new immigrant or the son of one, will ask: “Where is your Israeli ID card? Why did you come back? Who did you see? Who do you know? What do you do?”  

I know the drill by heart...  

 

Jamal Dajani is director of Middle Eastern programming at Link TV (www.linktv.org).Ä


Column: Dispatches FromThe Edge Shifting Alliances Among India, Iran and the U.S. By Conn Hallinan

Friday October 14, 2005

This is a tale about a vote, a strike, and a sleight of hand. 

For the past six months the United States and the European Union have led a full-court press to haul Iran before the U.N. Security Council for violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNPT) by supposedly concealing a nuclear weapons program. Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted to declare Iran in “non-compliance” with the treaty, but deferred a decision on referral to the Security Council until Nov. 25. 

On S ept. 30, more than a million Indian airport and banking workers took to the streets to denounce the ruling Congress Party as “shameful” for going along with the Sept. 24 “non-compliance” vote in the IAEA. The strikers were lead by four Left parties that are crucial allies of the Congress-dominated United Progressive Alliance government. 

Why was India lining up with the United States and the European Union against Iran, and alienating essential domestic allies? Why would India jeopardize a deal with Iran over a $22 billion natural gas deal, and a $5 billion oil pipeline? 

To sort this out one has to go back to early this year when CIA Director Porter Goss and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld testified before Congress that China posed a strategic threat to U.S. interests. Both men lobbied for a “containment” policy aimed at surrounding and isolating China. 

One key piece on this new Cold War chessboard is India. But there was an obstacle to bringing India into the ring of U.S. allies stretching from Japan to Tajikistan. 

In 1974, using enriched uranium secretly gleaned from a Canadian and U.S. supplied civilian reactor, India set off an atomic bomb. New Delhi was subsequently cut off from international uranium supplies and had to fall back on its own rather thin domestic sources.  

But the Bush administration realized that if it wanted India to play spear bearer for the United States, the Indians would need to expand and modernize their nuclear weapons program, an almost impossible task if they co uldn’t purchase uranium supplies abroad. India produces about 300 tons of uranium a year, but the bulk of that goes to civilian power plants.  

According to the 2005 edition of “Deadly Arsenals,” India presently has between 70 and 110 nuclear weapons.  

T hose weapons, however, are fairly unsophisticated, and clunky for long-range missiles. Nor are Indian missiles yet capable of reaching targets all over China, although the Agni III, with a range of 2,000, miles is getting close. 

So here comes the sleight of hand. 

On June 28, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee met with Rumsfeld to sign the U.S.-India Defense Relationship Agreement, which gives India access to sophisticated missile technology under the guise of aiding its space program.  

The June a greement was followed by a July 18 meeting of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush that ended U.S. restrictions on India’s civilian nuclear power program, and allowed India to begin purchasing uranium on the international mark et. 

By allowing Indian to buy uranium on the open market, the pact will let India divert all of its domestic uranium supplies to weapons production. That would allow it to produce up to 1,000 warheads, making it the third largest arsenal in the world beh ind the United States and Russia. 

Of course there was a price for these agreements: India had to vote to drag Iran before the Security Council. The Americans were quite clear that failure to join in on the White House’s jihad against Teheran meant the ag reements would go on ice. 

“India,” warned U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Ca), will “pay a very hefty price for their total disregard of U.S. concerns vis-à-vis Iran.”  

So that explains the vote. But is the Congress Party really willing to hazard its majority i n the Parliament and endanger energy supplies for the dubious reward of joining the Bush administration’s campaign to isolate Iran and corner the dragon? Well, a “sleight of hand” can work both ways. 

Right after the Sept. 24 vote in the IAEA, Iranian Pre sident Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad gave an incendiary interview to the United Arab Emirates based newspaper, the Khaleej Times, threatening retribution against any country that voted against Iran. A few days later, the Iranians reversed themselves, claiming that their president had never actually talked with the Khaleej Times. And the Indians quickly announced that the gas and pipeline deal was still on. It’s a good bet that the Indians give Teheran a wink and a nod following their “yes” vote. India is already hinting that it may change its vote come Nov. 25 (one suspects from “yes” to “abstain”). 

The Sept. 24 vote was 22 “yes,” one “no,” and 12 abstentions. China and Russia abstained but have publicly said that they are opposed to sending Iran to the Security Council. Two of the “yes” votes are rotating off the 35-member IAEA board to be replaced by Cuba and Belarus. And much to the annoyance of the United States, Britain, France and Germany met this past week to discuss restarting direct talks with Teheran. In short, it is unlikely that Iran will end up being referred to the Security Council. 

Will an “abstain” vote by India be enough to open the gates for U.S. technology to ramp up New Delhi’s nuclear weapons programs? Probably.  

Does this mean India joins the U.S. alliance against China? The answer to that question is a good deal more complex. 

In April of this year India and China signed a “Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity,” and trade between the two up and coming Asian giant s is projected to reach $20 billion by 2008.  

In fact, in the end the United States may just end up getting snookered. As analyst Lora Saalman writes in Japan Focus, “The technical and military hardware provided by the United States promises to expand In dia’s political, strategic and military foot print even beyond China,” but that rather than pitting the two huge Asian powers against one another, “the United States may be setting up India to instead serve as a future strategic counterweight to U.S. inte rests in Asia and abroad.”  

 

• • • 

 

“Spiraling out of control” is how Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger described the U.S. military’s conduct toward journalists in Iraq. 

At least 66 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion, four of them from Reuters. Besides the killings, scores of journalists have been arrested and detained.  

Reuters is particularly upset with the detention of cameraman Samir Mohammed Noor, who was arrested last April and taken before a secret tribunal. The tribunal found him to be “an imperative threat to the coalition forces and the security of Iraq” and ordered him to be detained indefinitely. Reuters is demanding he be released and given an opportunity to defend himself in open court. 

In a letter to Senator John Warner (R-Va), chair of the Armed Services Committee, the Reuters head charged that “By limiting the ability of the media to fully and independently cover the events in Iraq, the U.S. forces are unduly preventing U.S. citizens from receiving information … undermining the very freedoms the U.S. says it is seeking to foster every day that it commits U.S. lives and U.S. dollars.”


Column: Undercurrents: The Long History of Exploiting Black Entertainers J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday October 14, 2005

There’s a history of this. 

In the slaverytime plantation quarters, where the black field hands used to live, they often amused themselves in the evenings after work with jokes and songs and stories. On some plantations, the slavemasters and their childr en would often walk over from the Big House to watch these impromptu “nigger shows” (to use the popular term of the day), and they would sometimes bring along visitors as well to see the entertainment. 

Eventually, a handful of white folks began to compil e these jokes and songs and stories and disseminate them to a wider audience. Between 1881 and 1905, for example, Georgia writer Joel Chandler Harris published several collections of tales by a fictional black man he called Uncle Remus, which have come do wn to us as the now-famous “Bre’r” Rabbit stories. 

Much earlier than that, even while slavery was still in existence, other white folks organized these slavequarters shows into elaborate staged follies called minstrel shows, where white performers with nappy wigs and faces blacked-out with cork would strum banjos, buck-dance, and sing the old nigger songs. The tune “Dixie,” for example was supposed to have been created on a banjo—a five-string African instrument brought to America by African captives—by Ohio-born Dan Emmett while working in a minstrel show in the 1850s. Mr. Emmett, who was white, later toured the country in blackface, performing under the billing of “The Renowed Ethiopian Minstrel.” 

These minstrel shows were wildly popular, America’s fi rst form of popular mass entertainment, revered by such observers as Mark Twain. They carried on into the 20th century, and it’s no accident that one of the first talking motion pictures—The Jazz Singer—featured Al Jolson on his knees singing “Mammy” in b lackface. Jolson had already achieved fame as a performer doing the same thing on the vaudeville stage. 

Of course, the creators of these jokes and songs—the African captives on the slaverytime plantations—themselves never reaped any benefit from the doll ars and fame that flowed into the world of minstrel productions. In fact, we don’t even know their names. 

Times passed and slavery ended, but much of the relationship between the African-American entertainment creators and the entertainment industry itse lf remained the same. The old buck-and-wing “coon songs” gradually morphed into what became known as the “blues,” slow-paced at first, but eventually going uptempo and evolving in the late 1940s and 1950s into what became known as “rhythm and blues,” or R &B. The originators and performers of blues and R&B were black entertainers, and many of them—such as Bessie Smith or Ma Rainey—were huge draws in live road shows in black communities along what was called the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” which ran from black-venu e theaters such as the Apollo in New York and the Howard in D.C. down through Virginia, the Carolinas, and into the lower South as far as Texas. (The Chitlin’ Circuit was recently popularized in the Jamie Foxx movie, Ray.) Some of these black blues and R& B artists even signed deals with record companies and recorded songs. 

These black blues and R&B songs were called “race records” in their day. Anyone, white or black, could go into a store and buy them, but they were marketed almost exclusively to the bl ack market. In the days of segregation, “race records” were almost never played on white radio stations. But record companies, seeing as much potential popularity in the larger white community for the blues and R&B forms as there had earlier been for mins trel, signed up white artists to re-record these blues and R&B songs in a practice that was called “covering.” These white-artists-singing-black-songs were then marketed to white audiences, most of whom almost never got the chance to hear the original bla ck versions. And while many of the original black artists were broke and hungry, barely making ends meet, some of those white artists became some of the most famous entertainers of our lifetime. Elvis Presley—who came to fame singing a watered-down versio n of Big Mama Thornton’s risqué “Hound Dog”—was one such artist. Another was Pat Boone, who made a living covering such Little Richard hits as “Long Tall Sally” and “Tutti Frutti.” 

Little Richard has lived long enough to see the end of segregation and th e opening up of his talents to white audiences, but he remains bitter about those years in which so many black artists worked in obscurity to create the art forms for which they didn’t gain fame or fortune, while white entertainers and producers dipped in, picked up black culture on the cheap, and marketed it in the white community for millions. 

To their credit, many of those white artists who sampled black culture turned around and gave credit to the originators. Berkeley native Johnny Otis, Greek by bi rth, passed over the racial curtain the opposite way, effectively living as a black man while writing and performing black hits (he was Big Mama Thornton’s producer, and was a co-writer of the original lyrics to “Hound Dog”). The Beatles, many of whose ea rly songs were remakes of Chuck Berry hits or other black blues and R&B standards, went out of their way to acknowledge that cultural debt. So, too, did Eric Clapton, who often pays tribute to the black blues geniuses upon whose shoulders he stands. Black blues and R&B giants like B.B. King and Ray Charles eventually became nationally famous entertainers, recognized for their genius. 

Many black entertainers are still exploited, of course. But with the crossover success of the Motown sound in the 1960s—wh en white kids could first openly listen en masse to black songs by black artists on the radio—down to the present rap/hip hop era, where black artists are able to take their creativity directly to all the people, the era is over in America when other races are able to step in and take over an entertainment form created by blacks because blacks are not allowed to practice that entertainment form in public. 

Or is it? 

Well, friends, we saw this one coming. Let’s talk (again) about the sideshows. 

From the time that the Oakland police and a handful of Oakland politicians drove the sideshows out of the parking lots at Eastmont Mall and Pac’n Save on Hegenberger and into the East Oakland streets, many of the original black organizers of those events have been trying to work with the City of Oakland to try to set up legalized sideshows. Their argument has been that such legalized sideshows would provide entertainment outlets for black Oakland youth, help develop responsible young black entrepreneurs, and bring in much-needed tax dollars to the city. 

But with the notable exception of City Councilmember Desley Brooks, the City of Oakland has not worked back. 

The Oakland Police Department and most city officials have been lukewarm to the idea, and Mayor Jerry B rown and City Councilmember Larry Reid have been downright hostile. Reid, in fact, has said that he will “never” allow a legalized sideshow in Oakland. 

But a legalized sideshow was held in Alameda County last weekend—in full view of police and politician s—and black people weren’t invited. 

If you want to hear what happened, you’ll have to read next week’s column.an


Commentary: Berkeley’s Freeway Sports Fields By L A WOOD

Friday October 14, 2005

Who in their right mind would ever think to create a sports field on the shoulder of an interstate freeway that is often in gridlock and whose daily auto capacity exceeds 250,000 vehicles? It seems no one, except the City of Berkeley, which is now proposing the Gilman Street “Freeway Fields.” As it turns out, the site designated for this recreational facility is connected to the East Shore Regional Park. Unfortunately, it is that narrow portion that is directly adjacent to I-80, separated from the busy highway by only the frontage road and a chain link fence.  

The city, which is both the project developer and the permit regulator, has dismissed the site’s undeniably bad air quality. Planners have been less than honest about the potential health impacts to the Freeway Field users, the majority of whom are children. The Gilman Freeway Fields, like a number of other West Berkeley projects, has created serious conflicts over air quality and land use. The Gilman Street project is the most extreme example. Berkeley’s proposal to build five sports fields at this site throws all caution to the wind in the hope that the wind will literally blow the right way.  

 

Upwind and Downwind  

Anyone who has visited the proposed site knows that during every season of the year, there are days, and even periods of each day, when there is no wind or when it blows west, towards the bay. So, it may come as a surprise that the city’s project consultants have argued that the Freeway Fields would be upwind from auto and industry emissions when the fields are in use.  

Although the city’s consultants acknowledge there are days when the fields would have no wind, or would be downwind, from freeway and industry pollution, the health risks were assessed as if the proposed fields were only impacted by bay winds. This conveniently avoids any discussion of the health consequences for those children on site during the times when freeway and industry emissions do impact the proposed location. What annual percentage of days with emissions permeating the fields is acceptable from a public health perspective? Ten percent? Twenty percent? Thirty percent? More? Park users have a right to know what the real health impacts are!  

The Freeway Fields project has moved through city planning without provoking as much as a whimper from the planning commission or staff about the site’s poor air quality. Perhaps it is because the mayor has placed the Freeway Fields on his “progressive” agenda. Certainly project consultants must be aware of the political pressure to make the project work. This is city planning at its worst. In a more normal rezoning process where the developer isn’t in the cozy position of also being the permit regulator, such a significant change in land use would require scientific proof about the health and safety of the site.  

 

Land Use and Children  

Some in Berkeley may remember the fiasco surrounding a similar project several years ago. The Harrison soccer fields, not far from the proposed Gilman Street site, were suspected of having poor air quality. However, like with the Freeway Fields now, the city argued for the rezoning of the Harrison site based on the idea that the air quality wasn’t that bad, providing children didn’t spend too much time there.  

This notion was also supported by the city’s public health officer who publicly stated that the benefit from recreation outweighed any health concerns. The city must have been dismayed when the onsite air monitoring of the Harrison soccer fields revealed a much more extreme picture. The PM10 particulate matter was shown to exceed the state’s health standards more than 100 days a year, forcing the city to post the soccer site with health warnings!  

The California State Air Resources Board (ARB) recently updated its land use guidelines for new sensitive land uses, including those associated with congested freeways (100,000 vehicles/day). The ARB identifies playfields at the top of its list of sensitive land uses, and clearly states that locating playfields in high traffic freeway emissions areas should be avoided.  

There are numerous studies confirming the association between highway emissions and respiratory problems, including asthma and bronchitis. These problems are all of potential concern at the Gilman site, especially for those already at risk. Before the Freeway Fields are constructed, the City of Berkeley needs to understand more about the site’s exposure levels from both mobile and stationary sources of air pollution.  

Unquestionably, Interstate 80 is at its worst during the late afternoon, and is often in a total gridlock for hours. Because the fields would be used the most during the weekday afternoon commute, the worst air emissions would occur when the most children are exerting themselves on the playing fields. And it won’t get better. Freeway traffic and auto emissions at this air quality “hot spot” are only expected to increase.  

For those who believe that the Gilman Freeway Fields are sufficiently buffered from air pollution sources at a mere 500 feet or less from I-80, they should be aware that a study released this year by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the California Department of Health Services suggests that concentrations of freeway emissions can impact downwind receptors up to 1500 feet before diminishing to background levels. That amounts to five football fields, end to end.  

With the promise of millions of dollars coming from the state’s Department of Parks and the East Bay Regional Parks District, the City of Berkeley will certainly move forward to build the Freeway Fields. Why haven’t these agencies, which are in the business of parks, voiced their concern over sports fields being sited on a congested freeway exit? The city should be required to monitor the air quality on site for at least a year before development of the proposed sports fields. Not to do so is irresponsible, and perhaps criminal!  

 

L A Wood is a Berkeley environmental advocate.›


Commentary: Derby Field Will Cost $4.5 Million By JOHN SELAWSKY

Friday October 14, 2005

Some points in Matthew Artz’s generally accurate Oct. 7 article on Derby Street/East Campus need explanation and clarification. It is not so much that any information in the article is inaccurate, it is that some of it is incomplete. 

The first, and probably most significant point, is that Artz’s stated “additional $1.4 million needed to build a regulation baseball diamond…” is not the actual cost of a closed-Derby project. One of my questions to our staff was the additional costs of soft costs (planning, schematics, architectural, engineering, geo and hydrology reports, etc.) and contingency/inflation costs; the response from BUSD staff is that these are typically about 40 percent above construction costs. These soft and contingency costs were not included in the $2.7 million “bare bones” closed-Derby project. Also not included in that “bare bones” estimate were fencing, buffer zones, landscaping, or any other amenities. Any traffic calming/diversion/mitigation from a future environmental impact report are also additional. In other words, that $2.7 million estimate covers merely the cost of a baseball field, nothing else. It is, to me, an entirely unrealistic estimate, but even this unrealistic estimate is about $1.5 million more than BUSD has budgeted for the project. Our own staff estimate for a reasonably complete closed-Derby project is about $4.5 million. 

I have to also comment on a quote from Doug Fielding (Association of Sports Fields Users), who is quoted thus: “I think they’re going to come to an agreement [over money] by deciding we don’t need to do this stuff.” “This stuff” that Fielding refers to are such neighborhood necessities as storm drains, recurbing, utility upgrades, and a traffic signal on Carleton (there is currently a traffic signal on Derby and MLK, which would be removed if Derby were closed). Lest anyone believe a traffic signal is not necessary, the Fire Station on Shattuck and Derby needs uninterrupted access across MLK for emergency response. Derby, by the way, is currently designated one of the city’s emergency evacuation routes. With comments such as Mr. Fielding’s, it’s no wonder the neighbors are very very concerned about this project. 

As a member of the School Board, I have to deal in the realm of reality. It is nice to wish for a baseball field, it is even legitimate to discuss its possibility, but the reality of shoe-horning a regulation-size baseball field in a tight residential neighborhood, and the subsequent costs involved, are much more than BUSD can bear. The Tuesday Farmers’ Market on Derby and Milvia/MLK has been in existence since 1986, and would be adversely impacted by a “bare bones” closed-Derby project. The full impacts on the Farmers’ Market and the neighborhood by a complete closed-Derby project are not yet fully known, and will not be until a full EIR is performed. In a time of scarce resources, with limited property available, and so many competing needs for BUSD properties, pursuing an expensive and complicated closed-Derby project is not in the best interests of our residents and our city. We could build playing fields on Derby right now; only the desire for a “big-league” ballfield is stalling that possibility.  

 

John Selawsky is member of the School Board.


Commentary: Data Supports West Berkeley Discussion By NEIL MAYER

Friday October 14, 2005

Steven Donaldson writes on your commentary page Oct. 7 that I used “completely bogus statistics” in describing the industrial sector in West Berkeley as vibrant in my presentation at a meeting of the West Berkeley Alliance of Artisans and Industrial Companies. Actually, I reported well-documented facts that Mr. Donaldson apparently doesn’t like. I said: 

• Manufacturing employment in Berkeley, which had declined precipitously from 1981 to 1991, remained very stable from 1991 to 2001—the decade immediately following the city’s establishment of zoning protections for industrial companies and creation of an industrial retention program. The data come directly from the State Employment Development Department (EDD).  

• The latest available data, for 2002, (again EDD) show some renewed decline in a period of U.S.-wide manufacturing loss , suggesting additional (non-zoning) action may be needed to restabilize the sector in Berkeley. A significant part of the loss involved a single dotcom firm, however. 

• Berkeley, of all East Bay cities, consistently has the lowest industrial vacancy rate for rentable spaces and the highest rent levels for such property. The data come from CB Richard Ellis, Inc. (brokerage company) in their publication East Bay Industrial MarketView, including the latest second quarter 2005 information showing vacancies at 1.2 percent, about one-fifth the level of the next lowest rate city. While the absolute level may be understated in Berkeley and elsewhere because of non-reporting, the fact that Berkeley’s vacancy rate is consistently by far the lowest is indicative of continued market strength. 

When Mr. Donaldson made the “bogus” charge at the meeting, I responded with the same information about my sources. Apparently he didn’t listen to the answers. 

Mr. Donaldson also seems to have missed, in his haste to brand the diverse 100-plus person gathering as “ideologues,” the major policy points raised by members of the panel and audience at the meeting. I at least heard people saying that: 

• Manufacturing is still important because of the good jobs it supplies, the balance it gives to our economy, and its fit with our strong arts and artisans sectors. 

• Sensitivity here to such issues as land cost, traffic, and space for growth means we have to be careful about any changes we make in West Berkeley land use policy. 

• We may want to adjust our industrial zoning to match the needs of the changing nature of the industrial economy (no one is arguing Donaldson’s straw man that heavy industry is going to grow here). 

• Proposals for other land uses should be given close scrutiny. We have the recent history of a dotcom office bubble bursting in other cities. It might have burst here as well had the West Berkeley office proponents of 1990 had their way. Does Berkeley today have a shortage of retail space, or might new retail in West Berkeley weaken our downtown and strong neighborhood shopping areas? 

We have an important discussion about West Berkeley to undertake, to which Mr. Donaldson’s name-calling does not contribute, and open public meetings like WeBAIC’s do. 

 

Neil Mayer is a the former director of the Berkeley Office of Economic Development. 

o


Arts: Jordi Savall Revives Little-Known Composers By IRA STEINGROOT Special to the Planet

Friday October 14, 2005

We all know the names Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms. We think of these as the great signposts on the familiar highway that is the history of Western music. Looking backwards, the story seems clean, neat, inevitable. 

But what then do we do with such messy characters as Tobias Hume, Franz Biber, Johann Zelenka, or even Erik Satie? Are they merely footnotes to Bach or Debussy, able “to swell a progress, start a scene or two,” or are they creative spirits who deserve to be treasured for their own unique works? 

The Catalan viola da gamba player Jordi Savall has made it his life’s work to retrieve such sparks of musical genius, not just on his own instrument, but also as a conductor, producer of concerts and records, cinematic music director, teacher and historian. In his hands, categories like ancient and modern, popular and classical, interpretation and improvisation, disappear and we are left with Duke Ellington’s dictum that, “There are only two kinds of music, good music and bad music.”  

This month he returns to the Bay Area to conduct the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in Musica de la Noche, a program of works by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) and Juan Arriaga (1806-1826). Boccherini was an Italian cellist and composer, a follower of Haydn, who was a pioneer in the proto-classical symphony and the string quintet. He spent most of his adult life in Spain working for various royal and noble patrons.  

For this concert, the orchestra will perform, appropriately, one of his symphonies and one of his quintets. It is from the quintet that the program takes its name: La musica notturna di Madrid, a piece of descriptive music charting the city’s night sounds, “beginning with the bell of the Ave Maria and ending with a military retreat,” as Boccherini put it. 

His Sinfonia No. 23 in D minor “Grande” a più strumenti obbligati, Op. 37 showcases his affinity for minor keys. If you heard the Twentieth Century Chamber Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve performance of another of Boccherini’s orchestral works, Sinfonia in D minor, you may remember that it is known as “from the house of the devil” because it is full of diminished fifths, that is, slightly discordant tritones, the so-called devil’s interval. These minor keys allowed him to express himself beyond the light Italian lyricism that was natural to him. 

Juan Arriaga was born the year after Boccherini died and only lived to the age of 20 yet he made a lasting impression on Iberian music. He was known as “the Spanish Mozart,” although more recently, some have adjusted that to “the Basque Mozart.” 

For this concert, the orchestra will perform the Overture from Los esclavos felices (The Happy Slaves), the only surviving part of an opera he wrote at thirteen. The program will conclude with another symphony in D, Arriaga’s Sinfonia a grande orquesta in D major. 

If you think these composers and works are only of historical interest, you miss what Jordi Savall brings to this kind of music. Where we have been trained to look for masterpieces of composition, perfect musical constructions, Savall is looking for pieces that free the performers in the act of interpreting the music. Western composers then begin to take on some of the qualities of jazz composers who write structures that allow the musicians to complete the composition. 

Of course, there is a notated score, but there is something beyond simple mechanical reproduction. When performers of the calibre of Savall and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra respond to composers like Boccherini and Arriaga in this way, be prepared for some of the most beautiful and instantly accessible classical music you have ever heard. 

 

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra conducted by Jordi Savall will perform on Friday, 8 p.m., at Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco; Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sunday, 7:30 p.m., at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley; Tuesday, 8 p.m., at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette; and Oct. 21, 8 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto. For more information, call (415) 252-1288 or see www.philharmonia.org. 

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Arts: Jack Marshall’s Memoir Explores His Jewish-Arabic Roots By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet

Friday October 14, 2005

Start where, then? 

Anywhere. 

With no beginning or end? It’s all middle. 

All middle, then; so be it: The center is everywhere. 

 

Poet Jack Marshall of El Cerrito, long a familiar figure in the Bay Area writing scene, will read from his new memoir, From Baghdad to Brooklyn; Growing Up in a Jewish-Arabic Family in Midcentury America (Coffee House Press), Tuesday at Black Oak Books at 7:30 p.m. 

Born in Brooklyn to an Arabic-speaking Sephardic family, his father from Baghdad, his mother from Aleppo in Syria, Marshall has long written of childhood and adolescence in both his poetry and prose. 

“It’s on the tip of my tongue: ‘childhood,’ magical word, conjuring up an endless sky’s pale blue hood pulled back to the horizon,” he writes in the book. “Drawn there not for nostalgia’s sake, but what I am now able to see of what our life was then.”  

Marshall writes about his family by creating a fascinating fusion with his reflections and how he saw it growing up, awakening both to the realities of his family and culture and to the world outside. He examines the every day “clash of cultures” and the revelations of adulthood about the background of family conflicts and incongruities. The urge to remember (and “dis-member”) the past and his roots, starts a process, which he writes, begins “to run them together, mix and match the mongrel strains, mingle and merge apparent partitions and genealogical division ... to feed the twin streams into one twined flowing river; not in order to have it both ways, but because of the fact of being both ways.” 

Marshall said a number of events spurred him to write the book. Shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his sister died of cancer and letters from their father were found among her papers. Then the war in Iraq came. 

“Baghdad may be wiped off the map; my sister gone ... the sense I had of my own age, I had no notion of publishing, at first, just to get down what I could remember,” Marshall said. “And it took on the qualities of an extended dream. Each memory, each short section is, in fact, the center, all to itself ... a panel to slide and recombine with the other vignettes. I’d dig in deep, pull out and start somewhere new—or the memories would come with one suggesting another, moving radically back and forth. Each links together now in more-or-less chronological order, as a total piece combining early memories with what I know now in the bigger scheme of things.” 

He writes about his discovery that his retiring father with an English politeness from his years in Britain and his acerbic, even taunting mother, had an arranged marriage after their separate immigration to the States.  

If there is a center to this book with a center everywhere, it’s just past the middle, when Marshall, as “a pious yeshiva student” awarded a scholarship to Talmudic Academy (the first Sephardic to be enrolled), begins to question not only the faith of his community, but, as he puts it, “how most people grew up with religion, went along with their family—and nobody ever talked about it that way [questioningly].” 

A young friend named Isaac, on a walk home after Hebrew school, laughs “in a loud cackle, with a hiccupping action at the end, like the pop of a cap pistol” after saying to Marshall, “You know, Moses wasn’t a Jew.” 

Marshall writes that “His scornful, wild laughter is what I now most remember ... [as] if he had a hand he didn’t need to show.” 

Given Freud’s Moses and Monotheism on top of his reading Darwin and “asking obvious disquieting questions I couldn’t answer with inherited models,” Marshall remembers asking himself if “customs were habits, and the repetitions of habit were seductions; [if] tradition and authority were mere holding patterns against the unknown and unpredictable; that, in present fact, nothing from the past could help anymore, and as these moments went on, there was no appeal outside of the present, that each moment of the present was an ongoing beginning as well as an end?” 

He remembers “being disturbed .. not so much that what Isaac was saying was true, but that it was conceivable, that it could be true.” He concludes that “each moment—like a flare going out, not some sacred past we owed allegiance to, nor a promised future without immediate substance to its claim—each present moment was the very heart of time.” 

Writing in a flexible style that can quickly shift from lyricism to analysis to conversation, Marshall describes the milieu around him as he grows up.  

Reading Dylan Thomas and Rimbaud, becoming a poet, and taking, almost on impulse, a berth as a messboy on a freighter heading for West Africa, Marshall ends the memoir with one of the memories which began it. It is a memory that also led to his first book of poems. It was a sense of taking flight, like Darwin’s first land creatures that metamorphose into birds: “I began to have a sense of being closer to the sky, a feeling—which would grow over time in the open sea—that sailing would not be so much floating as flying.” 

 

 


Arts: Sousa in Song: A Musical Biography at the Freight By KEN BULLOCKSpecial to the Planet

Friday October 14, 2005

John Philip Sousa, hailed by Claude Debussy as “the king of American music,” heads up the parade once again. Oh Mr. Sousa!, Ken Malucelli’s 24-number musical biography of the composer of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and 135 other popular marches will debut at Freight & Salvage Sunday before touring other Bay Area venues. 

Originally created by Malucelli for Sousa’s 150th birthday last year, Oh Mr. Sousa! employs nine actors to play 37 roles, including Eastenders’ Peter Matthews and John Hutchinson as the younger and elder Sousa, with opera singer Sheryl Blalock as his wife Jenny. The musical frames the famous songs composed during Sousa’s long and prolific career. 

Born in 1854 “in the shadow of the Capitol dome” in Washington D. C., Sousa composed mo re than his signature marches before his death in 1932. He also wrote 16 operettas, 28 fantasias, 24 dances, five overtures and 70 novelty songs, besides penning seven books and 138 articles. Sousa co-founded ASCAP, and was sole composer of all the number s in the first Columbia catalogue.  

“He wanted to be the American Gilbert & Sullivan, but he could never find a good lyricist,” Malucelli said. “One conceit I allow myself is taking a patter song he wrote for his operetta Desiree and substituting Gilbert’s lyrics from a number in ‘Ruddigore’—Gilbert & Sousa! And still ‘G & S’!” 

Sousa was a big international star at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Malucelli said that 40,000 people once crowded into a pavilion that seated 2,500 to hear him conduc t, 60,000 saw him in New York and 153,000 at the Glasgow Exhibition. He introduced ragtime music to Europe in 1901, though he had a mixed opinion of it, saying, “There’s good jazz and bad jazz, but most of it would scare your grandmother to death!” He hel ped popularize Scott Joplin and the other great Ragtime composers. 

“The Stars and Stripes Forever” was declared America’s National March in 1987, and is also the title of the 1952 feature film, with Clifton Webb, Robert Wagner and Debra Paget, that dramatizes Sousa’s life. Many of his famous marches were written by fiat as much as commissioned. 

“Chester A. Arthur berated Sousa playing ‘Hail To The Chief’ for him, when Sousa led the Marine Corps band, telling him it was just an old Scottish boating song and told him to come up with something really patriotic,” Malucelli said. “Sousa wrote ‘Semper Fidelis.’ In the meantime, Arthur had died, and it became the Marine’s marching tune. I got a call from Bo Jones, publisher of the Washington Post; in their lob by is a bust of Sousa with the sheet music for ‘The Washigton Post March,’ which he wrote in three days to publicize a school essay contest. That’s a vignette in Act I, with Sousa declaring, ‘It’ll make a man with a wooden leg get up and dance!’” 

The Bay Area tour, with four-hand piano accompaniment, will culminate in a birthday tribute at the Napa Opera House, where Sousa played in 1905, with a 22-piece orchestra. 

 

J


Arts Calendar

Friday October 14, 2005

FRIDAY, OCT. 14 

THEATER 

BareStage Productions “The House of Bernard Alba” at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at 20 Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $6-$8. www.tickets.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Rep “Finn in the Underworld” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage and runs to Nov. 6. Tickets are $43-$59. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep, “Our Town” at 8 p.m., and runs through Oct. 23. Tickets are $45-$59. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “The Tempest” at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., between Berkeley and Orinda, through Oct. 23. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “You Can’t Take it With You” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Pomona Ave. at Moeser Lane, El Cerrito, through Oct. 22. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Lunatique Fantastique “Executive Order 9066” Thurs. -Sat. at 7 p.m., through Oct. 21 at 2120 Allston Way. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

Shotgun Players, “Owners” at 8 p.m., Thurs.-Sun. through Oct. 16 at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Reservations suggested. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“The Cradle Will Rock” by UC Dept. of Theater Dance and Performance Studies, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 16, at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$14. 642-9925. 

FILM 

Doctor Atomic Goes Nuclear “Bell of Nagasaki” at 7 p.m., “I Live in Fear” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Arts Festival “Words and Music” Richard Brenneman will read from George Stewart’s “Earth Abides” at 7 :30 p.m. followed by Carol Denney’s “Failure to Disperse Acoustic Revolt and Road Show’s Open Mike Review” at 8:30 p.m. at The Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery, 2324 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Victoria Vinton decribes the life of a young Rudyard Kipling in her novel “The Jungle Law” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Kirov Ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through Oct. 16. Tickets are $48-$110. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Yuri Yunakov Ensemble featuring clarinetist Ivo Papasov, Bulgairan bebop, at 8 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $32. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

The Dunes, with DJ Cheb i Sabbah at 9 p.m. at Lucre Lounge, 2086 Allston Way, in the Shattuck Hotel. Cost is $5. www.lucrelounge.com 

Jaranon y Bochinche, Afro-Peruvian music at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568.  

Pamela Rose & Danny Caron Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Jump/Cut at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Jennifer Lee Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, with Ms. Carmen Getit at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  

Sarah Manning, alto saxophonist, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Perfect Strangers, bluegrass, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

DJ and Brook at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

The People at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

M.D.C., Blown to Bits, Instant Asshole at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Ray Brown Birthday Tribute with Christian McBride, John Clayton, Russell Malone, Greg Hutchinson and Benny Green at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, OCT. 15 

CHILDREN 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Juanita Ulloa & Ginny Morgan, songs of Mexico, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Oil For Freedom” Photographs by David Bacon of Iraq's oil workers at The Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery, 2324 Shattuck Ave.  

“Works by Elke Behrens” Reception at 7 p.m. at Fourth Street Studio, 1717D Fourth St. 527-0600.  

“3 New Series” textile/sculpture assemblage, drawing and mixed media work, by Joyce Ertel Hulbert at Far Leaves Tea House, 2979 College Ave. through Dec. 2. 845-0825. 

FILM 

Farewell: A Tribute to Elem Klimov and Larissa Shepitko “Agonia—Rasputin” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sayre Van Young offers a photo tour of Berkeley during WWII at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, Community Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100.  

David Margolick describes “Beyond Glory: Joe Lewis vs Max Schmeling and a World on the Brink” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Tim Wohlforth will be the California Writer’s Club Berkeley Branch guest speaker at 10:30 a.m., at Barnes and Noble in Jack London Square, Oakland. 

“Peminist Critical Theory” Authors panel on the Filipina/ 

American experience at 2 p.m. in Heller Lounge, MLK Student Union, UC Campus. 548-2350.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Hurricane Relief Jazz Benefit Concert with Plays Monk, Yancy Taylor Quartet, Anton Schwartz Quartet and more from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donation $20-$50, benefits the Vanguard Foundation. 701-1787. 

Katrina Benefit with The Cajun All Stars, The Spirit of ‘29 Dixieland Jazz Band, Anne Galjour, Will Durst, Jeff Raz in a benefit for the Southern Arts Federation Hurricane Fund at 7 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $25-$100+ available from 925-798-1300. 

Berkeley Arts Festival: “The Jazz House Revisited” with the Howard Wiley Trio at 8 p.m. at 2324 Shattuck Ave.  

Night of Spoken Word and Song with Doug Von Koss, Judith Goldhaber, Maya Specter, and others at 8 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Donation $10. 682-5452. 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra “Musica de la Noche” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $28-$62. 415-392-4400.  

Christopher Maltman, baritone, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42. 642-9988.  

St. Ann Consort “Masterpieces of Monastic Chant” at 8 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalen, 2005 Berryman St. Free. 717-9422. 

Robin Gregory & Bill Bell at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Odori Simcha at 7 p.m. at A Cuppa Tea, 3200 College Ave. 654-1904. 

Eric Swinderman Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Brazuca Brown at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Dan Pratt Organ Quartet and Dan Ferber Nonet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373.  

Craig Horton, Chicago blues style guitar and vocals, at 2 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. 

Rachel Garlin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Francisco Aguabella y Su Grupo Ara Oko, Afro-Cuban folkloric music and dance at 8 and 10 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $20. 849-2568.  

Sister I-Live, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The Ravines, alt rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Roberta Chevrette and Joanna Barbaera at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Naked Barbies at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Last Target, Human Host, Free Radical at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 16 

CHILDREN  

The Sippy Cups “Groovy Ghoulies“ at 4 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 children. 925-798-1300.  

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Arts Festival: “The Soldier’s Dream” Photographs by Deborah O’Grady. Reception at 5 p.m. at The Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery, 2324 Shattuck Ave. RSVP to 665-9496. 

“Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia and Deco” Guided tour at 2 p.m., and kimono demonstration at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

Berkeley Arts Festival “Dick ‘n Dubya” Republican outreach cabaret at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery, 2324 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 841-1898. 

FILM 

Dutch Voices: Jos de Putter and Peter Delpeut “The Damned and the Sacred” at 4 p.m., “The Forbidden Quest” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Stop the Wars Tour with Normon Solomon at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$15, benefits the National Radio Project. 849-2568.  

“Divinely Inspired: Arts of the Yoruba People” with Prof. Henry J. Drewal, Univ. of Wisc. at 2 p.m. at Phoebe Hearst Museum, Bancroft at College. 642-3682. 

Poetry Flash with Norman Fischer and Hank Lazer at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Organ Recital with Oscar Burdick, in a celebration of his 50 years at PSR, at 7:30 p.m. at 1798 Scenic Ave. Free. 849-8271. 

Organ Recital with Davitt Moroney at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-8630. 

Angela Killilea, Dan Damon, Joel Weir, Kurt Ribak and Sheilani Alix, acoustic folk rock at 5 p.m. at Point Richmond First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond. www.pointrichmond. 

com/methodist/ 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra “Musica de la Noche” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $28-$62. 415-392-4400.  

Christopher Maltman, baritone, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Elijah Henry at 4 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Oh, Mr. Sousa! at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Carlos Oliveira Trio with Harvey Wainapel at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Wallace Roney at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Hal “Eddie” Dinsratz at 10 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Americana Unplugged: The Earl Brothers at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

MONDAY, OCT. 17 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Myla Golberg introduces her new novel, “Wickett’s Remedy” on the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Pam Chun, stories from the Hawaiian tradition, at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland. 527-1141. 

Poetry Express with Terry McCarty and Adam David Miller at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

Monday Night PlayGround Six 10-minute plays on the topic “In Media Res” at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $16. 415-704-3177.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

West Coast Songwriters Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $5. 548-1761.  

Rova Saxophone Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, OCT. 18 

FILM 

Peter Kubelka: Films and Lectures “The Edible Metaphor” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jack Marshall introduces his memoir “From Baghdad to Brooklyn” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Simon Winchester describes “A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906” at 6:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $40, $50 per couple which includes a copy of the book. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Swamp Coolers, Cajun, Western swing at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

PhilipsMarine, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Plena Libre, from Puerto Rico, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-827. 

Brian Kane, jazz guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19 

EXHIBITIONS 

Art in Progress Open studios at 800 Heinz Ave. from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 845-0707. 

James D. Phelan Art Award in Printmaking with Jesse Gottesman, Cynthia Ona Innis and Matthew Hopson-Walker. Reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Exhibition runs to Dec. 3. 549-2977. 

FILM 

Berkeley Arts Festival: “Raising the Roof” and “Democracy in the Workplace” at 8 p.m. at 2324 Shattuck Ave.  

Cine Documental “Fernando is Back” and “100 Children Waiting for a Train” two films from Chile at 7 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Boawditch St. 642-2088. 

Doctor Atomic Goes Nuclear “Crossroads” at 7:30 p.m. and “Half-Life: A Parable for the Nuclear Age” at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Café Poetry hosted by Paradise at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Mario Livio describes “The Equation The Couldn’t Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

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  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with University Symphony at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864.  

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean, organ, at noon at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555.  

Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$58. 642-9988.  

Karashay, Chirgilchin & Stephen Kent, Tuvan throat singers and didjeridu, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 701-1787. 

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

Joe Beck Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Bernard Anderson & The Old School Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Tribute to the Conga, salsa music, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Atlas Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

John Hammond, acoustic blues, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

“In Living Color: Street Scenes” recent paintings by S. Newman. Reception at 4 p.m. at the LunchStop Café, Metro Center, at the Lake Merritt BART Station. 817-5773. 

“Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia and Deco” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. 

“All-College Honors & Scholarship Awards Exhibition” Reception at 6 p.m. at Tecoah Bruce Gallery, Oliver Art Center, California College of the Arts, 5212 Broadway. 658-1223. 

FILM 

Berkeley Art Center International Small Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29 at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893.  

Peter Kubelka: Films and Lectures, Metric Films and “Poetry and Truth” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Local Authors Dorothy Bryant and Molly Giles will read from their works at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. www.juliamorgan.org 

Nomad Spoken Word Night at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Gregory Maguire introduces his new novel “Son of a Witch” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Word Beat Reading Series with Raymond Nat Turner and Zigi Lowenberg at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

“Avant-Garde Jewish Poetry and Music” with John Amen at 7:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Tina Marzell Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

43rd Street Prog Showcase at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

Mark Levine and John Wiitala, piano and bass, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Dhol Patrol at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Bhangra dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Dee Dee Bridgewater at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$24. 238-9200.  

Witches Brew at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

t


Having Fun is No Challenge at Alameda’s Crown Beach By MARTA YAMAMOTO Special to the Planet

Friday October 14, 2005

Autumn is upon us, bringing forth some of the Bay Area’s warmest days. How better to celebrate than with a trip to the coast, not all the way to the Pacific, but just a few miles from home in the town of Alameda. With beaches, lawned picnic and playing areas and a scene-setting visitor center, it would be a challenge not to enjoy the penultimate Trails Challenge Hike at Crown Memorial State Beach and Crab Cove! 

The site of today’s regional park in the quaint town of Alameda has a history as rich as its natural resources. From the 1880s to the outbreak of World War II, Crown Memorial was home to the largest amusement center on San Francisco Bay. People in the thousands flocked to spend the day on the beautiful sand beaches and sample the warm shallow waters. Known as “Coney Island of the West” Neptune Beach lived up to its billing with huge saltwater bathing spas featuring sky-high diving platforms, dance pavilion, concerts, roller coaster, prizefights, baseball games, publicity stunts and the invention of the snow cone. 

The war brought the festivities to an end. The land was purchased by the government for use as a training base for Merchant Marine commanders. Today’s visitor center occupies the former base infirmary. In 1959 it became a state park and was transferred to regional park status in 1967. 

 

Trails Challenge No. 6: Crown Memorial State Beach-Crab Cove to Bayfarm Island: Five to six miles, rated easy. Options for this hike include following a level paved path for a bike outing or using two cars, one at each end. 

The hike begins at the Crab Cove Visitor Center, brimming with exhibits that teach about the unique marine and estuarine environments and the need for their preservation. Outside, an interpretive panel identifies this area as California’s first marine reserve on an estuary. 

The center’s exterior welcomes you at first sight. Constructed of driftwood-brown wood trimmed with brick-red and marine-blue and shaded by mature trees, this building would please any number of inhabitants. A spacious outdoor deck is decorated with marine motifs—a bat ray, shark, crab and sea snail—just teasers for the delightful surprises that await you. 

Inside you’ll feel you’ve stepped into an underwater environment, worthy of a visitor center award. Walls are painted blue, illustrated and hung with life-size marine models. The ceiling is lowered with narrow cloth panels in watery shades of blue, shaped to resemble waves. Interactive stations and freestanding exhibits make learning fun. One exhibit focuses on invertebrates, in one display comparing crab “innards” to those of humans. Another exhibit compares life at low and high tides, describing mud flats as underground cities. 

Multiple aquariums—one holds 800 gallons—teem with the bay’s creatures: perch, sculpin, sand dabs, goby, shark and flounder. An eerily lighted display case reminiscent of Art Deco holds the bay’s alien invaders in sealed jars. Green and mitten crabs, striped bass and a New Zealand sea slug are some of the plants and animals that have made their way into the bay. 

Illustrated pier pilings and an old wooden boat suspended from the ceiling remind us of the barnacles, mussels and anemones who call submerged wood structures home. Old wood is also the dominant feature in the Old Wharf Classroom. Here classes are held with participants seated on weathered wood crates gazing at a welcome-aboard plaque, two white life preservers, an illustrated backdrop of an old wharf and a room-wide diorama of bay and estuary life forms. It’s cozy as the hold of a ship. I could almost smell the salt-tanged air. 

Finally remembering I was here to hike, I followed the path to Marine Reserve Cove where the park’s rich wildlife was in full display. A flock of Canada geese was sharing the waters with several brown pelicans. The geese were repeatedly dipping their backs, heads and necks into the water, extending their wings and flapping them vigorously; some were even engaged in complete body rotations. The pelicans, meanwhile, performed their own routine by swimming as a group, extending necks and flapping their wings, then scooting across the water. An audience of cormorants occupying a cement jetty extending far into the water were much more sedate, merely opening their wings in the weak morning sun. 

Tearing myself away I followed the path into Crown Park consisting of several acres of well-maintained lawns, multiple picnic areas, two fresh-water lagoons, sand dunes and a 2.5-mile shoreline. I passed gaggles of plump Canada geese, some foraging on the lawns, others at attention surrounding a picnic area, as if waiting for the cookout to begin.  

Being on foot and wanting to maximize my coastal experience I opted to walk at the water’s edge with firm sand, rather than pavement, below my feet. It’s an odd juxtaposition, ambling on an urban beach. Clumps of seaweed at your feet, small waves lapping on the shore, multihued dune grasses dotting the sandy hills, cool breeze at your face, but across the street multi-storied housing side by side and the San Francisco skyline across the bay. Soon I was lost in the enjoyment of my surroundings and the city seemed far away: beachcombing through assortments of driftwood, shells and rocks; playing the seaweed I.D. game amid the iodine-rich red algae and two types of bright green algae; watching gulls bobbing in the waves; a lone fisherman on his camp-chair, anchored rod awaiting a strike; kayakers and fishing boats cruising the bay. 

At the southern end of Shoreline Path stands the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary, the site of an interesting ecological dilemma, that of the endangered California clapper rail versus an invasion of non-native cordgrass.  

The California clapper rail once flourished along the coastal marshes of central and northern California. Its clattering call could be heard among salt water, brackish marshes and tidal sloughs. Today that habitat has been reduced to the San Francisco Bay. This endangered bird’s population has actually increased in recent years, in part due to the spread of Spartina alterniflora, an alien species of bright green seven-foot-tall cordgrass choking out native flora and fauna as it slowly converts mudflats to meadows. 

The taller denser alterniflora provides more cover, protecting the clapper rail from predators and their nests from washing away with the tides. Now covering more than 1,000 acres, this alien has upset the delicate ecological balance of the estuary and drastically reduced diversity. This is especially true in the case of native pickleweed, an important habitat for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse. 

Standing at the end of the observation platform I looked out over the sea of cordgrass, beautiful but dangerous. Under gunpowder gray skies, the bright green and yellow stalks stood out in proud defiance, strongly asserting their strength. Nearby, placards warned of upcoming plans to clean up this botanical pest, signaling that a choice had been made. 

Choices abound to prolong this estuarine adventure. A bike path and road continue over a bridge to Bayfarm Island where homes built around lagoons and Shoreline Park offer a more recent environment for exploring. If you prefer going back in time, amble down Alameda’s Park Street or Webster Street where yesterday and today meld pleasantly with browse-worthy shops and mouth-watering eateries that will satisfy everyone in your party. 

 

 

East Bay Regional Park District Trail Challenge: For more information, call 562-PARK, or see www.ebparks.org. 

 

Getting there: Take I-580 east to I-980 (Downtown Oakland). Exit I-980 at 11th/12th Streets, turn left on Fifth Street, continue through the Oakland/Alameda Tube to Webster Street. Turn right on Central to reach the Crab Cove entrance at McKay Avenue. 

 

Crab Cove Visitor Center: 1252 McKay Ave., 521-6887, open Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., through November. For schedule of programs and classes call or go to www.ebparks.org/events. 

 

Crown Memorial State Beach: Eighth Street and Otis Drive, 5 a.m.-10 p.m., $5/car, $2/dog (on leash in picnic areas, not allowed on beach). Street parking available. 

 

 




Berkeley This Week

Friday October 14, 2005

FRIDAY, OCT. 14 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Cihan Tugal, Prof. Sociology, on “Transformation of Religious Politics in Turkey.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925. 

Veterans of the George Jackson Brigade at 7 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. Donation $5. 208-1700. 

“Economic and Business Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the US” a teach-in at 1:05 p.m. at The Wells Fargo Room of the Haas School of Business, UC Campus, followed by panels on Managing in a Crisis and Rebuild- 

ing New Orleans. For more information see www.haas.berkeley. 

edu/news/Katrina_teachin.html.  

BOSS Graduation and Gratitude Gala honoring men and women who have overcome homelessness, disabilities, addiction, and other challenges to turn their lives around at 5:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., Oakland. Tickets $50. 649-1930. 

“Cleaning Up Diesel: Fuels and Technologies” a workshop in downtown Oakland sponsored by the Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative from 1 to 5 p.m. RSPVP to 302-3316.  

Hills Emergency Forum for residents of Berkeley, El Cerrito and Oakland to reduce the risk of wildland fire, at 10 a.m. at the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane. www.lbl.gov/ehs/hef/ 

Berkeley Critical Mass Bike Ride meets at the Berkeley BART the second Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m.  

Womansong Circle with Betsy Rose at 7:15 at First Congregatioanl Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donation $10-$20. 525-7082. 

By the Light of the Moon Open mic and salon for women at 7:30 p.m. at Changemakers, 6536 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 655-2405. 

Berkeley Chess Club at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. 845-1041. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 15 

Toddler Nature Walk We’ll look for spiders, insects and other fascinating creatures from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Fall Fruit Tasting and cooking demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Garden Club Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 313 Victoria, off Fairmont in El Cerrito, near the Plaza Bart Station. 528-4940. 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of the West Berkeley working class neighborhoods from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0181.  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland “New Era/New Politics” highlights African-American leaders who have made their mark on Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the African American Museum and Library at 659 14th St. 238-3234.  

Richmond Shoreline Festival, a community celebration from noon to 4 p.m. at Point Pinole Park, Richmond. Music, free BBQ, nature walks, fishing, kids’ activities, and updates on the shoreline’s hotly contested future. 452-9261, ext. 118. 

Emeryville Harvest Festival Live music, children’s activities, pumpkin patch and more from noon to 4 p.m. at Bay Street. www.baystreetemeryville.com 

“Designed for Space Travel” An exhibition of space artifacts, from spacesuits to space food at the Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. 336-7300.  

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Light Search and Rescue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. To sign up call 981-5605.  

“The Kindness of Strangers: A Benefit for Rebuilding the Spirit of Community in the Gulf States” with The Cajun All Stars, The Spirit of '29 Dixieland Jazz Band and many others at 7 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $25-$100, available from 925-798-1300. 

Fundraiser for Homeless Action Center with wine tasting, food and music, from noon to 4 p.m. at 544 Wildcat Canyon Rd. Donation $75. Please RSVP to 540-0878. 

AARP Grandparents as Guardians Conference Learn how you can receive financial and legal help, find support groups in your area, and cope with the added responsibilities of raising grandchildren. Free conference includes continental breakfast, lunch, and daycare. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church, 1188 12th St., Oakland. To register, call 1-877-926-8300. 

National Fair Trade Month and Coffee Sampling from 3 to 5 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Independent School Fair with A Better Chance Schools Program from 3 to 6 p.m. at the North Oakland Senior Center, 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way at 58th St. 763-0333.  

Oakland Outdoor Cinema “Waiting for Guffman” at 8 p.m. on Washington St. between 9th and 10th Sts. Limited seating, bring chairs and blankets. 238-4734.  

“Pinay Power” Panel discussion theorizing the Filipina/ 

American experience at 2 p.m. in Heller Lounge, MLK Student Union, UC Campus. 548-2350. 

Historical and Botanical Tour of Chapel of the Chimes, a Julia Morgan landmark, at 10 a.m. at 4499 Piedmont Ave. at Pleasant Valley. Reservations required 228-3207.  

“Foods of the Americas” A market of native corn, tomatoes, peppers, chocolate, quinoa and more, through Oct. 26 at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. 

“Who’s Winning the Evolution Wars?” with Glenn Branch, National Ctr for Science Education, at 10 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Sponsored by Secular Humanists of the East Bay. 848-6137. 

“Kids in Creeks” A class for edcators of K-12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Prospect Sierra School, 2060 Tapscott Ave., El Cerrito. Cost is $25. Sponsored by the Watershed Project. 665-3539. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 16 

Morning Bird Walk to welcome back the Northern Flicker, Kinglets and others, at 9:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Halloween Animals Learn the facts and myths about newts and toads from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 525-2233. 

Bike Tour of Oakland A leisurely-paced tour covering the history of Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the 10th St. entrance of the Oakland Museum of California. Registration required, 238-3514. 

Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival from noon to 6 p.m. at the corner of LaSalle Ave. and Moraga Ave. 339-1000. www.montclairvillage.com 

Dick ‘N Dubya Republican Outreach Cabaret at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Arts Festival Gallery 2324 Shattuck Ave. Cost $10. Free for card-carrying Republicans wrapped in the American flag. 841-1898.  

Berkeley Public Library Teen Amnesty Week through Sat. Oct. 22. Teens, bring your high school ID, and the Berkeley Public Library will work with you to clear your library record. 981-6135, 548-1240 (TTY). 

Bay Area Youth with LGBT Parents Film “In My Shoes: Stories of Youth With LGBT Parents” followed by discussion at 3 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $5. 415-861-5437. 

Martial Arts Expo and Yongmudo Championship Competition begins at 8 a.m., expo from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Recreational Sports Facility, 2301 Bancroft Way, UC Campus. Cost is $3-$5. www.yongmudo.org 

El Cerrito Historical Society features a presentation on two unique residential facilities that supported Chinese orphan children in the Bay Area, at 2 p.m. at the El Cerrito Senior Center, behind the El Cerrito Library, at 6510 Stockton Ave. 525-1730.  

Hands-on Bike Maintenance Learn how to do a bicycle safety inspection at 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Introduction to Rhythmic Improvisation A workshop with Danny Bittker and Jeremy Steinkoler from 2 to 4 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20-$50 sliding scale. 525-5054.  

“What Are You Feeding Your Skin?” workshop at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 

Annual Pasta Dinner with Friends of Albany Seniors at 4 p.m. at Albany Senior Center. Tickets are $8. For reservations call 559-7225. 

Pizza Fundraiser for Community Childcare Coordinating Council of Alameda County from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pizzaiolo, 5008 Telegraph Ave. Cost is $50. For reservations call 690-2150.  

Mathematical Writers from “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” at 2 p.m. at the Valley Life Sciences Building Auditorium, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Archimedes Society. 642-0143. www.msri.org 

Chinchilla 101 Learn the basics of care with California Chinchilla Rescue at 1 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 525-6155. 

Spanish Book Club meets to discuss “War By Candlelight” by Daniel Alacón at 4 p.m. at Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852. 

Jewish Genealogical Society with Paul Hamburg, curator of Judaica at UC Berkeley at 1 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 525-4052. 

“Judaism Without God? Understanding Humanistic Judaism” with Marcia Grossman, President of Kol Hadash at 9:45 a.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Donation $5. programs@kolhadash.org 

MONDAY, OCT. 17 

Homeless Youth in Berkeley Community Forum at 7 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1744 University Ave. yeahvolunteers@yahoo.com 

“All About Adoption” with Julie Randolf on chosing an agency, sibling relationships, transitioning and other issues at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. J548-0425. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 18 

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. 

Berkeley Garden Club “Creating a World Class Plant Collection in Your Backyard” with Paul Licht, director, UC Botanical Garden, at 1 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 527-5641. 

“Compost: Green Waste to Gardener’s Gold” at 4 p.m. at Franklin Elementary School, 915 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $20. Sponsored by the Watershed Project. 665-3546. 

Hiking and Backpacking Big Sur, a slide presentation with Analise Elliot at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Our Town” Benefit for Berkeley Historical Society and Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $30. For reservations mention code #100. 647-2949. 

“Ending Hunger and Poverty in the US and Africa” A workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. followed by a dinner fundraiser for the Food First/Institute for Food Development and Policy at Jack London Aquatic Center, 115 Embarcadero. For reservations call 654-4400, ext. 234. www.foodfirst.org 

“Managing HIV/AIDS in Botswana” with Prof. Alinah Segobye, Univ. of Botswana, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. 642-8338. 

“Shrinking Cities and Culture Led Regeneration” with Jasmin Aber, Inst. of Urban and Regional Development, at 7:30 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $5. 642-9460. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Energy Systems: Ours and Theirs” from 7 to 9 p.m. in a private home. Call for details 527-1022. 

“Do It Yourself Investing” with Marty Schiffenbauer at 7 p.m. in the Community Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6100. 

Feng Shui for a Healthy Home with Nadine Oei of Integrated Spaces for Healthy Living at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. Free. 526-7512.  

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 6 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave. RSVP to 594-5165. 

“Living with Ones and Twos” with Meg Zweiback, nurse practitioner, at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

Berkeley Walking in Authority, Women’s Missionary Society March begins at 8 a.m. at Old City Hall to St. Paul AME Church, 2024 Ashby Ave. 848-2050. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

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. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

Healthy Eating Habits Seminar at 6:30 p.m. in Oakland. Free, registration required. 465-2524. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a treasure hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds, who may be accompanied by an adult. We will have a nature treasure hunt from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

South Berkeley Community Church Capital Restoration Campaign with speakers on the history of South Berkeley, at 7:30 p.m. at 1802 Fairview St. at Ellis. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Suggested donation of $15 benefits the church’s restoration campaign. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around the restored 1870s business district. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of G.B. Ratto’s at 827 Washington St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. 238-3234. 

“Gaza First or Gaza Last” a lecture with Marcia Freedman, Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace at 7 p.m. in the Dinner Boardroom, GTU Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2482. 

“Intellegent Design: A Unique View of Globalization and Science” with Dr. Gunther Stent at 7:30 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $5. 642-9460. 

Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College Open House at 6 p.m. at 2550 Shattuck Ave. Tours of classrooms and clinics and information for prospective students. To RSVP call 666-8248, ext. 106.  

Community Gathering at the Berkeley Drop-In Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to meet staff and members and discuss future activities, at 3234 Adeline St. 652-9462. 

Berkeley Public Library Teen Amnesty Week through Sat. Oct. 22. Teens, bring your high school ID, and the Berkeley Public Library will work with you to clear your library record. 981-6135, 548-1240 (TTY). 

“Time for an Oil Change” A lecture on dietary fats at 10:30 a.m. at Alta Bates Summit Merritt Pavilion, Cafeteria Annex B, 350 Hawthorne Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5. RSVP to 869-6737. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 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.  

“American Jewish Films of the 60s and 70s” with Riva Gambert at noon at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Brown bag lunch. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, OCT. 20 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a treasure hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer” From Kenya to the Alameda Wildlife Refuge, with Eleanor Bricetti at 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Sponsored by the Golden Gate Audobon Society. www.goldengateaudobon.org 

Lights On Afterschool Berkeley’s after school programs will be open to the public from 4 to 7 p.m. with student performances, special activities, art projects, food and fun. Start at 3 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 883-6146. www.afterschoolalliance.org  

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. at the LeConte School Cafeteria. Agenda includes Downtown Area Plan, UC Student/Neighbor Relations, Disaster Preparedness, and a report from our Berkeley Police Beat Officer. KarlReeh@aol.com 

Simplicity Forum on Cutting Costs at 6:30 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 549-3509. 

“Mao’s Revolution: What Remains?” with Roderick MacFarquhar and Orville Schell at 7:30 p.m. at Sibley Auditorium, UC Campus.  

“Rumi and Islam: The Mystical Path of Sufism” at 7 p.m. at Starr King School for Ministry, 2441 LeConte Ave. 845-6232.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Creeks Task Force meets Mon., Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7410.  

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon., Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128. 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Oct. 17, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5510.  

City Council meets Tues., Oct. 18, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601. 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344.  

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484.  

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Prasanna Rasaih, 981-6950.  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7000.


Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Watching the Scooter ‘n’ Judy Show By BECKY O'MALLEY

Tuesday October 18, 2005

Topic A among the chattering classes on Sunday was the curious case of Judith (we all call her Judy now) Miller. People we talked to (five or six regular New York Times news consumers, intelligent, well-educated, on top of things) had all read the two pieces in the Times, one by other reporters and the other by Judy herself, and they uniformly reported themselves to be more confused than ever. It’s less and less clear (1) what she thought she was doing, (2) why she went to jail, and (3) what “The Times” wearing all its various departmental hats (news, editorial, publisher) thought it was doing. 

Here are a few of the hardest passages to parse from the reporters’ piece, with the questions raised by those with whom we talked about them: 

“As Ms. Miller, 57, remained resolute and moved closer to going to jail for her silence, the leadership of The Times stood squarely behind her. ‘She’d given her pledge of confidentiality,’ said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher. ‘She was prepared to honor that. We were going to support her.’ But Mr. Sulzberger and the paper’s executive editor, Bill Keller, knew few details about Ms. Miller’s conversations with her confidential source other than his name. They did not review Ms. Miller’s notes.” 

Why, from the beginning, didn’t the editors at the Times, including Keller, the executive editor, know all about the big national stories a key reporter was working on? Supposedly what differentiates a newspaper from a blog is that newspaper reporters get the benefit of interactive criticism and advice from experienced editors who are outside the story. Editors are not there just to catch the misspelled names that the spell-checker skipped. This passage sounds like Miller was routinely encouraged to go out on any limb she chose in reporting a story, with editors prepared to catch her only when she started to fall.  

More: 

“Interviews show that the paper’s leaders, in taking what they considered to be a principled stand, ultimately left the major decisions in the case up to Ms. Miller, an intrepid reporter whom editors found hard to control. ‘This car had her hand on the wheel because she was the one at risk,’ Mr. Sulzberger said.” 

“Interviews show…?” With whom? About what? This kind of quasi-passive sentence construction always sounds like the writer has something to hide. Did “interviews” turn up any other “leaders” who advised her? Did any of the Times’ numerous editors ever suggest to her that protecting whistle-blowers who help you get to the truth is not the same thing as shielding spin-doctors who are trying to shape your story?  

Is Judy special, somehow different from other Times reporters? The ex-Timesmen quoted in the article seemed to think so: 

“‘Judy is a very intelligent, very pushy reporter,’ said Stephen Engelberg, who was Ms. Miller’s editor at The Times for six years and is now a managing editor at The Oregonian in Portland. ‘Like a lot of investigative reporters, Judy benefits from having an editor who’s very interested and involved with what she’s doing.’ ” 

Do other, less pushy reporters at the Times also operate unsupervised? In the 30-odd years I’ve known investigative reporters, a newish breed with a cowboy attitude that first surfaced in the early seventies, I’ve never met one who didn’t need to interact with an editor.  

Another ex-Times editor said that Judy had told him “I can do whatever I want.” How many other reporters can say the same? Perhaps the Times should reveal which of its investigative stories are written by unsupervised reporters, so readers can assign a credibility index to them.  

Miller appears to be managing her own legal case with no guidance from Times management and little consensus among her Times-paid lawyers. Is she doing a good job of it? Not really. For example: “... she said she felt that if Mr. Libby had wanted her to testify, he would have contacted her directly.” 

Are we really supposed to believe that she spent three months in jail because she was reluctant to have her lawyer ask Scooter Libby’s lawyer if he really, really, really did mean that he didn’t mind if she revealed his name? Sorry—this isn’t a story about a high school girl who’s trying to decide whether to invite her heartthrob to the prom. That’s what lawyers are for, to be intermediaries so their clients can avoid the potential embarrassment of making requests that are rebuffed.  

If anything sensible is starting to emerge from this unbelievable saga, it’s how perilous it is for the news media to rely on nameless sources for major stories. The overuse of this practice started with the Pentagon papers, and was reinforced by Watergate, but it leaves reporters and editors vulnerable to being used as conduits for phony information handed out by duplicitous sources for their own benefit. Judy was conned once by Achmed Chalabi, who planted the infamous nuclear tube story for which the Times later apologized. The paper seems to have learned nothing from the experience, since they turned her loose right away to be similarly spun by Libby, Rove, Cheney et al. The Wen Ho Lee story was a similar debacle, in which the Times’ formerly respectable Jeff Gerth and another reporter allowed themselves to be duped by administration operatives into doing a phony espionage story with their editors apparently out to lunch.  

Here at the Daily Planet we don’t get many big-time stories like these. But you will seldom (I’d really prefer never) see quotes or stories in this paper attributed to “an anonymous source,” “ officials” or “leaders.” Once in a very great while a vulnerable person will tell us something so important that we’ll decide we have to pass it along while concealing the speaker’s identity, but in such cases you can be darn sure that the editors know the whole story, including who the source is. We think that should be the rule for all news media. 

 

 

 

c


Editorial When a Fella Needs a Friend: The Real Reason Bush Chose Miers By BECKY O'MALLEY

Friday October 14, 2005

There’s only one word for the flap on the right about the nomination of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court: delicious. And as Dubya tries ever harder to dig himself out of this one, it looks ever more delicious.  

Why are the Cons, neo and otherwise, so upset about Harriet? Well, first and foremost, there’s their assiduously cultivated myth that there’s something in the United States like a conservative intellectual. In Europe there are real conservative intellectuals, the ones with the monarchist leanings, but in the U.S. conservatives are mostly wannabes, mostly intellectually second-rate despite their pretensions.  

There’s a little group of guys and a few gals on the Boston-Washington axis who have always thought that it was unfair that the smartest people in their law school classes, by and large, turned out to be some form of liberal. These people—mostly from the bottom third of the class—have been working all these years to change the image of conservatives. They’ve tried everything—well-endowed “think” tanks, glossy student magazines which parody academic style, Sunday morning television shout-fests conducted by people who misuse long words—in other words, the best intellectual image-builders money could buy. But with one stroke of a pen young George has re-asserted some of the old paleo-conservative doctrines.  

To wit: It’s not what you know (and it doesn’t matter if you learned it at Yale or SMU), it’s who you know. And it’s not what you think, it’s what you believe. Even though it is no longer fatal to your qualifications for a job if you “happen” to be Catholic or Jewish, it’s still deeply relevant to your eligibility if you’ve had the good sense to “choose Christ” as a born-again evangelical Protestant Christian. Not, of course, that those sincere Jews and Catholics aren’t free, really at any time, to make the same important decision which born-Catholic Miers did. Some non-EPC’s are now considered reliably conservative, but not many outside of Boston-Washington. That “neo” in neo-con still counts against you.  

Harriet Miers has made all the right friends in her perfectly respectable legal career, even though she’s never managed to snag a judgeship. She’s been the go-to gal when the Texas Bar looked for a hard worker to organize meetings. She’s carried briefcases for the best Texas has to offer. She’s been the managing partner in a big law firm undoubtedly loaded with big egos, a thankless task if ever there was one, and the kind women have traditionally been stuck with. There is no particular reason to believe that her Supreme Court opinions will be any worse from a legal standpoint than those of Scalia and Thomas just because they went to more prestigious law schools.  

All those defensive gyno-American conservatives (as Ann Coulter likes to describe herself) are writhing in pain at the idea that Miers’ nomination might have had something to do with her being a woman. But if the triangulation on the choice for this seat is “lawyer-crony-woman,” there are not many other names that pop up. If the criteria were only “lawyer-crony,” a dozen people might have had a shot at the job.  

A case could be made that the Roberts-Miers play was an elaborately orchestrated set-up, with Justices O’Connor and Rehnquist, before his death, in on the deal. O’Connor has shown herself to be something of a closet feminist. Roberts was a favorite Rehnquist protégé. One could imagine some sort of quid-pro-quo whereby O’Connor agreed to announce her retirement in time for Rehnquist to see his boy confirmed before he died, in return for a Bush promise to appoint a woman after Rehnquist was gone. If Bush needed therefore to find a woman, Miers was handy and congenial. He could trust her in a way he couldn’t trust any of the several flashier female judges whose names have been advanced by the right.  

The abortion issue in this discussion is a red herring. It carries the presupposition that George Bush is deeply and sincerely committed to the anti-abortion sentiments which have been useful to him in previous elections. Garry Wills in the New York Review of Books recently pointed out that the cynical Rove/Bush election strategy has been to put together a coalition of outsiders, especially fringe Catholics and evangelicals. Their beliefs on abortion don’t represent the views of the majority of American Christians, Catholic or Protestant, if you believe the polls, but they’ve added up to enough electoral votes to grab the presidency in the last two elections.  

But now it’s a new ball game. What Bush and his controllers now need to be worried about is not the next election, but what might be a whole string of indictments for crimes and misdemeanors that could make Watergate look like Sunday School. In the context of all the legal problems that could lie ahead for them, there’s no reason they should be obsessing about how the Supreme Court will rule on abortion. What they are likely to need in the future is not an electoral college majority, but a crony-controlled Supreme Court which will make sure that they stay out of jail. And if that’s the game plan, Harriet Miers, the go-to gal who can be trusted to take on the messy jobs, is a smart choice. Ideology has nothing to do with it. 

 


Columns

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday October 18, 2005

TUESDAY, OCT. 18 

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. 

Berkeley Garden Club “Creating a World Class Plant Collection in Your Backyard” with Paul Licht, director, UC Botanical Garden, at 1 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 527-5641. 

“Compost: Green Waste to Gardener’s Gold” at 4 p.m. at Franklin Elementary School, 915 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $20. Sponsored by the Watershed Project. 665-3546. 

Hiking and Backpacking Big Sur, a slide presentation with Analise Elliot at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Our Town” Benefit for Berkeley Historical Society and Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $30. For reservations mention code #100. 647-2949. 

“Ending Hunger and Poverty in the US and Africa” A workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. followed by a dinner fundraiser for the Food First/Institute for Food Development and Policy at Jack London Aquatic Center, 115 Embarcadero. For reservations call 654-4400, ext. 234. www.foodfirst.org 

“Managing HIV/AIDS in Botswana” with Prof. Alinah Segobye, Univ. of Botswana, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. 642-8338. 

“Shrinking Cities and Culture Led Regeneration” with Jasmin Aber, Inst. of Urban and Regional Development, at 7:30 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $5. 642-9460. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Energy Systems: Ours and Theirs” from 7 to 9 p.m. in a private home. Call for details 527-1022. 

“Do It Yourself Investing” with Marty Schiffenbauer at 7 p.m. in the Community Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6100. 

Feng Shui for a Healthy Home with Nadine Oei of Integrated Spaces for Healthy Living at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. Free. 526-7512.  

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 6 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave. RSVP to 594-5165. 

“Living with Ones and Twos” with Meg Zweiback, nurse practitioner, at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

Berkeley Walking in Authority, Women’s Missionary Society March begins at 8 a.m. at Old City Hall to St. Paul AME Church, 2024 Ashby Ave. 848-2050. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

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. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

Healthy Eating Habits Seminar at 6:30 p.m. in Oakland. Free, registration required. 465-2524. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a treasure hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds, who may be accompanied by an adult. We will have a nature treasure hunt from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

South Berkeley Community Church Capital Restoration Campaign with speakers on the history of South Berkeley, at 7:30 p.m. at 1802 Fairview St. at Ellis. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Suggested donation of $15 benefits the church’s restoration campaign. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

Berkeley Reads Together Kick-off with free book giveaway of “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros at 11:30 a.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Sixth St., with Mayor Tom Bates and Library Director Jackie Griffin.  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around the restored 1870s business district. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of G.B. Ratto’s at 827 Washington St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. 238-3234. 

“Baffled by the Ballot?” A pre-election forum on the November election ballot measures, with Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, Sharon Cornu, head of Alameda County Central Labor Council and Serena Clayton, Executive Director, California School Health Centers Association at 7 p.m. at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave., Oakland. 

“Gaza First or Gaza Last” a lecture with Marcia Freedman, Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace at 7 p.m. in the Dinner Boardroom, GTU Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2482. 

Home/Office Hazard Reduction Learn about low-cost actions you can take to make your home or office safer at 2:30 p.m. at Easy Does It, 1744A University Ave. Sponsored by Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster. 451-3140. 

“Intellegent Design: A Unique View of Globalization and Science” with Dr. Gunther Stent at 7:30 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $5. 642-9460. 

Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College Open House at 6 p.m. at 2550 Shattuck Ave. Tours and information for prospective students. To RSVP call 666-8248, ext. 106.  

Community Gathering at the Berkeley Drop-In Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to meet staff and members and discuss future activities, at 3234 Adeline St. 652-9462. 

Berkeley Public Library Teen Amnesty Week through Sat. Oct. 22. Teens, bring your high school ID, and the Berkeley Public Library will work with you to clear your library record. 981-6135, 548-1240 (TTY). 

“Time for an Oil Change” A lecture on dietary fats at 10:30 a.m. at Alta Bates Summit Merritt Pavilion, Cafeteria Annex B, 350 Hawthorne Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5. RSVP to 869-6737. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 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.  

“American Jewish Films of the 60s and 70s” with Riva Gambert at noon at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Brown bag lunch. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

Dishka for Enlightenment and Healing at 7:30 p.m. at Berkwood Hedge School, 1809 Bancroft Way, enter on Grant St. Donation $15-$35. 453-0606. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 20 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a treasure hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer” From Kenya to the Alameda Wildlife Refuge, with Eleanor Bricetti at 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Sponsored by the Golden Gate Audobon Society. www.goldengateaudobon.org 

Lights On Afterschool Berkeley’s after school programs will be open to the public from 4 to 7 p.m. with student performan- 

ces, special activities, art projects, food and fun. Start at 3 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 883-6146. www.afterschoolalliance.org  

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. at the LeConte School Cafeteria. Agenda includes Downtown Area Plan, UC Student/Neighbor Relations, Disaster Preparedness, and a report from our Berkeley Police Beat Officer. KarlReeh@aol.com 

Peoples’ Radio Public Forum on the State of KPFA at 7 p.m. at Fellowship of Humanity Hall, 390 27th St/411 28th St., between Broadway and Telegraph in Oakland. Donation of $5 requested, no one turned away for lack of funds. 326-3268.  

Simplicity Forum on Cutting Costs at 6:30 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 549-3509. 

“Mao’s Revolution: What Remains?” with Roderick MacFarquhar and Orville Schell at 7:30 p.m. at Sibley Auditorium, UC Campus.  

“Rumi and Islam: The Mystical Path of Sufism” at 7 p.m. at Starr King School for Ministry, 2441 LeConte Ave. 845-6232.  

FRIDAY, OCT. 21 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Phillip F. Elwood, “Jazz, Recordings and American Social History.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Country Faire with homemade crafts and food, from noon to 4 p.m. and Sat. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 201Martina St., Pt. Richmond. 964-9901. 

Conscientious Projector Film Series “Redemption” The life of Stanley “Tookie” WIlliams at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship, Cedar at Bonita. Suggested donation $10. 

“China’s Cultural Revolution” with photographer Li Zhensheng, talk at 3 p.m., panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. at North Gate Hall, UC Campus. 

“Osama” A screening of the film followed by a discussion at 7:30 p.m. at Buttner Auditorium, College Prep School, 6100 Boradway, Oakland. Free. www.college-prep.org 

“Demystifying Activism One Breath at a Time” with Holly Near at 8 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd. Suggested donation $20. 525-0302, 306. 

Battle of Trafalgar Victory Ball, sponsored by the Bay Area English Regency Society, at 8 p.m. at Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Tickets are $15-20. 650-365-2913. 

French Conversation Night at 6:30 pm at the Alliance Francaise of Berkeley, 2004 Woolsey St. Potluck, bring a dish to share or a bottle of wine. 548-7481.  

Spirit Walking: Chi in Water Class Meets Fri. at noon at Berkeley YMCA, through Dec. 9. Cost is $21-$50. 665-3228. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 548-6310. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 22 

Where Do All the Leaves Go? Learn about why leaves change color and fall, and other signs of autumn, for ages 7 and up, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, reservations required. 525-2233. 

Walking Tour of Oakland Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the courtyard fountain in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza at 388 Ninth St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Groceries from the Garden A hands-on after-school workshop for educators on how sustainable agriculture and locally grown food benefit the health of students and the environment. From 4 to 6 p.m. at UC Berkeley Richmond Field Station, 1327 South 46th St., Richmond. Cost is $20. Registration required. Sponsored by the Watershed Project. 665-3430. www.thewatershedproject.org 

Dolores Huerta Interviewed by Amy Goodman at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St. at 27th, Oakland. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, $50 for reserved seats and reception. Benefits Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service. 268-8765. www.paceebene.org 

Options for Youth in Times of War A counter-recruitment conference Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sun. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Campus. Free for youth under 25. Donation $10-$25. 268-9006. www.objector.org/moos-bay.html 

Haiti Action with attoneys representing Haitian political prisoners at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 2362 Bancroft Way. Cost is $15-$30, includes dinner. RSVP to 548-4141. 

Sports 4 Kids Benefit Yard Sale from 8 a.m. to noon at Rosa Parks School, 920 Allston Way at 8th St . 

Alameda Public Affairs Forum with Peter Schrag, discussing “The California Special Election: What are the Issues?” at 7 p.m. at the Home of Truth Center, 1300 Grand Street, Alameda. www.alamedaforum.org 

NAACP Life Membership Banquet with Belva Davis and Byron Williams at the Elks Lodge in Alameda. Tickets are $50. 232-2171. 865-1151. 

Friends of the Richmond Public Library Booksale from 11 to 3 p.m. in the Community Room adjacent to the Main Library at 525 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. 

The Misty Redwood Run A 10 K fun run to benefit the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters. Starts at 8:30 a.m. at Redwood Regional Park, Redwood Gate entrance, 7867 Redwood Rd., Oakland. Cost is $20-$25. Register online at www.theschedule.com 548-3113.  

Brew at the Zoo a benefit for the Oakland Zoo with live music, animal feedings and behind-the-scenes tours from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo. Tickets are $30. 632-9525.  

Origins of Halloween, Celtic and South American stories at 6 p.m. in Oakland. Cost is $7-$10. Call for location and to reserve a space, New Acropolis Cultural Association, 986-0317. 

Evergreens in the Garden with garden designer Aerin Moore at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

East Bay Genealogical Society with Marston Watson, the direct descendant of sixteen patriots who served in the Revolutionary War, at 10 a.m. in the Library Conference Room of the Family History Center, 4766 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. 635-6692.  

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.  

Spirit Walking Aqua Chi (TM) A gentle water exercise class at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Cost is $3.50 per session. 526-0312. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 23 

Morning Bird Walk to welcome back the Northern Flicker, Kinglets and others, at 9:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Solo Sierrans Sunrise Hike Meet at 6 a..m. at Inspiration Point in Tilden Park. We’ll start by moonlight, and watch the sun rise from Wildcat Peak and return before noon.Bring warm clothing and flashlight. Rain cancels. 601-1211. 

Halloween Animals Learn the facts and myths about owls and bats from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 525-2233. 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of the transformations around the Old Santa Fe Station, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. For information call 848-0181. www.cityofberkeley.info/histsoc 

Days of the Dead Family Festival with craft activities, music, dance, cermonia and mercado, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

House Tour of the Homes of Haddon Hill from 1 to 5 p.m. A self-guided tour of nine beautiful homes and the Cleveland Cascade. Cost is $25-$35. For reservations call 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org  

Peace It Together A collaborative art festival for healing and peacemaking from 1 to 5 p.m. at Charlie Dorr Park on Acton St. between Bancroft and Allston.  

Free Sailboat Rides between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring warm waterproof clothes. www.cal-sailing.org 

East Bay School for Girls Raffle and Auction from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian CHurhc, 2727 College Ave. 849-9444. www.ebsg.org 

International Women’s Writing Group meets to discuss writing about ancestors at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“In the Shadow of Gaza” a report-back with Wendy Kaufmyn who volunteered with the International Women’s Peace Service at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, Community Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Berkeley City Club free tours from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. 848-7800. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

MONDAY, OCT. 24 

Flu Shots for Berkeley Residents age 60 or over or “high-risk” from 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 2 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5300. 

Berkeley Reads Together Free copies of “House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros in English and Spanish will be distributed at 2 p.m. at all Berkeley Public Library locations, while supplies last. 981-6100. 

Freedom From Tobacco Class from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Free acupuncture option. 981-5330. 

AARP Driver Safety Certification Program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., also on Oct. 31, at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Albany. To register, call 558-7800. 

Amazon Gathering: Healing Arts of the Rainforest at 7 p.m. at the Teleosis Institute, 1512B Fifth St. Donation $15. RSVP to 558-7285. 

“Contemporary Drug Therapy for Parkinson’s Patients” at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave.  

Family Storytelling Night with Muriel Johnson telling African folk tales, at 6:30 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Registration required. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

Kensington Book Club meets at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Oct. 18, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Board of Library Trustees Special Meeting at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 4th Flr. Story Room. 981-6195. 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601. 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344.  

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484.  

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Prasanna Rasaih, 981-6950.  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7000.